This past February, I got the chance to jet set to Santa Ynez Valley (wine country) near Santa Barbara, California. I absolutely fell in love! Click
here to read more about my time there. While I was there, I ate at a restaurant right in the town of Santa Ynez called
Trattoria Grappolo.
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It's an Italian restaurant hidden right in the middle of strip mall, but don't let this throw you off because it's excellent!
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The restaurant is owned by three brothers from Italy, and all the dishes are fantastic! I tried the Homemade ravioli stuffed with spinach, ricotta filled and parmesan cheese...
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Linguine Vongole which is linguine with clams (in a white sauce)...
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Rigatoni Bolognese with their traditional meat sauce...
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And for dessert, the Panna Cotta and the homemade tiramisu.
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Funny enough, I was watching Giada's Weekend Getaways this past weekend on the Food Network, and she headed to Santa Barbara for the weekend.
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Well, as part of her weekend trip was a day drive to Santa Ynez Valley, which included dinner at Trattoria Grappolo! She tried different things than I did (Rollino Veneto, Melanzane alla Parmigiana, salad, and lavender infused creme brulee and chocolate tartufo for dessert). Nevertheless, I was so thrilled to see that I had picked a place to eat at that was obviously good enough for Giada and Food Network!
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