Usually come here when there is a function in SB i'm attending. The Wine Cask is like visiting an old acquaintance where things are predictable. In a very good way. Nothing spectacularly avant garde with With me half the experience of eating out is the service and here is were the Wine Cask shines, staff being attentive but not overly intrusive. read more

Had an enjoyable Friday dinner to celebrate a friend's 40th bday. Our party of 10 ended up here completely by accident. My friend decided on ringing in her 40th with a group dinner. We originally were scheduled to have the dinner in Malibu, but they wouldn't allow us to add another person without agreeing to a stipulation that my friend didn't want to agree to so we pivoted here instead. Half of our party spent a good part of the day daydrinking and seeing as we were a huge party, we made the executive decision to rent a limo that would fit all of us so that we could drink like we were in our 20s again. The rainy drive to Santa Barbara from Camarillo was so enjoyable since we were able to keep the party going in the car. We even managed to make a bathroom pit stop and reup on drinks. Win! I'm fairly certain that all the women in the party used the bathroom as soon as we all got to the restaurant. After that we calibrated and settled in the private room right by the entrance that was able to fit our big party. That room was super sexy and gave our group the opportunity to be far away from all the other patrons which worked out for all parties involved since we were pretty loud so no one was bothered by our riff raffery. Everything I ate was shared with two other people. I'm not even entirely sure what happened - what I remember is that plates and plates of food kept coming so I kept eating until I couldn't anymore. What I do remember is that I didn't really eat much. It could do with the fact that I was cross faded to the highest level. We had a debrief when we got back to Cam and were in agreement that their portions are pretty small for the price point. You'd need to split at least 5 items between 3 people to just even get a little full. I think I was able to try 3 things. I'd consider giving them a second chance the next time I'm in the area with a much smaller party. read more

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I used to love eating here, but it is gone downhill. Had their Tuesday prime rib special it was cooked to well done and tough...desert was flan that tasted burnt read more

We decided to give Wine Cask a try during Santa Barbara Restaurant Week. This is a gem hidden inside the El Paseo. For $40 we got an appetizer, entree and a dessert. We have done Restaurant Week before and usually the portions are more of a tasting than a meal, but we were in for a treat. Not only did they serve us fresh bread with a delightful herbed butter, but the portions were a good size. I had the Potato Leek Soup and my hubby had the Crudo. The soup was flavorful and silky. Very enjoyable. My hubby's Crudo was tasty but he was eyeing up my soup the whole time. For the Second Course we shared the Gnocchi and the Pork Shank. Both were flavorful and inventive. For Dessert we opted for the Berry Tart and the Creme Brulee. I preferred the Tart, as the Brulee had Miso in it, so it had a surprising saltiness. All in all a great meal with exceptional service. It is also a very romantic spot to share a special occasion with your special someone. read more

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Christmas Eve dinner, One hour to get the salad and then another 30 minutes to get entre, half of steak was fat or gristle.

Wine Cask hosted a beautiful cocktail hour for our NYE wedding!!! From the beginning, Maria was so easy to work with! We were having our reception next door, and really wanted an extended cocktail hour beforehand! Maria helped plan a perfect event for us! The food was absolutely amazing! Our guests couldn't stop talking about the pizza!!! She helped recommend some his/hers cocktails and also had tray-passed drinks to keep our guests hydrated! The gold room was also absolutely beautiful! The fireplace was a beautiful touch for a cold winter evening! We are so grateful for the hospitality, and for helping make our wedding absolutely unforgettable! read more

Wine Cask - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

First the waiter not only spilled wine on my father but then an expresso martini on my mother. Food was fair. No decent help with the wine list waiter didn't know anything g about the wine. And lastly was pressured by the websites to order a dessert. read more

I had the tomato and peach salad and it was divine! The only thing I didn't like was the mocktail; it just seemed like mango-OJ . The ambience was nice! read more

