The Monarch Has Landed: Montecito’s Newest Eatery

Baked Brie

Montecito doesn’t often open new restaurants, but the August, 2018 arrival of The Monarch is much anticipated, and something much needed.

After the raging Thomas Fire in December 2017 and the January 2018 mudslides, Montecito suffered greatly, as did all of Santa Barbara.

But fast foreword half a year and new growth has sprung up in the form of The Monarch, perhaps fittingly called as the butterfly…well, you know. Embracing the local-ness of our community the overarching point of the Monarch is a hyper local approach to its food. Local is a culinary buzzword these days, and hyper-local, even more so. But what is it? As the words imply, locally sourced ingredients within 100 miles of any given establishment. So what The Monarch has done is actually to list their purveyors right on their menu so you know where your food, even the hand made custom plates, comes from. The restaurant is the brain child of husband and wife chef duo, Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee.

The space focuses on beige and tan colors. The open bar and open kitchen means that nothing can hide from you. A handful of tables including some tables with couches make it feel both comfortable and slightly upscale. Copious light pours up into the restaurant windows facing Coast Village Road keeping the feel very bright. If you end up waiting for a table they will offer you complementary sparkling wine. Wines on the list are predominately local, all the wines by the glass, with the exception of French champagne and a handful of bottles for purchase. They have a nice selection of spirits including a number of Mezcal's and a few Japanese whiskeys, and will gladly make you a cocktail.
 

As a starter I had the Gabe’s Baked Brie ($15), a triple-cream cheese from Stepladder Creamery in Cambria rolled in a light puff pastry (photo above). The triple cream might sound heavy but it is the reverse of that – light, delicate, creamy. The Brie sits on a bed of greens - a blend of nine different herbs and wildflowers giving an earthy savory component to it – and fresh berries. The whole of this is a terrific combination of savory, sweet and earthy. One of the reasons I chose this, aside from my love affair with cheese, is that you don’t often see baked Brie on menus much anymore and it’s a departure from the norm.

Their Duck Breast and Leg ($46) is the entrée I enjoyed with lightly glazed honey, jasmine and coriander. It’s slow roasted inside their oven, then finished on the grill. Alongside the moist duck were lovely grilled carrots, potatoes and corn on the cob, sans cob, which is topped with herb butter. The kernels are small and slightly crunchy after being shucked off. I don’t eat much corn, but the texture of this was intriguing. An accompanying salad of fresh tomatoes, micro greens and fresh beans was simple yet stunning. This is what happens when you use ultra fresh ingredients  - you get an explosion of flavor, both subtle and nuanced as well as obvious and potent. I’m glad The Monarch has landed and once you visit, you will be too.

TheMonarch at the Montecito Inn

1295 Coast Village Rd.

Montecito

Wednesday – Sunday 5p.m. to closing