Bell's — Restaurant in Lompoc

After arrival we were seat at the back of the open patio meaning there’s constant unbearable cold wind breezing through the whole time. No blanket was provided. There’s a smoking machine operating near where we sat generating very strong porky smell that will likely make all our meals smell like pork if we continue to sit there. We asked for a change of table. The restaurant owner came talk to us and moved us to a smallest table there is in the restaurant right in the middle of heavy traffic with all dishes passing through our table. It’s quite distracting to put the table in the middle of heavy traffic making it more challenging to taste the meal. First course “Santa Barbara Sea Urchin”. The dish has rather bland taste without much going on. Not recommend this dish at all. Wouldn’t spend much time thinking about it. Salade of Findley Farms Lettuces. (The part English part French name is interesting although not in a positive way; not sure why they came up with that.) The presentation is basic. Nothing sophisticated or appealing. However the vinaigrette is crisp making the plate quite lively. Having said that, it’s a bit surprising that no bread was provided throughout the menu. That seems necessary to accompany such a sour and crisp salad with more savory bread. Thus making this course just ok as opposed to outstanding. Scallop Crudo en Persillade appetizer: my dining mate is requesting for the chef to cook it more well done as opposed to a medium rare. The request was declined as somehow that’s not possible to accommodate in the kitchen. This is rather surprising since the request is simply asking the chef to heat the scallop a little longer. She switched her meal to a bland omelette since she is allergic to raw seafood. The scallop is cooked to perfection; so as the lemon hollandaise. However the bread crumb is way too hard and rather rocky almost feeling like eating pebbles. It is a huge distraction to the amazingly cooked scallop. I’d obviously prefer leaving the bread crumb out and serving just the scallop as is and providing a piece of toasted bread on the side in case guests are looking for a contrasting texture. Because of this I’d not recommend the dish since you can’t change how they prepare the dish as it’s part of the fixed menu unfortunately. Steak Au Poivre: let me start by saying that the fries were cooked to perfection. Each strip is crisp on the outside and soft in the inside. The salt is not too salty and the greens are herbal and slightly refreshing. Unfortunately that’s probably the only good thing to be said about this dish. The steak is very very spicy. Interesting it’s intentional as they would like to make the steak “stand out” according to our server. I absolutely agree the steak does stand out but in a negative way since it’s way too spicy to most people’s palate I’d imagine. Unfortunately I’d therefore cannot recommend this dish unless you feel like you burning your palate. Good think I changed my wine to the fully bodied Dunites Syrah and Granache that at least can stand the wine. All other on the list will probably be too light for this incredibly spicy dish beyond most people tolerance. In conclusion the only amazingly positive thing about our meal is our waiter. He’s one of the more attentive ones and does pay attention to the feedback given. Bell’s is lucky to have him work here (still) despite the seemingly outstanding but with multiple flaws in all courses we tasted. For this reason I gave it 2 star as opposed to one thanks to our amazingly attentive and super helpful waiter at our table. His name is Maika (not sure correct spelling). Overall I’d not recommend this restaurant. Unless you can get yourself waited by Maika (and definitely not the owner himself), it’s probably not worth it coming here for hit-and-miss meals as...

The outside of this gem looks small, but good things come in small packages and Bell's will not disappoint.

There is indoor seating with approximately four tables and counter seating of five seats. Outside in the back, is more quaint, romantic and roomy.

Although the website encourages walk in for lunch seating, I noticed the evening dinner seating was "sold out" already. We visited on a Monday for lunch.

Parking is on the street, or on any side street and readily available. There is one electric charging station and difficult to find.

Lunch menu was small and gave the impression that the menu changes daily with the availability of fresh ingredients.

When I was touring the facility I looked to see what other patrons had ordered. All smelled delightful and appealing.

We shared Bell's Salad with Chicken. The first bite enveloped my taste buds with the freshness of the Romaine lettuce and fresh apple slices. The salad was also sprinkled with Persimmon Seeds, Pomegranate slices, Hazelnuts, and Pepitas. Lightly washed in a Mustard Vinaigrette dressing. I noticed a prominent lemon flavor that was refreshing.

The Braised Beef Cheek Sandwich is packed with flavor on a fresh, lightly crunchy roll. The Basque Peppers add the right amount of flavor to the beef and Bearnaise Aioli, tantalizing the taste buds.

The French Fries are fresh and crispy. Thin fries but seasoned with rock salt and parsley.

Service was spot on. The restaurant had a full staff. Someone was always available to tend to your needs. The meal is enjoyed while listening to soft eclectic music. We enjoyed listening to "List My Head There," by Kurl Vile and "Borderline" by Tame Impala. A hip, new metro-type dining experience.

The only draw back of this recent Michelin Award winning restaurant is an added 15% Service Charge to the bill and then a request for gratuity on top of that. A bit much. It just is not that kind of restaurant. No free bread, no samplings, no white table cloths, no cocktail suggestions, oh yeah... beer and wine only. But this must not be a detriment as the dinner seating was sold out.

I can't wait to go back and see how the menu changes. A culinary experience and nice surprise for a Los...

Bell’s is the most unpretentious Michelin-starred restaurant we’ve ever tried. What a delight. We visited for my wife’s birthday. I would call the cuisine certainly French inspired, if not rigorously French like some French restaurants. You can order ala carte at lunch and prix fixe at dinner. We found the meal to be an excellent value. I’m a frequent Vegas visitor, so to get a whole wonderful meal for the price of an ala carte ribeye on the Strip felt like stealing. The wine list was decidedly European. It lacked familiar faces to this wine amateur. But the prices were far, and our under $100 selection was well received. Now to the food. The uni appetizer with caviar was ok. The flavor was perhaps too subtle for me. The salad and bread, while simple, were delicious. I gave the next course, a tuna credo, a solid 10. It was a fantastically delicate offering that practically melted in our mouths. My wife liked it a bit less. The rabbit was outside my wife comfort zone but she enjoyed it. My steak frite was perfectly prepared but the cut was a touch tough. The fries were piping hot and delicious. We tried a couple of the desserts and they were good. Nothing special. But the pastry they brought out for her birthday was unlike anything we ever ate before. Impossibly light and delightful. Now as for the service, we have enjoyed a few Michelin starred restaurants over the years and find their service to be generally excellent, and often very formal and occasionally stuffy. The service here is different. Many of the staff are in tee shirts. They offer none of the preening and primping you come to expect from fine dining. Our server Raymond was a consummate pro. Like many at the restaurant, his style was personal and engaging, but again utterly lacking in pretense. After the meal we looked up what it take to earn a Michelin star, and what we read surprised us. It appears that Michelin looks for overall experience as opposed to merely the ”service” when evaluating a restaurant. At Bell’s, it is indeed the experience that delights. We were plotting our return to Bell’s before we even received the check. 5 Google Stars...