I had the extreme pleasure of dining with intermezzo of Wine cask recently with my fiancé for date night. Upon arrival we we're very impressed with the renovation that had recently taken place. The dishes are 5 star and the cocktail list is nothing short of what you would expect. I recommend the patè as well as the gambas. Both go amazingly with their house made red wine. Did I mention the Banana split!? Amazing!! We will certainly be back to try the rest! 5 stars all around! Keep up the good work! read more

Beautiful courtyard setting with amazing food makes you feel like you are on vacation! Jamie our server was so friendly and helpful. The homemade pasta is to die for! They start you off with a perfect warm crusty bread with herb butter. I thing else that followed was beautiful. I highly, highly, highly recommend this place. It really is so beautiful to sit in the open air courtyard. read more

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Very romantic, very dark, amazing and decorative ceiling, professional service (shout out to Justin), and no customers on a Saturday night. How will this place survive if no one goes? Why come here? - Very extensive wine list: Pages and pages of bottles, from $45 on up - Fine service - Beautiful presented food - Classy What did I have? - Pistachio-encrusted Seared Ahi ($29): Nicely presented, sliced into small pieces, fanned, and served over asparagus and quinoa. Really good, but pistachio-encrusted was indistinguishable. - Forbidden Rice: black rice, plain, absolutely nothing special. - Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce ($9) - very buttery, sinful, plenty for 2-3 to share because it is so rich. - Stags Leap Cabernet ($70) - wonderful. Why is no one here? - Pricy - Small and limited menu: 1 of each chicken, lamb, beef, and fish. - On Anacapa, not State Street Would I go back? - Yes read more

Wine Cask - Pistachio-encrusted Seared Ahi - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Sweet dreams are made of this.... We loved this place so much that we went 2 nights in a row and cancelled another restaurant's reservations. Dark, quaint and elegant yet not stuffy at all. Busy on the Tuesday and Wednesday that we went but not too loud. As expected, they have an extensive wine selection. Please see the photos that go with this review. The foie gras came with a balsamic ice cream that left me speechless (ask my husband, I am NEVER speechless). We ended up having the scallops, pork chop, rack of lamb and wagyu New York strip during those 2 dinners. Everything was cooked and served to perfection. We had briefly met the owner while dining at Bouchon the first night in Santa Barbara and it was nice to see him at WC too making sure everything was just right. I wish they had a South Florida location. What do you say guys? Please? Pretty please? Until then or until I return to Santa Barbara, I will keep dreaming of my next meal there. If in the area, you MUST go! read more

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This is a place to come if you want a classy meal. The ambiance is very romantic and I loved the intimate-ness of the restaurant. We were led to a table right next to the fireplace. The table had lots and lots of rose petals to celebrate our special occasion. It was so nice!!! We ordered the following: -Comp bread and butter: Bread wasn't warm. BOO! -Seared Diver Scallops ($29): 3 HUGE scallops. Presentation was amazing. The scallops had great flavor and I barely finished them. -Grilled Wagyu New York Steak ($38): I had a piece of the steak and it was good. Cooked medium rare and was presented with some nice seasonal veggies. The service was AMAZING!!! Complete turn around from the night before. Our waters were refilled immediately and our plates were cleared off quickly. Although we deferred on appy and dessert, we would definitely come back to this restaurant to try additional items and celebration another special occasion. read more

