story published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 10/6/16
updated October 27, 2016
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| Chef Peter Lee |
“I’m here to
please,” says the man who runs the kitchen at Santa Barbara’s newest dining
hotspot, Loquita. That’s why, after he
deliberately adorns a dish, “I like to follow the plate all the way to the
table, until the serves sets it down, and watch for the guest’s reaction.”
That’ll be
even easier for Chef Lee to do now, since the exhibition kitchen at Loquita –
which is framed by a walnut-wrapped picture window – is wide open. Diners at the six-seater Chef’s Counter get
premium views of cooks working on state-of-the-art equipment. But the kitchen action is easy to watch from
main dining room, too, which is adorned with brass trims, vintage light
fixtures, cozy banquettes, white-wash brick walls and Nicaraguan cement floor
tiles. The doors are salvaged from an
old German monastery and the 19th century oil painting of St.
Barbara on the wall once hung in a church in Argentina. A stand-up counter separates the main room
from the large walnut bar, with its 12 leather-tufted stools and framed
mirrors. A vault door leads outside to a
white stucco patio decked out in wrought-iron chairs, jacaranda trees and
stringed lights above.
Like the
restaurant he’s helming, Chef Lee, 30, is new to Santa Barbara. “I moved here three months ago,” says the Bay
Area native who was at foodie-friendly Eldorado Kitchen in Sonoma and celeb-friendly
Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles before working, most recently, at award-winning Joël
Robuchon in Las Vegas. Loquita, located right
on State Street at the threshold of the Funk Zone and just two blocks from the
ocean, opened in late September.
Loquita –
the Spanish word refers to a young, jovial young girl – pays homage to Santa
Barbara’s colonial history and youthful vibe with food and drinks inspired by
Spain. For Chef Lee, Spanish cuisine
“always makes you feel like you’re at somebody’s home. So our concept is to keep it as authentic as
possible, but with a California twist to tailor it to our tastes.”
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| Pintxos |
Finger-friendly
items include the short “pintxos” skewers ($2 each) that are prepped with a
variety of cured and pickled items “for pops of flavor” and “maximum one-bite
impact,” says Chef Lee. The “Date”
features a Medjool date stuffed with the Spanish blue cheese “valdeon” and
wrapped in thinly-sliced chorizo.
The
charcuterie and cheese selections ($7-$21) include Spanish staples like Serrano
and Iberico hams, 12-month old manchego and the delectably sweet quince paste
known as “membrillo.” The dozen-or-so
tapas dishes ($4-$17) are meant for sharing.
Most of the
main dishes come off an impressive wood-fire grill and include Spanish octopus
in a black garlic aioli with potato and red onion ($21), Sonoma Valley lamb
chops with eggplant and tomato ($34) and a 16-oz. prime ribeye with a traditional
chermoula marinade ($47).
And among
the early dessert favorites: the homemade churros ($9) served with chocolate,
raspberry and dulce de leche dipping sauces.
Chef Lee
says the menu will certainly evolve, driven by the seasons as well as customer
response. The key to successful service
won’t change, though: “We show up early, prep, prep, prep and talk a lot
through the process,” says Chef Lee. His
10-member kitchen staff includes three sous-chefs he hand-picked from his
previous restaurant jobs in L.A. and Vegas, including his longtime girlfriend,
26-year-old Chef Felicia Medina. “I have
the utmost confidence in my team,” adds Chef Lee.
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| Loquita's exhibition kitchen |
The bar menu
is worth noting, too, for its impressive lineup of Spanish and Santa Barbara wines
and a cocktail list heavy on Spanish staples like gin-and-tonics, vermouths and
farmers’ market sangrias.
Loquita is
the latest offering from Santa Barbara-based Acme Hospitality, which also owns
award-winning local establishments like The Lark, Les Marchands Wine Bar and
the new Helena Avenue Bakery.
Loquita, 202 State Street, Santa Barbara. 805-880-3380.
Open from 5pm daily. loquitasb.com. .
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