I was visiting friends in Santa Barbara and looking forward to this dinner. My friend secured the reservation as soon as it became available. It was worth the effort. We sat outside on a beautiful evening and had a delicious dinner. I had never tried uni before and was apprehensive, but I paired it with the caviar and found it delicious. The salad was excellent - fantastic date vinaigrette and then had the tomato tart. Excellent. I didnt want it to end!! Had the steak frites main - yum, and the chocolate dessert. All excellent. Did not drink but the wine list was comprehensive with many options at various price points. I really liked this place, found the service great, and the location charming. Would recommend if in the area..
drastler
I was told about this place from my family who know the chef. We stopped here on the way to Palm Springs. It is a small, cute and cozy restaurant with a polished fine dinning menu. Very casual with attentive service. All the plates were delicous. This is a splurge dinner and worth the experience. I would like to try lunch when I am back in the area.
Mamjensen
We had a very enjoyable dinner here. Our server Lindsey did a fantastic job of taking care of us. She provided good information about each of the dishes. The food was outstanding. It was a fixed price dinner and was a good value. We had an excellent experience here. Thumbs up!
angelanorrissocial
Unfortunately our meal at Bells, Los Alamos was a disappointment, although our waiter did a good job. Perhaps it is because we had such high expectations that we both came away extremely underwhelmed. The dishes didn’t meet expectations in creativity, nor flavour intensity and complementary ingredients. We found the dishes to be bland and, in the case of the desserts, very uninspiring. I wish I had more positive feedback, we were really looking forward to our visit.
mediatica
We went to Bell's for a birthday dinner. Start to finish we had a great night. The service was excellent, very informative and helpful, and they gave us plenty of time to enjoy each course. The food was amazing. Thank you for the memorable, enjoyable experience!
Bestlittledog
Had the tasting dinner. Delicious food, great service, great ambiance. Can't recommend highly enough.
chrissI6403OJ
Expected so much more from a Michelin. Visited with husband, daughter and granddaughter. Place is family friendly. Chicken liver pâté was good. We had a mix up with order, so received moules instead of poulet. Problem was dealt with professionally and was told to eat the moules, for which we would not be charged. Unfortunately this meant that husband and daughter were well into their steaks before my meal was rectified. Moules were large but saffron sauce while good on saffron, tasted as if the water used in the jus was slightly off, and fries were over- salted. Steaks ( they were not asked how they liked them) were reported as too overdone on outside. Chicken came and ‘roast potato’ with it was slithers of very cold potato. My husband makes better ‘roast potatoes’. Chicken itself was overdone and acidic ( too many capers perhaps). I had lost appetite by then and the experience had spoiled what should have been a happy family occasion. They did not charge for chicken in the end because I had left 3/4 of it. Great on dealing with issues but the issues should not have arisen in a Michelin.
W7025OVmaggies
We ate lunch at Bell's as we were heading up to Paso Robles for a few days. We stopped again on our homeward trip for a second opportunity to have another meal there. The food was delish, the staff was superior, the setting is rustic and comfortable. Even the weather was perfect. I highly recommend this restaurant. We ate inside for our first lunch and on the back patio (which has large sail-type protection from the sun (very airy) for our second lunch. Wow!!!
Greg S
Unfortunately our lunch did not meet our expectations. The food was very ordinary and overpriced in my opinion. Service was good, but a 20% Mandatory service charge is added to the bill that is already too high for what you are getting.
Ann S
We had my birthday lunch there. We sat outside on a tree-shaded patio and enjoyed their famous egg salad sandwich (which sounds plebeian but in fact is amazing - try it!) and a wonderful salad bowl with perfectly medium-rare steak. There are unusual (local) wines by the glass - always a hallmark of a good restaurant that cares about not only its patrons but also supports local vineyards. I had a glass of Metrick, which is a single grape mourvèdre, and we purchased a bottle of it to take home. Desserts offered were their Gateau Breton and a bitter chocolate sandwich cookie. Service was perfect, and our server was knowledgeable about the local wines and history of the vineyards. It was a memorable occasion and I hope to return before too long!
