If you're into bar scenes you could do worse than Sand Bar in the heart of the Santa Barbara downtown on State Street. We tried it at an odd hour and missed most of the crowd, but that was just fine with us. The food is competent, the delivery fast and we enjoyed ourselves. That is enough to recommend it in many cases, but this was not the best Mexican food that Santa Barbara has to offer although much more reasonably priced than El Paseo and more to our liking. Sand Bar offers an Americanized version of Mexican food with all the usual suspects on its menu fit for gringo tastes.
First of all, the guacamole was made with rich, well ripened avocados that needed little more than some onions and a nice dollop of tomato salsa to taste very good. The flautas were well crisped and the chicken was moist, not stringy. thumbs up for the first courses.
The chicken Enchiladas Verde could have used a bit more tomatillo sauce on the plate for color contrast as well as taste. They receded into the background and were overpowered by the sides. Still for under $9 they were a bargain lunch. The pork and fish tacos were decidedly better and more interesting visually.
To really get a good sense of them I ordered one each of the soft tacos, the Carnitas, the Carne Asada and the fish taco made of Mahi. Each soft taco had its own condiments and its own identity. All were very good and priced between $3.75 and $4.75. They added up to a greater price than the combination plate, but were more substantial than one taco with a side of bland rice and beans.
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