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Purchased a Groupon deal $69 3 course dinner for 2 including 2 wine tastings.. This was the best deal I've ever purchased from Groupon. I was very pleased and enjoyed everything here. My friend has also purchased a Groupon and we were in Santa Barbara celebrating her bday and they were kind enough to let our party of 4 sit together and use the coupon. The Groupon allowed each of us to select a flatbread each, a main course, 2 wine tastings and sharing a dessert. We were seated by the fireplace. The setting inside the restaurant is very romantical and intimate, perfect date spot.. The ceiling had a nice decoration. Wine cask has a special menu just for their Groupon customers. So between the 4 of us, we were able to select 4 flatbreads and a dinner selection each. Here is what we all ordered the following: Flatbreads: -Cherry Duckling-smoked duck, ginger onions, cherry gourmandish cheese (this was soo delicious!!the cheese went perfectly with the duck) -Thai One On-fresh local rock shrimp, Thai coconut (I love shrimp, hence I LOVED this dish especially with it reminding me of a that dish, the shrimp was cooked perfectly and they gave you a good amount too and the sauce had a little kick to it) -Taco Truck-carnitas, cotija cheese, roasted pasilla chiles, onion, cilantro (YuMMMO, mexican food on a fancy flatbread) -Arrabiata-mushroom, pancetta, Fontina cheese, fresh chopped herbs (this was like eating a salad on a fancy flatbread, the combination of all ingredients were amazing) For our main course: All 4 of use decided on the most popular dish (we didn't want to share or choose anything else, plus this was also the most expensive dish there) We ordered the Wagu New York Strip which came with house-made bacon, wild mushroom hash, grilled asparagus, and smoked gouda fondue. This dish was phenomenal!!! I was very pleased; the steak was nice and tender: it came pre-sliced and cooked to perfect. The gouda sauce was a perfect complement to the steak and it wasn't too over powering.. it paired well with our wines- we all tried the Bordeaux blend and the cab--the cab had a wonderful strong taste. By the time our dessert came, we were pretty stuffed, heck we were pretty full by the time we finished our flatbreads: We ordered the Margarita Cheesecake(pretzel crusted, market berries, tequila lime sauce) and the Macaroon Trio (chocolate w brulee chocolate chiboust, almond w vanilla ice cream & raspberries, pistachio w rosewater cream). I'm not a dessert perfect but I had to take a couple bites because they looked so good. The tequila lime sauce was a little tarty, reminded me of key lime pie, but the cheesecake alone w the berries were delicious. The presentation of the maroons were very impressive- all the flavors were very good, except for the rosewater cream - we didn't care too much for that because it tasted like we were eating flowers. Overall we left the Wine cask stuffed and very satisfied. Many times, you go to a fancy restaurant and sometimes you leave hungry because you didn't enjoy their food as much or because they didn't give you enough. Well Wine Cask sure met both of those criteria, we were so full and pleased from our dinner that we couldn't even go out drinking bc we had no room.... Next time I go to Santa Barbara, I'll definitely get there early to try their tasting room. read more

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My lunch at Wine Cask didn't live up to the hype and my entree choice was regrettable to say the least. It was a pretty dish, a poached whitefish filet topped with creamy white colored sauce and embellished with a fresh green herb oil. This dish lacked flavor and texture. The fish was bland, the cauliflower veloute had no other flavor except for saltiness, and the pretty green oil on the plate had no discernible herb fragrance. Everything on the plate was mushy and soft, from the fish to the mashed potato fava bean mixture. There were a few strands of raw leek as garnish, but raw leek was not palatable and should never had been used this way I can't imagine a dish like this was approved by the chef and printed on the menu. On a more positive note, the blue burger was good with high quality ground beef on a toasted brioche bun. It could be matter if a less salty variety of blue cheese was used. I am a sucker for garlic, and the calamari with whole gloves of fried garlic was delicious. It wasn't drained well and therefore, a little oily. The accompany cilantro lime mayo was too tame in flavor, so I opted for a squeeze of lime instead. On a separate occasion, I came here for the desserts. The peanut butter cup was sinfully rich and I liked the subtle saltiness of the peanuts here. The butterscotch pudding was generously sized, but I find the pudding too thick and starchy. Olio Pizzeria still has the best butterscotch pudding I have ever had. read more

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I have always wanted to try the wine cask and got the opportunity for a work event/celebration ! Brewer-Clifton winery's 20th anniversary tasting and luncheon hosted at wine cask was amazing! The room we used was beautiful, look up and there is the inspiration for BC's iconic logo ! Look at the artwork on the walls... beautiful painting by Gavin Chanin if Chanin/lutumwines. Thankfully the food was just as beautiful as the surroundings! Standouts for me were the roasted cauliflower appetizer , duck breast , braised short rib and the scallops served with peas and corn and peppers. Those scallops were buttery and decadent and dreamy! In addition to the wonderful food the service was exceptional and I look forward to my next visit! read more

