Last month my friend Mike and I drove to Southern California for a short stay. San Diego was the destination, the site of the three-day Fancy Food Show that I was planning to attend for Harvest Market. We wended our way along Highway 101, not encountering too much traffic. Our first night was in Santa Barbara, a beautiful city. All the clichés proved true-the blue sky, the palm trees, the warm weather (69 degrees in January!) I thought, “I could get used to this.”
Mike returned from his early-morning bike ride with the discovery of a Danish bakery on State Street, The Andersens Restaurant and Bakery. Wow, was it ever fabulous! Authentic Danish pastry, made from scratch daily, and served on an elegantly laid table. 
The pastry was perfection. Mike got a croissant while I perused the other offerings.
Making up my mind was a challenge until I saw the marzipan-raspberry slice of heaven (that’s my name for it). Flaky pastry wrapped around that luscious filling and the level of sweetness was restrained, very European. As you can see, the generous slice covered the plate. 
It was very easy to eat the entire thing. I recommend a visit if you are in the Santa Barbara area. The menu for the restaurant looked fascinating too. I could eat here daily for a week, no problem.
