Trattoria Mollie

Where: 1250 Coast Village Road, 805-565-9381, trattoriamollie.com

What: Passionate hard work and a dedication to quality has brought Trattoria Mollie the attention it deserves on Montecito’s ritzy Coast Village Road.

How much? Lunch pastas $10-$16, braesola e rughetta pizza $14, grilled branzino $22

The dish: Fresh homemade pasta with local crab sells out whenever it graces Mollie’s Montecito trattoria menu, and tasty Turkey Meatballs have caught Oprah’s attention. Welcome to the famous digs of one of Coast Village Road’s most dynamic personalities and passionately demanding chefs, Mollie Ahlstrand. The trattoria’s warm Tuscan tones invite guests to relax and savor traditional Italian cuisine with the freshest local ingredients. A wood-burning oven warms and bakes thin crust pizzas while enhancing the savory head-swelling richness of each bite. The acclaimed turkey meatballs have earned a reputation with their unique twist a sprinkling of raisins. Corkscrew and ear-shaped pastas are homemade, as is a white chocolate gelato that is served drowned in an intoxicating mix of cognac and espresso.