Wine Cask - Beautiful plate of amazing braised short rib served at the 20th anniversary of Brewer-Clifton winery. What a delicious celebration! - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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The Wine Cask is what you get when you cross a proven restaurateur, Mitchell Sjerven, and celebrated winemaker, Doug Margerum, get together. It's what's expected and The Wine Cash delivers. With two sides to every story/restaurant, this little ditty is about the Cafe/Bar and not the full restaurant. While I hear the food is amazing, I can only speak to the former. The bar menu is full of flatbreads, bite size snack-a-tizers and mouth stuffing sandwiches with the Margherita flatbread, steak bites and Cheese & Charcuterie standing out. There are better Happy Hour places for munchies assortment in Santa Barbra where at the Wine Cask, you can eat full portions at the bar or enjoy the cheese plate on the sofa by the fire. The layout offers outdoor, table, sofa and bar seating but gets very busy on Friday nights so send in a scout early to hold the fort. The clientele is older and more sophisticated that what you would find on the drag and that's just fine with us. They add a touch of class. Now that your here and you've looked over the menu, what will you drink to pair? Just because this is The Wine Cask and Doug has some amazing offerings, his own as well as many others, it's not all about the wine. The bar team prides themselves on infusing anything distilled. The chalk wall will show what's ready to drink such as a raspberry vodka or what's to come like the bacon infused bourbon. There's also a wish list from customers who think up the wildest things. It's worth a trip just to drink the crazy concoctions. The wine selection by the glass is outstanding. As it very well should be. The prices however, are on the high side even for full retail but the people pay it and keep the cafe full into the evening. Not sure what to drink? No problem. Steven behind the bar will help you decide. If I may, try a glass of the M5. You'll end up with a bottle. Start your evening out at The Wine Cask and you may even stay a while. It's warm inviting and pours up a great time. read more

Wine Cask - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We love trying new restaurants in Santa Barbara so we decided to try Wine Cask for a birthday dinner. We came on a Friday night during the holiday weekend and found that it was surprisingly empty. There were only a few other tables but the service was excellent and our server was extremely attentive. We started off with the ahi tuna tartar and the Dungeness crab cakes. We normally don't order seafood appetizers but we were really happy with our selections. Both were amazing and you could really taste the full flavors of the crab in the crab cakes. I highly recommend both if you enjoy seafood. For our main courses we ordered the Sea bass and the braised short rib. The Sea bass was cooked perfectly and they really got the top crispy while keeping the inside moist and flaky. It was paired with mushrooms and potatoes to make a wonderful dish. The braised short rib was also cooked perfectly and the meat was extremely tender and flavorful. Finally, we finished off the night with a lavender creme brûlée. We didn't know what to expect at first with a lavender infused creme brûlée but it actually paired pretty well. All in all, wine cask is a great restaurant for a date night or any event and we really enjoyed our dinner there. read more

Excellent spot for lunch or dinner. Went for lunch and had a delicious burger (cooked perfectly, juicy, bacon, and a firm toasted bun that was probably mvp). Good parmesan garlic fries. Nice soup (tomato and french onion available). Wine and beer available. Chocolate chip cookie with ice cream for dessert. Yum. read more

Wine Cask - Burger - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Here is why we will NOT be booking our event here. While we cannot speak to the food, ambience or service, sadly the Wine Cask has fallen to the side of fine dining restaurants who appear to feel that they have achieved a high enough level of success that they do not have to pick up the phone. We have been looking for an upscale venue to host a small wedding party of 20, yet I am left with an impersonal, outgoing message with a reference to an E-MAIL address should I wish to inquire about events. There is an option to leave a message, however the voicemail is FULL. In short, we are not planning to spend what will be a considerable amount of money on a restaurant that can't be bothered to take our call. It's as simple as that. read more

