I couldn't agree more. I really like Little Doms too. Restaurants often adapt and change after they open so hopefully they will find a happy medium. That's my hope for Alma too which is excellent but over-priced. It's not difficult to figure out the recipe for success - just look at Honor Bar which is always packed and most everything on the menu has wide appeal.
Sigh…..first Alma now Bar Lou. As a Little Doms regular patron I was hoping for more of the same from this location. In terms of pricing and yummy simple standard dishes (arugula salad, meatballs, fish sandwich). Sometimes you just want to go out for a simple meal and not have to spend over $100 for 2 people! Is this what we have to look forward to with every new restaurant coming in? Ugh
And, BTW, Stella Mare does a great 10oz NY w/frites for $40.
Right? $68 for 4oz of steak and 1lb of fries. Wow.
I thought the decor of Oliver’s looked like an airport Radisson. Bar Lou us cozy and classic. The steak frites is expensive but it’s fantastic. Better than luckys IMO. Also the chicory salad 👌🏼
Ya ,the inside looks like it was slap together to me? Might work in Paso are Santa Maria.
But I can understand not over spending on the decor ,Good food will make any place work.
Because not all Santa Barbarians agree with you. Your obvious “bring cars back for laughable reasons” comment take 304
Thanks to Celesta Billeci for growing Arts and Lectures into the amazing program it is today!!
Wld love to learn: 1. the current salary/benefits for the retiring UCSB A&L director, and 2. what are the retirement remuneration/benefits... especially in light of Yang's astronomical salary revelation.
Yummy article can't wait to try them all especially the BEC as I'm also a former New Yorker. Tried to make a reservation at Caruso’s for a friend's special birthday celebration, we were all looking forward to. The on-line reservation would not accept 6 and so I phoned. No answer from the restaurant passed on to reception, I suppose. Was told I needed "approval" for 6 from the restaurant, standard is 4 per table. The restaurant was unavailable at the time. Was promised a call back and told if I didn't receive one, I should call again. Really? who has time to track down a restaurant and ask permission to book a table? Call never came, the second call I made was to the SYR which happily took my reservation for 6 in a New York Minute. Is this the norm or did I hit it on the wrong day? I would like to try it.
Would you like some steak with your fries? LOL
Bar Lou- $11 bread? $13 Cashews? really??? CVR isn’t the Yellow Brick Road.
Interesting menu but could use more basics like Little Dom's. Adding a Little Gem salad would help, as would a chicken breast inside of thighs and a pasta without sea urchin. Oliver's interior before was stunning with very comfy chairs inside and out. No backs on bar stools is no bueno and those dining chairs look like the uncomfortable ones at San Ysidro Ranch so happy there are booths. Can't help but compare it to the newly opened Lion's Tale with their plush chairs, sound-dampening surfaces and an excellent Steak Frites for $36 less. That said, both are a great addition to the neighborhood and we hope to be regulars.
We live just south of Carpenteria on Highway 150, 20 min south of Montecito and 20 min west of Ojai. Other than Little Doms and the Nugget in Summerland, what would be your top 5 eateries? especially for hearty eggs (other than Worker Bee Cafe)?
Here's my honest response to that - I grew up in the Bay Area, and the Rusty's equivalent up there is Round Table. As a kid, I loved Round Table, and every once in a while when I'm back up north, I'll get a Round Table pizza. Mushrooms with white onions on the classic crust, truly hits home. There is truly something to be said for nostalgia when it comes to food - sometimes the stuff we grew up eating just satisfies in a way that's not really going to resonate with the people who didn't grow up eating it. So while I love a Round Table pizza on occasion, I'll also freely admit it's basically garbage tier pizza, and I'm not scratching my head when other people don't get excited about it. And I'd never in a million years put in a vote on a poll declaring it to be the "best pizza." The adults I know who like Rusty's are all people who grew up eating it, and so while I fully understand why they like it, the same way that I like Round Table, that doesn't actually make it good pizza - especially in a town where there are soooooo many other better alternatives. And my point about the cost still stands - I'd throw way less shade at Rusty's if the price per pie was closer to Little Caesar's, cause that's about what it's worth. The fact that a Rusty's pizza regularly clocks in more expensive than Bettina, Revolver, St. Bibbiana, Lucky Penny and the like just baffles me. A medium Rusty's Special is $25. The Bettina Meatlovers pizza is the identical cost. The difference in quality, flavor and labor are vast, and yet the price is the same.
FWIW I've lived here for five years now, but I can tell you right now how I'll feel about Rusty's after I've lived here for 20.
Franny's!!! I can still taste every morsel. I ended my last meal there with an Amaro tasting. Thanks for the reminder.
Surely the photo helped explain which one.
Odd headline since there are 3 CVS stores on State Sreet. It seems like most headlines these days are designed to be clickbait.
I’m getting a hint of “recent transplantism” to Santa Barbara in these comments lately. There’s a time and place for all types of pizza, be it Rusty’s and yes even a Little Caesars! Oh and didn’t Fig Mtn win big nationally?
Agreed that food costs are high but unfortunately it’s a symptom of a broken model. That said, why hold food to a higher standard than $10+ beers?
I was anti Wexler's until I went to Wexler's. I had the BEC as well and it was the classic flavors but extremely elevated and fresh. They also dropped their prices, so props to them.
No. Everyone has his price, but mine is more than what I could get for a blog post.
Eric,
did you get paid for promoting these 7 items?
Very sad the the MPC blew it on this one. This is a huge project and will affect the community forever. The once beloved Miramar and its site now looks like Disneyland and Caruso is clearly not going to stop, adding a luxury mall to this quaint neighborhood. 😪
Tried Alma Fonda Fina last night and the ceviche cuizmala was phenomenal. Many of the other items were wonderful and though service was hit and miss (new restaurants always need a grace period) it’s definitely worth checking out!
