Cuisine:

• Californian
• Others
• Contemporary

Stonehouse Restaurant Description:
Pricey but not posh, Stonehouse makes sense of the oxymoron "refined rustic." Housed in a squat building once used for packing citrus, the restaurant of the San Ysidro Ranch resort is on the short list of Santa Barbara's most rarified establishments. (This is, after all, where JFK and Jackie honeymooned.) It takes a certain type of restaurant to charge twenty-two dollars for a single scallop, one hundred and sixty dollars for a margarita. Yet chef John Trotta doesn't wander into culinary esoterica; his dishes---only six entrées and six appetizers---are straightforward, albeit exquisitely executed. Think tender roasted rack of lamb with fresh rosemary from his garden, or Prime filet of beef with black truffle gratin served in a port wine demi-glace. A special may feature white sea bass delicately crusted with tortilla and served on a black and yellow bed of corn and beans. Nothing avant-garde there, just a fine Southwestern-style rendition of the local fish. By contrast, the setting is wholly unique: an historic adobe stands nearby; wood smoke wafts here and there, mingling with the scent of herbs from the garden; a heated stone floor warms the ocean-view patio. It's so peaceful, you half expect a Labrador retriever carrying a pair of slippers to greet you in the restaurant's countrified foyer.