Friday, October 24, 2014

The Funk Zone

{I'm posting every day this month for the 31 Days writing challenge!
Click here to see an introduction and a list of all the posts I've written so far.}



Because it’s sadly NOT my Friday off today, I am of course daydreaming about things I could be doing right now if I didn’t have to be at work.  And one of my favorite ways to spend a relaxing Friday afternoon (or Saturday or Sunday for that matter) is moseying around the Funk Zone.  

The Funk Zone is basically this little section of streets (pretty much all within walking distance of each other) full of places to eat, drink, shop, and explore.  I don’t think I have even begun to scratch the surface when it comes to seeing and experiencing all that the Funk Zone has to offer, but I definitely have discovered a few instant favorites that I frequently visit when I'm headed down that way.

The first and best place is the Santa Barbara Winery, and I’m not just saying that because two of my lovely friends, Michelle and Brooke, work there.  They have delicious wines, a calm and relaxing vibe, and a very cool barrel room that gets rented out for events like birthday parties and belly dancing performances.  As someone who is not usually a big fan of white wine, let me tell you right now that you MUST try their orange muscat.  It is fantastic!  And if you don't believe me, well: they just won Best White Wine in the 2014 SB Independent Readers’ Poll so they must be doing something right!

Deidre and me at SB Winery on a rainy day!
 
This is the barrel room at SB Winery, during
Michelle's birthday party earlier this year!

Then there are a few other wine tasting rooms that I like to visit every now and then, including Corks & Crowns, Drake, AVA, and Municipal.  There’s a lot of others too, but those are the first that come to mind as the ones with my favorite vibe, flavor, or all-around pleasant experience.

 
Corks & Crowns does a cupcake tasting every Sunday!

Moving on to food spots, I must admit I really haven’t explored a lot here yet!  I’ve been to Red’s a couple times (and hosted a work party there last year), Metropulos once, and Lucky Penny once.  I really enjoyed all three of those places, so I dunno what's keeping me from going more often.  I also keep meaning to check out the Lark and Seven, and one of these days I will make it happen!  But I hear from plenty of people that those and many other eateries in the Funk Zone are fantastic, so you pretty much can’t go wrong.

I think this happened at Municipal Wine awhile back.
Who doesn't love a good backgammon game while tasting wine?

Sis-in-law Kelly and me at AVA when we had
a Carnes family day in SB this summer!

If you’re a little overwhelmed by all the possibilities and places to check out in the Funk Zone, here’s one great way to pick your starting points: get an Axxess book and check out the places that have offers and discounts in there!  I know SB Winery has a deal, as do several other tasting rooms, eateries, and more.   

What are you waiting for?

5 comments:

  1. How is parking down there? I've been to Red's once and what I remember most about it was the difficulty finding parking! I think that's what has deterred me from checking out any of the other eateries there.

    Also, I'm not a wine fan, but I can stomach most muscatos-- nice and sweet! Well, for a wine, anyway :-)

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  2. Woohooo Got a shout-out :)
    We need to visit Sevens!

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  3. The Funk Zone looks amazing! I would think that it would take your end of the work week funk out of you and just be the fun zone, plain and simple. Enjoy your weekend...and the wine!

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  4. I wish I could go to Corks & Crowns for cupcake tasting. :-)

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  5. I love the idea of a cupcake tasting! Fun post!

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