Road Trip - Bar le Cote (Los Olivos)

After spending the evening in Monterey Park and having dinner a Mandarin Noodle House we headed up to our destination. We'd be spending the night in Buellton with reservations for lunch the next day at one of our favorite restaurants in the area, Bell's. Of course we couldn't check in until 3pm, so we needed a a place to pass the time and also for some lunch.

We had always enjoyed Los Olivos; we had enjoyed our first lunch there back in 2018 at the now defunct The Bear and Star and had always enjoyed strolling and shopping the town. Even though our last meal there at Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe was just passable, we love the vibe of the town. We'd gladly stay there except that hotel and AirBnB prices there are way too expensive for us! Thus, we'd be staying in Buellton.

I had read that the owners of Bell's were now co-owners of a Seafood forward restaurant named Bar le Cote in Los Olivos and it seemed like a nice lunch and shopping stop for us. So, I made reservations for a nice Thursday lunch. The place opens at noon, and we got into town a bit early, which gave us some time to do a bit of shopping.

The Missus loved this shop.

It might have been this that drew Her in.

Avec Moi Decor
2906 Grand Ave.
Los Olivos, CA 93441

The shops kept us occupied until the clock struck noon and we walked over to the cottage which housed the self-described "Seafood Tavern".

We waited a bit to be noticed and when the rather abrupt hostess came over, we chose to eat al fresco since it was such a nice day.

The woman Serving us was very professional and nice.

We ordered a couple of dishes I'd read about and since I was a fan of the beef tartare at Bell's, we ordered that as well.

First up was the Peel & Eat Shrimp ($18).

We found the "BLC spice" a bit on the saltier side which nullified the flavor of the shrimp. The shrimp were also over-cooked and rubbery. In this case adding the cocktail sauce or the aioli just further distracted one from the shrimp.

The dry aged Yellowtail Crudo ($24) had a wonderful, firm, yet almost cheese like texture and the flavor was quite mild.

We enjoyed the acidity from the lemon vinaigrette as well.

Next up, the beef tartare ($28).

    The fried oysters were an interesting touch, I guess it was there to replace the usual egg yolk, and of course BLC is a seafood based restaurant. but we didn't care for the fishiness it added to the beef which was almost mushy. The horseradish cream was excellent; adding the palate and nasal cleansing pungency to things. It seems like everything was minced too finely. The fries were crisp and lightly dusted with what seemed to be the "BLC Spice". In this instance it seemed to work fairly well.

Last up was the Crispy Skin Branzino ($34).

This was the best item of the day; the skin was very crisp, yet light, with a briny edge. The flesh of the fish was tender, moist, with a hint of oceany sweetness. The charred lemon added a smoky-citrusy-sweetness. The Romesco Sauce was fine, but not needed. The greens were crisp and fresh.

Overall, an inconsistent meal which ran over a hundred, plus an automatic 20% (which we have no problem with) was not quite what we expected. I don't think we'll return. Which is too bad since we'd enjoyed Bell's so much.

Bar Le Côte
2375 Alamo Pintado Ave.
Los Olivos, CA 93441

Then it was time to head on over to Buellton.

Thanks for stopping by!

Comments

[Soo]

At least the Crispy Skin Branzino was good.

[kat]

bummer

[Kirk]

At least Soo.....

It was Kat!