A review of Petit Valentien at Santa Barbara.com

Petit Valentien
1114 State St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 966-0222

Category: American, French
Hours: Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30am-3pm, Dinner Wed-Sat 5pm-9pm, Sun Closed
Price: $10 - $20
Serving: Lunch, & Dinner
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Reviews by the General Public

Wonderful Gem and a Recession Buster!, 11/19/2009
Reviewer: Richard Heilman from Santa Barbara, CA
Outstanding cuisine and a comfortable, bistro-like atmosphere combine with an attentive staff and an interesting, sensibly priced wine list, making this one of the best, if not the best, restaurants in Santa Barbara. The prices are extremely reasonable and the Sunday 4-Course Pre-Fixe for $23.50 is an unbelievable deal. Carefully prepared, imaginative, and well-executed dishes with combinations of flavors that work wonderfully-well together. We've eaten here many times and have never been disappointed - it's our 13 year old son's favorite restaurant, too! Any of the dishes here are worth trying, but the frogs' legs in a citron sauce, scallops over roasted garlic "mash", escargot crepe, boar ribs, venison with pomegranate sauce, game hen with ginger and lemongrass, tripe stew, and even the simple radicchio salad are particularly memorable. I've eaten at many of the best restaurants in America, France, England, and Italy - Le Petit Valentien can be favorably compared to any of them. You owe it to yourself (and to owner/chef Robert and the staff of this fine restaurant) to dine here often! It's like having our own version of The French Laundry in our own backyard, and at one-fourth the price - enjoy!

easy french ! ( THE FOWL TABLE !) , 11/7/2009
Reviewer: louise lafferty from Santa Barbara, CA
after three years of coming to santa barbara and looking for a good restaurant we have found it ! the service from john and arean was outstanding thanks. the menu had a variety of great foods to offer everyone's pallet. we tried the cheese plate, escargot,crab cakes,med salad for starters which were outstanding , followed by quail,baby hen and duck all fantastic. also the bread was up there with the french. this place was full and i recommend you book . thanks it was a treat x

Best in California!, 10/22/2009
Reviewer: Alishia Van Etten from Santa Barbara, CA
I went to Petit Valentien in July 2008! I spent most of the meal with my eyes shut, totally enjoying every bite of my meal! The chief is an artist, and a god in the industry! Anyone visiting Santa Barbara must enjoy the wonderful food and friendly atmosphere! I can guarantee you will love it and crave it long after your experience!

Awesome !!!!, 10/18/2009
Reviewer: Cynthia Van Etten from Lakewood, Colorado
What I like best about Petit Valentien is a cozy dining experience ! They offer wonderful food at a reasonable price ! I like the variety of foods and the friendliness of the servers ! Whenever I'm in Santa Barbara this is the only place I dine !

Good Food Good Atmosphere Good Service Good Prices, 9/18/2009
Reviewer: jim melillo from Santa Barbara, CA
This place is just a wonderul little french bistro. I am a bit of a foodie so I have somewhat high expectations. To those the place does well to very well. The prices are $18 for a big dish and there are usually 6-8 choices. The portions are good not gigantic so you feel comfortable not stuffed. Overall the menu is interesting with some dishes better than others. As an example the scallops are tender sweet and sauced lightly and delicious while the veal milanese is done 1960s style with the thick coating absobing too much oil and mine was slightly burnt. The setting is romantic and ideal. It is a small place where the 2-3 waiters are the bartenders the hostesses and everything else which actually adds a nice feel to the place. Make reservations. By the way they have a Sunday evening Prix Fixe which is wonderful 2 course for I think $25 or so. Also the corkage is only $10 so bring your favorite wine. Good all around

Want to enjoy the hidden S.B., 9/12/2009
Reviewer: bsmiley from Goleta/Santa Barbara, CA
Staying within 200 words can be difficult to write a comprehensive review of any restaurant. LePetitValentien is one of the best for simple small plates created for one's simple pleasure. Ask the staff for recommendations of wines and starters. The bread is served piping-hot. I know wines but listen to the staffs recommendation because they were lucky enough to try them and are part of the team that provides fine dining experiences. Small plates are not discouraged here as often occurs to run up the tab in other places who don’t really care about your coming back. 1st. do not be in a hurry. The place is small and can only accommodate those that are seated. We all need to be served perfectly by those that can only do so much. Drop a fork/knife on the floor-ask for another and it magically appears when needed. We are all there to enjoy gastronomy. Next look around and smell what is happening. If someone with frog legs is in heaven having frog legs or beaming with a white wine and salad don’t be shy, ask the server what’s happening and try it, after-all I am up towayover200 words now. EnjoyTheBill!

