Reader Richard says that the Somerset restaurant at 7 East Anapamu Street, which closed after less than a year in business to try a more casual style of dining, will reopen on December 5th as Smith.
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Maybe it’s just me and my more peasant taste buds, but I don’t see my wife and I running downtown to try out these entrees.
From Noozhawk:”Although Somerset was not able to find an audience, Herman told Noozhawk on Thursday that he is excited about the new restaurant. The dishes include fried delicata squash with cauliflower, bagna cauda and Calabrian chili, or mussels and clams with shallot, garlic, crispy pork belly, and bok choy served with grilled toast. The menu also features squid ink casarecce in lobster bisque with uni and nori breadcrumbs, and cavatelli combined with pork ragu, mustard greens, and tomato confit.
Geezzz….my office is a block away….when I read John’s post I thought I would try the new casual place….then I read this and it’s a quick “nope.”
I wonder what will go in after Smith.
Maybe Johnson ?
It’s the second most common name ..
I think it all sounds good. I’ll judge after I taste the food.
If you personally don’t feel comfortable being an advantageous dinner thats fine, there’s plenty of restaurants to satisfy your tastes! But I don’t find your comment being constructive. I personally embrace any opportunity for young talented food professionals to come and showcase what we can accomplish in Santa Barbara!
just curious barry! where do you like to dine?
Alphi I assume you mean adventurous not advantageous. I eat in over forty restaurants in SB, travel all over the U.S. for work and all over the world for a month at a time. There isn’t a cuisine I am unwilling to try, but as said earlier there was nothing in the Noozhawk article menu that sounded particularly enticing. And I’m sorry but I prefer my lobster bisque without squid ink. Hope you enjoy the food at “Smith” but I would shy away from embracing anyone you don’t know!
I wasn’t trying to be constructive. I was expressing an opinion that as someone who eats downtown weekly, I won’t be going to this resturant. I am glad you are going to try it. My only recommendation is that you try it quickly as it’s not going to last a year. It’s not my fault they can’t figure out a business model.
The “mussels and clams with shallot, garlic, crispy pork belly, and bok choy served with grilled toast” was also on the Somerset menu and was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Glad to hear it’s still available. To each their own I suppose, but I thoroughly enjoyed my dining experience at Somerset and I hope they continue a similar experience, perhaps a little cheaper, at Smith.
Name? Where did that come from?
Originally there was to be a partnership with a cooking oil company, but someone thought “Smith & Wesson” didn’t sound like the right name for a restaurant, so they just went with Smith.
I would have tried a 9 mm special…that said, I really miss the Machine Gun Deli on Mission by Modoc.
Maybe the idea is to choose a very common name like Smith to show that the new “concept” is targeted at the common man, the hoi polloi, etc.
Unlike many new restaurants they are fortunate to be able to pivot from an unsuccessful concept. Most don’t have the resources. I’m looking forward to trying the new concept.
Can there be a single restaurant opening in town that tries to be innovative, regional, (or some other cliche but not invalid term), and not have every grandpa in town try to shit on it? There are plenty of terrible restaurants in town that are cheap and boring (their main requirements apparently), and nobody says a word about them. God forbid a new chef doesn’t want to serve your boiled Brussels sprouts and your mom’s spaghetti with ketchup sauce. Don’t worry, you still have your Nugget locations. Let the rest of us try new food.
I tried and it just simply did live neither to the reputation they hoped to get nor to the prices they charged ..
LOL. Funny, I was thinking “Nugget” the entire time reading your comment.
I’ll check it out! I’m happy to try something a little funky if I’m not shelling out $30 for my experimental food tasting. I hope the general attitude in there lightens up a bit.
Was there a SOMERSET on the old 101 thru Montecito 40 years ago I think I went there for some pretty good food. That was then and things change.