Edhat Staff
By edhat staff
The esteemed Michelin Guide announced it will review restaurants in Santa Barbara and other counties outside the San Francisco Bay area.
Currently, Michelin only covers California restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area, which incorporates Napa, Sonoma, and San Jose. As part of the new Michelin Guide California 2019, they will expand their horizons down the coast through Monterey, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
The announcement is in partnership with California’s state tourism board, Visit California.
“With access to many of the world’s best farms, food producers and vineyards, California cuisine is respected worldwide not only for the quality of its ingredients but also due to the creativity displayed by its chefs,” according to Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides.
Visit California President and CEO Caroline Beteta also stated: “California and Michelin are a perfect pairing, joining forces to show the world the innovation and breadth of the Golden State’s culinary landscape. The diversity and abundance of dining opportunities here, including an unparalleled array of ethnic dining, women chefs, and limitless agricultural bounty, sets California apart from any other destination in the world.”
With a bevy of quality restaurants in Santa Barbara, it makes us curious which ones might snag a star or two from the prestigious tire-making travel guide.
What local restaurants do edhat readers think will receive a Michelin star?
ZOOKERS in Carpinteria should be checked out
Jane Restaurant
Please tell me what the sex of a Chef has to do with the quality of the food the present… Anyone…?
I hate feeding the trolls, but I’ll bite. The restaurant industry has a history of denying women their fair slice of the pie due to its history of serving up a culture of gender discrimination with a side of sexual harassment and misconduct. I am happy to see this guide actively recognizing and highlighting women chefs as a key ingredient to our local and regional cuisine. It’s only a small part of what is needed to create more fair and balanced meals.
Read it again – the sentence includes “diversity”. It’s a nod to women becoming more recognized in the professional culinary world where, on average, women are the recipients of awards or accolades only 20% of the time. Further, there are zero – yes, zero – women on the World’s 50 Best Chefs list who don’t share the honor with a father, husband or boss. This article implies that the number of female Chefs in Santa Barbara is growing. But you could have probably figured ALL of that out, were you not so busy being contrary. You probably googled “International Men’s Day” last week.
Lilac Patisserie, on State Street, is co-owned, husband and wife. The restaurant is completely gluten-free, because the female owner is a celiac.
Zero restaurants here. This article title is misleading. Seems like guide is only coming here. Basically Michelin is expanding in California out of the Bay Area. Going to Central Coast and Southern California. I’ll be shocked if any restaurant in Santa Barbara gets a Michelin mention
Yoichi’s. For sure. Guessing the reason they are coming. How many stars? Who knows who cares. Easily one of, if not the, best meals you will ever experience. -AB
Petit Valentien should deserve one.. Absolutely the best food in town (try the Kale Ceaser Salad). The food has always been amazing there.
Reading some of these suggestions makes me giggle. While a few of your suggestions may be fine food establishments, they are nowhere near the caliber needed to achieve a Michelin star rating. Of our town’s fine dining establishments, there might be 3 that could qualify for a single star and only one that could go higher. Here are my guesses for the single star: 1) Stone house 2) Bouchon. The latest addition to our are, and the only one that is likely to draw 2 or possibly 3 stars, is the incredibly opulent and ridiculously expensive Silver Bough.
There is no restaurant in the SB County or Ventura County area that could possibly be given Michelin star status. This area has some of the worst options, among the worst service, ridiculously priced and poorly presented food in modern world. We have eaten from Adelaide to Amsterdam, from Capetown to Dubrovnik, and from Mendoza to Manhattan and certainly from LA to Seattle. There is no place where the servers evidence more entitlement, the food is more abused and the costs are less relative to the original product than right here. We have mediocre places that are OK for the purpose of eating out but no place that is a celebration of food. Closest is in fact in the Bay Area.
at 10:03 – how’s the weather up there?
10:03 here: “The air” up here is fresh, clear of brainwashing chemicals and allows honest non Jingoistic comment. Not absolutely sure of your intent but suspect you are implying somehow I am “entitled” but I assure you my resources and life are not exceptional. I just try to tell the truth and sometimes puncture pomposity.
Gee…. ya think? haha
Haha. I mostly agree having been fortunate to have eaten at many Michelin rated restaurants around the world. However, when making such a claim, one must cater to the audience. And to many here, fine dining includes paper napkins and a side of envy. I havent tried Silver Bough yet (needs to be a special occasion), but based on the word of others whom I trust, it is as good as anyplace, anywhere.
TACO BELL!
That’s why I put the caveat “might”… As mentioned by Factorum, Yoichi’s may also be a contender but to many, traditional Japanese is a bit out of their norm.