512 STATE STREET
SANTA BARBARA, CA 93101
805.965.3363
HOLDRENS.COM
Big booths line a brick wall on one side, a line of tables runs down the middle, and a long, hundred-year-old mahogany bar scarred by cigar burns from the days before ashtrays holds down the other wall. Here, the martinis are big, the bartenders are friendly and knowledgeable, and digging into a steak just feels right. A grilled artichoke or the spicy ahi tuna tartar are both popular warm-ups to the array of mesquite-grilled fresh seafood and corn-fed prime steaks ranging from a 6-ounce filet mignon to the house specialty, a 24 and 30-ounce bone-in cowboy-cut ribeye – not to mention, lobster, baby back ribs, and the servers’ favorite, a pork chop crusted with jalapeño-pepper jack cheese. Oh, and these aren’t a la carte entrées either or, as owner Clay Holdren says, “just meat on a plate; we want to give our customers value.” That means your steak or fish comes with soup or salad and sides. You will not leave hungry. There are more values among the 300 plus California wines, as well as some rare cult favorites, in the cellar that has earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. And when it’s time to sweeten up the night, don’t miss the s’mores, prepared by you with the help of a tabletop Hibachi “campfire.”
