The Santa Barbara Fishouse

The Santa Barbara Fishouse Restaurant Review:

After 20 years of selling shrimp and other shellfish on Stearns Wharf, Tom White saw the place burn down during a major fire. While waiting for repairs, he bought the former Chart House on nearby Cabrillo Boulevard and opened a seafood restaurant with a knockout oyster bar. Jean-Paul LuVanvi, a Parisian, is the chef and he is doing Pacific Rim and classical French cooking with Asian touches and Southwest presentations. Dishes with Adriatic influences are one of the chef’s strengths. Desserts range from mud pie to crème brûlée. If you like to keep it local, try the Goleta lemon pie, a regional spinoff of Key lime pie. The restaurant has a sport-fishing theme, with all sorts of related artifacts. For the best view, pick an outside table.