It’s a Local Thing: The Hamptons and Montecito: A Culinary Love Affair

Michelin star or not, Montecito and The Hamptons share riviera and foodie status.

On the map, they’re opposites, split by a 3,000-mile expanse. But Montecito and The Hamptons – both aspirational coastal enclaves – mirror each other in special ways, from idyllic weather and the bon vivant lifestyle they both promote, to the sophisticated travelers who flock to their shores. Each region, after all, is a (sometimes) easy drive away from the two largest cosmopolitan epicenters in the United States, and that certainly helps to keep the experiential bar high.

But it’s what’s on the plate – the food culture in these stylish hamlets – that truly illustrates a fascinating connection between Montecito and the Hamptons. The dining scenes in both locales are as enticing as they are world-class, and they’re fervently rooted in what’s regional and what’s in-season.

“The Hamptons are surrounded by the bounty from the Atlantic Ocean and bays as well as a storied history of farming,” says Hamptons resident Suellen Tunney, a wine consultant who works closely with various area eateries to craft wine lists that match their provincially inspired menus.

In The Hamptons, high-end restaurants “highlight the local produce and support nonprofit programs that are growing organic produce, supporting an ecosystem of sea life, and, in turn, manifesting a group of growers who are making farming a lifelong career on the East End,” Tunney continues. “High-quality farms also attract and maintain a high caliber of chefs and restaurateurs who want to work with these products and the people behind them.”

This very premise, in truth, has given birth to plenty of must-see TV. Ina Garten, for one, has made farms and gourmet shops – and the creative people behind them – veritable costars of her successful Barefoot Contessa show, the glossy tribute to The Hamptons that, after 21 years, remains the Food Network’s longest-running daytime show. Other celeb chefs like Bobby Flay, Geoffrey Zakarian, and Sandra Lee either live in The Hamptons or else habitually frequent its beaches and businesses, further seasoning the chic community’s culinary mystique.

Here, seasonality reigns supreme. “With farm stands on nearly every corner, it’s expected that restaurants maintain a seasonal menu,” adds Tunney. And the restaurants that embrace and promote this calendar-driven priority benefit. In East Hampton, Nick & Toni’s has drawn an international clientele and a who’s who of celebrity diners since 1988. The storybook Tuscan farmhouse setting here is buoyed by mindful attention to what’s local and in season, and long-standing relationships with neighbor purveyors that generate simple but delicious dishes like wood-roasted local wild oysters, wild mushroom ragout, and rotating pastas and pizzas. Other perennial favorites with the same type of regional focus here include 1770 House, also in East Hampton, and The Beacon and The American Hotel, both in Sag Harbor. 

On the other coast, cradled by rugged mountains and the sparkling Pacific, and flanked by a thriving wine region, the best kitchens in Montecito echo the East Coast riviera sentiment. “Our menu is entirely built on Mother Nature’s will,” says Massimo Falsini, the award-winning executive chef at glammy Caruso’s, the flagship restaurant at the five-star Rosewood Miramar Beach. “At times, we have ingredients that are available for a couple of weeks or even a one-off from a micro farm. We always take the opportunity to find room in our dishes for what is in season. In my opinion,” he adds, “this is the only way to deliver the experience.”

That experience, delivered oceanside, is a prix fixe gourmet menu that evolves weekly. It’s such an elevated experience, and so focused on the land and sea around it, Caruso’s earned a Michelin star last year – one of only 89 California restaurants to do so. In addition, Caruso’s was one of only 11 in the state to get the Michelin Green Star for its commitment to sustainability.

That may be one thing that Montecito has up on its posh counterpart back east: Michelin recognition. Interestingly, to date, it’s eluded The Hamptons. In Montecito, on the other hand, it’s surging, especially with the recent announcement that Thomas Keller is taking over food and beverage operations at the historic Coral Casino. The renowned chef, the man behind hotspots like The French Laundry in Napa and Per Se in Manhattan, has demonstrated that Michelin stars are within his grasp: he’s got seven. That type of pedigree is befitting of “the Coral Casino’s storied legacy,” says the property’s owner, Ty Warner. Keller is, he adds, “the final piece that will cement the Coral Casino as the most unique and coveted private beach club in the nation.

Shuttered since March 2020, the Butterfly Beach haven is rumored to be in line for a 2023 reopening, at which time Tydes, one of five culinary concepts onsite, will be accessible to the public for the first time ever.

Indeed, beyond Montecito, the Michelin Guide has been helping to feed an upgraded dining experience across Santa Barbara County in just the last couple of years. 

In wine country, in the historic town of Los Alamos, Bell’s, which doles out French-inspired plates by chef Daisy Ryan (an alum from the New York City dining scene), was one of two local restaurants to earn a Michelin star in 2021 – a first for the county.

The other one was Sushi l Bar in Montecito, a recognition of the impressive dining experiences that chef Phillip Frankland Lee and his wife, pastry chef Margarita Kallas-Lee, have been conceptualizing together in other destinations like Los Angeles and Austin since 2012.

Both eateries earned their stars anew in 2022, when other Montecito faves earn Michelin recommendations, including AMA Sushi, also at the Rosewood Miramar, which the guide applauds for its “rich New Zealand king salmon and kamasu, a Japanese barracuda finished with a red chili paste.”

And Bettina, whose pies are described by the guide as “a pizza-powered love affair to the West Coast,” earned a Bib Gourmand – an accolade that Michelin doles out for cooking that is “recognizable and easy-to-eat” and served at “a reasonable price.” Just when you thought there was no such thing as value in Montecito…

And of course there’s The Stonehouse, the dining spot of record at the world-famous San Ysidro Ranch. Here, Executive Chef Matthew Johnson’s success may also hinge on prioritizing what’s regional. “Dishes made with local ingredients that are emblematic of Santa Barbara’s coastal ranch lifestyle are an integral part of the dining experience we provide here,” he says. “In our kitchen, we follow hyper-local regional cooking rules, with many of our herbs, fruits, and veggies harvested from our garden and onsite citrus groves.” He continues, “In addition, we have long-standing relationships with local farmers and growers, which not only reduces our carbon footprint, but ensures a certain caliber of unwavering quality as we understand their farming practices.”

In neighboring Santa Barbara, 10 restaurants are recommended in the latest Michelin Guide, with four also earning Bib Gourmand nods – well-known spots like The Lark, Loquita, Bibi Ji, Corazon Cocina, and Barbareño. And in the nearby Santa Ynez Valley, Michelin recommendations went to four eateries, including Bar Le Côte in Los Olivos, also helmed by chef Ryan, and peasants FEAST in Solvang.

Back in The Hamptons, the elusive nature of Michelin stars – a conundrum of sorts, certainly – hasn’t kept the well-heeled gastro-curious away. And that continues to inspire fresh new culinary ventures. In Westhampton, Ivy on Main opened last year and is “right on point,” cheers Tunney, with its “seasonal, exciting, and creative menu.” And Maverick’s Montauk, a lakeside steakhouse that’s already generating buzz, opened in spring of this year.