Three Fantastic Meals from Santa Barbara Restaurant Week

With tumultuous global affairs keeping our economy on the constantly stressful brink of disaster, who doesn’t want a deal right now? 

For the next 10 days, your dollar-saving savior should be Santa Barbara Restaurant Week (SBRW), in which 11 restaurants are offering specially priced dinner menus from April 24 to May 3. The three-course (appetizer-entree-dessert) prix-fixe menus start at $50, and there are also some wineries participating with specially priced flights. See all the details at sbrestaurantweeks.com.

We sent our team to try three of the menus. Here’s what they enjoyed.

Charcoal Avo & Roast Chicken @ Convivo ($50)

For this Restaurant Week, Chef Peter McNee curated a three-course menu of Convivo staples for just $50, catering to folks who may be first-time guests, while also giving regulars their favorites at a good price. Infusing Spanish, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and even some of his Midwestern sensibilities to his “nomad Italian” dishes, Minnesota-grown McNee’s creations do not disappoint. 

The three starter options give an excellent variety of flavor. On the lighter side, the charcoal avocado salad is bursting with citrusy zing. Half an avocado — blackened from a charcoal grill — gives the salad a uniquely savory depth. If you’re in the mood for something more hearty, McNee’s lamb meatballs served on a spread of pureed chickpeas complete with a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds is sure to satisfy. Or, guests can opt for a Chioggia beet and burrata deconstructed salad, which mixes earthy beet, rich butternut squash, and crisp apple, harmoniously checking all the flavor and texture boxes. 

Entrees include a spit-roasted half chicken, which, McNee explained, “People in the know go crazy for.” The tender meat is complemented by a harissa and a charmoula sauce, which is rubbed on the chicken before cooking and served on the side. Complemented by golden raisins, olives, toasted almonds, and cauliflower, the dish is a well-rounded crowd-pleaser. 

The stinco far exceeded expectations — and it is a special feature, since the dish is not normally on the menu. Two days of preparation go into this braised pork osso bucco, leaving it so tender the meat falls right off the bone — no knife needed. Paired with a pine-nut salsa rustica and broccolini, this buttery pork really is the star of the show. 

McNee says the seaweed mafaldine pasta dish is “definitely the nomad of nomad Italian.” Seaweed-infused homemade noodles are caressed in a sesame seed and miso butter, then tossed with flavor-packed mushrooms, al dente broccolini, and pickled then sauteed shallots whose bright acidity provides a pleasing contrast to the deep umami flavors. 

Save room for dessert. McNee’s take on an affogato uses espresso from Santa Monica’s Caffe Luxxe and complimentary vanilla gelato topped with candied hazelnuts, a truly delightful depth of flavors and textures. Also on offer is a light panna cotta topped with a shortbread crumble and strawberry and kaffir lime sauce, or a perfectly balanced lemon tart with a flame-licked meringue. 

— Elaine Sanders

901 E. Cabrillo Blvd.; (805) 845-6789; convivorestaurant.com 

Truffles & Tiramisu @ Tre Lune ($85)

“Like a trip to Italy without the airfare,” goes the usual line. Not exactly. At Tre Lune, the veal chop alone runs $61, and most pastas hover between $30 and $40. But during Santa Barbara Restaurant Week, that price point softens to an $85 three-course menu — a greatest-hits lineup of the restaurant’s most indulgent appetizers, entrées, and desserts.

Inside the Montecito dining room, it’s all white tablecloths, dark wood, and black-and-white photographs — homey with a hint of old-school Italian bravado, promising rich food layered with butter, cheese, truffles, and wine.

The meal begins with choices that cover Tre Lune’s menu highlights. The carpaccio di manzo — thinly sliced filet mignon topped with arugula, shaved parmesan, and mustard dressing — is bright and clean, the olive oil flavorful. For those leaning toward the sea, the fritto calamari comes lightly crisped, paired with marinara and aioli, more delicate than greasy.

Then there are the main events. The fettuccine al tartufo is simple and decadent — pasta glossy with butter and loaded with shaved black truffle. This, thank the heavens, they do not skimp on. The battutine al Marsala e funghi, a sautéed veal with mushrooms in a rich wine sauce, lands heavier — savory, silky, and again, wonderfully buttery. Another option is the branzino, a mild and flaky white fish, with a lemon and caper sauce.

“The menu does not change often,” said General Manager Leslee Russel, who is also the chair of SBRW. “We stick to the popular dishes.”

It’s a sensible philosophy. Why fix what most definitely ain’t broke?

Case in point: the house staple, tiramisu. Airy and light, a perfect level of espresso against a touch of sweet mascarpone. Another option are the profiteroles — pastry puffs filled with cream with melted dark Belgian chocolate.

Beyond the $85 menu, diners can opt for house-labeled Margerum wines — a crisp pinot grigio or a fuller-bodied pinot noir — rounding out a meal that feels cohesive, branded down to the plateware.

For those who’ve long eyed Tre Lune from a distance, Restaurant Week offers a way in. Not cheap, but closer. And very much worth the seat.

— Ella Heydenfeldt

1151 Coast Village Rd., Montecito; (805) 969-2646; trelunesb.com 

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Souvlaki & Loukoumades @ Lulio ($75)

One moment you’re enjoying a simple lunch, and the next, you’re transported to a sun-drenched Mediterranean island, with no memory of how you got there. The Ritz-Carlton Bacara’s Lulio will do that to you.

That sense of transport is exactly what chefs Roberto Riveros Leyton and Fernando Godinez Chavez had in mind when creating the Greek- and Mediterranean-inspired menu: that guests leave not only satiated, but changed.

“It doesn’t matter if you came here for vacation … maybe you just came out for the weekend,” said Leyton. “But we want that weekend to be memorable for you.”

This Restaurant Week, for $75 per person, excluding tax and gratuity, Lulio guests choose between a starter, main course, and dessert. Luckily for me, I got to try a little bit of everything.

For starters, the fattoush salad was a showstopper — crunchy cucumbers, tomatoes, and perfectly whipped feta. The Ionian Garden offered a lighter option with a touch of protein, while the Seafarer reminded me why broccolini is such an elite vegetable. 

Next came the main course: a choice between the chicken souvlaki wrap with yogurt marinade, tomato, cucumber, mint, and a side of fries or tabouli salad; the ouzo rigatoni with tomato, chile, and kefalotyri cheese; or the California seabass with green harissa, charred tomato, olive, and cauliflower — cooked to perfection.

I washed it all down with the Seaside Spritz, which tasted like what I imagine sunshine tastes like, and the Ambrosia Fizz, which looked more like a work of art than a drink.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, dessert arrived: loukoumades — Greek donuts with rose water and lychee, served with strained yogurt — and an olive oil cake made with Goleta citrus and crème fraîche.

Sitting back in my chair, both hands on my stomach, having poured my whole heart into every bite, I understood what Chef Leyton meant when he said that food is not only “connection” but also that “food is love.”

— Tiana Molony

8301 Hollister Ave., in the Ritz-Carlton Bacara; (805) 968-0100; ritzcarlton.com

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Where to Enjoy Restaurant Week

Here is the list of participating restaurants as of April 20. The updated list is at sbrestaurantweeks.com. 

Arnoldi’s Café

Blackbird

Convivo

Jane

Joe’s Café

Lucky’s Steakhouse

Lulio

Marisella

Ospi

Tre Lune

Whiskey ‘N Rye