1404 DE LA VINA
SANTA BARBARA, CA 93101
805.963.7003
LOUIESSB.COM
Louie’s has one of the best recommendations a restaurant can have: The fine-dining establishment in the 130-year-old Upham Hotel is a favorite among savvy locals, who return again and again for great food in an altogether pleasant setting. Anne Rizzoli and Trey Brooks own and operate Louie’s; both worked there for years before buying it six years ago. They updated the interior and turned the thirty-year-old restaurant room into the perfect blend of refinement and comfort, indoors and outdoors. “It’s both elegant and casual,” says Rizzoli. “Guests might come for appetizers and a glass of wine or a filet and a hundred-dollar bottle of wine for an anniversary dinner.” Seated for lunch or dinner in the welcoming dining room or on the heated veranda, diners enjoy Tony Manzaneras’s delicious appetizers the freshest and best fish and shellfish, and prime steaks, pork chops and rack of lamb. Only the bread comes from a non-local purveyor, arriving fresh daily from renowned La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles. Two banquet rooms provide intimate dining for large groups. Wine is a specialty here, and as the evening sommelier, Trey guides guests through an extensive list of mostly Santa Barbara County wines, including a number of rare boutique bottlings. No wonder locals keep bringing out-of-town visitors, or just themselves, to Louie’s.
