The Salty Brigade Kitchen — Restaurant in Santa Maria

We went to the Salty Brigade last night for the first time since they opened about 2 weeks ago. Food is ordered at the walk up counter and the menu's are posted on what looks like rolls of butcher paper on the wall behind the counter, suggesting a changing menu. We ordered salad topped with hanger steak and a mahi mahi sandwich. The menu is basically burgers, sandwiches and salads with no dinner style entrees. First the good news. They do a great job on the proteins! The hanger steak was well seasoned with a good sear and cooked medium rare as it should. This could (should?) be an entree item. The mahi mahi was also very well cooked and very tasty. Now the bad. The salad was a huge mound of limp, soggy greens that I found very unappetizing. The mahi mahi sandwich also suffered from an over abundance of greens and an overly large slice of tomato. These somewhat smothered the great mahi mahi. Overall the meals could be better, the menu more diverse and the presentation more professional given the $17 and $18 prices. We will go back in a couple of weeks to see if Chef Mike has found his footing a little more.

Update: It took us a while to make it back to the Salty Brigade but we went again last night and I am so glad we did! There is a new outdoor dining patio that is really nice AND they now serve local beers.

The service has improved and the staff are super nice and Chef Mike makes the rounds to make sure your meal meets your expectations. This time around they did. I ordered the salmon over lobster ravioli. The salmon was cooked well (I prefer mine a little more rare and will ask for it that way next time) and I think most folks would be very pleased. The ravioli was excellent! And the spinach base was the right amount and cooked just right. Also the plating was more professional than our last visit.

I can honestly say that the Salty Brigade now ranks as another one of the better dining experiences in Orcutt and I am glad to have them here. In world full of mediocre chain restaurants Orcutt has become a hub for unique restaurants that serve that serve specialty fare and the Salty Brigade joins that group.

If I could I would...

Took the family for dinner yesterday, our first visit. It was not what we expected. Very casual appearance, clean, with a friendly staff. Had the tomahawk pork chop which was absolutely delicious! It's served over mac & cheese but I asked for a salad instead. Got a large refreshing caesar salad instead of mac & cheese. My son had the chop over mac & cheese and he liked it. My wife had the salmon and it was also perfectly prepared. Presentation on all the plates was perfect! Chef Mike knows how to make delicious food!

The restaurant has a take out atmosphere vice a full service restaurant. As senior citizens, we'd like to sit in a nice comfy booth to enjoy our meal verses siting on ordinary wood chairs. We got our own drinks and had our meal brought to us by the cashier. Since you pay up front, it's hard to guage how much to tip because you've received no service yet so to speak. I gave 20% because of how friendly the staff was when we walked in. Customer service is a must for us and Chef Mike and his team provide it, a friendly setting to relax and dine in.

Chef Mike came out twice to check on us which was very much appreciated! His food is delicious and came out fast considering the crowd he had, mostly take outs at the time of our visit. I know he's only been open for a very short time but I hope to see him expand into a full service restaurant in the future. Thanks to everyone for your friendly smiles and thank you Chef Mike for a fabulous meal! We'll be back to try your lunch menu next! Best wishes for your...

So, let's start with the positives. It is a nice chic restaurant, I really enjoyed the industrial urban decor and atmosphere. In particular the witty bathroom sign reminding people that, regardless of who you are, it is of utmost importance to keep proper personal hygiene. Especially during this pandemic. That being said, the food was not all I expected it to be. Especially for the price.

While the presentation was great and made the food rather appetizing. However, the food wasn't as tasty as it should have been. Especially for the price. We had the Local Burger with fries and the Grilled Herb Chicken Focaccia with house made potato chips. The chicken focaccia was good; however, the chicken meat barely filled half of the sandwich bread and the so called "secret spread" it was simply mayonnaise. The burger was even worse. The patty was undercooked (we ordered medium and we barely got it medium rare), thus the bun became so soggy, it was falling apart even before the first bite.

I do gotta say that the french fries and the house made potato chips were rather good. Even though the sides and the chicken sandwich were good, they were not worth the price of the meal. $16 for the burger plus $4 for avocado and $14 for the chicken sandwich.

This was our first visit and I am not going to dismiss this restaurant after just one visit; we will go back and give it another try. However, the food is not something that has me excited to go back...