Fine Dining at the Chumash Casino Resort

Not far from the melodic — and for some, magical — chimes of slot machines and chatter from those playing them, there’s a quiet, polished place to eat an expertly-cooked steak.

Hungry guests float in from the casino floor and take a seat at the bar or in a classic dining room, all just an escalator ride away, as the sounds of money made and money lost slowly fade out. There’s a chandelier resembling a jellyfish above the beverage station and a steady soundtrack of smooth jazz flowing through the speakers. Oh, and if you’ve got some winnings to burn, that tender, juicy steak could be the most sought-after beef in the world — Japanese A5 wagyu.

But Willows Restaurant + Bar, the Chumash Casino Resort’s signature dining experience, isn’t just for guests staying the night. A little over half of guests are locals, according to Executive Food & Beverage Director Peter Sherlock. He hopes to convince even more amid a never-been-better Santa Ynez Valley dining scene. Last month, my partner and I ambled through dinging slots and whooping winners, careful not to be distracted from the mission at hand — to find this elusive, AAA Guide Four Diamond restaurant. (Which, unlike the casino, is all ages.)

Eventually we made it, receiving a warm welcome with a choice of the heated patio or the dining hall, which was recommended for good reason. It’s sleek and urban yet moody like any good restaurant should be, and a welcome chill pill after all that action below. “It’s very intentional — there’s a sense of peace and calm,” says Sherlock of the contrast.

Willows is first and foremost a steakhouse, though true to its coastal setting, it offers seafood staples in Alaskan king crab, Canadian lobster tail, and cioppino. Those looking outside the box can choose from elevated comfort foods like Veal Oscar and shrimp bucatini, and there are a few vegan and gluten free options too. The number one seller? A tie between the filet mignon and angus bone-in dry-aged steak.

The salt and pepper-rimmed Black Widow Margarita and the Kitá 2014 Hilliard-Bruce Pinot Noir. | Credit: Sean Magruder

The eyes of our chipper server, Chris, lit up when we asked that he and the kitchen guide us through the evening. We chose only our drinks. The night started with the Black Widow Margarita — one of three mainstay cocktails on the menu alongside the Prickly Pear Paloma and the tweaked lemon-drop Raspberry Mingle — and a glass of Beckmen Santa Ynez Valley sauvignon blanc. The Black Widow, laced with black pepper and a float of Guinness to add some body and color, had the right mix of smoke, citrus, and sweet, and the peppery sauvignon blanc paired nicely with our shrimp cocktail, which packed a little heat in the sauce and just enough snap in the shrimp.

Alongside the drinks and shrimp cocktail came the Willows Salad, which juggled golden raisins, blue cheese, marcona almonds, and a red wine vinaigrette dressing with aplomb, as those flavors and textures still left enough room for the pleasant bitterness of the spring mix. With so many salads sunk in sweet and syrupy dressing, Willows, while not reinventing the wheel, presented a fresh, balanced preamble to the evening.

Which still had much more to offer. The restaurant’s deep wine list caught our eye, but with cocktails to sip and a car to drive back over the 154, we split another glass — the Kitá pinot noir, a 2014 from the Hilliard Bruce Vineyard. Kitá was the country’s first Native American–owned and –operated winery before its closure last year. Having never tried the wine, and given we were dining on Chumash reservation land, it seemed only fitting to give it a whirl before it’s gone. The wine showed the ripe cherry and plummy fruit for which Sta. Rita Hills pinots can be known, and though a little past its prime, worked with the blackened Alaskan halibut, also just a touch done but boasting a nice cayenne-like spice to match the creamy sweet potato purée and mild piquillo peppers.

Front and center of the plate was the star of the show. Wagyu beef is proof that butter can be transformed into a solid bite of food, and Willows took that magic trick to another level. I can’t recall a better bite of steak, ever. A perfectly peppery medium-rare, its tenderness and depth of flavor were the stuff of dreams, buttery asparagus complementing it all with an earthy crunch. Crispy French fingerling potatoes — dusted with perfumed herbs that brought marjoram and rosemary to mind — sealed the deal.

It was easy to get lost in this one dish alone, but politely waking me from my gastronomic reverie was Chris. This man, awestruck while describing the lightning bolt–like marbling of the wagyu, seemed almost ready to steal a bite, and might have done so were he not a professional the whole night through. Chris’ excitement for the food extended to the cocktails — working in the wine industry, our ears pricked up at his mentioning the Brix, or sugar levels, of local varieties of nopal sourced for the Prickly Pear Paloma — and he was as jazzed as he was thoughtful in answering our questions.

Sherlock answered a few more over the phone last week. In a nod to its setting, Willows is named for the native tree that has served the Chumash for millennia in their homes, crafts, and pain remedies. These beautiful trees pepper the property at every turn, a breath of fresh air from the casino not unlike the restaurant itself. Since 2013, Willows’ four-diamond rating from the AAA Guide is a distinction they share locally with Angel Oak and Bouchon alone.

One challenge is an almost too-captive audience. Resort guests might dine at Willows as often as they gamble — a few times in as many days. “I have to make sure the menu is always fresh with the high frequency of repeat guests,” Sherlock says, adding, “I call it menu fatigue — everybody goes through it. We have to make sure our guests don’t get menu fatigue.” Among other things, crispy Mazatlán blue shrimp, year-round local produce from Santa Maria–based Babé Farms, and seasonal Midwest prime-grade beef help liven things up.

Even had fatigue crept in, a trio of desserts staved it right off. The vanilla cheesecake’s candied pecans and graham cracker crust were the perfect foil to its thick interior, though a flaky, fall spice–speckled pumpkin crème brûlée took the cake, denser and creamier than classic crème brûlée but punctuated with the same caramelized crunch. We found the gluten-free dessert, a flourless hazelnut chocolate cake, a little lacking, but what else stacks up against a truly stellar crème brûlée?

And with Lee Ritenour’s rendition of the Wes Montgomery classic “A Little Bumpin’” on the speakers, what restaurant playlist stacks up, either?

Willows Restaurant + Bar is located inside Chumash Casino Resort, 3400 East Highway 246, Santa Ynez. See chumashcasino.com/dining/willows.