THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Intermezzo Los Olivos

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Intermezzo Los Olivos Restaurant Review:

Intermezzo Los Olivos is the wine country counterpart to the downtown Santa Barbara sister restaurant of the same name. But times are changing: Owner Doug Margerum has sold his business, including both Intermezzos and the highly regarded Wine Cask. Located inside actor-vintner Fess Parker's luxury hotel, Intermezzo Los Olivos will now be owned by Parker, who will call it Restaurant Marcella. The name, however, is the only item that’s changed. The menu, designed with a wine bar slant---slightly smaller portions tailor-made for passing around the table---remains the same. We recommend the chicken skewer appetizer, featuring tender white meat slathered with a spicy chermoula marinade, grilled and served with creamy coriander yogurt. The avocado-and-cheese crostini and the cheese platter make good starters, too. Sandwiches, which come with warm homemade sweet potato chips, include braised brisket with balsamic onions and horseradish cream and, our favorite, a grilled Fontina panini with peppers and mushrooms. The smoked trout salad with beets and watercress is refreshing; the hanger steak with chimichurri sauce and roasted sweet potatoes robust. Heavy on quality local vineyards, the wine list includes vertical selections from many vineyards. We like sitting outdoors, garden-side, under the cloth umbrellas, waiting for the weather to get just warm enough for the mist-sprayers to kick on.