It takes true courage and sure-footed artistry to create a great restaurant, not only an environment that is irresistibly alluring, but a true sense of welcome and certainly the kitchen magic and talent to back it all up. Without all three of these components working like a Ferrari’s 12 cylinders you have banal mediocrity.  

Santa Barbara has been given a gift recently with the opening of The Chanticlair, a new restaurant that delivers all of these elements of excellence and more, a work of art in décor, hospitality and culinary creativity of the highest levels. Hidden in a century-old Spanish revival building on the West Side of Old Town Santa Barbara behind a rather ordinary secret door at 113 De La Guerra, The Chanticlair is an ode to the original restaurant and bakery, which opened in 1948. We needn’t go into the building’s history as a church AND a brothel but the staircase in the dining room is rather suggestive and fascinating. 

It’s like dining at your richest old aunt’s residence if your aunt was Julia Child. You’d expect to see Tennessee Williams, F. Scott Fitzgerald and maybe Louis Armstrong here (a vintage piano proudly stands in the entrance) as the vibe is reminiscent of a well- decorated Southern home with family china set on highly polished mahogany tables and a staff who are well trained like valued retainers scurry about gracefully. Eric, our server, was out of this world–attentive, gracious and knowledgeable.

 Chefs Jake Reimer and Jeremy Tummel have teamed up with a co-op of talented local chefs, winemakers, and artisans a few nights each week to produce a farm-forward, eclectic menu that features tapas, pintxos, family style, and chefs tour tasting menus, served on vintage mix-and-match wares. All done with an emphasis on fresh Pacific fish and shellfish, pasture-raised meats, local organic vegetables, fruits, and herbs. They have succeeded with profound, admirable results in creating Santa Barbara’s most  adventuresome dining venue where atmosphere meets culinary artistry.

You can happily order a la carte here––oysters, shrimp cocktail, uni parfait, gumbo. cheeseburgers, with sides of fries, red beans or house pickles or do what we did—we dove into Chanticlair’s wonderful 4-course tasting menu priced at $115 (plus signature wines if you wish at $85 additional). It’s a bargain, believe us. If a tasting menu is not in your plans, you can easily have an elegant and very special dinner here under $100 for two with a glass of wine. The wine list does not scare with glasses and bottles of natural California wines at reasonable prices.

We started with a lively tuna tartar followed by Hook & Line Channel Island Halibut Crudo with tomatillo, cucumber, avocado and fire water. It was love at first sight, an explosion of translucent fresh salinity swimming on a melange of ambrosia. A tasty cool bowl of gazpacho cleared our palates. Then appeared Outer Banks black cod with kelp dust, jazzy citrus dashi and kumquat; it was a sensation. A dish of Casitas Valley chicken liver mousse with stone fruit, farmer’s market pickles and sour dough toast was perfection. Perfectly done applewood smoked Margaret River Wagyu trip tip with papas bravas finished this masterpiece of a meal. Do not neglect an order of bread and butter. At The Chanticlair even this usually mundane combo rises to a higher level, with exceptional sourdough and sublime French butter.  

We longed to delve deeper in the Chanticlair menu and will be back soon to try things like Spanish white anchovies with Sicilian salsa verde and unfiltered extra virgin olive oil, free diver urchin with Buellton corn espuma, Milliken Farm crispy Brussels sprouts with Treviso slaw, Spanish peanuts, and Thai basil, cedar plank marrow squash with whipped honey ricotta and smoked nut crumble. What imagination, what combinations, they soar and amaze.

Sadly, we did not have room for dessert but on offer was Quinta Bay Laurel creamy goat cheese, bread pudding with scotch whisky sauce, mango sorbet, white nectarine and lemongrass macaron and carrot and spice rhum gateau. All looked like winners and it is to their credit that the chefs have paid close attention to sweets. We greatly admire the way chefs Jake and Jeremy have meticulously sourced their ingredients and give the farms and fishermen they use full credit. 

Hidden in the walls of The Chanticlair lives a 1968-inspired New Orleans Oyster Bar/Diner called Alley Cat. On the menu are fresh-shucked local oysters, Santa Barbara uni parfaits, fresh shellfish, Santa Barbara sourdough po’boys, gumbo, and a petite, curated wine and Champagne list. We aim to try this next time.

 Go now before the crowds discover this most unique intimate dining venue, an experience of eclectic elegance unlike any other in Santa Barbara. Chanticlair is open Thursday-Saturday from 5 pm to 9 pm,113 W De La Guerra St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101,(805) 869-9772, for reservations go to opentable.com.

PS: ENTREE usually doesn’t include bathrooms in their restaurant reviews but the one at Chanticlair is an experience not to be missed, a fantasy world unto itself, worthy of a detour.