Another stop on a summer road trip was the lovely oceanside city of Santa Barbara. I have a friend that I met in London who lives there now, so I was eager to finally get to visit her in her hometown. We made some plans to meet for dinner, and she basically said The Lark was the best place to go in the entire city, so I definitely knew we had to go there with her. I booked us in for the first night we arrived, and after doing some wine tasting at some of the local tasting rooms, we headed over to continue our catch up.
Honestly, there were so many things on the menu, it was hard to narrow it down, but eventually the three of us managed to come to a conclusion about what we wanted to have. For snacks, we ended up ordering some duck fat roasted nuts (because honestly, anything with duck fat sounds amazing), some pimento cheese with chicken skin, and crispy Brussels sprouts. My friend also ordered the off-menu popcorn, but I’m not sure if that is just a standard thing one gets when they go that just got overlooked at our table. We also decided to stick with cocktails, and we had several, and most of them were outstanding. I liked the nuts, and it’s always a great way to start the meal.
The pimento cheese was really tasty as well, and it always reminds me of the 80s for some reason, but it is making a comeback, and pairing it with the chicken skin was just extremely decadent and delicious. The popcorn was also really nice to snack on. The sprouts were also really good, but sadly someone managed to wave the spoon in front of my picture, so you’ll just have to take my word on it without any photographic evidence. After this, we ordered some tuna crudo, pork belly sliders and some six hour pork ribs.
All three of these dishes were also fantastic. The sliders were sticky, a bit sweet and kind of messy, but we devoured them quickly. The crudo was fresh and light, and helped balance the richness of the other dishes quite a bit. The ribs were also delightfully smoky and the green apple was a great acidic accompaniment. I was loving everything so far, and I really wanted to leave with a cook book right there, but sadly they were out in the restaurant, and I was told I could order it online (which is still something I need to do).
I always want dessert, and the table was leaning toward a wild honey cremeaux. The dessert was nice overall, but I think perhaps The Lark does better on their savory dishes and cocktails than on their desserts.
My friend’s suggestion was definitely not wrong. The Lark gave us a fantastic meal with great service and a whole lot of interesting, modern and flavorful dishes. As I mentioned, I’m definitely going to grab a copy of the cookbook so I can attempt to enjoy some more of the dishes at home. If you’re in Santa Barbara, and looking for a fun place to hang out, drink delicious cocktails and eat some amazing food, The Lark is definitely a top choice!
Score: 4.5/5
Recommendation: Brussels sprouts and ribs are definitely a great combo! And wash it down with a cocktail.
The Lark
131 Anacapa St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
