Nami was really happy to receive your birthday wishes and she is dealing with quite a bit of email from readers on her previous post so I’m here to rescue. By the way, I’m Nami’s husband Shen and I occasionally write restaurant reviews on Just One Cookbook.
It’s been a while since last time I wrote a review on Din Tai Fung in Los Angeles. I’m very excited about this month’s review and want to share the wonderful experience we had at Stella Mare’s Restaurant in Sana Barbara.
Earlier this year during the summer, we took a trip with close friends of ours down to Oxnard, an hour and a half away from Santa Barbara. We stayed at the Embassy Suite which was perfect for a family vacation. The hotel itself is located right on the beach and there are plenty of family activities to do in the area for both adults and children.
Nearby the hotel there is a great park with pirate ships and make-believe canons. The few days down there was a complete eat feast as we tackled the Chowhound recommended restaurants including HC Seafood. On our way back to San Francisco, we stopped by Santa Barbara for lunch and based on follow Chowhound’s recommendation, we decided on Stella Mare’s.
With its quaint exterior and exterior, Stella Mare’s looks as if belongs more on a country road in Europe than in Santa Barbara. The actual building itself was built in 1872 and moved to the current location in 1962. The front of the restaurant had beautiful planter boxes with flowers in full bloom and the door was painted a very welcoming red.
The interior of the restaurant was divided into a few large rooms and a couple private dining rooms. We had 5 children with us and were luckily accommodated in one of the private dining rooms. Before I start reviewing the food, I want to mention the service we received was just amazing. I was really impressed with the amount of attention the workers paid to the patrons and we felt extremely welcome, even with many noisy children. Sitting in the rustic dining room and looking out the sunny window, the ambiance was very relaxing and a perfect end to our vacation.
Since we had a large party we got to tried many dishes that day. The restaurant’s bread service was paired with rosemary butter and it was delicious. I think the children must have easily gone through at least 6 or 7 baskets of bread.
Other starters we had included the chopped salad, French onion soup, endive and apple salad, and escargot.
The chopped salad was very refreshing with a hint of horseradish.
The French onion soup was very flavorful with soft cooked onion that practically melted in your mouth. The soup stock was not too heavy and it was covered with plenty of cheese (just the way I love them).
Besides the chopped salad we also had the endive and apple salad and it was very good.
The only slight disappointment was the escargot. I love really strong garlic sauce and this one was a bit blend.
For entrée we had crab melt, the crepe, coq au vin, salmon, and the chicken salad. Everything was delightful and very satisfying to palate.
The mayo in the crab melt didn’t overpower the sandwich and you could taste the real crab in the crab melt. The crab melt had a kick of bell pepper in the flavor making it very interesting.
The crepe texture was very refined and smooth and paired very well with the mixed green on the side.
The coq au vin was very tender and each bite brings a bit of warmth to your heart.
The salmon skin was crispy was advertised and the meat was done just right and not dried and overcooked.
Lastly the chicken salad tasted if it was made with Japanese mayo (which we love) and tartness of the honey mustard vinaigrette finished the dish perfectly.
It was a fantastic ending to our very fun trip, being able to enjoy a splendid meal with our buddies in such a beautiful setting. If you are visiting Santa Barbara, we high recommend Stella Mare’s Restaurant for great food and a relaxing time.
Wow you are now reviewing restaurants, whats next TV appearances 🙂
Hi, Shen, Nami’s husband…What a wonderful-looking place this is! I love places with character like this one. I’m sure the food was just as good, judging from the positive reviews and the wonderful photos!
all look fantastic nd delicious!
Thanks Shen I love the pics!!
I’ve never found a miss on Chowhound yet! What an awesome meal and a great environment! Everything looks fabulous from the salad to the entrees! And how on earth did you manage to get such great pictures!
Thanks for this review! I was interested to read it, since I live in Santa Barbara, and I remember Nami e-mailed me that your family had tried out this restaurant when you were passing through town… I can’t believe I’ve still never been there, but I will try to go soon– for some special occasion! : )
The restaurant sounds like a paradise on earth! I would love to taste every single dish and I would certainly devour coq au vin. I am a big fan of snails so I imagine how disappointed you were if the garlic and herb butter wasn’t garlicky… (I always order snails as a starter in French traditional restaurants, unless I have foie gras 😉 ). I don’t know how you have managed to take such professional photos in a restaurant. You are really the best!
I think they should use the first photo as an advertisement. It’s perfect.
Oh my! The coq au vin and the salmon look simply heavenly! Great write up, Shen 🙂
Great review! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAMI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Everything look so yummy, especially the chopped salad , give me an idea to prepare this way next time.
Love that whole sliced avocado on the chopped salad!
No one does crab melts. Im going just for that.
Thank you, Shen for a lovely and appetizing description of this charming restaurant: cosy and welcoming! I love restaurants with a multiplicity of rooms leading to a homelike atmosphere obvious in the photos here.
Beautiful pictures! Everything looks gorgeous! Thanks for sharing the review! 🙂
Lots of yummy looking food. Thank you for stepping in and doing the post. I hope this comment shows up as the new site hasn’t been working for me.
I love Santa Barbara – very relaxing and lovely. What a nice pick for getaway and those pictures…lovely!