La Super Rica/Crush Cakes

La Super Rica

622 N Milpas St, Santa Barbara, CA 93103

(805) 963-4940

About five years ago, I read three different articles in the LA Times, Westways and Sunset listing La Super Rica as  a

place that must be visited, and since my kids were in Zoo Camp, I went to check it out. It's good. 

Generally, though, I want tacos and go to Lilly's (Friday, Oct. 28, 2011), which is cheap and fast, but yesterday I felt like Mexican Food. Being near La Super Rica, I headed in. 

LSR has a tapas menu, everything needing to be ordered a la carte, and I usually order two or three items. On this trip, I had the frijole super rica (pinto beans with little bits bacon and chorizo), alambra de filete (tri-tip with peppers, onions and bacon), and from the specials menu, a taco de hongo (mushrooms in a cream sauce on two tortillas). My daughter ordered the arroz a la Mexicana (Mexican brown rice) and lamito suizo (grilled pork and cheese between 2 tortillas). Both of us ordered Mexican soda (they do serve beer).

Looking in the kitchen area, everything is clean, and they are pressing out corn tortillas by hand. 

We got there at 11 AM, and for the first time ever, I didn't wait in line.  Generally, there's a fast moving line extending well out the door, and as the day progresses they run out of various specials.

The dining area is an enclosed patio, with heaters for the rare cold days. Since we were there so early, there was plenty of seating, but having been to LSR later in the day, I know that sometimes the entire dining area is filled.

The food came pretty quick, and it was all delicious. The meat was moist and full of flavor. I really like their pinto beans, and usually add a little of the meat from my other dishes. Fresh tortillas are generally more moist than those from a package, and you can taste more of the corn, which is the case here.

My order

I tried my daughter's food too, and liked it as well, the cheese especially.

My daughter's

If you happen to be a Katy Perry fan, this is the place she name checks in one of "This is How We Do," and apparently it's not unusual to see performers from the Santa Barbara Bowl eat here before their show.

The cost for my daughter and I was just over $20.

Crushcakes
1315 Anacapa Street
Santa Barbara

Later the same day, needing something sweet, my daughter and I headed to Crushcakes for a cupcake. Cupcakes are all the rage, and Crushcakes is in a funky little shop across from Alameda Park that I like just sitting in. It feels happy, and I like the art they have on the walls, and I imagine a world where I can spend all my time drinking coffee and eating cupcakes in cafes around the world.

On this visit, I had a peanut better cupcake with a cup of the house coffee. And for the first time, I was a touch disappointed. The $3 cupcake was a tad dry, and the house blend of Intelligentsia coffee was bitter. I've been in a few times before, and have enjoyed both the location and the food.

But I was back in Santa Barbara a second time, and again needed a cupcake. This time, with the rain cleaning the outside world, I had the coconut cupcake and the Gallo blend of Intelligentsia, and both were much better. The cupcake was moist and the coffee, though strong, wasn't bitter. 

Everyone can have an off day.