The Little Dom’s Crew Opens Bar Lou, a Vibey New Montecito Restaurant | Eater LA

"The partners behind Little Dom’s expanded their Santa Barbara County footprint in October, with Warner Ebbink and chef Brandon Boudet — who have run Little Dom’s in Los Feliz for 16 years and opened Little Dom’s Seafood in Carpinteria in 2020 — taking a thoughtful detour from their mostly casual Italian menu into a full-on coastal approach that reads like a restaurant in the south of France. They had no intentions of opening another room but the opportunity arrived when the previous tenant, Oliver’s, closed in April 2024; the duo spent four months reworking the space and are also preparing to be part of the ambitious Ojai hotel project El Roblar, due to open in 2025. Ebbink is quoted saying, “We knew that if we ever got the opportunity to open something in Montecito, we would definitely consider it. It’s arguably the best location on Coast Village Road with the nicest patio. It really reminds us of Dominick’s.” The team leans on established relationships with local purveyors including Wild Local Seafood Co. and Oat Bakery, and the menu mixes small plates — roasted carrots, crab cakes, meat-and-cheese platters — with signature items such as a smoked black cod smörrebrød sandwich layered with dill pollen crème fraîche, potato, and pickled fennel; larger plates include spaghettini with Santa Barbara sea urchin and a steak au poivre with fries. Chef Boudet also created the beverage program, which brings selections from every major wine region with a particular emphasis on Santa Barbara County and Central Coast vintners; beers rotate on tap, and boozy classic cocktails use local ingredients where possible, exemplified by a Guillotine made with bourbon, allspice dram, Genepi, and fresh lemon. The space — reimagined with Isabelle Dahlin Design and Mahte Design into four dining rooms — doubles capacity to 135 seats, most on a tree-lined patio with a fireplace, and offers a direct view of a 12-seat custom marble bar separated by a big sliding bronze door; familiar Little Dom’s touches include French oak flooring, leather booths, and vintage oil paintings of dogs and flea-market finds from Los Angeles lining the walls. The broader Montecito context underscores the neighborhood’s luxe character — an average home price of $6,550,000 (Redfin), celebrity residents, high-end hotels such as Montecito Beach House and San Ysidro Ranch with rooms well over $1,000 per night, and nearby reservations-only dining culture — and the operation is open daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m." - Mona Holmes