Pleased, 8/1/2009
Reviewer: A P C from Santa Barbara, CA
A friend and I sat at the bar on a Saturday night. A very confident dreadlock-ed server took care of us and was everything I'd want in a server: just attentive enough, just conversational enough... left us to enjoy our own conversation and our food. The watermelon salad and goat cheese salad were great, as were the seared scallops with arugula mini-salad and veal milanese. I wish I had asked what the dressing was on the goat cheese salad and the arugula; it didn't say it on the menu. The servers worked really well as a team; no plate sat undelivered for more than 2 minutes or so. Plating was gorgeous. The creme brulee's caramelized sugar left something to be desired, but everything else was really nice. I'll definitely be returning.

Everything was perfect!, 6/18/2009
Reviewer: Elizabeth from Santa Barbara, CA
I've been here several times - late night, after work, just to relax with a glass of wine with Robert, John, Marina, Hans, Nate... Had nibbled on some food but never had the opportunity to come in for dinner. Had a last-minute reservation for 11 at 8:15pm on June 13th, for mine and a friend's graduation. Great wine list. The small plates were the perfect app size to temporarily quell my hunger but leave me wanting more food. Everyone loved the crab cake; I absolutely loved my quail with fig/wine sauce. I loved my bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, some raved about the lamb, veal, or the duck confit, but I was too busy eating to pay attention. The presentation was great as well - it seemed delicate and small until I ate and kept uncovering more layers of food underneath! Though we were mostly full, couldn't resist dessert either - creme brulee with just the right amount of crisped sugar on top, a very rich chocolate mousse, and the flourless rich chocolate cake. Service was impeccable. She even took over rocking the baby so that grandma could have time to eat. (I guess the instinct is universal to all mothers!) Each course flowed out seamlessly. All in all a great experience!

My SB Restaurant of Choice, 6/11/2009
Reviewer: Sharon A. from Santa Barbara, CA
I have dined no fewer than 10 times with my husband and/or friends at this charming little spot, and we all love it. The food is wonderful, and although the service can sometimes (but not always) be slow, the overall experience is great if you just relax and realize you've not selected a fast food joint for dinner. I recommend this restaurant to everyone I know and have never had any of my friends say they were disappointed!

The best in Santa Barbara!!!, 6/2/2009
Reviewer: Fabrice Terrade from Santa Barbara, CA
Second time my wife and I go to Le Petit Valentien and again it was AMAZINGLY delicious! The food portion tonight seemed doubled (2 legs of duck confit and 2 veal Milanese per person). I that the Tuesday dinner treat? The waiter was very attentive and prompt... and that quality for these prices BRAVO!! I understand why one would have to wait a ong time during the week end. This is our spot everytime we come to SB from now on. Please continue to treat our senses so wonderfully.

