Wednesday, July 04, 2007

The Hungry Cat in Santa Barbara

Last time we were down in Santa Barbara me and Anki, my cousin who lives there, went out to dinner at The Hungry Cat. They specialize in handcrafted cocktails, and a seafood and raw bar menu. We had been there once before for a short stop to try a drink and appetizer. We were really impressed by the hand crafted drinks and the fresh seafood and decided to soon come back for dinner. So said and done, here we were again.

We started with sharing the Tuna Tartare ($14) that consisted of fresh tuna, cilantro, preserved lemon peel, olives, black pepper and a side of water crass, red onion and flaky crackers. Super fresh, light and delicious!
I had the Scallop with Braised Oxtail topped with Almond, Italian Parsley, surrounded by Red Wine Poached Cauliflower in a Curry Beef Broth ($24). The scallop was incredibly fresh and tender and all the other ingredients worked in perfect harmony with it. A new take on scallop that work out very well.
Anki had the Home Made Papardelle with Spring Onion, Pancetta, and Morel Mushrooms ($16). The fresh, handmade pasta, cooked perfectly, were a perfect match with the smokey pancetta and the earthy morel mushrooms. A beautiful, tasty, and satisfying dish.

For dessert we shared the one and only dessert that was featured (they have one dessert per night), a Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding with Bruleed Topping. So soft and flavorful with a torched sugar crisp top and decadent liquid chocolate on the bottom of the dish. A perfect ending to our meal.

At The Hungry Cat they serve up high quality fresh food with, to a certain level, unexpectedly paired ingredients, that always seem to hit the spot. I will for sure be back here soon to enjoy another great meal at a very decent price.


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