The Hungry Cat

The one star. Does not reflect the taste or quality of the food, but portions gave new meaning to the word "small". Prices are expensive, compared to Seagrass that beats this hands down. Service was pleasant but snail paced. This is more of a specialty drink and small plate place. Noisy and close tables.

Amazing food, service and atmosphere. Servers and management went above and beyond to please us. We ate several meals here on our recent visit to Santa Barbara and were pleased with all of them.

Wonderful! The initial noise level at 8:00 was overwhelming. My friends and I were there are on a Thursday night and the noise level and intimate atmosphere of the place softened about an hour later. It was awesome to have an extremely  knowledgeable waiter who also mixed our drinks and was always attentive. I forgot the name of the drink I ordered (something "On the Floor" or such) which was an inspired adaptation of a Manhattan but much better. We shared a mixed baby green salad that was perfectly fresh and exquisitely dressed (lemon juice replacing the balsamic). For the entree I had the black cod which was possibly the most luscious preparation of fish I've ever had. Hard to describe but I highly recommend it. There were lots of oos and ahhs and smiles of delight from the other nearby tables that confirmed that the chef here is genuinely gifted. The chocolate bread pudding dessert was almost a spiritual experience. It's very hard to believe the negative reviews about this rare gem of a restaurant. I'd go back in a heart-beat. One of the best meals I've ever had and will always go there when I'm back in Santa Barbara.