First timer, 4/16/2009
Reviewer: John from Santa Barbara, CA
Yes, the front of the house is short staffed. And yes, the food is excellent. The fact is this: if you've ever worked in a restaurant you'll have more patience for what's going on here. We didn't come in and fuss about which table we had, and we didn't demand white glove table service. For the prices there's no reason to, really. Had the poussin in lemongrass and ginger with wild rice, and the ribeye. Both were good, but the poussin was better. We started out with the crostini of mushrooms and a cheese plate (brie, roquefort, manchego and something else we couldn't figure out.) Threw decorum out the window and had the wonderful Jaffur's petite sirah which was big but beautiful. Ordered desserts and coffee - creme brulee and a chocolate mousse dish, plus lattes - only to watch the wait staff make all of it for us. Again, if you've ever worked in a restaurant you'll understand: two waiters making desserts, coffee drinks, and, as we found out from our server, having no hostess or busboy, plus their regular duties... that's pretty hard stuff. Our server seemed pretty happy that we took an interest and commiserated. Hell, I'd be too. That doesn't mean they shouldn't have more wait staff, but it does mean that what wait staff they do have is probably doing a much better job than most realize. Still, I can see how things would get backed up. I would definitely come back. The sauce for the poussin was light and infused with both the lemongrass and ginger, but not overwhelmingly. Anyone who's ever used either knows that they can overpower a dish. The 16 oz. ribeye for $18 is a steal, and it's au poivre. It was cooked on the rarer side of medium rare, but that's not exactly a mark against it or the restaurant since the steak was extremely tender. The entrees in both cases came with arugula, which was nice but got a bit sloppy in the sauces. The creme brulee had the mark of all good creme brulees: no over sugaring, so the torched layer was crackling but not thick. The mousse was light and decadent at the same time. That's no mean feat. The reviews here seem to be either all good, or food is good but the service is terrible. I cannot vouch for anything but my experience, but if the review from 4/11/09 is any indication some of you may be going about this the wrong way. You went into the kitchen to tell the chef it's your friend's birthday? During service? At probably the rush? And you got less than a hearty response? Well, duh. That's the kind of thing that drives a restaurant staff crazy. Here's the big secret: come in for great food, don't expect crystal and white linen and be happy that there's a restaurant in Santa Barbara willing to charge fair prices for an unbelievably good meal. The service may be chaotic, but we had a great experience with our server.

I've had worse, but payment went the other way, 4/16/2009
Reviewer: Justin Foster from Santa Barbara, CA
Between the trash thrown up in the loft but visible from the door, to the two hour wait, to not being seated immediately at an empty (but uncleared) table and instead waiting for 25min, the atmosphere and decor were terrible. The food was underseasoned, the recommended wine did not compliment the food at all... what it comes down to, for me, is they ruined a cut of Kobe beef. How does a good chef do that? Answer: They don't.

Birthday Dinner Turned Bad, 4/11/2009
Reviewer: Stephen Fountain from Santa Barbara, CA
Last night I took my best friend for her 70th birthday to Petit Valentien. I have been there once before and had an excellent meal (other than the poor service). When I made the reservation a week earlier I made sure to have them make a note this was going to be a special treat for my friends birthday. When we were seated my friend even beamed at the waitress and said "This is my birthday!". No response. When our meals arrived she had to return her steak because it was too rare. When it got time for dessert, I went back to the kitchen and told the owner/chef that this was my friends birthday, hoping he would at least put a candle on the dessert. When the waitress arrived there was no candle, no "Happy Birthday" and when I mentioned how disappointed I was because I wanted to make this a special evening for my friend her embarrassing response to me was "We don't give out free desserts". I wasn't expecting a free dessert. Is a candle too much to ask for? In these economic times I do not go out to dinner, so this was a special occasion. Neither of us will go back due to the dismissive nature on their part in not even saying "Happy Birthday" to my friend or adding a small candle to make it "special". They came across as arrogant and rude.

Good food -- chaotic service, 4/1/2009
Reviewer: Bruce Hickey from Santa Barbara, CA
Went last night after reading other reviews and was prepared for great food and poor service. Wasn't disappointed on either front. The problem seems to be a lack of wait staff, only 2 for the entire restaurant and bar. It took 15+ minutes to place an order, with the waitress taking almost all the tables' orders at the same time, then delivering them to the kitchen. It seems like stuff comes out of the kitchen at random, with appetizers being delivered immediately after salads (both taking 20 minutes to arrive). It's a true French restaurant in terms of speed. We arrived at 6:15 just made it to an 8pm show. After dinner we asked if we could get a 'quick' desert and be out by 8pm and the waitress' reply was "no, I've got too many tables". Points for honestly at least. The food was well prepared, had fish and veal, and I would go back again, when I have lots of time to kill

