Hitching Post II
420 E Highway 246
Buellton, CA 93427
Tel. +1 (805) 688-0676
BY ANTONIO GALLONI |
The Food:
Grilled Corn Quesadilla; Jack, Cheddar Cheese, Spicy Corn Salsa, Grilled, Served with Fresh Salsa
Grilled Artichoke; Steamed then Grilled, Seasons and Served With a Spicy Smoked Tomato Mayonnaise
Grilled Texas Quail; Quickly Grilled, Served with Wild Turkey Sweet Potatoes
Frank and Natalie Ostini bought the Casmalia Hitching Post in 1952 near what today is Vandenberg Air Force Base (then Camp Cooke). Frank Ostini was a carpenter by trade looking for a new career. He spent three months with the former owner learning how to cook over an open flame, and that was that. The Ostini family ran the original Hitching Post with their children for several decades before opening Hitching Post II in Buellton in 1986. A few years later, in 1993, the brothers dissolved their partnership. Son Frank Ostini kept the Buellton restaurant. “I wanted to be closer to wine country and offer a slightly more varied, contemporary menu,” Ostini told me.
