Day One Itinerary
Begin your barbecue tasting experience with lunch at a Santa Maria Valley classic, The Garden Room at the Historic Santa Maria Inn. While the tri-tip is staple order for dinner, you can try it with salad or slaw for lunch, giving you the perfect intro to the Santa Maria-Style experience.
After lunch, make the quick, 15-minute drive south of Santa Maria to Orcutt, a small town with antique charm. At the Old Town Market in Orcutt, you can pick up everything you need to prepare your own Santa Maria-Style feast back at home. Here, you can purchase Santa Maria-Style seasoning, raw pinquito beans, red oak chips and more, all the necessities to grill Santa Maria-Style tri-tip on your own.
Next, go check out Naughty Oak Brewing Company, a locally-owned and operated craft brewery. The craft beer scene on the Central Coast is booming, and Naughty Oak is a great hub for beer in Santa Maria Valley. With clever names like Gold Digger or Anthony Hopkins, you’re in for a treat when it comes time to order. What’s even better, you can always order a flight of beer to taste a few without the full tap commitment.
Finally, stroll down East Clark Avenue to head to your next destination for dinner, Far Western Tavern, one of Santa Maria Valley’s most iconic barbecue locations. The 1958 classics portion of their menu celebrates the tried and true menu items from the restaurant’s original location that opened that year in the Palace Hotel building in Guadalupe. Classics include multiple cuts of beef, pork, ribs and chicken. Their 2012 contemporary menu features new veggie and steak varieties, including their renown oak grilled tri-tip. Be sure to order a glass of local Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir, which will pair perfectly with your steak and is grown in vineyards right down the street. (Psst! Here’s the Wine Itinerary if you’re curious!)