August 11-Oakland to Ventura for Rack of Lamb

Riding south from Oakland towards Ventura today in my quest for one of the best racks of lamb ever, I passed large sprawling agricultural fields, vineyards lined with grape covered vines, rolling ranchlands dotted with oaks, vibrant turquoise colored water, white sandy beaches, and rugged cliffs reaching down to the coast.

Traveling past orchards, vineyards, and fields on my way to Gilroy, I remembered living on my family’s farm there as a young child, watching the plums ripen on the trees for harvest and driving past the large plots of garlic in the surrounding acreage, rolling down our car windows to breathe in the strong earthy scent.

With temperatures rising into the high nineties and the sun beating steadily down, I continued through the Salinas Valley area, passing golden grasslands sprinkled with oak trees and large fields of crops bearing abundant quantities of lettuce, broccoli, celery, and spinach.

Turning off onto highway 154 just north of Solvang, I rose through the Santa Ynez Mountains, winding my way past sundrenched hillsides covered with scrub brush up past the brilliant green-blue waters of Lake Cachuma, a large reservoir nestled in the clefts of the foothills just north of Santa Barbara.

Pulling off at the Chase Palm Park beach on East Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara, I squished my shoe covered feet in the soft warm sand, admired the fronds of the palm trees blowing in the wind, breathed in the salty air, and watched the waves rolling in.

Getting back on the road, I made my way along rugged cliffs peering through a thick blanket of fog on the shoreline and drove into Ventura for the main attraction of the day – a meal at the Taj Café, my favorite Indian eatery.

As I bit into the buttery crispy shell of my vegetable samosas, the potatoes, green peas, and spices on the inside melted in my mouth creating a perfect texture and flavor combination. I gnawed every bite of my lamb off the bone, savoring the moist, tender meat coated with a crispy black char. Dipping my buttery, flaky naan in the vegetable korma, I polished off two pieces and went on to a third. Not to be outdone, I still managed to take several bites of the Gulab Jamun milk balls drenched in a rose flavored syrup. What a great day on the road!