The absolute best Steak Tartar I have ever had! The weather was great and it was beautiful and relaxing to sit outside.
c_mOhr_11
Went for lunch and was completely blown away at the whole experience. Lunch is more of a bistro menu with some recognizable items kicked up a notch (or two) and some very unique offerings. We started with tinned Sardines and home made Saltines…oh my what a surprise with exquisite sardines from Spain that we couldn’t stop eating. For our main dishes I got the mussels in wine/butter and seasoned fries that were up there with the best I have eaten. My husband got their iconic egg salad sandwich that had large pieces of eggs (not your typical egg salad) and he loved it. Service was incredible, our server Chris was a gem and recommended the perfect wine to compliment my mussels. 1 app+2 entrees+1 glass wine+ cappucino+tip for approx $100…what a great value for a Michelin star restaurant and an experience we will never forget! Tip: We sat at the bar and watched all the food being prepared and we got to talk to Greg, the co-owner, and learned a lot about how he started this restaurant
hleshaw
Last night we ate at Bells Restaurant in Los Alamos. Reservations are a must and while we missed the window, a last minute email got a group of 4 a 5PM reservation. We readily accepted and no disappointment followed. Our 5 course dinner at $75 was superb. On the night we dined there, we feasted on sea urchin, locally caught, beautiful green and red salad greens, egg and mushroom en croute, lovely prepared salmon center cut, pink and topped with roe. This followed a sponge cake w chantilly cream or gateau de Breton. We paired with Dragonette Chardonnay and Storm Pinot noir. All in all an amazing dining experience and worthy of Michelin recognition. The staff was wonderful and our waiter took pains to explain every item offered thereby facilitating easy choices to make from the menu. The owner, Greg came over to introduce himself and like his restaurant was charming and welcoming. A great place to enjoy a delicious meal
mflickermd
A wonderful inventive meal. There were many choices within the prix fixe menu. They even printed a special menu to honor my birthday. We enjoyed it so much we went back for brunch the following day.
James K
Good news. Reservation honored on time. Drinks order taken promptly and fulfilled (half price wine over $60 on Mondays), waitress very confident of wine descriptions, fixed prices menu explained and decision points explained, and courses served quickly, excellent flavors. Areas to improve. Service felt rushed, plates and implements removed almost as soon as anyone completed a plate leaving table mates scrambling to finish the course. Food excellently presented in a tasting mode. However scallop courses had cold scallops on an intended hot item. Mains were uniformly warm not hot. Beef coquette stunning sauce, very peppery as advertised but chewy and hard to cut. Riscotti got rave reviews with floral carved cheese topping. Desserts uniformly disappointing— gutere cake dry, shortcake with cream filling also dry with over salted filling. Are we being picky? Damn right. For a restaurant we waited almost two months to enjoy, we expected better. No shortage of takers as we were rushed out the door after two hours. Plates picked up, everything cleared and next seating waiting. Perhaps a note on the reservation of their expectation and we would not have ordered a second bottle of wine to enjoy our friends.
I was visiting friends in Santa Barbara and looking forward to this dinner. My friend secured the reservation as soon as it became available. It was worth the effort. We sat outside on a beautiful evening and had a delicious dinner. I had never tried uni before and was apprehensive, but I paired it with the caviar and found it delicious. The salad was excellent - fantastic date vinaigrette and then had the tomato tart. Excellent. I didnt want it to end!! Had the steak frites main - yum, and the chocolate dessert. All excellent. Did not drink but the wine list was comprehensive with many options at various price points. I really liked this place, found the service great, and the location charming. Would recommend if in the area..
I was told about this place from my family who know the chef. We stopped here on the way to Palm Springs. It is a small, cute and cozy restaurant with a polished fine dinning menu. Very casual with attentive service. All the plates were delicous. This is a splurge dinner and worth the experience. I would like to try lunch when I am back in the area.
We had a very enjoyable dinner here. Our server Lindsey did a fantastic job of taking care of us. She provided good information about each of the dishes. The food was outstanding. It was a fixed price dinner and was a good value. We had an excellent experience here. Thumbs up!
Unfortunately our meal at Bells, Los Alamos was a disappointment, although our waiter did a good job. Perhaps it is because we had such high expectations that we both came away extremely underwhelmed. The dishes didn’t meet expectations in creativity, nor flavour intensity and complementary ingredients. We found the dishes to be bland and, in the case of the desserts, very uninspiring. I wish I had more positive feedback, we were really looking forward to our visit.
We went to Bell's for a birthday dinner. Start to finish we had a great night. The service was excellent, very informative and helpful, and they gave us plenty of time to enjoy each course. The food was amazing. Thank you for the memorable, enjoyable experience!
Had the tasting dinner. Delicious food, great service, great ambiance. Can't recommend highly enough.
