I hadn't been to the Mission in years. This year I went to the Madonnari Chalk Festival - what a…read moregorgeous time. My mom and I had the best of times! Art, Music, food and just sooooo much fun! I danced so much and got to meet many wonderful artists. I def will be back next year and make a whole weekend out of it. I live nearby but I think, next year I'll stay a few days in SB. My mom is already looking forward to it!

This review was based on the I Madonnari Festival at Old Mission Santa Barbara last weekend. I…read morearrived after 4pm and missed the last tour of the day. I managed to walk through the Mission plaza and enjoyed over 150 huge, colorful chalk paintings by various artists on the pavement. It was a free public event with live music and food vendors. The Mission Rose Garden was the open field in front of the church. It is a great place for picnic or just laying down to enjoy the sun.

I have sandwiches at Montecito Gourmet every time I am in Montecito. The deli meat is carved super…read morethin and the toppings are very fresh. You can also order online ahead of time. This is by far my favorite place for a deli sandwich. The staff is generally very nice. There is seating inside and outside. The vibe is wine bar. Love it!

This specific experience is from a few months ago, and is a part of a growing frustration with what…read morehas become of this formerly wonderful sandwich shop. This isn't about public shaming, hopefully it's clear this is about flagging to management that their staff requires more hands on training around food handling, product quality, tidiness and presentation. We ordered four sandwiches around 1:00pm mid week, nobody else was there and there were no tickets ahead of us--just two teenaged boys who looked seriously confused and undertrained and even openly joked about how slow things had been that day--which was an odd comment for a restaurant that looked like it hadn't been bussed yet after a lunch rush. It took both of them about 40 minutes to make four sandwiches in an extremely haphazard manner that inexplicably required them leaving to the back room a lot and returning empty handed--they both weren't familiar with the ingredients of the specialty sandwiches and they joked shoulder to shoulder as they both fumbled through completing the order. I was pretty shocked at how unkept the entire food prep station appeared and the counters and tables hadn't been bussed and were attracting large horseflies from outside --why weren't these guys bussing tables if it was so slow? Why was there A LOT of yellow mustard smeared across the low boy fridge doors? Where was the supervision? Why was it taking so long to make sandwiches that were on the menu with zero modifications? Why was the music so loud? Why was the kid who was just counting cash out of the tip jar, now handling food without washing his hands or wearing gloves? It was a barrage to the senses and a bizarre vignette into an ever-declining understanding of quality service and hospitality standards coupled with an ever-rising high cost of goods. When we got to the park down the street and opened the bag none of the sandwiches had been wrapped properly, no tape, no restrictive folds, just loose sheets of hand crumpled parchment paper, barely restraining the food inside with 360 degree wet condiments covering the OUTSIDE of every sandwich parcel--if you can even call them that. It was a disaster inside that bag. You couldn't reach your hand into the bag without it coming out covered in misc condiments. That same day I called the restaurant to ask if I could speak to the owner and share our observations, the person who answered said that person wasn't available. And before I could ask for an email, the kid hung up on me--but I can't blame him for that, he probably couldn't hear me over the insanely loud music playing on his side of the line.

We went back to Caruso's for a gratuitously nice end-of-summer date night, this time getting a 6:30…read moretable with a prime view. For some reason, the only option for that time slot was the chef's tasting menu, though I wonder if we could have plead down to the four-course if we'd called ahead. The restaurant wasn't especially busy, and I'm sure there was some flexibility in the bookings. The chef's tasting was pretty decadent for a Wednesday. It was also a wonderful experience, a long dinner looking out at the beach, through sunset on a summer evening. Service was immaculate. Our waiter was fantastic, as was our sommelier Tre, a young guy with a clear passion for wine, who gave us handwritten recommendations for our upcoming trip to Paso Robles. We got the regional California wine pairing, and it was fun and educational, featuring several great wines that went well with our food. Dinner started with the house antipasti, a spread of small, delicate dishes. My favorite was probably the spot prawn open face sandwich with kimchi and finger lime, though I also loved the compressed melon topped with uni and Tsar Nicoulai caviar. There was a Baja kanpachi cigar, garnished with caviar, a super-thin toast with prosciutto and fig, and a shot's worth of sour plum juice flavored with cinnamon. Real Michelin star stuff here, both in the ceremony and the execution. Honestly, everything we ate was superb. The first larger course was the refreshing Cavaillon melon gazpacho with melon salad, feta snow, and an intricate melon rind tuille. Then we had a colorful Baja kanpachi crudo, silky raw fish arranged with shaved rhubarb, cucumber, avocado, pickled radish, pickled strawberry, and finger lime, with a strawberry aguachile sauce touched with serrano pepper. Next, we had Iron Chef tomato: tomato salad and tomato with panzanella; a sidecar of buffalo mozzarella and a "martini" of cool tomato water. Summery and light, with intensely concentrated tomato flavor. After that, bread service, house sourdough with ramp butter and Buellton olive oil. Two pastas, both very Caruso's, Italian cooking extruded through Montecito. There was casoncelli alla Nerano, crescent-schaped pasta with crispy fried zucchini, provolone del Monaco, and pine nuts. Then spaghettini with Stephanie's uni (thank you very much), burrata, and a lush tomato sauce fortified with shrimp consommé. We had the option of switching out our entrée courses for salmon and beef, for an extra charge. I don't know why one would do this with Channel Island white bass and Liberty duck as the default choices. Both were excellent, perfectly cooked. The bass came with Brentwood corn, chanterelles, and corn beurre a la nage, the duck--breast and sausage--with plum, in various forms, and sour prune sugo di cottura. There was a vibrant green palate cleanser of basil sorbet with candied pistachios and pickled and fresh blackberries, exactly my kind of dessert. Then a more decadent brown butter cake with marinated Santa Barbara peaches, pine nuts, and fig gelato, finished with vinegar infused with peach and fig. Finally, an array of mignardises: a chocolate hazelnut bonbon, a fig tartlet with goat cheese, a strawberry pate de fruit with Thai chili, a chocolate truffle with raspberry powder, and a Tahitian vanilla cigar with coffee. This was a special dinner, one I'd love to repeat in another few years. Next time, maybe we'll save Caruso's for a special occasion, but I'm glad we made the most of this lovely date night.

