The Best of Wines and Barbecue of Santa Maria Valley

Written by Barbara Barrielle

June 8, 2017

Restaurants | Travel | Wines and Spirits

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Wander the Santa Maria Valley for its rolling hills, morning fog, sandy seaside dunes, history, elegant wines, and unique BBQ.

The Santa Maria Valley, just north of Santa Barbara and south of San Luis Obispo, is known for its rolling hills, morning fog, sandy seaside dunes, early California history, elegant wines, and spectacular Santa Maria-style BBQ.

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Exploring Santa Maria BBQ

Yes, you’ve heard of Kansas City, North Carolina, Memphis, and other barbecue styles—but welcome to the Santa Maria rub.

A Santa Maria style Rib Eye at the family-run and historic Far Western Tavern in Orcutt. Photo by Barbara Barrielle

While the Travel Channel has a whole segment dedicated to the Santa Maria Elks Club and their frequent fundraising cookouts, if you happen to be in the area when the famed Elks Lodge #1538 isn’t cooking, there are still a few excellent choices that have the same kind of history in their approach to Santa Maria BBQ.

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As Sunset Magazine points out, Santa Maria barbecue is “America’s least-known best barbecue,” which pretty much sums it up. Initially a way to feed traveling vaqueros and cattle workers, locals had beef from massive cattle ranches readily available. They used what is known as the tri-tip cut in chunks aged in a dry rub of salt, pepper, and garlic salt (with variations), then slow-cooked over coastal red oak wood and served with salsa and pinquito beans, a genuinely local small, plump legume—tortillas or garlic bread and green salad complete the meal.

Susan Righetti, the third generation of the Minetti family, talks about her family and the area’s history as depicted on the wall of Far Western Tavern. Photo by Barbara Barrielle

BBQ at Far Western Tavern

The Far Western Tavern, owned by the third generation of the Minettis, a long-time Santa Maria Family that has also branched out into wine with Riverbench Winery and a dry goods company called Susie Q’s, is the standard by which Santa Maria barbecue is measured. Susie Q distributes the Santa Maria spices, beans, and red oak that have made the barbecue in this area famous. In addition to the original tri-tip, every kind of beef cut is offered, as well as local seafood. Originally in the Palace Hotel in Guadalupe, Far Western has relocated to the charming town of Orcutt, bringing their original recipes and the grand mahogany bar.

Susan Righetti is the stylish face of Far Western and the Susie behind Susie Q’s. She speaks lovingly of the family, its history in Santa Maria Valley, and the Minetti family’s commitment to sustaining the vitality of the Valley. They still run cattle and grape growing and the family’s other ventures.

At Shaw’s Famous Steakhouse, have the best of both worlds with a filet mignon and shrimp scampi with all the salsa and pinquito beans you can eat. photo: Barbara Barrielle

BBQ at Shaw’s Famous Steakhouse

Another excellent Santa Maria barbecue joint is Shaw’s Famous Steakhouse. A casual dining, family place, its vast space makes for the perfect place for a dinner for two or twelve. A relish tray is delivered upon being seated, and when asked, the waiter even hand-stuffed the blue cheese olives requested for the martinis. This staff goes above and beyond.

Start with the tri-tip appetizer to get a taste of the original Santa Maria rub ‘cue, and then choose a petite filet or sirloin for another taste of what makes this steak house famous. Pair with a side of scampi for a meal that can easily be lunch the next day. Pinquito beans and salsa are all-you-can-eat, so be sure to eat a lot of those yummy beans.

Although started for employees of a local company, Moxie Cafe now serves healthy food, fun, and friends to the entire community are fair prices. Photo by Barbara Barrielle

Moxie Café

Other fantastic dining options in the Valley, especially for lunch, include the unique Moxie Café, which was started by the owner of a local healthcare company to feed his employees healthy, fresh food during their lunch hours. Creative salads, steak chili, fresh sandwiches, gelato, coffees, and live music many nights of the week make Moxie the place to go at any time of day. Their motto is “eat fresh and healthy…and make many friends,” which works.

