Avant Tappas and Wine

Avant Tappas and Wine in Buellton, California, is off the beaten trail but definitely a great find!  Don't let the fact that it is located in an industrial area fool you. The restaurant has a great ambiance and we were greeted with a smile from the manger, Joe Padilla. Avant not only has a great menu and fantastic food but also something a little different and unique. One wall is lined with dispensers from different wineries and you can try as many as you would like. You receive a card that inserts into the machine and then you can choose from a 1oz pour, up to a full glass. Find one you love ( and you will find quite a few) and pour yourself a glass of vino to compliment your meal. The card keeps track of your total and they add it to your bill; really fun and easy! Be sure to have some tappas before your meal and I highly recommend the yuppie crack; Applewood Smoked Bacon,Dates,Goat Cheese with a Balsamic Reduction,Basil Oil Drizzel. YUMMMM!!!


You can find Avant on Facebook where Joe usually has a great special going just for 'fans'. Avant also has specials on Groupon from time to time so keep an eye out for one. If you aren't familiar with Groupon then you should definitely check it out. Groupon offers great discounts on local services when enough people buy.  

At the back of the restaurant is a the sister company Terravant. Terravant is a production facility that prepares and bottles wines for quite a few of the local wineries. Joe took us on a tour of the facility and it was really quite impressive. Huge vats of grapes that were going through the process of becoming some of the wonderful wines from the Santa Rita Hills

PhotoArt may be purchased at Kimberly Kay Photography

Avant's general manager Joe Padilla. Tell him Kim and Russ sent you. 

Just one of the delicious meals you will find on their menu.

a  Local Grass Fed Slider Trio... 

Caramelized Onion & gorgonzola, Cheddar & Jalapeño, 

Mozzarella & Balsamic Reduction 

Nearly 90% of the wines served at Avant are made right on the premises, at 

their sister company Terravant. Joe took Russ and me on a tour after lunch. 

Delicious wood-fired pizza's. My favorite is topped with Artichokes,
 Sundried Tomatoes, Kalalmata Olives,  Basil Oil and Feta Cheese. 
YUMM!!!

Terravant wine company is a custom crush wine production facility 

where they produce and bottle wines for more than a few dozen local wineries.

 Some of my favorite wines are being made in these!

Bottled and ready for shipment


You can find Avant at 35 Industrial Way in Buellton, California
Check out their Facebook page for weekly specials and upcoming events.

California wildflowers

We are at the tail end of wild flower season, on Mount Figueroa, in Los Padres National Forest. Figueroa mountain road is a beautiful drive and when the flowers are in bloom it  is quite spectacular. The wildflowers on Figueroa Mountain are off to a very unusual start this year, largely due to the lack of rain and unusual weather. It is no surprise the flowers are exhibiting a bit of confusion; flowers that normally do not bloom until mid April, early May, bloomed in January this year and are now drying out. It may be a short and rapid flower season this year; but it would still be worth the drive because the area is beautiful and has abundant hiking trails. The dismal wild flower forecast doesn't mean there won't be anything to see. Flowers and shrubs are in bloom, just not in that drive-by-fields-of-color kind of way. This season you will have  to leave your car and spend some time looking around on foot to appreciate nature's beauty. Pack a picnic lunch with your favorite bottle of vino and enjoy the beautiful views of the valley. 

All photo art can be purchased at Kimberly Kay Photography. ENJOY!

There are a large variety of flowers that usually grace the hillsides so you may want to bring along a field book of the California wildflowers. Flowers that you might see would include; buttercups, fiddlenecks, Johnny jump-ups, blue dicks, chinese houses, hummingbird sage, fiesta flowers, lomatium, miner’s lettuce, lupine, pink owl’s clovers, red Indian paintbrush, shooting stars, miniature lupine, sky lupine, cream cups, fillaree, buttercups, goldfields, coreopsis, shooting stars, royal lupine, beautiful pink, orange wall flowers, fiesta flowers, coreopsis, purple nightshade, prickly phlox, spiny lupine, morning glories, coreopsis, milk thistle, flowering gooseberries, chocolate lily's and of course California poppies! 

Don't forget your adventure pass before you go and make sure to pack your camera!

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What should I pair with that?

I so love technology - especially the internet!  Anything I need to know, or want to learn is right at my fingertips. There is a great site called "stumbled upon", that helps you discover and share great websites that may be of interest to you and your friends.  Since this blog is about great things to eat and drink, I thought I would share a fantastic resource for food and wine.  Of course this is just a guide; there are really no steadfast rules when it comes to enjoying good food and a great bottle of wine! However, when it matters and you want to find the best wine to compliment your meal, then this a great resource. 

Remember that foods tend to go well with the wines they grew up with. So if you are having an Italian meal you may want to choose an Italian wine. Palmina winery, in Lompoc wine ghetto, would be my first choice for some exceptional Italian wines.

HAPPY PAIRING!!!

Mediterranean style pizza, stuffed paquillo peppers and a nice Ampelos Pinot from D'vine

Sparkling wines are delicious with chocolate. 'Flying Goat' cellars
in Lompc's wine ghetto has one of the best I have tried.