I love the atmosphere of Intermezzo by Wine Cask. Gambas al ajillo is to die, Pizzas by far, the best in SB! We were there Friday evening and the place was hopping. Great energy. The staff was accommodating and John, the owner added a table, so that all three of us could seat, who does that anymore; very graceful service. It's my special place!! read more

4.5 stars. We came here for Christmas Eve dinner and had a really nice time. Good: - prompt service. We arrived a few minutes late for our 7pm reservation and were seated immediately right beside the Christmas tree, which was nice. Service was friendly from both servers and front staff. - prix fixe of $75 was very reasonable as was the rest of the menu - solid quality food and generous enough - good SB wine list -easy and free parking in the lot read more

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Nice environment, tasty food. Service can be better for this kind of restaurant. We were here for New Year celebration. A restaurant practically closed its doors at 11 pm, no countdown,no happy New Year. Being out of town and middle age it was kind of weird to do New Year count down on a street. read more

Wine Cask - Chocolate mousse was excellent! - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Amazing food in such an iconic Santa Barbara location! The dining room is classic and nostalgic while still being stunning and full of energy. The owner greeted us along with the hostess as we entered and he was quick to welcome us with nothing but smiles and warmth. The chef made his way over to our table at the end of our meal, and it all made sense. His young charismatic energy showed in his dishes and artistic plating style. Perfect experience from start to finish, and a perfect way to get a full Santa Barbara experience. read more

Wine Cask - Scallop Crudo - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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We had our wedding reception at Wine Cask and we could not be happier. Jenny and her staff are truly pros! Jenny Roberts was so responsive and pleasant to work with. I don't think there was anything they said "no" to during the planning or day of. Jackie Hastey was also great to work with. Jackie set up all our decor for us and was a great point of contact throughout the evening. Every detail was gorgeous! Wine Cask provided custom menus, beautiful place settings and elegant floral centerpieces. It helped my husband and I save a lot of extra money. Not to mention, every private area of that restaurant is stunning and needs minimal decor. The entire staff was amazing and we had a seamless event. Thank you to everyone at Wine Cask for giving us the most memorable wedding reception! read more

Really nice and knowledgeable staff. Not a huge wine drinker but my sever helped me find a really delicious glass of wine! read more

Wine Cask - Wine sampling's - New American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Lovely restaurant. Nice ambiance and I am obsessed with their ceiling! Very Santa Barbara. My only complaint would be there's some odd placement of tables and too many of them (we were tucked in a far corner and it felt awkward....thank goodness for all the mirrors). Service was friendly and on top of it, but not overbearing. Had a lovely bottle of wine recommended for us with our meal. As for the food, the lobster bisque is absolutely fabulous and deceptively filling! The food overall was lovely...yet something felt incomplete about the whole experience. Can't quite but my finger on it, but it was a lovely, place for a nice night with my husband. My one complaint was there was a table with several young guys wearing baseball caps...at dinner on a Saturday evening. In a sophisticated restaurant. It detracts from this. The restaurant should have said something. read more

Got to try this place thanks to a work event. Since we had around 40 people, we actually sat separately from the restaurant over at the Margerum Wine Company, which is the wine tasting room right next to the restaurant. We had a 3-course menu available with a couple of options to choose. I had - Oven Roasted Cauliflower: Very good! Liked the parmesan & capers with it. Finished it all! - Local Sea Bass: It was alright. There wasn't anything unique about it and the portion was actually pretty small IMO. I liked the chopped sweet potatoes that came with the dish. - Strawberry Mousse: This was my favorite part of the meal. I love anything with strawberry and the mousse & the gelato was deeelish! I also liked the free bread & butter they give you before your meals. We asked for a refill at least twice! I had a bite of their NY strip from a colleague's plate and it was nicely cooked to a medium-rare and the spinach was pretty good too. I regretted not getting the steak. The servers were very friendly and attentive. They knew a lot about the menu and the wines as well. It's too bad I don't drink so I couldn't try the different wines. My colleagues seemed to really like the Pinot Grigio. I wouldn't mind coming back here again if I'm in the area. read more

