

5

"Recently opened as a wine and beer bar that rounds out the Ryans’ Santa Ynez Valley holdings, The Other Room (a collaboration with Valley Brewers and the BackRoom) keeps regular hours Friday through Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.; I found its beverage program curated by longtime Bell’s and Bar Le Côte beverage director Emily Blackman thoughtful, with three wines by the glass currently listed (a Jura, a rosé from Lebanon, and a South African Grenache blanc), esoteric, hard-to-find bottles for tasting-room service or to-go, and California craft beers such as There Does Not Exist’s “60 Days in Hell” Helles-style lager and Russian River’s “Pliny The Elder” West Coast double IPA, while a more robust retail selection and drink-friendly snacks like tinned fish and pickled foods are reported to be in the works." - Karen Palmer