Expected so much more from a Michelin. Visited with husband, daughter and granddaughter. Place is family friendly. Chicken liver pâté was good. We had a mix up with order, so received moules instead of poulet. Problem was dealt with professionally and was told to eat the moules, for which we would not be charged. Unfortunately this meant that husband and daughter were well into their steaks before my meal was rectified. Moules were large but saffron sauce while good on saffron, tasted as if the water used in the jus was slightly off, and fries were over- salted. Steaks ( they were not asked how they liked them) were reported as too overdone on outside. Chicken came and ‘roast potato’ with it was slithers of very cold potato. My husband makes better ‘roast potatoes’. Chicken itself was overdone and acidic ( too many capers perhaps). I had lost appetite by then and the experience had spoiled what should have been a happy family occasion. They did not charge for chicken in the end because I had left 3/4 of it. Great on dealing with issues but the issues should not have arisen in a Michelin.
We ate lunch at Bell's as we were heading up to Paso Robles for a few days. We stopped again on our homeward trip for a second opportunity to have another meal there. The food was delish, the staff was superior, the setting is rustic and comfortable. Even the weather was perfect. I highly recommend this restaurant. We ate inside for our first lunch and on the back patio (which has large sail-type protection from the sun (very airy) for our second lunch. Wow!!!
Unfortunately our lunch did not meet our expectations. The food was very ordinary and overpriced in my opinion. Service was good, but a 20% Mandatory service charge is added to the bill that is already too high for what you are getting.
We had my birthday lunch there. We sat outside on a tree-shaded patio and enjoyed their famous egg salad sandwich (which sounds plebeian but in fact is amazing - try it!) and a wonderful salad bowl with perfectly medium-rare steak. There are unusual (local) wines by the glass - always a hallmark of a good restaurant that cares about not only its patrons but also supports local vineyards. I had a glass of Metrick, which is a single grape mourvèdre, and we purchased a bottle of it to take home. Desserts offered were their Gateau Breton and a bitter chocolate sandwich cookie. Service was perfect, and our server was knowledgeable about the local wines and history of the vineyards. It was a memorable occasion and I hope to return before too long!
Restaurantji Recommends
The absolute best Steak Tartar I have ever had! The weather was great and it was beautiful and relaxing to sit outside.
Went for lunch and was completely blown away at the whole experience. Lunch is more of a bistro menu with some recognizable items kicked up a notch (or two) and some very unique offerings. We started with tinned Sardines and home made Saltines…oh my what a surprise with exquisite sardines from Spain that we couldn’t stop eating. For our main dishes I got the mussels in wine/butter and seasoned fries that were up there with the best I have eaten. My husband got their iconic egg salad sandwich that had large pieces of eggs (not your typical egg salad) and he loved it. Service was incredible, our server Chris was a gem and recommended the perfect wine to compliment my mussels. 1 app+2 entrees+1 glass wine+ cappucino+tip for approx $100…what a great value for a Michelin star restaurant and an experience we will never forget! Tip: We sat at the bar and watched all the food being prepared and we got to talk to Greg, the co-owner, and learned a lot about how he started this restaurant
Last night we ate at Bells Restaurant in Los Alamos. Reservations are a must and while we missed the window, a last minute email got a group of 4 a 5PM reservation. We readily accepted and no disappointment followed. Our 5 course dinner at $75 was superb. On the night we dined there, we feasted on sea urchin, locally caught, beautiful green and red salad greens, egg and mushroom en croute, lovely prepared salmon center cut, pink and topped with roe. This followed a sponge cake w chantilly cream or gateau de Breton. We paired with Dragonette Chardonnay and Storm Pinot noir. All in all an amazing dining experience and worthy of Michelin recognition. The staff was wonderful and our waiter took pains to explain every item offered thereby facilitating easy choices to make from the menu. The owner, Greg came over to introduce himself and like his restaurant was charming and welcoming. A great place to enjoy a delicious meal
A wonderful inventive meal. There were many choices within the prix fixe menu. They even printed a special menu to honor my birthday. We enjoyed it so much we went back for brunch the following day.
Good news. Reservation honored on time. Drinks order taken promptly and fulfilled (half price wine over $60 on Mondays), waitress very confident of wine descriptions, fixed prices menu explained and decision points explained, and courses served quickly, excellent flavors. Areas to improve. Service felt rushed, plates and implements removed almost as soon as anyone completed a plate leaving table mates scrambling to finish the course. Food excellently presented in a tasting mode. However scallop courses had cold scallops on an intended hot item. Mains were uniformly warm not hot. Beef coquette stunning sauce, very peppery as advertised but chewy and hard to cut. Riscotti got rave reviews with floral carved cheese topping. Desserts uniformly disappointing— gutere cake dry, shortcake with cream filling also dry with over salted filling. Are we being picky? Damn right. For a restaurant we waited almost two months to enjoy, we expected better. No shortage of takers as we were rushed out the door after two hours. Plates picked up, everything cleared and next seating waiting. Perhaps a note on the reservation of their expectation and we would not have ordered a second bottle of wine to enjoy our friends.
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