Solvang Restaurants - Root 246 by Bradley Ogden in Santa Barbara's Wine Country
An inventive menu of farm to table ingredients, an extensive wine list, a celebrity chef, and a creative, upscale ambiance made for a fabulous dining experience at one of Solvang's best restaurants, Root 246 (formerly Meadows).
It's always a pleasure to stumble upon a wonderful restaurant, even more so when you don't expect it. Root 246 in Solvang was exactly that in the heart of Santa Barbara's wine country.
Our original intent was to enjoy a glass of wine at a bar after our drive from San Francisco. We spied Root 246 while walking around Solvang and decided to check them out. It went uphill from there.
We had a drink at the bar and had a great conversation with Frank Mejia, the Food and Beverage Manager. Frank treated us to a tour of the restaurant including their main dining room, the VIP dining area, and the kitchen (which includes table seating for up to 6 to enjoy behind the scenes action. Root 246 prides itself on freshness, which means there is no need for freezers...except small ones for their ice cream!
The dinner menu (which changes nightly) and environment were so appealing we just decided to stay on for dinner. The weather was beautiful so sitting outside was a must. The service was efficient and friendly, and our dinner a delight. We couldn't resist dessert (their pastry chef is French) but opted to take it home because we were stuffed. My onyl real comment about the menu itself is that it was more limited than one might expect or hope for, but there was quite a variety in pricing - nothing worse than a menu where EVERYTHING is sky high in price. I would have liked to have seen more seafood, being a lover of that sort of thing.
All in all Root 246 was a terrific dining experience from start to finish - I would go back in a heart beat - too bad it's not a simple commute from my home. If you are seeking a top Solvang restaurant, indeed one in the whole Santa Barbara wine country, Root 246 comes out on top.
CHEERS!!!
Root 246 (owned by the Santa Ynez Band of the Chumash Indians and created by Bradley Ogden) is located at 400 Alisal Road (a block south of the main road/Route 246) in the heart of Solvang just 5 minutes east of the 101 and 30 minutes from Santa Barbara,
Contact them for information and reservations at 805-688-9003.
Comments (6)Subscribe to CommentsComment