I like both restaurants but personally prefer both the food and ambience at Casmalia, and I’ve put at least a couple mission patches up on the wall. Hitching Post II, however, has the better selection of wine, both the Hartley Ostini ‘house’ wines and other excellent Paso Robles AVA selections; unfortunately, because of the movie and the tasting room, it is now a regular stop for wine tours and getting a seat at the bar to eat alone is iffy if you aren’t there at opening (or was pre-pandemic).
Also, taking someone who has never been there out to Casmalia is entertaining because everyone is so sure that I’m lost or leading them on a wild goose chase.
Those costumes have to weight forty or fifty pounds of foam and reinforcement; in the Sausage Races you often see runners kind of wobbling and having difficulty going in a straight line, not to mention how hot and confining they are so to run a 5k competitively in one is very impressive. I used to train with a 15 kg weighted vest and I could barely get down to 20 minutes and change for a 5k with just the weight so I have no idea how he did it.
I’m not generally a big fan of the vinegar-based stuff, but I ate my fair share years ago when I lived a quick walk from a Smithfield’s. I find the deliciousness of food goes way up if it’s within easy walking distance.
Been there, and it’s good. Most of the meat is adjacent to the fire (a large firepit), so probably well within the 300 degrees mentioned other places in the thread. I used to go about once a year prior to COVID when I was visiting friends and near family in Austin TX.
When you’re actually there you don’t normally see meat directly on the grill surface, I suspect that’s for an visual shot. Because, advertising.
Especially at night. There’s nothing for miles, up and down hills (at least the route I took from Lompoc) and then poof there it is!
All the wine tours is the main reason I skip Buellton. As you’ve said, the food and the ambience are the reason to go to Casmalia. And, I seem to be out of their seasoning, too. I might have to take a trip in the near future.
I’m smoking some racks tomorrow and will be using a mustard based sauce on some of them. It’ll be my first time trying that kind of sauce. I made the sauce last night and its pretty darn good. I’ll come back with the opinions of the consumers.
You know what, thanks partly to this thread I think I’m going to try smoking a tri-tip this weekend instead of my usual July 4 ribs. I mean I’ve lived in California long enough, so I should barbecue like a Californian
The recipe I found uses a reverse sear technique where you smoke the meat for an hour, then sear it on the grill for a few minutes. I guess that means it isn’t technically true Santa Maria style, but it still sounds good.
@WildaBeast, I bet it will be fantastic! California is known for its grilling, so any “barbecue” from there would naturally incorporate that technique.
We’re pushing 90F on the Fourth, so no barbecue for me. I’m grilling halibut for friends instead.
I am making a patriotic cheesecake for dessert, with fresh cherry and blueberry sauces on the side.
I’m doing one for the 4th. I soak mine overnight in a marinade of soy sauce, Coke, ginger, and - most important - an entire grated onion. The grated onion is essentially onion juice. The tri-tip almost doubles in size overnight.