We had a memorable evening at Caruso's tonight. Their location is stunning. The restaurant is…read morelocated right on the beach. You cannot find a better oceanfront dining experience in Santa Barbara/Montecito. The hostess team was super friendly and chatty. Great first impression. One hostess took a photo of our group when asked. The wait staff team were very professional, knowledgeable, and fun. Vincent, Arturo, Ali, and Olive were just a few of the standouts making our evening unforgettable. We had at least another 5 or 6 other service team members that assisted throughout our culinary journey tonight. With the chef's tasting menu, we had a 4 hour dining experience. My only critique is that 80% of the time we had to pour our own wine. This is very unusual for a restaurant the caliber of Caruso's. While I don't believe the responsibility should rest entirely on our sommelier, Trey. However, he should be the one leading the charge on rectifying this service oversight. The lack of attentiveness on pouring our wine and cleaning the crumbs off the table were the two reasons I couldn't give Caruso's 5 stars. The unique, creative, and amazing food preparations that our group enjoyed all evening certainly wasn't the issue. Okay, so let's talk about the food. In a word...Amazing!!! Chef Massimo and his kitchen brigade are flexing their world class culinary gymnastics with local produce, seafood and proteins that scream Michelin experience. Each tasting course was beautifully presented on unique 'plates' or serving vessels that enhanced the artistry of Chef Massimo's tasting experience. We ate seasonal and local preparations that represented Santa Barbara farm and coastal cuisine incredibly well. Caruso's is a dining experience worth the every penny we spent. If you appreciate great food and service, treat yourself, your best friends, and your family to a chef's tasting dinner at Caruso's. It will be an amazing experience that will leave a lasting memory.

I was browsing online for a restaurant in Montecito that I hadn't tried before and came across RH…read moreFirehouse. I'd never heard of it, so I brought my date along to give it a try! The beautiful furniture created such an elegant atmosphere, and my favorite detail was the glowing art on the wall--whatever you call it, LOL! The food was absolutely delicious! My filet mignon was tender, juicy, and cooked to a perfect medium. My date loved his ribeye, too! We also appreciated how thoughtfully the steaks were sliced, something you don't see at many restaurants. A big thank-you to our waitress for helping us choose our steaks and explaining the different levels of doneness. She was polite, attentive, and genuinely helpful. Overall, I'm so glad we discovered this gem! From the elegant ambiance to the excellent service and delicious steaks, everything was wonderful. We haven't tried the rest of the menu yet, but the care put into the food and presentation makes me excited to come back! Thank you for such a lovely dining experience!

Quaint, clean, and amazing flavors! Are the first words that come to mind after our visit…read more Service was AMAZING! Our waiter really went out of his way to make sure we had everything we needed and that we were enjoying our meals. The food was absolutely delicious filled with flavor. Favorite dishes; mini lobster rolls, petite steak and the potato purée was an absolute MUST!

Had an amazing time here! The food was delicious and the service was excellent. Shout out to Areli…read more:) She really made the dining experience 10x more enjoyable with her kind and welcoming personality.

I stopped on a road trip and grabbed some food to go. It was ready for me by the time i got out of…read morethe bathroom so a great option to grab quick food if needed. I got the Big Tipper and the combo of jam, Brie and turkey was amazing. I will be trying to recreate this at home! The curly fries were also amazing and they gave me both ketchup and ranch for dipping. I would definitely visit again!

A great hiking spot with nice reward at the end. It was moderately strenuous, about 3.8-4 miles…read moreround trip. A lot of pocket of shades along the way, steady incline but not too bad. You cross a stream of water a third of the way. What's missing is direction, or sign at intersection, there is one sign that said "trail" but which trail? There is tunnel trail, jesusita trail that branches out from the main trail. I am so used to POST and Midpen trail where there are signs with the distance pointed in the right direction. The view is gorgeous. You can see a dam and the city of Santa Barbara. Easily one of the best hikes.

This is our all time Favorite Hike, a little bit of everything! Waterfalls, rocks, lots of lizards…read moreand beautiful views

What a great experience from start to finish. Thank you Todd for being so flexible and working with…read moreour company! We will refer you to anyone we come across asking for these services. We will continue to use you from yesterday and forward. Thanks again for being professional and efficient. Aldersgate Investment

Todd was super to work with. We had decades of old records of our own and our decreased parents,…read moreand he came right to our house and swallowed about a dozen bankers boxes in just a few minutes while we watched them become confetti. So worth it!