Inside the Montecito Inn you will find the Montecito Cafe. It is an established spot for local socialites offering a comfortable atmosphere and good food. In my experience dining there for lunch this time, I found the service to be beyond reproach! My waitress was “spot on” in every category which began with her quickly producing a steaming warm basket of bread that was crusty on the outside with a soft and warm interior along with a ramekin of softened butter. She proceeded to note every new item on the menu along with an explanation of that day’s specials. I was offered a pillow in the event that I needed to sit forward or soften the back of my seat. Each ordered item was given an accolade or further description and her attention to my table was neither bothersome nor lacking. After spending many years in restaurants as a worker and a patron, I really appreciated the masterful way that she performed her duties!
We started lunch with a cup of their homemade wild mushroom soup. It was made without a cream base and full of flavor which was achieved through a medley of vegetable morsels contained in the soup. It had a perfect consistency and was appropriately light.
Our beverage selection to enjoy with lunch was a local Santa Barbara county wine from Qupe. We selected their 2012 “Y Block” Chardonnay and enjoyed it as a perfect accompaniment to our lunch.
One of our two entree selections was a Grilled Mahi Mahi sandwich made with avocado, daikon sprouts, watercress and dill mayonnaise served on sourdough wheat toast. The flavors married well together and the bread was thin and nicely toasted which served as a nice outside wrap for the ingredients. My only suggestion would have been to increase the size of the fish so that the proportions on the sandwich allowed it to be the main attraction. It was slightly deficient of that goal.
The second entree selection was an Idaho Trout Salad with spinach and butter lettuce, avocado, cucumber and dill dressing. It was presented beautifully, extremely fresh and light. It was a well balanced salad and a perfect lunch entree.
This restaurant will stay on my rotation when I find myself in the Montecito area. It stands the test of time and doesn’t ever disappoint!
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That all looks so delicious! I would love to be able to go out and enjoy that kind of delicate yummy food…hopefully in the future we can get out to places such as these…so glad to hear about it…keep it coming!