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We had our cocktail hour and wedding reception at the Wine Cask a few weeks ago and we could not be happier with how everything turned out! The staff was always so kind and helpful. The food was DELICIOUS!! All of our guests were raving about it. We rented the Courtyard and Tasting Room and had our cocktail hour in the Courtyard, and after dinner drinks/dancing. Our dinner was seated in the Tasting Room and perfect for our size of 55 guests. Everyone loved the vibe of the Courtyard, which was what we had fallen in love with too! The event manager, Jenny, was so nice and attentive! She had everything set up exactly as I had specified and was always quick to respond to any of my inquiries. We enjoyed the atmosphere, the food, and of course... the wine! We will definitely be making the Wine Cask a regular stop for us whenever we are in the Santa Barbara area! Would recommend to anyone in the area! read more

The Wine Cask was a wonderful spot for our first dinner out in Santa Barbara. It was a little hard to find the actual entrance to the place, but once we did, the interior was beautiful, the food delicious, the wine selection excellent; plus our waiter Christopher took great care of us. We started with the red beet gazpacho and some Vancouver oysters with a nice rose wine for my wife; a pinot grigio for me. Afterwards we moved on to scallops for my wife and the sea bass (for me). Everything was outstanding and eye-roll inducing; and just what we wanted. The only snafu was that our waiter disappeared for a bit too long after he had dropped off two tasters of pinot noir for me. When he eventually arrived, however, he made up for it with a huge pour for the wine I had chosen. It was enough to get me through dessert. Speaking of which, not much goes better with red wine than chocolate, so we opted to split the flourless chocolate pavè covered with cherry and port compote. (I don't know what a "pavè" is supposed to be, but it was sort of like a gooey brownie). It was so incredibly good we ate every crumb. Our waiter had also overheard us deliberating about the tokaji on the menu (a dessert wine from Hungary that my wife adores), and so he brought us a taste of that as well. Well played sir. Near the end of the meal our waiter chatted with us about our first visit to the SB area and made several recommendations for spots to see and places to go. We left sated, buzzed, happy and informed. A five star night. read more

The food is great, and artfully presented, and the chef has definitely done their work! My wife is a wine lover (I don't drink myself), and she loved the wine book (it's too long to call it a wine list). Now that I have that out of the way, here is what really made the place shine: Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. We felt like royalty - from our server to one of the owners. They were so happy to have us dine with them. Every staff person was very friendly. Aside from the great food, the fact that these people are so welcoming makes us want to come back. In a business, happy customers, happy employees, and happy vendors makes one successful. Keep up the good work! read more

Jaime & and the staff are amazing. The food is phenomenal! The seating is unbelievable & the wine was incredible! I highly recommend this! The owner & manager should be proud! The Chef or chefs or cooks are unbelievable! All the staff are unbelievable!!! It's about the people! read more

What has two thumbs and loved this restaurant? This guy!! I used this line a lot, but it is indeed on the list of my favorite fine dining i Santa Barbara. Service was amazing. Everything came out lightning quick for the type of food. Drinks were never empty. Server was like the goldie locks, wasn't gone too much, wasn't hovering around too much, it was....just right. The food never disappoints. They had risotto as an entree but let me order an appetizer of it instead, and told me about an off-menu risotto that was killer. I recently had "risotto" at another fine dining a week ago, and it was a total facade. This one was sooooo good it made up for the other place, and the whole tables first statement was "now that is a risotto!" The crispy chicken was perfect. Not overcooked or dry, and as chicken should be the entree was not too heavy. I rarely order chicken as most places have trouble cooking it just right, but not Wine Cask. Way to go. read more

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I recently attending a family private party here and loved it. I was so impressed with this place! The atmosphere is gorgeous, and the food is so good. The service was great and we had a wonderful time! They did a wonderful job for our event! Next time we are in Santa Barbara, I'm excited to try this restaurant for a normal dinner with my husband because we had such a great time. read more

