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Garden Market serves breakfast & lunch, and contains a gourmet
deli and organic coffee bar, and features garden dining. Also for
sale: wines, gifts, books, bath & body items, and a gift and
bridal registry. Nursery and garden accessories are available too.
Gianfranco’s Trattoria
666 Linden Ave 684-0720
Yes, there is a Gianfranco;
there is also his wife,
Anna, and their son, chef
Giovanni, so this trattoria
is certainly family owned
and operated. Appeals
include an outside patio,
robust coffee, and
homemade ravioli. Menu
items include carpaccio,
bruschetta, roasted beet
salad, Caesar salad, or pastas in homemade Italian sauces. Dinner
specialties include pan seared Atlantic salmon, Bistecca Fiorentina,
Ciopino and the Agnello. Gianfranco et al promise that eating here,
“will be like taking a trip to Italy without the jet lag!”
OJAI
Ojai Valley Inn
905 Country Club Road (888) 697-8780
Inspired by the many
microclimates of the area and the
bounty they bring, a rich California
harvest is served each day in our
restaurants. Rosemary, basil,
tarragon, thyme, lavender and
lemon grass are harvested from
the Inn’s herb gardens. Local
farmers and ranchers supply fresh,
wholesome menu ingredients for
which Ojai has become famous.
Dining at any of the Ojai Valley Inn
& Spa’s four distinctive restaurants promises to be a memorable
experience, as would be a day on the links at the excellent Ojai
Valley Inn Golf Course!
SANTA BARBARA
Andersen’s Danish Bakery
1106 State Street 962-5085
Established 1976, the
best in Danish &
European cuisine in
Santa Barbara serving
breakfast, lunch &
dinner. Authentic
Danishes, Apple
Strudels, Marzipans,
desserts & much more.
Experience Andersen’s
Gourmet Food Parade with a European interior, or dine on the
sidewalk patio. To eat or sip outside Andersen’s puts one at the
heart of downtown Santa Barbara life, equidistant from museums
and movie theaters, Paseo Nuevo and the Arlington.
Bay Cafe
131 Anacapa Street 963-2215
A locals’ favorite since 1985. Bay
Cafe, two blocks from the ocean
and plenty of free parking, is a
well-kept Santa Barbara secret,
tucked away at the edge of what
has endearingly become known as
the Funk Zone. Enjoy a relaxing
atmosphere for a quick lunch or
romantic warm ambiance for
dinner. Among the attractions are
fresh fish selections from the Bay
Cafe Fish Market, live tank filled
with lobster and abalone, a full bar
with a variety of wines, private
banquet facilities for up to 30, and heated patios with two
fireplaces.
Stonehouse Restaurant
900 San Ysidro Lane 565-1725
Located in what is a 19th-
century citrus packing
house, Stonehouse
features rustic stone walls
surrounding a carpeted
room; rich wood beams
crisscross overhead, and
through the windows the
rich greenery of the
Montecito countryside is
vibrantly evident. The
lounge offers full bar service and one can also dine under the stars
on the ocean-view deck; a wood burning fireplace and heated stone
flooring provide year-round comfort. Dinner entrees are serious
cuisine, and predictably pricey, but careful execution combined with
a delightful atmosphere and the rich history of the locale make
dinner here unique.
Trattoria Mollie
1250 Coast Village Road 565-9381
The breezy outdoor seating overlooking Coast Village Road
undoubtedly lures people into Trattoria Mollie’s peachy-yellow
interior elegance, but the warmth and flavor of the cooking
therein keeps them coming back. The eponymous owner-chef
Mollie Ahlstrand produces restrained and refined pasta dishes
that rely more on subtle flavors than smothering sauces, as well
as meat and fresh seafood plates that have a similar and equally
pleasing simplicity… Indeed, even Oprah is a fan.
Tre Lune
1151 Coast Village Road 969-2646
Tre Lune (three moons) is
classic Italian. The dining room
is simple and square, furnished
with black wood chairs and
creamy tablecloths, and
always, chattering patrons. The
kitchen is tucked behind a fully
stocked bar, and walls are
bedecked with framed black-
and-whites of voluptuous old-
time vixens like Bardot, Loren,
Fonda, and Vitti. The food is very traditional, and the warm
romance of Tre Lune in the evening is a reminder that we do
indeed live La Dolce Vita. Breakfast is also served and this has
become a seriously popular late-morning hangout.
