LOCAL — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

Overall this is a pretty underwhelming place, especially for the prices. I couldn't shake the feeling it was a corporate-type restaurant, everything from the food to the service to the atmosphere felt so loveless and sterile.

The burre blanc, if you want to call it that, that came with the branzino was executed poorly, it had the consistency and taste of warm milk. It should have never left the kitchen, but just as unconscionable is that the sauce was served in a ramekin. That's not special or becoming of a pricey restaurant in Montecito. My girlfriend got the salmon, the filet of which was tiny, but even worse was that both fish dishes come with the same side of boring crispy potatoes--it's just restauranteur laziness at this point, tried going out for a special night but we can cook the same things at home. Spinach was oversalted and had large stems on them that should have been cut off. Again, with all the incredible restaurants in the area, how can you expect to get away with such poor treatment of the ingredients? Fries? Also poorly executed, they came out rather soggy, which is surprising if using duck fat, and noticeably under salted. Finishing salt and pepper on the table would be a nice touch, but I was too embarrassed to ask. And the final kick in the teeth is that the dipping sauce for the fries is regular ketchup, and by no means homemade. For $14 (fourteen) you can't be serving commercial-grade ketchup, maybe there's a lot of adult children in the area who like it or just don't care, but I just can't for the life of me imagine the executive decision-making process of this business.

Wine glasses were on the thick side, they were not on par with a Reidel or equivalent and as a result felt less fancy, and for whatever psychological reason, whatever wine you fill it with just doesn't taste as good and again, as special. Red Hot Chili Peppers being played on the speakers=not classy.

I'm getting tired writIng, I'll just sum it up with I do not recommend, feels like a step above Cheesecake Factory. It will probably take me a couple months to build up the courage to give going out to eat somewhere...

A Real Miss For Me. 5 Cajones For Lowbrow Food. Lovely looking place,couldn’t wait to eat there. Giving it 2 stars for the outdoor decor, the design of the place. But it’s too high a rating for the food….Summary is, that lunch there was a less than mediocre salad, with iced coffee; bill was over 50 bucks with a tip. Wait, not finished. The salad was Shrimp Louie. Hard to mess up, yet really ought to be above average to charge $38 dollars for it! This was far below par. THE SHRIMP WERE SAME AS FROZEN SUPERMARKET SHRIMP. I swear they were the same, because I had just tried the ones from Albertson’s. (Never again.) The mayonnaise salad dressing? Sorry, you better do better than plopping on too much, sandwich type mayo, on a salad. For any price. This one looked like they tried to doctor it up with a bit of red coloring? Didn’t change the jar mayo flavor! And for 38$, that’s cajones. I mean, for half-a-$100 salad lunch, they oughta be whipping up the farm fresh raw eggs and drizzling in the olio, at the table, like a show, to make fresh mayo. Crazy cajones, putting a few butter leaves of lettuce, generic tasteless limp tomatoes, barely unfrozen bagged supermarket shrimp, and jar mayonnaise. (Hey, couldn’t you get some fresh seafood in Santa Barb? Instead of using frozen Vietnam?) I can’t stand how people inflate prices for Montecito, guys? Then you better raise the taste level, and definitely raise the quality. (Charging as they did: My head is still shaking.) People know better, and certainly expect better. If you owners don’t, maybe open a cheap diner somewhere else instead. —-UPDATE So I got a response from the owner and nonononNO. They were definitely not fresh shrimp. And there was CERTAINLY not a half head of icebergs. Maybe I had a cook-in-training make the salad? There were a few scattered pieces of lettuce. The shrimp was limp, mush, and defrosted. The dressing was jar mayonnaise w a little paprika for color. I know what was served to me there. AND IF I PAID 50$ FOR A SALAD LUNCH, HOW MUCH FOR AN OVERPRICED COFFEE?? Grrrr. Now am fuming, that you tried to correct me, my honest review?...

We've been here twice and love the space, vibe and comfortable indoor and outdoor seating. In its first week this has already become a popular, convivial local hangout with the live music and late hours being a nice addition to our sleepy burg. The Pan Seared Thai Salmon on black rice with bok choy was excellent - wouldn’t change a thing (although they did, the price went from $26 to $32 in less than a week, but it’s still worth it). The Strawberry Cheesecake is divine. And if you like shellfish (I’m allergic), you’ll find lots of options. The advantage of a locally-owned restaurant vs. a chain is that you can easily tweak the menu so perhaps Local can become a little more lo-cal. The burger and Shrimp Po' Boy were OK but not something we’d order again. The arugula salad with melon good but I’d rather have it with Little Gems since who really likes a whole plate of arugula. The sea bass fish and chips needed more fish and less fries and is in dire need of cole slaw. (If you like fries, they come with just about everything.) If it were me, I’d take a hint from the ever popular Honor Bar and add more entree salads and a simple side salad. Also a chicken dish (only chicken is a wings appetizer) and this is the perfect place for fish tacos. And while I’m dreaming of a perfect menu, of the 4 tap beers I would change the Anchor Steam Amber to a local Pilsner and the Hard Seltzer to a local Pale Ale. If nothing changes, I’ll still be a regular since there’s always the...