We reserved the Margerum Tasting Room for our wedding reception dinner this past March, and our experience was wonderful! First, the presentation: I made my own centerpieces, favor boxes, name cards... basically, there was a whole lot of DIY with a whole lot of directions, all dropped off around 9 pm the night before the wedding. When Derek and I showed up to our reception, everything looked FLAWLESS! It was better than I ever could have imagined. We were greeted by a cocktail party of sorts; we did not request this, but it ended up being a nice addition to the evening and kept the guests entertained for an hour or so. Finally, the food: Our guests could literally NOT STOP raving about the wonderful meals they had at our wedding! Seventeen people - including Derek and I - ordered the New York strip from the limited menu... it was universally decided: to. die. for. Derek's father called a few weeks afterward to inquire about the red wine served at dinner - Margerum M5 - because he loved it so much, and my mother (who ordered the wild mushroom risotto) said it was probably the best wedding food she'd ever had. We also had our wedding cake made at the restaurant bakery, and it was equally delicious and popular: vanilla cake with white chocolate mousse, buttercream frosting, and shaved coconut. They even threw in a beautiful pink sugar rose that was just too beautiful to eat (though my flower girl did take a few nibbles! haha). Overall, we had a great experience. If I had to complain about one thing, it would be that the servers were just a tad too free-flowing with the wine refills... however, we had such a great time at our wedding reception and the food was so delicious that it was not a huge upset. We had never eaten at the Wine Cask prior to our wedding... now, we can't wait to go back!! read more

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So glad to see that this longtime and legendary restaurant has risen from the dead. It's divided into a formal dining room and a less formal cafe area. Because we were celebrating a special occasion, we were seated in the private events dining area and were allowed to select our own music on the soundsystem (even though other diners were in the same room). The food was excellent all-around and extremely reasonably priced. The drinks were excellent, too. But the standout was the service which was gracious, professional and beyond friendly. Highest recommendation for the cafe and the great servers who work there. read more

This place stole my heart the first time I saw it! My fiance originally wanted to take me here for our engagement dinner, but there was a wedding going on so we had a snack at the Intermezzo bar (just as delicious). The best part was seeing a wedding set up and I immediately thought, THIS IS THE PLACE! We went back in December to have the tasting menu with wine and we were just blown away that they would offer this type of food for a wedding. The staff was so attentive and Brandon was so knowledgeable about the wine and had a few laughs with him. We booked the Gold room for 60 guests and the manager Jennifer was such a pleasure to work with. My day of coordinator showed up at 10 am the day of the wedding and set everything up with the help of the staff. When I showed up the day of my wedding, it was everything I'd hoped for! The set up was exactly how I wanted it, the food was delicious, service was prompt and courteous, and the day of (manager?) Sarah was there at all times making sure everything was going smoothly and that I had everything I needed. I had my own centerpieces and candles but Wine Cask added more flowers and candles to make it seem like a romantic dinner party. I used their couches to create a relaxed atmosphere for people to go hang out over there and sort of be a dance floor. The wine was perfect and was flowing non stop! They even did my cake, which was beyond gorgeous and so yummy! I went along with the gold theme and kept my decor minor. The space is just so beautiful and classy on it's own. I can't wait to visit for my anniversary! read more

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One of the things I'll remember most about the Wine Cask is their bread service. Half of our party was obscenely late getting to dinner so we ended up consuming so much bread and butter waiting for them. Thankfully, the Wine Cask serves very good bread, hot out of the oven with a salty, chive butter. When you run out of bread, they actually have to put a new loaf in the oven so it takes awhile to get it. I don't know if it's baking from scratch or fully baked and being warmed but either way, it's a marvelous start to the meal. We had their Kurobota Pork Chop, which was thick cut and moist. It was served with a nutty and slightly crunchy forbidden rice, which was very addictive and a fruit compote. I ordered the scallops, which sounded amazing with a snap pea risotto, a seaweed salad, and a uni buerre blanc. The scallops were cooked perfectly but I wasn't a fan of the big angled slices of undercooked snap pea in the risotto and the sweet sauce that tasted more of orange juice than uni. I did sneak a bite of my friend's waygu strip, which had a delicious char and was beefy in flavor. For dessert, a number of us shared the warm brownie with chocolate sauce and vanilla icecream. The brownie is more of a large molten lava cake that is crispy at the edges and gooey in the center. It's quite rich so it was perfect for sharing. read more

