Category Archives: Santa Barbara

Stonehouse Restaurant

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Hamachi and Uni

Steak Diane

Interior

Exterior

Entry

***** (5 stars)

The Stonehouse is a magical setting for dinner, one of the most romantic restaurants around, and the food is good, too.

After winding your way up to the resort, then winding your way to the valet, and finally winding your way up the stairs to the restaurant, you feel you are truly transported to another land. The original stone building serves as a lounge, and an adjoining added-on room with huge wood beams and a giant fireplace forms the romantic dining area. It’s a wonderful spot to sit near the fire on a cool evening. On warmer evenings, and outside area is canopied by thousands of tiny lights, and offers quieter acoustics.

The Hamachi and Uni appetizer is a wonderfully refreshing way to start. The house specialty is a classic Steak Diane, flamed tableside with brandy. The prime filet did not disappoint, and the reduction and sauteed mushrooms that accompanied it were sublime.

The extensive wine list offers both high-end local wines and international selections.

Service is professional without being stiff.

Stonehouse Restaurant
San Ysidro Ranch
900 San Ysidro Ln
Santa Barbara, CA 93108
(805) 565-1720
https://www.yelp.com/biz/stonehouse-restaurant-santa-barbara-2

The Mex Authentic

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Nachos Al pastor

Exterior

Interior

**** (4 stars)

Excellent service is the highlight of this nice sit down Mexican restaurant at the base of State Street.

The tortilla chips are authentic and obviously homemade, and the salsa is fresh and not terribly spicy.

We started with the Nachos Pastor, a loaded version of nachos the included beans, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, seeded raw jalapenos and pork pastor. It was delicious, however the two of us could only make our way halfway through it! So when I say “we started with” I also mean “we finished with”!

I’m looking forward to returnign and trying some of their other offerings.

The Mex Authentic
413 State St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 845-6364
https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-mex-authentic-santa-barbara

Bella Vista

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Exterior

**** (4 stars)

Excellent outside dining setting amid the lush gardens of the Four Seasons Biltmore. The menu has a short but well thought out selection of Italian items. The Caesar salad was a bit weird, with broccoli and cauliflower, but the pastas were obviously homemade.

The inside dining is very noisy, with all hard surfaces and fairly bright lighting.

The wine list has a medium size selection of local wines, and more from other regions, but markups are very high.

Service was friendly and efficient.

Bella Vista
Four Seasons Resort
1260 Channel Dr
Santa Barbara, CA 93108
(805) 565-8237
https://www.yelp.com/biz/bella-vista-santa-barbara-4

Bouchon

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bouchonsb

***** (5 stars)

What a cozy and cute place. The outside dining, where you’re almost engulfed by a tree, is very romantic, and the inside is a quant and charming bistro. Service is friendly and professional. The standout dish when we visited was the scallop trio, a special with three very different preparations. The winelist offers hundreds of selections, almost all local wineries. Wine recommendations were spot on.

Bouchon
9 W Victoria St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 730-1160
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bouchon-santa-barbara