waiting..., 2/20/2009
Reviewer: Matt Namikawa from Santa Barbara, CA
My coworker highly recommended I try out this place. As usual I take a look at what the reviews have to say, and it seems like everyone had a more than wonderful experience. Unfortunately, I did not receive such a wonderful experience. I had made reservations for my girlfriend and myself for 2 at 7:45. We arrived 5 mins early as safe measures believing it will be crowded. When we arrived, yes it was a full house. So rather than a proper greeting, we were hastily asked "can I help you"? as if we were a burden to arrive during such a time. I told him we had reservations for 2 at 7:45. He told us to hold on, left, and did not return until the next waiter had asked if he could help us as well. The next waiter responded in the same manner as the previous waiter, and we were left standing at the entrance for a good 10 mins, before they told us to wait at the bar, which by the way, was not cleared off from the people drinking before hand. We eventually were seated around 8:15 and happened to be seated by the first waiter who had ignored us initially. There was no apology for the wait, but rather, he responded with 'so ya it's real crowded today". It made me wonder whether it was because of our age, that we were treated negligently. Anyway, after we were settled in, the food did live up to the reviews and did help me forget the beginning of the evening. I hope I can come back and regret writing this review.

What an amazing Gem!, 12/31/2008
Reviewer: Sherry from Santa Barbara, CA
We went around 6:30 p.m. No wait and the server was fantastic! If you don't like this restaurant thats perfect for us because it is sure to be on the Best List and we don't want to wait in line. Can't beat the price!

A Santa Barbara star, 12/29/2008
Reviewer: Rebecca Hardin from Santa Barbara, CA
The food is incomparable, made the way the really great food is—from fresh, from local and from the chef's heart. Pricing is amazingly modest. It's a cozy nice place and unless jammed to the rafters, not particularly noisy; you can hear your dinner partner. You can also dine happily alone. Service is friendly and skilled; staff is lean so you might wait longer than you like sometimes. We are lucky to have Robert Dixon in SB; I take anyone who will go!

Tres Bon
Reviewer: Brianna from Santa Barbara, CA
My boyfriend and I went to Petit Valentien for the first time on Saturday. We frequent SB's best restaurants and will definitely add Petit Valentien to our "favorites" list. We had the perfect wine and cheese pairing, veal, pork, and creme brulee. Each part of our meal had unbelievable flavor and immaculate presentation. The Parisian ambience in the quaint restaurant added to our dining experience.

Best restaurant dining experience ever
Reviewer: Stan Hall from Los Altos, CA
Very attentive, knowledgeble waitress. Intriguing appetizer and main course choices. I wanted one of each. Six in our party, including two young tween agers, who were dubious about finding anything appealing. With prompting, they were very pleased. All dishes were beautifully presented and most satisfying. First time here; hope to return.

excellent and inconsistant
Reviewer: Sandra from Santa Barbara, CA
I have eaten here 4 times, and had a wonderful dining experience 3 out of 4...but the one time was on a slow night midweek and it felt as though it was the primary chef's day off...the food was very different...... DO GO and don't worry the crowds, the busy nights must have the first string working the kitchen.

Wonderful downtown choice
Reviewer: Jinelle from Santa Barbara, CA
PETIT VALENTIEN - La Arcada Court, downtown off State Street: This is the new French based restaurant located in the side alley of La Arcada Court off the Art Museum 1100 block of State Street between East Figueroa and East Anapamu - wonderfully charming and quiet location, outdoor tables, open feeling dining room with many small tables. First impressions all favorable: attentive, thoughful service, varied menu, good prices for this downtown location and the food was really very good. Light but highly flavorful saucing, splendid appetizers and a very memorable dessert. This was a Saturday night and they were busy so we were lucky to get a walk in reservation around 6:30pm. You can also sit and dine at the bar so this is a great place for solo diners to drop in without reservations. We ordered: Appetizers -escargot crepe, mushroom crostini; Main course -sole with capers; poussin with lemongrass and ginger; Dessert - chocolate marquis mousse, chocolate almond flourless cake. Portion size was restrained and very adequate, presentation lovely and the only non-success was the flourless chocolate almond cake which was a little dry but had good basics in its ingredients. The chocolate marquis mousse hit it out of the ballpark as it was so smooth, rich, dense and chocolaty so that just might be the place to stop on the nice dessert menu. Or to even go in for just itself. With two glasses of wine (many wines $6 a glass, a new low for SB?) we had a nice, what they list as an "Interesting Red" from Austria and walked away for under $80 (tip not included, but happily paid to our very nice waiter) Chef gained his experience in East Coast French restaurants, did a detour in Bakersfield and then opened in this wonderful downtown Santa Barbara location about a year ago. Bakersfield??? Who would have guessed.

