Institution Ale Co. -- Santa Barbara, CA

On this day, in pretzel history, due to the unsatisfactory nature of the first tasting, we decided to set another pretzel record; we had two tastings in the same day! In addition, March 17th, 2022, was Saint Patrick's Day. We did not order any green beer, but we did order a pretzel off the menu.  

"Given that it was Saint Patrick's Day we had a taste for knowledge and a thirst for wisdom."
- Kenny Muzzey

As Sarah and Kenny deliberated what to write about for this post, they gravitated towards material relevant to Saint Patrick's Day. Sarah proclaimed that they would have to do a spot of research on the subject. Kenny, joking and none the wiser, said, "Or we can just make something up, like how Saint Patrick banished all the snakes out of Ireland." They laughed aloud together as Kenny opened a new tab on the web browser curiously. Much to their surprise, the search returned a blurb about Saint Patrick driving out the slithery serpents from Ireland. They looked at one another and jubilantly laughed once again.

Folklore has it that Saint Patrick was in the midst of a 40-day fast atop an emerald, green hill when he was attacked by the reptiles which prompted him to chase them out of Ireland and into the sea, banishing them from the country. The likeliest of scenarios. This could not be further from the truth according to National Geographic. There is currently no data that suggests snakes ever inhabited Ireland. If you're interested in what the data says definitely check out linked National Geographic article above.

March 17, 2022

Institution Ale Co. -- Santa Barbara, CA.

This particular pretzel was light in all aspects, from the color, to the texture, and the quantity of salt. The delectable snack was pale golden brown and shimmered with moist, buttery goodness. She was a regular pretzel shape but had an extra twist that joined the two sides. Having a soft, fluffy dough center similar to that of a lightly baked pastry.

The Institution Ale Co. served up a queso-like beer cheese and a ground stone yellow mustard to accompany her taste profile.

3.47/5.0

Shout out to Georgia O'Keeffe... in retrospect, her art was the inspiration for this pretzel snapshot.

Sincerely,

Kenny Muzzey & Sarah Love

The Nook at Lama Dog -- Santa Barbara, CA

We decided it was time for a get away and took a trip out of town to Santa Barbara, CA. No one can resist a relaxing escape at some point in this topsy-turvy world. I'm sure you all have felt that way before.

As we drove up the California State Route 1, aka Highway 1, the scenic views took our breath away. We cracked the window for a while to savor the sweet, salty ocean air. It was brisk and refreshing to the senses. 

When we arrived at our hotel, we were delighted to find a large sized room where we had the pleasure of unwinding during our four day stay. There was even a mini-fridge to keep our beverages and snacks chilled!

We walked down the main strip people watching again, and found ourselves at Stearns Wharf; a lengthy pier extending out into the harbor. The chilly breeze buffeted the visitors crowding the wharf. We enjoyed our time there but we were excited to explore the local pretzel scene so we set off in search of a brewery.

Our first stop was the Lama Dog Tap Room + Bottle Shop. Upon entry we sat at the high counter top bar with high top chairs on either side. The food venue, The Nook, was off to the corner and was its own business. While Kenny went to purchase our first vacation pretzel, Sarah took time to study the physical paper map of Santa Barbara. Kenny quietly laughed at her in a loving way when he got back. He got a kick out of the fact "she was studying the map as Lewis and Clark did while exploring the Louisiana Purchase."
- Kenny Muzzey

March 17th, 2022

The Nook at the Lama Dog -- Santa Barbara, CA

The pretzel was hefty in size with a light amount of salt sprinkled across the top. The mahogany colored baked dough was unfortunately a huge disappointment. The texture was very, very dry making the pretzel extremely hard to eat and especially enjoy.

The accoutrements included ground stone mustard and queso-like beer cheese.

Final Rating: 1.75/5.00

This review is the lowest ranked post we hopefully ever write which means our pretzel tasting experience in Santa Barbara could only get better.

Sincerely,
Kenny Muzzey & Sarah Love