Santa Barbara Bar Food at Its Best

Late-night bites are not always easy to come by in Santa Barbara, but the Rodeo Room cocktail lounge (a classy spot on Montecito Street hiding in plain sight behind an unassuming facade near the train tracks) has elevated bar bites to the next level with its latest menu update. 

A collaboration with Chef Lazaro Solano (of Rodeo Room) and Chef Alan Alva, the new offerings echo the swanky Izakayas of Japan (this is the same spot that offers a coveted fourteen-course omakase sushi experience on Sundays and Mondays only, see story at bit.ly/47p1Cvv), with a nod to Santa Barbara’s bounty in both the food and seasonal cocktails. 

We went to check it out on a recent Monday night and had a great vantage point to see Sushi Chef Kevin Slemmons at work on his creations (we’ll be back soon for that) while we tasted from the new menu. 

The slight smokiness of the tuna crudo — made with sesame-crusted sushi-grade ahi, avocado purée, gooseberries, serrano, and shaved red onion — paired wonderfully with Papa’s Papaya Sour, a bourbon, papaya, Aperol, elderflower, and citrus creation with a bright, gorgeous orange color.  

I also really loved the Roca Shrimp, a tempura-fried version tossed in salsa macha, with mayo and a bit of lime. This dish is a prime example of the Rodeo Room’s elevating bar bites (fried shrimp) into something next level — especially with the Garden State, a tequila cocktail with pineapple, cilantro, cucumber and green chile. The Caesar salad, with housemade red yuzu koshō (a fermented Japanese condiment) Caesar dressing and croutons was another familiar dish, with an upgraded chef’s touch. 

The Bincho Sliders, with Wagyu beef grilled over the bincho (Japanese-style) and served on sweet Hawaiian bread buns were melt-in-your-mouth tasty, as was the bincho-grilled Wagyu flank steak served on a skewer with crème fraîche and yuzu koshō to dip into.

I also quite liked the rye-based Raspberry Beret cocktail, not just for the nod to Prince, but also the lovely medley of cognac, Meletti (an Italian Amaro), chamomile, and fresh raspberry flavors. Other items on the new menu are RR Korean wings, mushroom tacos, and crispy Brussels.

Rodeo Room (231 W. Montecito St.) is open Thursday-Monday from 5 p.m. to midnight, with food served until 10 p.m. See rodeoroom.com