Nice
Reviewer: Lee from Los Angeles, CA
the food and atmosphere was very comfortable. The service was over taxed but friendly. would definitely go back and recommend to other diners.

Enjoyed our dining experience!
Reviewer: Judy from Novato, CA
We also went in to dine on a Thursday at 6:00pm. It was not crowded and we were seated immediately. We ordered 3 appetizers which were all outstanding, wonderful sauces-loved the rolls also-no trouble getting extras. The servers were excellent and friendly and I liked the french bistro ambience. I'm sure this restaurant gets noisy when full or when a large party is dining. I personally believe that a party of more than 4 should be seated in a separate room. I would certainly eat here again and recommend it to vistors!

What a Gem!
Reviewer: Louis Wu from Santa Barbara
Petit Valentien is a lovely little French restaurant. The cuisine was impeccable, and well priced. The service, location and ambiance were top notch.

WORST RESTAURANT IN SANTA BARBARA
Reviewer: Elizabeth from Santa Barbara, CA
Went for dinner with 6 on Thursday - super slow service and entrees were served staggered over a 15 minute period. Asked for more bread (which was good), were told they ran out. Then, steak and potatoes arrived, however without the potatoes. Told they were out of potatoes. WHO DOES THE ORDERING FOR THIS RESTAURANT???? To top it off the bill came with a pre-added 18% gratuity.

Excelent food, passable service, great price.
Reviewer: Andres from San Francisco, CA
Just had dinner there with my wife. Unbelievable food at this price. Paid $80 for 3 appetizers, 1 entree, 2 glasses of wine and a dessert. The quail with grapes, olives and figs is world class, same for the pork tenderloin in fig sauce. Service is a bit sloppy but the food makes up for it.

As Close to Perfection as Possible!
Reviewer: Mari from Santa Barbara, CA
I had written a great review for this place and it was removed. Hmmm. Maybe someone from SB.com can tell me why? ANYHOO, this place is fantastic. Great service, great food, great atmosphere. Come prepared for an "evening"...relish the unhurried (not slow) yet attentive service, delight in the delicious meal--whatever we've ordered has been OUTSTANDING (artichoke with spring pea soup, quail with figs and grapes, crabcakes with fresh tarragon, etc., etc.). Talk with the amiable owner and waitstaff, enjoy a glass of great wine, and relax. I hope this place is around for a long, long while.

Delightful and Delicious!
Reviewer: Tamara from Santa Barbara
It is a great pleasure to go to a French restaurant with a real French flavor both in ambiance and food. We love the relatively small portions, beautifully presented, as we usually have to split the huge entrees in most restaurants. (I don't like taking food home and I don't like left-overs!) The frog's legs are fabulous and the chocolate mousse dessert is a chocolohic dream. All the entrees are cooked to perfection; the prices are right; the service most pleasant - a little bit of charming France right here in Santa Barbara! we are regulars!

Worst dinner experience ever - Come in and leave hungry!
Reviewer: michael from santa barbara, ca
Even though we had a table reserved for a specific time, we had to wait for more than 30 minutes before we were seated. We were served cheap and flavorless champagne as an apology for the wait. The table that we were seated at was nice, but the chairs were from the outside patio and were very uncomfortable. The portions were ridiculously small for the price. I ordered the lamb platter which consisted of 1 tablespoon of lentils and a very small portion of lamb that had a burnt flavor. Anoter meal was five scallops with literally three black beans on the side. My friends, who joined me that night, enjoyed the flavour of the food but were also very disappointed about the sizes of the meals served. A funny thing about the restaurant is the woman that walks around and serves bread to everyone. She holds a basket of bread and dishes out one piece per person as she walks through the room. My friends and I laughed about this all night. She was like the "Seinfeld" soup nazi, giving out bread to you if she felt you deserved it. Come in and leave hungry ... should be their slogan.

Very nice
Reviewer: Bill from Santa Barbara
Took my bride for her birthday last night, Tuesday, and was surprised to see that it wasn't crowded. Had tried to make reservations a couple of times and couldn't get in. Excellent meal and service. A selection of rolls or bread would be nice.

