Santa Barbara's Film Feast 2015 Celebrates 30 Years of Filmmaking

For twelve straight days, the fifth annual Film Feast offers VIP access to the top libations and dining offerings as well as exclusive lodging packages throughout Santa Barbara's theater districts, from Jan. 27 to Feb. 7, 2015. Santa Barbara's Film Feast is a unique take on Restaurant Week, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF).

Participating partners, including restaurants, wine tasting rooms and hotels, will be offering special menus and hotel packages in celebration of the theme "30 Years of Filmmaking.” Visitors and locals alike will enjoy themed offerings inspired by the blockbuster films and indie favorites of the past 30 years.

SPECIAL MENUS

Local restaurants, tasting rooms and lounges have produced exclusive cinematic-themed menus and tasting flights to accompany the world premieres, celebrity tributes and panel discussions of SBIFF, with highlights including:

• In honor of the festival's 30th anniversary, Barbareño will be serving up “Recipes from 1985,” a seven-course menu inspired by film favorites of 1985, from The Goonies to The Breakfast Club.
• Inspired by the 2009 Italian film I Am Love, Crocodile Restaurant will be offering a prix fixe menu, “I Am Prawns!” featuring bacon-wrapped prawns, filet mignon with portabella mushroom demi glaze, and a chocolate mousse cake, with exclusive wine pairings.
• The three-course tasting menu at Eladio's Restaurant & Bar salutes “30 Years of Film” with a salad inspired by the 2007 Pixar film Ratatouille, a second course of beef medallions inspired by 1997 film Titanic and the menu of the real-life R.M.S. Titanic, and as the Grand Finale, a dessert of “Planet of the Cakes,” inspired by Planet of the Apes (2001), Rise of the Planet of the Apes(2011), and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014).
• Margerum Wine Company will be celebrating the film Vino Veritas with an exclusive tasting menu, “Love, Wine, and the Truth,” with locally produced boutique wines.

Film Feast is an invitation to Santa Barbara's best plates and pours! For more details, check out the complete list of offers at www.SBFilmFeast.com.

LODGING SPECIALS

Linger longer with cinema-centric lodging specials at several exclusive Santa Barbara properties. With Cheshire Cat Inn's “30th Anniversary Too” and Secret Garden Inn & Cottages' “30 Years of Filmmaking” packages, guests will enjoy film festival passes in addition to accommodations, breakfast, and other perks at two of Santa Barbara's most charming hideaways.

Special offers are also available at properties including Belmond El Encanto, Best Western Plus South Coast Inn, Hotel Santa Barbara, Ramada Santa Barbara, andThe Goodland, A Kimpton Hotel.

Go behind the scenes at Film Feast 2015 and share your red carpet experience using #SBFilmFeast! Visit SBFilmFeast.com for live updates and the inside scoop on Santa Barbara's best cuisine and libations.

Santa Barbara's Film Feast 2015 is presented as part of California Restaurant Month, held each January to showcase the destination's unforgettable dining experiences. Learn more at DineinCA.com.

BACK STORY

Santa Barbara's century-long career as a movie backdrop and getaway for top Hollywood talent started during the silent era — Santa Barbara was California's original filmmaking hub. Whether scouting sites dating back to Cecil B. DeMille'sThe Ten Commandments (1923), sipping pinot noir on the Sideways (2004) wine trail or watching cutting-edge cinema in historic theatres during the Film Festival, visitors will discover that Santa Barbara looks as good in real life as she does on the big screen. Visit Santa Barbara offers a comprehensive film tourism microsite as well as a Sideways movie tour map. Film Feast is presented by Visit Santa Barbara and Downtown Santa Barbara. SBFilmFeast.com

SANTA BARBARA

Featured on the cover of Travel + Leisure in May 2013 and voted Best Getaway by L.A. Times Readers' Choice Awards in 2012, Santa Barbara is located just 92 miles north of Los Angeles and 332 miles south of San Francisco, on the Pacific coastline. Visitors can arrive via scenic Highway 101, train, bus or by flying into Santa Barbara Municipal Airport or Los Angeles International Airport. For travel and accommodation information and to request a free copy of the official Santa Barbara Visitors Magazine, contact Visit Santa Barbara at 800.676.1266, 805.966.9222, tourism@santabarbaraca.com or SantaBarbaraCA.com. Visitor information is also available at the Visitor Center, 1 Garden Street (at Cabrillo Boulevard).