Thirty years ago, then Chief Food Critic of the Los Angeles Times, Jonathan Gold ventured out to New Cuyama because he’d heard that Cuyama Buckhorn was serving Ostrich Burgers and he was set on trying one. In his review, he wrote: “Paris has the Eiffel Tower, Agra has the Taj Mahal . . . and New Cuyama has the ostrich burger.”

For the past few years, Cuyama Buckhorn has been a destination worth driving to for a beautifully renovated mid-century resort experience. For golden sunsets, super blooms, and miles of Milky Way stretched out above you. For local farm-to-table fare, good music, and custom cocktails.

And now — once again — for the iconic Ostrich Burger.

In honor of Jonathan Gold, and the thirtieth anniversary of his visit to New Cuyama, the Ostrich Burger will be making a limited-time comeback on what would have been Gold’s birthday, July 28th.

The new Ostrich Burger, the Ostrich Smash ($28) is made with ground ostrich, molasses onions, and Santa Barbara Cheese Company’s sheep’s milk gouda served on toasted rye bread with a  side of pickled vegetables.

As Gold remarked, “To be honest, the only point in eating an ostrich burger may be to be able to say that you’ve eaten an ostrich burger… Ostrich burgers may not be much of a tourist attraction, but how many times can you visit the Louvre?”