If you are new to Santa Barbara or just a local looking for great spots you haven’t found yet, you should check out Santa Barbara’s Dining and Destinations. This wonderful magazine is a Santa Barbara Restaurant and Lifestyle Guide. It is a great source for Santa Barbara restaurants, home decor, fashion, art, things to do, wine and local people. Recently we had a chance to talk to Phillip Janney, publisher of Dining and Destinations. Phillip is a long time local and wonderful resource for all things Santa Barbara. Here is what he had to say.
Where did you grow up? And how did you find Santa Barbara?
I grew up in the Bay Area, in a town called Novato in Northern Marin County. I came to Santa Barbara to attend college at UCSB and graduated in 1984.
What inspired you to create Santa Barbara Dining and Destinations?
My girlfriend and I left Santa Barbara for Seattle in 1988 and lived there for eleven years. We got married and had a couple of children and returned to Santa Barbara, where for all of our sanity, the children could be outdoors instead of indoors for nine months out of the year. When we returned to Santa Barbara, we went to a few of our old favorite restaurants with fond memories. Unfortunately, either our memories were not so accurate or new owners had taken the restaurant in a different direction. Also, our sleepy little town of Santa Barbara had become much more metropolitan and there were so many more restaurants. Hence, we figured that other people were also overwhelmed in finding the right restaurant for their evening.
My husband’s birthday is coming up and he loves great food. Where should we go?
I get this question frequently and my answer is different and similar each time. I often need to ask a few qualifying questions to narrow down my answer. So since your husband’s birthday is a special occasion, and I am not able to ask you more qualifying questions, let’s go somewhere memorable with varied settings to match your personal taste – Boathouse, Jane, Sly’s, Lucky’s, Brewhouse, Holdren’s, Arch Rock Fish, Tre Lune, Blush and Zen Yai. Cheers!
Where can people go to subscribe to Santa Barbara Dining and Destinations?
To subscribe go to our Dining and Destinations website.
Thanks for catching up with us Phillip. Sounds like I need to make some reservations! I notice you also have a great bi-monthly newsletter that visitors can sign up for and lots of great information on your website.
If you have a question for Phil, our local expert, please leave it in the comments section below. I’ll send the best question some great Santa Barbara Adventure Company schwag!
