Santa Barbara Restaurants and area wineries
 

My husband and I will be in Santa Barbara in mid-November for a long weekend to celebrate our anniversary. I was hoping for some good restaurant and/or winery recommendations. Is Opal a good choice for an anniversary dinner? Blue Agave? What about the wharf area - good restaurants for seafood?

We like big red wines, I'm starting to try to put together a list of wineries to visit in Santa Barbara county as well. Any suggestions would be great.

Also, is it worth it to kayak for a few hours off the coast? Or will it be too cold in November?

And finally, is Float spa a good choice for massages?

Thanks!

I really like Opal..another alternative would be to go for more upscale like Plow and Angel at the San Ysidro Ranch or the Biltmore at Four Seasons..food is excellent at all places.
We'll be there in November for the holidays and its usually gorgeous in November..I would play it by ear on the kayaking.
We get massage but forget the name of the place..maybe its Float..
Santa Barbara/Montecito is a lovely place..stores will be in Christmas mode and that is always a fun thing to do is stroll on State street at all the lovely shops and hidden patios..

Opal's nice, kinda intimate with low-lighting, as long as it's not an extra-busy Saturday it would be a good choice. Food is terrif.
If you're going up to Santa Ynez Wine Country (about 40 min north)....consider dinner at The Ballard Inn. You don't want to drive too far after hitting all those wineries anyway, and it would certainly be a memorable spot.

http://www.ballardinn.com/restaurant.htm

Great, thanks! We'll probably do Opal, and I'll look at the other ideas. I'm really looking forward to this :)

As divineMissM noted, check out the Ballard Inn. I also like the restaurant at the Santa Ynez Inn.
For wineries, the area is more know for Pinot Noir, Syrah and Rhone blends than Cabernet or Merlot. That said, good choices are
Foxen Canyon, Zaca Creek, Artiste and Gainey. If you want a flashy tastng room, a great gift shop and OK wines, check out Fess Parker. Some days old Davey Crockett/Daniel Boone himself is there signing bottles of wine you buy.

Cold Spring Tavern is a classic and they have great food and burgers!

www.coldspringtavern.com

maybe have drinks at San Ysidro Ranch at Plow and Angel then go to Opal..it's stunning!