A view of State Street from our room at the Double Tree Santa Barbara Downtown.
The bar at the Saint Remy Restaurant
Whipped Feta
The stylish interior of the Saint Remy Restaurant
Prosecco Poached Shrimp
Crispy Short Rib Hummus
Chicken Puttanesca
Pasadena is a beautiful place but sometimes you just need a change of scenery. One of my favorite scenic spots is Santa Barbara. So I was excited to be invited to the opening of the Saint Remy restaurant at the newly renovated Courtyard Santa Barbara Downtown.
Two hours up the 101 and we were there! We were staying the night in the hotel while enjoying the restaurant. Our room faced the outside of the hotel with a view of State Street and all the beautiful Spanish architecture. I could even see a bit of ocean peeking through the palm fronds.
The Saith Remy is an intimate restaurant with seating for fifty. Its menu has a definite Coastal Mediterranean bent with dishes that use feta cheese, hummus, lavash bread, and locally-sourced veggies and other ingredients.
We began our evening with an Old Fashioned with the bartender’s own simple syrup and an order of the restaurant’s devine Whipped Feta. The dish was a heavenly combination of creamy feta, olive oil, lemon zest, crushed pistachio and pomegranate seeds. It was served with charred lavash bread that was encrusted with sesame seeds. The feta was light and fluffy with a subtle lemon essence. The pop of the sweet pomegranate created a foil to the salt and tart of the feta.
We followed up the fabulous feta with the Prosecco Poached Shrimp. Sweet, succulent shrimp was poached in a delicate sauce of prosecco, lemon and butter. In the broth were sweet, nutty slivers of roasted garlic. The shrimp and garlic made the perfect bite.
For our main course we chose the Crispy Short Rib Hummus and Chicken Puttanesca.
Off the bone, the short rib was frizzled for a crisp texture and placed upon a thick layer of Israeli hummus. A sauce of sherry and caramelized onion was drizzled over the top. It was a good dish, but a bit on the dry side. I could have used more sauce to give it some moisture. There was plenty of lavash bread for grabbing the hummus.
A blend of Mediterranean flavors, the Chicken Puttanesca shined with pan-seared chicken, kalamata olives, capers, roasted red peppers and marinara all served on a bed of capellini. Sweet, salty and savory, this dish was a delight.
For dessert we sampled the Churros served with dulce de leche and dark chocolate sauces. There was plenty of cinnamon sugar on the churros and the sauces were tasty. My personal preference was the dark chocolate (because you know, chocolate), but the dulce de leche was good as well.
The fusion of a night at the Courtyard Santa Barbara Downtown and dinner at the Saint Remy was the perfect combination for a night away from the grind.
The Saint Remy is located in the Courtyard Santa Barbara Downtown, 1601 State Street, Santa Barbara. For more information or reservations call (805) 975-0660 or visit www.saintremysb.com.