Reservation for 5 - Table for 4
Reviewer: Robert from Santa Barbara
Loved our first visit (party of 6). Four days later we made reservations for party of 5. Arrived on time. The table was in a corner against two walls (with another table a few inches away). OK for a party of 4. With no space to expand or pull up an extra chair, it was impossible for 5 adults to sit at that table. The remaining tables were full. The owner/chef said, "that's the way it is; that's what we do." No show of concern, no attempt at apology, no attempt to offer something for another visit. I told the owner that if they didn’t have the proper space for 5, they shouldn’t have taken the reservation. We just would have booked for another night. His attitude was indifferent. Since it was impossible to sit at that table, we left and were warmly accepted at Roy's. Even though Roy was fully booked, he worked at accommodating us. We'll go to Roy’s again - very enjoyable dinner. The owner/chef of Petit Valentien may lose would-be-regulars for all time.

Great food, reasonable prices
Reviewer: Terryl from Santa Ynez, CA
The food was delicious and nicely presented. The prices are reasonable and I enjoyed the smaller portions which gave us room for appetizers and dessert with our meal. Loved the cheese plate and the warm rolls. The creme brulee was the best I've ever had. The ambience was nice. Service was slow. We went early without a reservation, but the restaurant filled up quickly, so I recommend reservations. I will definitely return to this restaurant.

Adding to my favorites list!
Reviewer: Mesa Nick from Santa Barbara
Just a quick note: Folks try to make sure that you are not starving to death before you go out to a restaurant to eat. So you may have to wait a few minutes if the wait staff is slammed... lighten up. With that said, we did have a little wait but the food we enjoyed, more than made up for the delay. The four of us started off by sharing a few appetizers: of note, the crab cake (which was light, flaky, moist with the right amount of crispiness and served with a delicious sauce), also the frog legs (the sauce was amazing; we had the waiter leave that plate as he cleared the others, so we could sop up the remaining sauce with the crispy sourdough rolls they provide. The Entrees were equally pleasing. We all shared bites and I would have been happy having ordered any of the other dishes at my table. I had the buffalo short ribs. I have never had that lean of a short rib but somehow they made it work as the meat still managed to be tender and moist. I had some of my wife's quail with figs, grapes & olives. I felt like high-fiving the waiter as I stripped every last bit of meat & skin off that delicious little bird's leg. Bottom line: the portions are perfect, presentation is thoughtful and the flavor combinations are spot-on. The wine list is also diverse and affordable. Thank you PV for bringing affordable fare with a refined flair to Santa Barbara. I'll Be Back!

Petit Valentien
Reviewer: Elizabeth from SAnta Barbara
I went there for a nice dessert with my boyfriend. I ordered a chocolate mousse type thing and he got the creme brulee. The waitress forgot to bring the creme brulee until she brought us our check and I pointed out that she charged us for soemthing she never served. To top it all it took her 2 times to correct the bill before the brulee was off of it.

One of Santa Barbara's Best
Reviewer: Francesca from Santa Barbara
The food here is absolutely delicious and for us the portions are just right!! We love the fabulous cooking, great atmosphere and very friendly service. The wine list is short but contains some real treasures. This is a wonderful addition for Santa Barbara where the food is typically either pricey, mediocre or both!! Highly recommended for thoughtful, carefully prepared food with a laid back, cozy atmosphere. The dover sole, pork tenderloin and salmon are our favorites. It is becoming much better known, so reservations are recommended, especially on "first Thursdays".

Surprising "Hidden" Treasure
Reviewer: Joe from Santa Barbara CA
I just wrote a lengthy review and the site clears the form if you choose the "Edit" button after you "Preview." Anyway, suffice to say that this was a really excellent discovery on Saturday night. Service was professional, prompt, and sufficiently knowledgeable -- and we were able to have very friendly chats with our waiter and the manager, Jess. My companion's Cod with Sauce Virge was the star of the evening, as were two mushroom starters: a 3-mushroom soup and a mushroom/gravy crostini. Ambience is very cozy and charming. It's possible that some of the negative earlier reviews represent kinks that have been resolved. Highly recommended. Menu apparently changes at least weekly.

Uh Mazing!
Reviewer: Robin Food from Goleta, CA
Just got home. Unbelievable is too tame a word. The escargot crepe appetizer, the asian pear and endive salad, the braised spare ribs, the flat iron, the chocolate dessert with vanilla sauce, all were outstanding. These other reviews on service are not complete. Robert, the owner/chef, makes all the food himself. When we got there the place was packed. Glad we had a reservation. The service was excellent, informed, courteous, team centered. This is not the place to go if you want a quick 30 minute dinner. This is the place to go if you want to sit, relax, drink wine, and seriously ENJOY the food. Everything comes out hot and fresh. I highly encourage everyone to try this place.