Rooney’s Irish Pub

Rooney’s Irish Pub has at least six house-made beers on tap at all times (two are seasonal), and they are made right there. A tasting of six beers is the way to try the whole gamut and pair these with classic Irish grub like Bangers and Mash, Irish Stew, Corned Beef and Cabbage, and an inverted and modernized Shepherd’s pie. And, because this is California, one of the most popular dishes is the fish tacos. Rooney’s, owned and run by a couple of ex-firefighters, is lively and delicious, with something for everyone, including an extensive Irish whiskey list and excellent local wines.

Experiencing the Wines of Santa Maria Valley AVA

The BBQ—and other food—is amazing in the Santa Maria Valley, but the area is known for great wines. We decided to go through some of the great wineries of the Santa Maria Valley. We heard about many great wineries as we dined, and vice versa. With its towns of Orcutt and Santa Maria, Santa Maria is a small town, and, frankly, everyone seems to know – and support – each other.

CNagy Wines

We enjoy chatting with Clarissa Nagy while tasting through her line of ultra-small production single vineyard wines under her label, CNagy Wines.

Clarissa’s day job is crafting the larger production of Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and sparkling wines at the beautiful Riverbench Winery, part of the Minetti family holdings. Grab a picnic and head to Riverbench’s flower-filled grounds for live music most weekends and excellent, affordable sparklings.

Beautiful and talented Clarissa Nagy beings her energy for life to her love for making elegant wines at CNagy Wines in Orcutt. Photo by Barbara Barrielle

Clarissa Nagy’s background is in food science, and she fell into wine because of the chemistry. You could say chemistry played a part in making wines that go beautifully with food, leading to her marriage to Jonathan Nagy, the winemaker at Byron Winery. They met the first day they started working there and now make wines throughout the Valley and raise a seven-year-old daughter.

Clarissa has sourced small amounts of grapes, an acre, of the varietals she loves, and coaxes them into truly elegant, varietally-on-point Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. Other varietals, including Chardonnay and Grenache, are in CNagy’s future.

The lineup at the estate of Ca’ del Grevino includes the ultra-limited production of their namesake wines. Construction is underway for a major expansion of the winery. Photo by Barbara Barrielle

Ca’ del Grevino Tasting Rooms

Ca’ del Grevino has tasting rooms in Orcutt and in Santa Barbara’s Funk District, but visiting their estate and seeing the expansion planned for these lovely hills is nothing less than mind-blowing. Existing now is a massive mansion and winery facility, an outdoor amphitheater, and stunning gardens. In the plans and under construction in the lower hills of the property is a tasting room, gravity-fed winery, caves, and a combination of fine and casual dining restaurants focusing on the local bounty.

The wines at Ca’del Grevino include the larger production Element line of wines from Santa Maria Valley, the Grevino single vineyard line (including a yummy Grenache), and the high-end limited production Ca’del Grevino label. With its facility and tasting expansion, Ca’ is primed to grow and further its commitment to this lush but quaint Valley.

Presqu’ile Winery

Next door and perched high on a hill is Presqu’ile Winery. Meaning “almost an island,” Presque’ile is a departure from most wineries in its modern architectural approach, open terraces, lots of outdoor seating and meeting, clean lines, and lean wines.

Taste Presqu’ile wines while looking out over the rolling hills of Santa Maria Valley to the Pacific. Photo by Barbara Barrielle

Presqu’ile’s winemaker, Dieter Cronje, with the support of Matt Murphy and the multi-generational Pinot Noir-loving Murphy family, makes a stunning, fresh, but creamy Sauvignon Blanc and crisp but rounded Chardonnay. The Pinot Noir lineup is what you would expect from a family that seeks out the best fruit and plants much of it for their favorite line. Beautiful across the entire line, especially in the clone-specific single-vineyard Pinots.

When possible, get a tour of the 300-yard-long wine cave, which ends at an elevator that ascends through the production areas of the winery and ends up at the Terrace with 180-degree views out to the Pacific and across the fog-touched rolling hills of this paradise.

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