Tag archives: eateries

Santa Barbara Chefs Embrace the Bounty of the Season
By Claudia Schou   |   November 15, 2022

Blue skies, swaying palm trees, and warm weather make our city the perfect setting for California Dreamin’, but diners can still find hearty winter dishes on the menus of many of Santa Barbara’s best eateries.  Game birds, root vegetables, chestnuts, truffles, and other seasonal ingredients are among the rich cornucopia of flavors awaiting diners. “You […]

Local Eateries Add Chef-Driven Small Plates to the Happiest of Hours
By Claudia Schou   |   October 25, 2022

It’s almost always happy hour somewhere in Santa Barbara. I love the tradition of getting together with friends, work colleagues, and neighbors to ponder a myriad of topics over food and drinks: “How’s the marijuana odor control in Carpinteria coming along?” “Do you think Southern California Edison will move the utility lines underground in Santa […]

Six New Dining Options to Try This Summer
By Claudia Schou   |   May 24, 2022

If you’re planning to venture out in town this summer, start a list of some of the new eateries you’d like to visit during your al fresco culinary adventures. From Mexican-inspired bites and beverages to Nashville-style fried chicken, Santa Barbara has some exciting new eateries on its culinary scene. Santa Barbara Public Market has added […]

Jeannine’s With a View: Expansion Pays Off for Beloved Eatery
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   October 12, 2021

Quickly and quietly opening in time to capture the summer tourism rush, Jeannine’s at the Shore, which opened early July, is the latest – and the largest – outpost opened by Alison Hardey of the Hardey Family, who have operated the locally-owned family bakery business for over 30 years. “We’ve always wanted to be at […]

In the Kitchen with Art Sevtap
By Claudia Schou   |   July 1, 2021

As foodies return to dine-in service, one local eatery is commanding attention with its authentic and flavorful approach to Spanish-Mediterranean cuisine and robust wine selections.  Sevtap Winery is a new tasting room in the Presidio that lures food and wine lovers on its breezy umbrella-shaded patio or inside, a naturally lit and airy dining room. […]

Foodie Spotlight
By Claudia Schou   |   June 24, 2021

Tucked along Coast Village Road, Mesa Burger’s crowd is equal parts hipsters on-the-go and preppy families taking a respite from a day at the beach, which makes it very Montecito indeed. They all queue happily for Cat’s Cobb Salad and bodacious burgers and sandwiches like the San Roque (fried Chicken Sandwich) made with house-battered fried […]

Restaurant Connection Unites Foodies with Favorite Eateries
By Claudia Schou   |   June 24, 2021

For some of us, the pandemic was all exploring new food and discovering the convenience of delivery services. Remember that mouthwatering chicken marsala paired with a glass of Babcock chardonnay that you and your partner shared on the patio? Or the gourmet burger with grilled onions, goat cheese, and truffle aioli that you enjoyed while […]

Food is the Drug for Me: Life in a Town With Some of the Best Foodie Highs
By Claudia Schou   |   June 3, 2021

A few weeks ago, I read a Los Angeles Times article featuring an interview with Marianne Faithfull and Courtney Love. The two celebrities are close friends, though they’re from different generations of rock artistry and debauchery.  Who can forget Londoner Faithfull clad in leather in “Girl on a Motorcycle” or her generation-defining performance in The […]

Venturing Out for a Bite
By Claudia Schou   |   January 28, 2021

Craveable Carryout: Colossal Burgers, Spicy Vegan Pop-Ups, and Savory Pizza Pies It’s only natural to seek solace in food during an isolating winter. But with an ongoing regional ban on both indoor and outdoor dining severely affecting Santa Barbara’s restaurant scene, doing so has become much more challenging. Many restaurants continue to offer both take-out […]

Reimagining the Walking Food Tour in Downtown Santa Barbara
By Claudia Schou   |   January 14, 2021

How do you gather food lovers together for a tour of downtown Santa Barbara’s most notable eateries in the midst of a global pandemic in which both indoor and outdoor dining are off limits? Taste Santa Barbara Tours seems to have found the answer: by offering safely social distanced walking tours featuring take-out food that’s […]

Santa Barbara Restaurant Week
By Gabe Saglie   |   February 20, 2020

Santa Barbara Restaurant Week is back – a gastronomic extravaganza starring some of the South Coast’s top eateries and some of the best bang-for-your-buck eating you’ll find all year. The promotion, which features prix-fixe menus at three price points – $25, $35 and $45 – lasts two full weeks, from February 21 through March 6. […]

Successful Taste of Coast Village
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 19, 2019

Nearly 500 people turned out for the inaugural Taste of Coast Village event this past Saturday, September 14. Thirty eateries, breweries, and wineries from Coast Village Road and beyond participated in the event, which took place in a cordoned off and tented area of the parking aisle on the 1100-1200 block of Coast Village Road. […]

Taste of Coast Village
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 5, 2019

Over the last few years, Coast Village Road has seen the arrival of more than a handful of new eateries, offering Montecito’s lower village an array of exciting dining options, the majority of which are locally owned and operated. In an effort to showcase its burgeoning restaurant scene, the Coast Village Association presents the inaugural […]

Hola Alito’s
By Richard Mineards   |   April 11, 2019

Just ten months after opening their new State Street outpost, Mollie’s, next to the Granada theatre in the former Tupelo Junction space, culinary dynamic duo Mollie Ahlstrand and her son, Ali, have launched another eatery, Alito’s, further downtown on the busy thoroughfare. However, unlike their former nosheteria on Coast Village Road which closed in August, […]

The Silver Bough
By James Buckley   |   February 21, 2019

Chef Phillip Frankland Lee and his wife-baker, Margarita Kallas Lee, in addition to having opened The Monarch in the space occupied by Montecito Café for nearly 30 years, recently opened the most audacious restaurant experiment on the Central Coast. It’s called “The Silver Bough” (the name revolves around a Celtic legend), and it’s an eight-guest […]

SB Gains an Ace
By Richard Mineards   |   February 14, 2019

Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club has added a new tennis pro to its talented staff. Born and raised in Scotland, Nikki Slater grew up playing with Wimbledon champ Andy Murray and his brother, Jamie, as her coach was the ace racketeers’ mother, Judy. She graduated from Florida State University where she was number one […]

Eatery Updates
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   January 10, 2019

Several Coast Village Road restaurants have announced new offerings for the new year, including extended hours.  At Coast Village Plaza at 1187 Coast Village Road, Renaud’s is now serving dinner with a “fast casual fine dining” service. Owner Renaud Gonthier said it has been a dream for many years to expand upon his patisserie and […]

Roost
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   November 29, 2018

The State Street locale that was home to Downey’s for 35 years has been quietly operating as a fresh new concept since May of this year. Owned and operated by Jim Mishler, Roost offers a fresh and simple menu for both lunch and dinner. Mishler has been a mainstay in the local restaurant scene for […]

New Offerings at The Monarch
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   November 15, 2018

Four months after opening for business in Montecito Inn, the owners of The Monarch restaurant announced November 1 that they have expanded their operations to include brunch, which is now available seven days a week.  The menu, which is available from 7 am to 2:30 pm, includes breakfast items that will be offered for the […]

Bettina Opens in Montecito Country Mart
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   November 1, 2018

Nearly two-and-a-half years after signing their lease in Montecito Country Mart, Bettina owners – and husband-and-wife team– Brendan Smith and Rachel Greenspan opened the doors to their Neapolitan-style pizza place on October 29.  Following the success of their mobile pizza catering concept, Autostrada, Smith and Greenspan wanted to open a brick and mortar space to […]