Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore Santa Barbara

Glad we chose the Dutch Garden Restaurant for a reunion lunch. Under new ownership, one of Santa Barbara's oldest restaurants has been lovingly restored and polished, opened quite recently for lunch (soon to open dinner service) with very few changes to the original German menu. The new owners cheerfully respected the history of this local favorite that has been operating for over 75 years until COVID 2020 pressed the elderly owners to retire. Tucked away at the foot of San Marcos pass on upper State St, the locals obviously welcome back the cherished restaurant, with intimate patio and uber charming restored interior. Service is attentive and very friendly. The food? German classics with locally sourced proteins and vegetables such as pork schnitzel, house made bratwurst and cured meats, German potato salad, and of course, German beers on tap. Whoa! Six of us expected to roll out of there but instead, we were impressed with the light touch on all we ordered: from the German pretzel with a compound soft cheese that we fought to the finish for, a charcuterie plate with house made pickles to die for, an array of mustards to accompany the generously portioned entrees. We had an amazing cauliflower soup that I cannot get out of my mind... Local small producer vintner supplies these fortunate owners with a stellar Reisling and Gruner Veltliner (our party had both) that paired perfectly. Do NOT miss the opportunity to live the local life at this much loved gem! Nothing touristy about this place... shhhh... let's keep it that way! We all plan to be back! No reservations and can be busy on weekends.