THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Santa Barbara Authentique

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Santa Barbara Authentique Restaurant Review:

Santa Barbara Authentique was created by two French chefs whose mission is to provide Santa Barbara with Provençal cuisine. Jean-Philippe Sitbon and Fabrice Huet succeed in providing reliable, albeit cliché, traditional French dishes to the masses. Located hard by the freeway and the railroad tracks, Santa Barbara Authentique is on lower State Street in an area known for heavy tourist traffic. Three lonely tables sit on the sidewalk outside. Inside there is a sunny patio, an open kitchen and exposed brick fine dining room. In the back is a bistro cum bar from which live music pulsates on the weekends. Here, the hungry can dig into fish soup, rillettes, mussels, fries and other assorted finger food. The menu in the front is not especially inspired with salads and soups, sandwiches, chicken and steak. At dinnertime, the chefs pump out bouillabaisse, escargots, duck confit, foie gras, and other trusted though hardly innovative classics like lamb shank. The wine list is made up of reasonably priced California and French selections.