Photographed with the same lighting setup as the tomatoes.
Okay, so we did follow the tourist office's advice on farmer's markets, and went to one of the big ones in Santa Barbara. Picked up 5 bags of herbs, tomatoes, veggies, fruit, bread, fresh pasta and a nice chunk of BEEF.
Quick run back to the cottage to drop stuff off in the fridge, then over to Summerland Winery. Partially because of our previous experience here (we stayed in Summerland for our first 'anniversary'), and partially because their wine is truly excellent, we gravitate back here every year. There isn't a whole lot going on in Summerland. A couple bar-grills, a tiny old-fashioned grocery market, a bikini shop, a gas station, some cute shops and a great winery. I picked up a Summerland Winery baseball cap, one bottle of Rose Grenache, two of the Sauvignon Blanc and….
The real order of business was getting a big red wine to go with the steak. We picked up their blend called the 'Trio' - a rich, deep red to go with the steak, defrosting at home. This was one of those frozen, organic grain-fed, happy cow chunks of meat you see in farmer's markets these days. Partial bone-in New York strip. Grilled for 7 minutes, then pushed the coals aside, and indirect-heat cooked for another 5. A little patty of Kerrygold Irish butter and steak sauce…. We haven't done much beef lately, so when we do, we try to make it as good and pure and beefy as possible.
Mooooo!