Stella Mare's Restaurant Review
50 Los Patos Way (Cabrillo Blvd.) 
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Montecito, CA 93108
805-969-6705 | Menu
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Stella Mare's Restaurant is one of our 2012
| Top 10 Santa Barbara Romantic Restaurants
| Top 10 Santa Barbara Wine List Restaurants
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Cuisine
Open
Lunch Tues.-Fri., Dinner Tues.-Sun., Brunch Sat.-Sun.Features
- View
- Heart-healthy dishes
- Romantic setting
- Kid-friendly
- Private room(s)
- Full bar
- Reservations suggested
- Entertainment
- Parking lot
- Casual dressy
Wine
Great Wine List* Click here for rating key
| Right across the street from Santa Barbara's famous bird refuge and lake, Stella Mare's features two beautiful dining venues. The glass-encased greenhouse features a panoramic view, fireside couches and a full bar, a setting ideal for its weekend brunch and Wednesday night jazz. For more formal dinners, we prefer the main dining wing, which was once a Victorian home, where seating spreads out across several quaint rooms featuring French provincial décor. Every appetizer here is, well, appetizing. The crab cakes are fresh and soft, served with a chili rémoulade. The artichoke grilled over oak comes out lightly and deliciously charred and is served with a garlic aïoli. We especially love the richness of the lobster medallions served on brioche, topped with shavings of foie gras and a Grand Marnier sauce. The dinner menu makes culinary adventurers very happy, with entrées like oak-grilled rack of elk, venison osso buco and braised boar shank. We recommend the pan-seared buffalo loin for its heft of flavor and surprisingly soft texture, the meat's richness tempered by the sweetness of the yam soufflé served alongside. Seafood lovers find satisfaction in such fresh choices as prawns, scallops, lobster, sea bass and salmon. The wine list is dedicated exclusively to Santa Barbara County and is impressively diverse. |
RESTAURANT AWARDS
We just published the 2012 edition of our annual restaurant issue, featuring the Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. and much more. Check it out!
