‘Film Feast’ Adds Foodie Lift to SBIFF

For those who’ve been wondering when Restaurant Week would finally hit Santa Barbara, your foodie prayers have been more than answered with the inaugural Film Feast bringing California Restaurant Month to town in time for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. From January 27-February 4, 30 participating restaurants are offering up to three value-priced prix fixe menus: the two-course “Short,” three-course “Feature,” or the four-course “Epic.” (No, there’s not a five-course, too-damn-long “Avatar.”) The restaurants run from Aldo’s to the Wine Cask, with all sorts of styles and prices in between. For instance, at Downey’s, you can order up a Short for $28 and start with a daily soup or Tom Shepherd’s organic green salad and then have either a prime filet mignon with wild mushrooms and veggies or the best market fish with saffron-lobster sauce and veggies. (Sure, there’s a Feature for $40 and $50 Epic, too.) Or, if you want to go a bit off the plan, the Bella Vista at the Four Seasons Resort has a three-course meal for $45 that stars dishes like Kobe beef carpaccio, eggplant osso bucco, and coconut crème brûlée. For a complete list, see sbfilmfeast.com.