Steak sandwich, Hitching Post, Buellton, California

“Meh,” I said to my friend when I saw the words “steak sandwich” on the menu. But our server talked me into it, and I’m glad she did. While I was expecting slices of steak on a roll, this was an entire slab of beef piled high with grilled onions and nestled between lovingly toasted focaccia.

Buellton is in the Santa Ynez Valley, north of Santa Barbara, California. There’s a wine country here, made famous by the Paul Giamatti movie Sideways, and the Hitching Post was the steak house featured in the movie. Had we not been wine tasting the entire day, my friend and I would have gone for their excellent wine selection too.