I was here for a private reception after a wedding. If you decide to have a wedding at the court house, this place is perfect distance. The crab cake appetizers were really tasty. There was also chicken skewers with peanut sauce that was very tasty. This was what was served before we were able to dine. We had a nice preselected menu to choose from. I ordered a grilled squid salad and it was very delightful. Main course was Sirloin steak with creamy spinach and baby potatoes. The creamy spinach was out of this world and I feel it tasted better than the one served at House of Prime Rib in SF. The steak might have been filet mignon but I am not fully sure. It sure was shaped like it. There was a large selection of wine but the only thing I really like to drink are sweet wines. The Riesling they have is really tasty. Sweet and crisp that it was. The reason I knocked it down one star was because the bathroom was pretty small for the men and was a black toilet that seemed to have lots of liquid under the seat and on it. I know its not the restaurants fault if someone uses the bathroom correctly, but it would have been nice if they did routine check ups and clean it every hour or so. Other then the bathroom issue, I feel this place is wonderful to have dinner at. It is great for groups or for a couple having a romantic dinner. The whole place inside and out is beautiful. read more

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This update is for the Bar/Cafe only, the space that was formerly Intermezzo. http://www.winecask.com/bar-cafe/bar-cafe-menu/ It has different service hours and a different menu to the proper Wine Cask restaurant. Maybe I'll make a new business entry for the Bar/Cafe, maybe I won't. I'll see how I'm feeling at the end of this review. Most of Santa Barbara, wishful for the nostalgic good old days, have been eagerly awaiting the reopening of the Wine Cask under its original ownership. The wine portion is original ownership, but the food/dining portion is now run by the fellow who does bouchon and seagrass, both higher-end restaurants in town that have garnered many 5 star reviews, except when someone's expecting free rose petals strewn at their feet and water refills on the minute, then it's like 1 star or something. But I digress. I'm part of the crowd that was happy that the Wine Cask as reopened, although I really couldn't care about the eucalyptus tree. Bloody invasive plants they are. Everyone in the business lunch group was eager to give the bar/cafe a try, as we'd all been missing the casual lunches of good food. Gone is the heyday when a glass of wine came with the meal but I've heard a rumor that it's coming back. The Bar/Cafe has long open hours, 11am - 11pm, if I remember correctly, with a simple menu of good quality munchies, ranging from flatbreads and salads, to burgers and mussels. And a handful of delicious desserts. At this time, there is nothing on the menu over $15, and those bigger ticket items are things like duck confit and cheese and charcuterie plates. This gang tried one of every flatbread, and I would be hard-pressed to pick one of them as a favorite, they are were all good in their own ways. The duck confit was decadent, while the mozzarella, tomato and basil pesto was pure and simple tasting. Most people who ordered burgers or sandwiches were only able to eat half, and this included the dudes. I got the misto frito: crispy lemons, calamari, anchovies and sauce gribiche. Sounds fancy, huh? If you didn't know better, you might call it fish and chips, but with breaded and fried lemons instead of the chips. I also got a side of roasted beets with goat cheese and pistachio, and loved that. Mmm, the beet goes on. A handful of us shared the butterscotch pudding and shortbread cookie, and it is good to share as it is very rich. Not crack-your-teeth-because-there-is-so-much-sugar rich, but a deep flavorful rich. Not rich on the bill either, it was just $6. One additional item to note: many of the fizzy beverages available are the Fevertree brand. Like tonic water, and ginger ale. Fevertree is sweetened with cane sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. Kudos for that. Lots of photos uploaded. read more

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