the hitching post ii

our very long time santa barbara local friends have been sending us their dry rub steak spice called "magic dust"... now re-named to "magic stuff" (copy right laws) for years!
it is not that far out of town and they know the old fashion california way to take care of their patrons.
we were traveling from our home in lake oswego, oregon and i am ready to make the drive again just to dine there!
great steak!greatservice! prices are very fair!
if you do not have time to make the trip... log onto their website, as they sell their "magic stuff" dry rub online. the best use is for steak, but i also like it on bbq chicken.
please enjoy,
it is well worth your hard earned "after tax dollars"!
enjoy, morry

fun restaurant. this was our third trip to the hitching post ii in the past 6 years, so we're not regulars by any stretch, but we always go when in the area. the bar is the highlight of the hitching post ii, and the dining room is playing second fiddle.

the 4:00-6:00pm wine tasting is a must! you get a taste of 7 wines for $9, and have agreatchoice among their fantastic appetizers; i strongly recommend the grilled artichoke and the roasted garlic we had both they are wonderful.

went back for dinner at 7:30... the relish tray is a nice glimpse of the past when all the top notch steak houses met you with tray in had upon being seated. we ordered the steamed mussels. grilled artichoke, bbq sautéed mushrooms. mussels were excellent, the broth was an excellent soup, again, artichoke was great, the mushrooms were “ok,” wouldn’t order them again.

tiny frozen shrimp are served as the shrimp cocktail over a bed of shredded lettuce and some lightweight cocktail sauce: not worth the effort try the cup of soup instead, you'll be glad you did. an unexciting salad is also served before the entree, topped with bottled dressing.

between our table we had two 14 oz, and one 10 oz new york strip, one grilled gulf shrimp, and one combination shrimp (4oz.) and top sirloin (7 oz.). the 10 oz ny strip is just a thinner cut of the 14 oz, so if you like it rare or med rare, you'll be disappointed with the 10 oz. steaks are very nice cuts with a nice marble. however the seasoning is weak, ask for extra "magic dust" for acceptable flavor. the shrimp were bland and in need of flavor, i wouldn't suggest ordering the shrimp.

nice sized baked potato, but the toppings for the baked potato was limited; butter, limited sour cream, chives…no cheese or bacon.

cheese cake is more like a cheese mouse, butgreatflavor. strawberry short cake was “ok.”

in summary, good food needs more seasoning. prices are bit high for what you get, wines are good value. very fun place.

not justgreatsteaks. this is a classic old school california steak house. it's the kind of place where ranchers who know beef go more than bankers with expense accounts. it is not tony or pretentious by any means. so if you are looking for atmosphere then quaint and homey is the atmosphere you better be looking for. that's just fine with us. there are plenty of locals here, especially in the bar where the staff is friendly and chatty.

i was expectinggreatsteaks and my top sirloin was certainly up to my expectations. but my real treat was the oak grilled duck breast which was one of the best renditions of duck i recall having-moist, deeply flavored, rare in the center. the accompanying apricot sauce wasgreatin that it was pretty savory and not cloyingly sweet like too many duck sauces can be.

all the meats are cooked over the oak wood fire including the dry rub baby back ribs and blue marlin you'll see in my photos. the marlin was a very nice piece of fish also.

the sides are classic and straight forward. this is not nouvelle california cuisine, just good old santa maria.

wine country. agreatway to end the day in the beautiful santa barbara wine country. so yes i wanted to check this place out because of "sideways". i thought the place was awesome. glad we had reservations cause their was a line out the door. i was pump to check this place out. and it didn't let me down. the wine was amazing. there pinot noir was really really good. so go me & dad slip a mixed six pack. and the food. where to begin. i had the california rack of lamb. i had never had it before & it was delicious. so moist and tender with agreatblend of herbs & spices. when i go back to santa barbara & lompoc i will be hitting it up for sure.