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This story originally appeared in California Winery Advisor. The Best Solvang Restaurants And More... Planning a weekend getaway to wine country is not just about which wineries to visit. Trips to Napa and Sonoma center around where to eat. Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara Wine Country is no exception. Consisting of six small communities (Solvang, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, Buellton, Los Alamos and Ballard), no matter where you are, there is somewhere great to eat! SOLVANG RESTAURANTS The town of Solvang is known for its Danish décor and aebelskivers but offers so much more. We put in the hard work finding the best Solvang restaurants for you. Whether you are looking for a gourmet dinner after a long day of wine tasting or need a quick jolt of caffeine to get the day started, Solvang's restaurants have you covered. Café Dolce 475 1st Street, Solvang There is something for everyone at this Solvang coffee shop. Café Dolce features a robust coffee and tea menu which includes Italian espresso, Turkish coffee, iced coffee drinks and more. Owner Sam, who is usually found behind the counter, spent some years living in Italy and can make a mean cappuccino. The espresso is weighed and tempered to an exact amount so that the espresso is perfecto. Fresh smoothies, protein shakes, and organic juices are available, as are acai bowls. And for the afternoon pick-up, enjoy house-make gelato or sorbet. Having expanded through the next-door space, Café Dolce offers coffee house seating as well as outside seating on a park bench.

There is a saying in the wine biz that it  takes a lot of beer to make great wine. So, it seems only natural that a brewery would set up shop in Santa Barbara wine country.

Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co

Jaime Dietenhofer grew up in Los Olivos and wanted to start a brewery when he was in high school. Perhaps it was in his blood, as he is of German heritage. But, his dad Jim laughed and told him to go to college. He went to Whitman in Walla Walla, Washington and researched beer while he was there. It was the mid-90s and breweries were growing in the Northwest. Jamie also studied abroad in Vienna, Austria for a year with his now wife Meighan. Between Austria and Germany, they visited a lot of biergartens. Jaime then attended graduate school at UCSB for economics and green development but his dream to own a brewery didn't die. Regardless, his father told him to get a job. Jaime Dietenhofer Jamie started pimping garages and started a business called Garage Envy. He did this for 12 years and had a show on the DIY Channel for 3 1/2 years. During this time, Jaime spent 15 years building his idea, interviewing over 140 brewers and writing a business plan. Then in 2008, he presented his idea again to his dad and this time his dad agreed to start a business with him. The economy was failing and they were able to purchase things cheaply. Then, in 2010, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company opened their doors. The first year they made 600 barrels, 1200 in the second year, 3600 in the third year, 8000 in the fourth year and 15,000-20,000 by the end of this year (their fifth year). Jamie and Jim Dietenhofer The main brewery and bar is in Buellton but they also have locations in downtown Santa Barbara (in the Funk Zone), Westlake Village and Arroyo Grande. Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co
You may think wine when you think Santa Ynez Valley, but you can also think vodka and whiskey because Ascendant Spirits Distillery, the first legal distillery in Santa Barbara County since Prohibition, is located in Buellton, the heart of wine country. Ascendant Spirits We stopped by Ascendant Spirits on a recent trip up to wine country. After all, a few tastes of vodka and whiskey are a great start to a weekend filled with wine. Owner and Distiller Stephen Gertman was on hand to give us a tour in between the fermentation taking place that day. We got a first hand tour of the process to make Sempre Fi Corn Whiskey.
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