Turn right at Roblar Winery on Alamo Pintado Road to gather some gifts for oenophile friends, like c

Writer and culinary cheap car rental canada maven Lauren hertz discount car rentals Van Mullem hopped into her car and headed from Los Angeles to Buellton, Los Olivos and Ballard in San Barbara County to sample the quirky hertz discount car rentals spots, wine tasting cheap car rental canada hertz discount car rentals rooms and culinary delights that she found along the way.
The first detour was Santa Rosa Road off of Highway 101, a scenic drive through lavender fields, horse farms and vineyards, including tasting rooms at Mosby , Alma Rosa (formerly cheap car rental canada Sanford), and Lafond . Watch out for quail and deer as you wind around the Santa Rita Hills to Lompoc, the "city of arts and flowers," before looping back along highway 246.
For some kid-friendly history, check out La Purisma Mission , founded in 1787, where they offer free guided tours daily. Further along Highway 246 are the Babcock cheap car rental canada and Melville tasting rooms, and though you might miss this unassuming hertz discount car rentals tasting room on the side of the road in Buellton, Casa Cassara is a destination in and of itself for its unique wines.
Even though you've seen the signs for Pea Soup Andersens dotting the highway, pass it up to save room for dinner later (unless you really like pea soup). Andersen's isn't the only quirky tourist stop in Buellton: There's Ostrich Land too. If you want low-fat hertz discount car rentals grass-fed meat or free-range eggs, ostrich is the fowl for you! 805-686-9696
Pick up a winery tasting room map from the Solvang Visitor's Center and a freshly made kringle at Olsen's cheap car rental canada Bakery as you drive towards Santa Ynez. Turn left on Alamo Pintado Road for apple farms, more tasting rooms, hertz discount car rentals and the miniature horses at Quicksilver Horse Ranch . So many people have stopped to marvel at the minis that the ranch owners decided to invite the public in from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. While mini-horses are shorter than 34 inches, they can pull 10 times their own weight, and with the price of gas, maybe miniature-horse drawn carts are the future of "green" transportation. cheap car rental canada 805-686-4002, www.qsminis.com
Continue on Alamo Pintado Road to Los Olivos, a small town packed with tasting rooms, art galleries, pricey boutiques and epicurean restaurants. The Los Olivos Wine Merchant and Café is one of the few places selling the elusive Sea Smoke Pinot Noirs, locally grown "cult wines," whose demand so far exceeds supply that they have no tasting room, and can only be purchased in limited quantities. 805-688-7265, www.losolivoscafe.com
Brave the lunch lines at Paninos for their delicious and inexpensive sandwiches that keep locals coming hertz discount car rentals back (like Noah Wyle). Mattei's Tavern on the edge of town has been serving customers since it was built as a stage coach stop in 1886. There are many tall tales surrounding the tavern, but the authentic "hanging hertz discount car rentals tree" in front stands testament to the area's rugged history.
Further cheap car rental canada along highway cheap car rental canada hertz discount car rentals 154 is Los Olivos Grocery store, hertz discount car rentals a foodie cheap car rental canada favorite for hard to find cheeses, local organic produce, cheap car rental canada gelato, and a vast selection of herbs, exotic spices, oils and wines. 805-688-5115, www.losolivosgrocery.com
Turn right at Roblar Winery on Alamo Pintado Road to gather some gifts for oenophile cheap car rental canada friends, like colorful Italian-inspired table linens, cookbooks and wine accessories. Their decadent Sunday brunch with live music costs $45 per person, or if you prefer a more hands-on experience, come on a Saturday night for cooking classes taught by local chefs, all paired with generously poured Roblar wines for $125 per person. 805-686-2603, www.roblarwinery.com
By this time it should be evening, and dinner at the Ballard Inn and Restaurant is a must. Owned by Budi and Chris Kazali, who bought the inn in 2004, the 15-room inn was voted one of the Top Ten Most Romantic Inns by the American Historic Inns and for good reason; it's the culinary star of the Santa Ynez Valley.
Executive Chef Budi Kazali's artistic background is evident in the elegantly plated food that combines Eastern and Western flavors. "All my restaurants have been French and Asian, hertz discount cheap car rental canada car rentals so by combining cheap car rental canada those traditions hertz discount car rentals here, I have the freedom to go wherever I want to go," said Chef Kazali, an Indonesian-born graduate hertz discount car rentals cheap car rental canada of the California hertz discount car rentals cheap car rental canada Culinary Academy.
"We're always bouncing ideas off of each other in the kitchen," added Chef Jason Nuss. "What produce is in season, what did Budi pick up at the local farmer's market that day, and how can we put it together to create a new dish for that night?"
Chef Kazali encourages his chefs to "think about food all the time" and to "find inspiration in what's fresh around us." Besides cheap car rental canada hertz discount car rentals finding produce at the farmer s market, he also consults with a local fisherman for the freshest local catches and picks up the fish himself.