Santa Maria Style barbecue, the iconic tri-tip originating from Santa Maria Valley, made the list of the Los Angeles Times’ best dishes of 2023. Food writer Cindy Carcamo’s writes in-depth about her best dish of the year, which was the tri-tip plate at Shaw’s Steakhouse and Tavern. Read more in the excerpt below:
The best dishes of 2023, according to our food writers
Credit: Shaw’s Steakhouse and Tavern
Tri-tip plate at Shaw’s Steakhouse and Tavern
You can get tri-tip at plenty of places, but here you get honest-to-goodness traditional Santa Maria barbecue. This is the kind of place where you start with fresh Santa Maria-style salsa and a chilled relish tray of black olives, carrots, pickles and green onions. The onion-heavy, tomato-y salsa is best spooned on top of complimentary soda crackers for the table. I like to pair the starters with a stiff cocktail that prepares the palate for the tri-tip dinner plate. The 12-ounce tri-tip is cooked over Central Coast native red oak in a giant, deep pit behind the glassed-in kitchen at the center of the dining room. The meat is well seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper. The dish comes with toasted garlic French bread and a small crock of meaty pinquito beans — small, buttery and dense orbs at the heart of any traditional Santa Maria tri-tip barbecue. The smoky slabs of beautifully grained tri-tip melted in my mouth. Dip the garlicky bread in the salsa, which provides a pleasing tang to contrast with the meaty dish. The meal feeds more than one person; I shared it with my 8-year-old daughter, who was more than happy to oblige. Make sure to order a glass of local red wine. The Tolosa Syrah from Edna Valley will do nicely.
To read more, find the full article here.
