alan19

Renaud's (breakfast/lunch) Bouchon is supposed to be great, but I've never eaten there and probably expensive

JerryFF

We have eaten several times at both restaurants. Ballard Inn is superb, possibly the best restaurant in the Santa Ynez Valley. The only possible issue is that they do not have a big menu and there is a definite Asian orientation to a number of dishes. As a result, depending on one's personal taste, it is possible that one might find only one or two items among both the appetizers and the entrees that one might like.

Stella Mare is a good restaurant and we have had good meals there. They have a number of different rooms and we strongly prefer the greenhouse. In my opinion, it is a restaurant where one would likely be quite satisfied with the food and service but it is also not likely to bring out a "wow".

Other outstanding restaurants have been mentioned - our own experience in Santa Barbara proper would put Downey's at the top with Bouchon a very close second.

mlshanks

Some favorites...

Jane (American)

Brummis (German)

Julienne (California Bistro)

Cadiz (Tapas / Seafood)

TWA884

Santa Barbara wine country was featured in the Los Angeles Times Travel section last Sunday.
Saturday, there was an article about Full of Life Flatbread in nearby Los Alamos, a restaurant and bakery whose fans include some of Los Angeles' top chefs.

nikkiblast

I second this.

sk8uno

Right by Full of Life Flatbread is Bell Street Farm (http://www.yelp.com/biz/bell-street-farm-los-alamos). If you don't mind the drive, I highly recommend Bell Street Farm.

JerryFF

At your recommendation and that of nikkiblast, we went to Louie's and had a wonderful dinner. I can't believe we have been going to Santa Barbara for so many years and never heard of this place.

Thanks for the suggestion. ^

JerryFF

After getting numerous recommendations for Ca'Dario, we finally ate dinner there this past week. It was everything people said. Really creative, outstanding Italian food - one of the best we've eaten at.

The only caveat - the tables are close together and it can get a bit noisy, especially in the front room near the bar.

http://www.cadario.net/

JerryFF

We just had an really excellent dinner at Mirabelle in Solvang. A bit on the expensive side, but well worth it. The scallop appetizer and lobster ravioli with homemade pasta were two of the best restaurant dishes we have had in a long time.

flyboy60

If you are heading north to wine country around Santa Maria, and don't mind an extremely low end biker ambiance, there's a really quite good steak house in Nipomo named Jackos.

The Hitching Post (of Sideways fame) in Solvang is quite a bit nicer in ambiance, but the steaks are not any better than at Jackos.

JerryFF

And the prices at the Hitching Post are outrageous.

flyboy60

Which is why I recommended Jackos in Nipomo. The steaks are great and the prices are very reasonable. But the ambiance is definitely biker-dive.

JerryFF

This restaurant has moved and has changed its name. It is now called Aly's and is now located at 451 2nd Street directly across the street from the Solvang Theater. In our opinion it is the best restaurant in Solvang, if not the entire Santa Ynez Valley. Though definitely on the expensive side (most entrees are in the $30 range), it is well worth it, in my opinion. On a recent visit my wife and I had the 4 course tasting menu ($60) and it was one of the best meals we have had anywhere in the past 20 years.

http://www.opentable.com/alys-restaurant


CAUTION: There is a new restaurant located at the Mirabelle Inn but it is quite different and definitely nothing special and not recommended (at least by me).

ACCDraw

We were just in SB/Montecito & didn't have much luck in SB but
enjoyed these two restaurants in Montecito.

Jeannines - Breakfast
http://jeannines.com

Los Arroyos - great tostado's, fish taco's, strong margaritas
http://www.losarroyos.net

I'm going note all the previous suggestions for our next trip.

daKav

For those who appreciate local craft beer:

Brewhouse
Fig Mountain Brewing
Santa Barbara Brewing
Pure Order Brewing
Telegraph brewery
M Special brewing Co (Goleta)
Hollister Brewing Co (Goleta)
Capt. Fatty's (Goleta)