Slow down and enjoy the ambiance
Reviewer: PJ from Santa Barbara
We love the food and the slower pace. (I don't know why everyone is in such a hurry these days and why they are expecting huge portions.) I feel the value for the food and wine is appropriate and the bugs will work themselves out. The charm is in the small historic space (you may have to wait, folks), the family business, the inovative food, the value of what you are eating with the lovely presentation. Take time to enjoy the little things, please! Not all of us want the huge corporate chain/franchise restaurants. This one's a winner for Santa Barbara in our book!!!

Good Food
Reviewer: Elizabeth from SB
Food was good. Fine quality & portions were nice--not huge. We thought the service was fair but they do need to work out a few issues with direction, i.e. checking up on diners. Suggestions to the restaurant: 1) Having a manager or supervising waiter/waitress be in charge of the dining room would be helpful 2) Instead of turning away potential diners due to reservations that booked up the restaurant, please keep more tables available for walk in diners. Still the food was good & the staff just needed some direction.

Is the food worth the wait?
Reviewer: Mike from Santa Barbara
The potential is there, but be prepared for a long wait. It took 20 minutes to place an order after arrival, and another 20 minutes before we received our wine and appetizer. They were tasty, particularly the bruschetta of mushrooms. Then, just as were were prepared for the main course, we were told there was a problem in the kitchen, and there was no sea bass. Also, meaning they had not started to prepare the mains. Another wait, excellent food, although a bit heavy on the mustard sauce with the replacement salmon. Is it worth it? Not for me, but the restaurant was packed so someone thinks so.

December menu is divine
Reviewer: lemonjelly from santa barbara, ca
I love the small plates, because I love to try everything. The risotto with white truffle oil and peas was delicious, creamy and toothsome at once, I almost asked for an extra portion to take home. A plate of frog legs, about $7 for 7 pieces, really tender and flavorful. The little slivers of citrus peel mixed in the arugala on the seared tuna was a nice touch. The cheese plate is always good, a little more fruit on the plate would be even better. Everything was good, even the butter tasted really good. Service was great, I was there in early evening. I was very impressed by their swift flexibility to some vegetarian requests. Thanks, Petit Valentien!

"Petit" is right...
Reviewer: cheecher from sb
This place was pretty booked on an early Thursday evening; however, the staff managed to squeeze me and my two friends in for dinner. We ordered the steak, the cod, and the shrimp, and all we had to say was, "Boy, are these plates small!" I guess I shouldn't have been surprised given the name of the restaurant, the smaller European plates, and the overly-abundant American plating philosophy, but I kind of felt like I overpaid for 4 shrimp, 20 peas, and 5 leaves of butter lettuce. The quality of the food was quite good, but the highlight of the evening was actually the warm dinner roll served at the beginning of the meal. Thank goodness for that roll, otherwise I may have been starving at the end of the meal.

delicious, imaginative food in an intimate setting
Reviewer: jimstoic from Santa Barbara, CA
We started with the ample cheese plate. I think there were five cheeses, all very good. I had the Asian pear and endive salad. It was small, but delightful. Then I had the mixed grill: a lamb chop, a small steak, and quail. The server did not ask how I liked my meat cooked, but everything came how I would have wanted it (medium). My partner had the sole, and said it was the best fish he'd ever had. He had the creme brulee and I had the lemon-scented cheesecake. Not all is perfect. The wine pours seem a little short. We waited too long before someone from the staff acknowledged us. I don't think our table was wiped down before we sat. The service was sometimes a little slow. Still, those are minor quibbles with an overall extraordinary dining experience that we hope to repeat again and again.

Great, inexpensive downtown restaurant
Reviewer: Jonathan from Santa Barbara, CA
I was sad when Bogarts closed since they always had good music. BUT, the replacement is very good. Four of us ate at the bar on a Friday night. Two people had the mixed grill which was very good. I had a frog leg appetizers which came in a very good sauce. It seemed that no entre was more than $16. Great value and very good.

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