Coast Range, a Central Coast steakhouse and seafood restaurant including a full cocktail bar as well as daytime cafe and pastry program, will open in 2021 bringing new life and acclaimed chefs to the former Mandarin Touch space in historic downtown Solvang.
Award-winning chefs and industry veterans Anthony Carron, Lincoln Carson and Steven Fretz join forces with renowned sommelier and winemaker Rajat Parr to bring their collective experience to a new all-day dining concept in the heart of Solvang. Coast Range will celebrate the best that the Central Coast has to offer, including steaks from the historic ranches, seafood directly from the Santa Barbara wharves, craft cocktails and a wine program showcasing the region’s finest producers.
Coast Range will consist of three parts, and first to open will be the Vaquero Bar offering a wide selection of cocktails, local wine and craft beer. An elevated yet casual bar food menu will be available on the outdoor dining patio. The dinner-only steakhouse and seafood restaurant will highlight farms, ranches and seafood from the surrounding Central Coast including product from the owner’s Santa Ynez ranch. The daytime Cafe and Deli will feature Carson’s award-winning pastries, coffee, and casual lunch to enjoy on the restaurant’s patio or as a picnic to take to a local winery.
“They say there’s always a silver lining. While 2020 brought challenges it also allowed us to assemble a world class team of chefs and find the perfect space to showcase our talents in a part of the world we love” said Chef Anthony Carron.
More than just business partners, the Coast Range founders are longtime friends who first worked together over a decade ago, and now call the Santa Ynez Valley home. Carron was the executive chef for Michael Mina for many years, then went on to found 800 Degrees Pizza and Top Round, two LA based casual dining brands with global reach. Fretz, also a co-founder of Top Round, opened Church Key in Los Angeles and has led some of the best kitchens in the country, working with chefs such as Michael Mina, David Burke and Curtis Stone. Carson, a celebrated pastry chef and recent finalist for a James Beard Award, was most recently the chef and owner of Bon Temps in downtown Los Angeles which received local and national acclaim, including recognition as a best new restaurant from LA Magazine, LA Times, Time Out LA, Esquire and Food and Wine.
World-renowned wine maker, sommelier, author, James Beard Award winner and Central Coast resident Rajat Parr will curate a focused wine list of the best of the Central Coast, Northern California classics and special steak and seafood friendly wines from around the world.
Joining the team will be partner Hillary Calhoun, an experienced marketing professional who will oversee marketing, events, and catering for Coast Range and general manager and mixologist Joseph Sabato who has worked in many of the country’s finest restaurants including The Bazaar by Jose Andres, XIV by Michael Mina, Katsuya, Sona and Ortolan.
The team intends to open the Vaquero Bar and terrace dining first in early February strictly following Covid guidelines, followed by the restaurant and cafe later in the Spring of 2021.