Via Vai
1483 East Valley Road 565-9393
Unapologetically simple, fresh, and above all, Italian, Via Vai
attracts patrons mainly for the way cooks prepare their pizza: thin
crust, fresh ingredients, and traditional combos like the Margherita
or the Quattro Formaggio. Via Vai has a full menu as well, however,
complete with antipasti, risotto and pasta, and heartier meat dishes.
Xanadu Bakery
1028 Coast Village Road 969-3550
Baked goods and reasonably priced breakfast plates make Xanadu
a frequent stop on many morning routes. Grab a latte and a pain
au chocolat, and steal a relaxing few minutes in the fresh air on the
shady outdoor patio across from the Vons entrance and watch the
world go by. Xanadu is patronized mostly by Montecito residents,
whose deeply ingrained daily routine nearly always includes reading
a newspaper or chatting with friends and neighbors.
CARPINTERIA
Garden Market
3811 Santa Claus Lane 745-5505
Santa Claus Lane got its
name from the rotund
red-suited Santa that
once held court on the
roof of a nearby
building, but the area is
better known as “the
tracks,” the Southern
Pacific Railroad runs
through it, and is a
famous winter surf spot.
Pierre Lafond Market & Deli
516 San Ysidro Road 565-1504
A Montecito favorite
for 41 years, Pierre
Lafond features
gourmet items, local
specialty foods, and
produce locally grown
and from Lafond
Vineyard’s own
organic garden. Wines
available are from
Santa Barbara Winery
and Lafond Winery. Entrees from the expansive deli case are
prepared by Pierre Lafond Bistro Catering. Relax on the patio
with a cup of freshly brewed coffee or espresso drink, or stop
by for a quick sandwich to cart down to the beach or nearby
park. Pierre Lafond also offers a wide selection of salads and
wraps.
Plow & Angel
900 San Ysidro Lane 565-1745
Enjoy a comfortable, convivial
atmosphere in this locals’
favorite, famous for its mac ‘n
cheese and melt-in-your-mouth
ribs. The cozy ambiance is
enhanced with original artwork,
including stained glass windows
and an homage to its namesake,
Saint Isadore, hanging above the
fireplace. Plow & Angel has,
appropriately, the feel of an old
and well-lived but sophisticated
farmhouse from the outside and a
rathskeller from inside, as it
shares a kitchen and chef with
upstairs/upscale Stonehouse Restaurant. Established tasty
favorites make Plow & Angel a warmly vibrant dining
atmosphere all week long.
Sakana Japanese Restaurant
1046 Coast Village Road 565-2014
Sparse clean décor lends a minimalist atmosphere to this
intimate family-run sushi bar and traditional Japanese
restaurant, making for a definite contrast to the wild
combinations on the menu. Taking pride in its freshness, Sakana
offers innovative takes on sushi, and is known for the scores of
exotic sauces it uses to enhance them.
Sesto Senso
1026 Coast Village Road 565-1956
Sesto Senso is posh and polished, with hues of rich red on the
walls, a wait staff dressed in black, and booths that overflow
with cushions. Half the fun comes from reading the menu; its
descriptions are almost lyrical in their creativity. The smoked
duck breast appetizer comes with medjool dates and pickled
pearl onions; the bresaola rests beside roasted gypsy peppers
and mizuna leaf, for example.
Stella Mare’s
50 Los Patos Way 969-6705
This white-
trimmed
Victorian
mansion
overlooking the
bird refuge
nestled down
amidst fairytale
trees and
greenery, serves traditional French Country fare. Opened
since 1996, it offers a full bar in a converted greenhouse,
and boasts of an extensive French and American wine list.
Voted “most Romantic” restaurant in Santa Barbara, Stella
Mare’s is a popular destination for special events. With fresh
seafood, such as the seared scallops in a lobster cognac
sauce, and a selection of treats from the wood-burning grill
however, your dinner for two can easily turn into its own
special event.
EATERIES GUIDE