A lot of the wineries will have a dessert wine that will
 compliment your dessert or finish off your meal all by itself.

California Pinots pair wonderfully with salmon. We are lucky to live in an area that has so many wonderful wines. I have enjoyed every Pinot at every winery in the Lompoc wine ghetto.

SAARLOOS and SONS, together with ENJOY CUPCAKES

I really LOVE this winery! Saarloos and Son's combines two of my favorite things - cupcakes and good wine! Not just any cupcakes but wine-infused goodness, made by Enjoy; a gourmet cupcake company. The tasting room has a very vintage feel reminding me of times long ago. Tyler, our wine pourer, was delightful and fun. Their wine labels are so unique and are "a tribute to those that came before them". Labels feature family members with pictures dating back to 1945 (when their grandparents married). I got a feeling of strong family traditions that will be passed down for generations to come. With names like 'Father', 'Mother' and 'Son', I really loved looking at the pictures and getting a small glimpse of their family history......oh and the wines were really good too! I actually surprised myself and ordered a glass of 'Mother' after our tasting. A Grenache Blanc that was really fruity and crisp. Perfect for a hot summer day in beautiful Los Olivos. We opted for the wine and cupcake pairing so it was $10.00 for each. Enjoy creates a different flight of cupcakes each week and they pair nicely with Saarloo's wines. Be sure to 'Like' Saarloo's and Son's' on Facebook and 'Share' this great little find with friends. 


'ENJOY' .....Great name, great cupcakes! With 350 flavors to date I may have to go back a few more times! Their menu changes weekly but they always have their signature treat; a Chocolate sarah cake filled with dark chocolate fudge, blackberry frosting topped with a sarah soaked blackberry that has been rolled in sugar! YUMM!!! If you are in the area you must stop in and try the pairing. You will be glad you did.

Our wine pairing and they were all delicious. I think I might just have to try them all.
With 350 different flavors, it might take awhile! 

Tyler is great! Be sure to tell her Kim sent you.

'Mother' a delicious Grenach Blanc

I so LOVE their labels. 

Pictures dating back to 1949

The outdoor patio is perfect for sharing a glass of wine with friends.

Our cupcake flight. They were all delicious.

Their signature cupcake. DELICIOUS!

D'Vine Wine Bar and Tapas

Leave everyday life behind and escape into the exquisite beauty of D'Vine wine bar. Located in Old Town Lompoc, at the west end of Santa Rita Hills, is the quaintest little wine bar with a great selection of local wines -by the glass or bottle- and specialty beers for those that prefer something other than the fruit of the vine. D'vine is the ideal destination to enjoy great food and wine in a relaxing, friendly, atmosphere. When I walk through the door at D'Vine I feel like I have been transported to another place… Tuscany or Milan perhaps. The owner, Karen May, is there to greet you with a smile and help you pick out the perfect glass of vino. Karen features a different artist every few months, so she always has some very unique art pieces adorning her walls, and there is often live entertainment on weekends. Tonight I had the pleasure of listening to Jon Stephen Faget, on his guitar. Jon is an amazing musician and plays a very nice array of Spanish/Mediterranean style music. His CD, Kandugottu, Go to Flamenco Island, is available for purchase at D'Vine.

Such a great little place to hang out with friends and share a nice glass of wine -or beer- while enjoying some delicious treats. Chef A.J. makes a really superb, artisian cheese platter that is vey beautifully presented. It has the Chef’s selection of cheeses, sopressata (Italian salami), sliced bread with mixed sun dried black mission figs, baked macadamia nuts (oven roasted with sea salt and herbs de provence) and a  mediterranean medley olive blend. Delicious, and it went very nicely with the Turchi 2009 Pinot Noir, he recommended. A.J. also offers a nice selection of unique entrees sure to tantalize anyone’s taste buds. Besides one-of-a-kind Tapas prepared to perfection, he makes a Chili spiced chocolate torte, with candied applewood smoked bacon that is sure to delight. Yes,I said bacon! You will just have to trust me on this one and at least try it. Be sure to tell Karen that Kim sent you in to try A.J.'s very special chocolate torte. Another favorite  was the Cali Pizza; Spinach pesto with olive tapenade, tomato bruschetta, goat cheese and a touch of scallion. This particular evening, Russ and I shared the Mediterranean style pizza made with olive oil, mozzarella and parmesan with serrano ham, arugula with balsamic vinaigrette. I also tried the piquillo peppers stuffed with spinach and goat cheese and served on a bed of arugula greens with a citrus dressing (pictured below). The non-vegitarian is stuffed with chorizo and manchego cheese. DELICIOUS!


Be sure to "Like" them on facebook so you can be notified of all their special events. Wether it's pizza throw-downs,Thursday's ladies night, food and wine pairing-I loved the wine and chocolate truffles- or enjoying a scrumptious bowl of roasted butternut squash soup and mulled cider, while watching the parade go by, D'vine is the ideal destination to get away from it all. Certainly one of Lompoc's little treasures.