Painters and Palates

Some brie with your Botero? Roast turkey with your Rodin? How about some mango with your Monet?

The newly expanded Santa Barbara Museum of Art is equipped to treat guests not only to the visual arts, but also to the culinary arts. Just behind the institution’s new museum gift shop (in fact, with a window view of the shop) sits the Wine Cask Museum Cafe.

As the name would suggest, the cafe is run by the folks who own the Wine Cask restaurant and wine store in the El Paseo building on Santa Barbara’s Anacapa Street.

The museum’s scaled-down menu features a selection of salads, including farfalle pasta with shrimp served with baby spinach and a basil pesto; minted couscous with cucumber, parsley, currants, dried apricots, cherries and cranberries; mango chicken curry with almonds, currants and toasted coconut; and Thai beef with red peppers, cilantro and peanut dressing.

All salads are priced at $6.25 for one, $7.25 for two, or $8.25 for three and a soft drink.

The sandwich list includes a tahini tuna ($5.95); roast turkey, brie and cranberry ($6.50); Italian smoked ham with white cheddar, prepared with olive oil and Parmesan cheese ($6.95); Mediterranean chicken with roasted peppers, greens and caper mayo ($6.95); and a vegetarian with avocado, tomato, cucumber, sprouts, cream cheese and hummus ($5.95).

For children there is a kids’ menu that includes a hot dog ($3), peanut butter and jelly sandwich ($3), a fruit and cheese plate ($3.50) and a pasta plate with butter and Parmesan cheese ($3).

There is also a selection of desserts (including a chocolate mousse cake for $3.50), muffins, bagels, granola, specialty coffees, wine and beer.

Though the art and food make for a good combo, guests need not visit the museum to visit the cafe. It is adjacent to the museum at 1130 State St. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday; and noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

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Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill, the Outback Steakhouse, Fin’s Seafood Grill, Bristol Farms, and LaStarr & Co. catering will be among the nearly three dozen food purveyors sharing their cuisine and products at the 13th annual Ventura County Food and Wine Festival on Sunday at The Oaks shopping center in Thousand Oaks.

An equal number of wine and beverage makers, including Leeward Winery, Giessinger Winery, Banfi Vintners and Daume Winery, also will participate in the fund-raiser for the Conejo Rotary.

Vern Dransfeldt, in his ninth year as chairman of the festival, said of the event, he has a three-pronged goal with the tasting gala.

“There are three winners if we do it right,” he said. “The restaurants and food purveyors get a chance to demonstrate their menu items or wares . . . the public enjoys it because they have a fun evening, and the community benefits from the proceeds.”

The festival will run from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $30. The Oaks is at 222 W. Hillcrest Drive.

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Speaking of Rotary wine tastings, it’s never too early to plan ahead for some benefit sipping opportunities. Advance tickets are now on sale for the 12th annual Ojai Wine Festival--an Ojai Rotary function--June 14 at Lake Casitas.

More than 40 wineries and microbreweries are expected to pour drinks from noon to 5 p.m.

As with past Ojai Wine festivals, food and entertainment will be served throughout the day. Larry Deutsch, the festival’s new chairman, said adults who bring their kids can expect to find a more extensive children’s area than in the past, with grape stomping and other activities.

Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 on event day. Call (800) 648-4881.