Wag's $40 day dining around SB

Hey,
So at the last minute I realized that it was the deadline for Becks & Posh's Be Rachael Ray for A Day: Dine & Dish #4. So here I am, so why not try to enter it. I was very disappointed in Rachael Ray's $40 a day in Santa Barbara. While I approved of her lunch choice, the other choices, especially dinner, were no good. So here we go:

Breakfast:
D'Angelo Pastry and Bread. Every weekend morning I walk over to D'Angelo's to grab a ham and cheese croissant ($3 including a $.25 tip). Its one of the best ham and cheese croissants I've ever had. Its made with Gruyere cheese, sharp and nutty. Yum! Make sure you get there early, because these sell out quickly. Also good are the plain croissants, sour cherry danishes, and pretty much everything on thier sit down breakfast menu. While nibbling on my croissant on Saturday mornings, I make way over to the farmer's market 4 blocks away.

Lunch:
This is the only thing I agree with Rachel on. The Santa Barbara Shellfish Company at the end of Stearns Wharf is the best seafood deal in town. Delicious fresh food for reasonable prices. I get the fried Calamari, Oysters, and Shrimp ($7.75) and an Ice Tea ($1.50) for a total with tax and tip of $12. Mmmm, a heart attack in a basket, but its so yummy.

Snack:
I happen to be out in Goleta and I stop by Anna's Bakery and pick up a double chocolate chip cookie. This is my daily dessert on workdays. Its $0.85, and has both chocolate and white chocolate chips.

Dinner
I love sushi, basic good sushi. For dinner I choose Ichiban Sushi up on the Mesa back in Santa Barbara. This is a local favorite, off the main drag. They have a great dinner deal, the Sushi Combination which includes 7 pieces of nigiri sushi, a tuna roll, miso soup, and rice for $14.95. I like to stuff my face when eating sushi so I also get a spicy tuna hand roll for $3.50. With tax and tip it comes to a total of $24. I get off a little easy with the drink here since I prefer just water with sushi.

All told I spent $39.85, and ate well! Take that Rachel! When she did her Santa Barbara show, she went to a friend's (or friend of a friend's) place for dinner. I've eaten there, and it just isn't that good. Sorry. They have really excellent lime mints. That's the best thing I can think to say about them.