SB COUNTY RESTAURANT REVIEWS
Red Barn, Pony, Mattei's, Honor Bar, Bettina, Bakery Farmstand
Brothers Restaurant at the Red Barn (Old Town Santa Ynez)
John Wayne’s favorite restaurant.
Equally enjoyed by Ronald Reagan.
And now, with The Brothers (always) in the kitchen serving the best vittles in the valley, it’s everyone’s favorite.
The bar area, with nine high-tops, is first come first served. But if you haven’t claimed a table by 5:03 p.m. (three minutes after opening) you’re plumb out of luck.
This is rancher territory: blue jeans, flannel shirts, cowboy boots, big belt buckles, Stetsons. (Funny how a 40 minute drive over the mountain from SB takes you from blue to red.)
These folks eat early and hearty. They know their steers—and their steaks. And that’s why you’d be hard-pressed to find a better filet or ribeye anywhere. Add Stilton cheese–port wine sauce, caramelized onion gratin potatoes, carrots and string beans and… well, you’ve just been set up for a food coma.
Equally amazing is… everything else on the menu, including Idaho rainbow trout with bacon-mashed and (Thursdays only) filet mignon tacos.
Pony Cocktails + Kitchen (Sagunto Street, Old Town Santa Ynez)
Pony, around the corner, is catching up fast—and may gallup into the lead.
With master-chef Jonny in the kitchen, Fernando mixing cocktails behind the bar and owner-operator Alberto Battaglini welcoming guests with old-world charm, this modern gem is a class act—world class.
Their shrimp diavola, bathed in fiery marinara, will haunt your cravings long after you clean your plate. And last weekend’s crispy striped seabass—with blue crab, white hominy, avocado and radish— was nothing short of sublime.
Desiring a cocktail beyond The Last Word, I huddled with Fernando to create a magical elixir we call The Wicked Word (my tipple of choice the evening before News Revue appears): equal measures of Chartreuse, Mezcal, Maraschino liqueur and lime juice served in a coupe glass coated with absinthe and garnished with a Luxardo cherry.
The stuff of which sweet dreams are made.
Mattei’s Tavern (Los Olivos)
Sorry to say, much less good of late, breaks my heart to write this.
The good news: Having suffered a kitchen crisis with a bad choice of chef/menu, Auberge Resorts is slowly bringing their landmark stagecoach-stop back to what locals (including their club members) want: High quality comfort food.
The bad: Much too slowly.
Weddings are the bread and butter of this resort. But, currently, the bliss is missing at one of my favorite hangs, and the ranchers—sad but true—have cast out elsewhere, high prices at the bar, to blame.
Mattei’s/Auberge should rethink to whom they cater (partly, anyway). It’s not all about weekend getaways away from LA.
Honor Bar (Coast Village Road, Montecito)
The Hillstone Group (encompassing Houston’s, R &D Kitchen and other brands), is master of the trifecta: flavor, consistency and service. It’s almost as if AI runs their operation nationwide. Everything is prompt, precise and exactly as expected.
Honor Bar, Montecito, is no exception, wrapped around an intimate, five-sided bar, stools perpetually in demand (add a breezy open-air patio with stone fireplace).
I was here on opening night in February 2015.
Ten years later, there’s no reason not to keep coming back—not least because my notoriously fussy chihuahua rates their cheeseburger a notch above filet mignon or lamb chops.
Bettina (Montecito Mart)
Busy. Always. For good reason.
Fresh pasta (cut daily) is their art: last week, mafaldine and radiatore.
Pizza? Baked to perfection in a brick oven. And the finest Ceasar salad in SB County.
The crowd is young, stylish and high energy.
Twenty years ago, Montecito was thought of as a retirement community where aging Hollywood royalty went to act out in peace.
That notion is dust in the rearview mirror.
Today, Cito’s multi-generational blend—post mudslide/Covid—tilts toward hot & hip.
And finally…
If you are fortunate enough to be in Los Olivos on a Saturday morning, there is no finer place for scones, fruit pie, quiche, homemade pop tarts and coffee than Tracy & Glenn’s Bakery Farmstand.
Entrance on Santa Barbara Ave near the corner of Olivet Ave.
The following is not paid advertising.
Marcus Boyle (my son-in-law) is a proficient, detail-driven real estate agent (for sellers or buyers) in the Montecito and Santa Barbara area.
I highly recommend his services.
Marcus is eager to compete in an arena full high-and-mighty-minded realtors who’ve been here long enough to become mired in complacency.
https://marcusboyleestates.com 805.452.0440