JEANNINE’S RESTAURANT & BAKERY
ADDRESS: 1 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
WEBSITE: https://jeannines.com/
On the following morning during our stay in the Santa Barbara area, my girlfriend Cami and I were looking around to catch some lunch before we made our way over to the zoo. As it turns out, Jeannine’s Restaurant was within a short distance from where we were staying, and the reviews on the place looked really great.
After checking out of our hotel, we parked the car at an open spot near the beach on West Cabrillo Boulevard before walking the rest of the way to the restaurant. We got there a little after 11:30AM, and there was a really solid line out the door and down the block. But from what we could tell, the line was moving pretty steadily as the restaurant was able to manage the crowd. It was only about a 30 – 40 minute wait in total before we got inside and to the counter to order our food.
With ordering your food at the counter instead of having waitstaff take orders table-side, I thought that was a smarter move to help speed up the process and keep things flowing. The woman at the register who helped take our order was pretty friendly; after all the time spent in line, we had plenty of time to study the menu to know what we wanted. Even though it was lunchtime, both Cami and I were leaning towards the breakfast options, and we decided to share the Challah French Toast along with the Tri-Tip Benedict.
In addition to the French toast and eggs benedict options, there were plenty of other things featured on the menu as well: pancakes, waffles, breakfast burritos, quesadillas, omelettes, and sandwiches, just to name a select majority. You’d be hard-pressed to not find something you’d like to order amongst the different options available. Once we got our order number placard, we found a table at the outside dining patio that was over in a more quieter section of the area.
I have to give the kitchen credit that they were able to continuously crank out all of the food to what was likely over 140 diners seated at once. For our two plates of food, we only ended up waiting about 20 minutes in total, which was more than reasonable. Visually, the one thing that did stand out on my benedict dish was that there was a rather heavy hand with the Hollandaise sauce over the top, since a good bit of it had pooled up at the bottom of the dish. But that aside, Cami and I were both eager to get started eating.
Tri-tip, for me, can be a bit hit or miss at times, because sometimes I find the beef too well done and it ends up being more on the chewy side. In this case, it skirted the line a little bit, but the Hollandaise was able to mask some of that with providing that extra moisture to the beef. The English muffin was toasted real well, and the poach on the egg was done perfectly, with runny yolk flowing down as I cut into it. I think I actually may have enjoyed the potatoes slightly more than the benedict itself, with the pieces cooked where they get crispy on the edges but remain softer on the inside. Given that the tri-tip was right on the edge of being on the chewy side, I think I’d probably go for a different benedict option, if I were to do it again.
The thick-cut slices of challah French toast were dusted with powdered sugar and topped with fresh fruit. Served on the side were two strips of Nueske’s bacon along with eggs. With the naturally slight sweetness from the challah, that worked out well in French toast format, enhanced more with a drizzle of maple syrup on top as well. The tartness from the strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries helped with contrasting with the rest of the sweetness of the overall dish. Bacon and eggs are always a good complement to breakfast dishes as well, and this was certainly no exception.
There’s certainly a reason why Jeannine’s is such a popular spot for brunch, with the line consistently running out the door. Even though it was a wait, the food definitely made it worth it. There is a good variety of different breakfast and lunch options to choose from, and the plates will certainly leave you feeling very full when walking out. With their prime location, right afterwards, you can cross the street to walk off the food by going out to the Santa Barbara Pier or right along the beach. If you don’t mind braving the crowds and wait on the weekends, give Jeannine’s a try the next time you’re in the area.
Let’s now take a look at the Jeannine’s Restaurant & Bakery Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
** Challah French Toast **
Thick-cut slices of challah French toast, topped with powdered sugar and fresh fruit. Served with Nueske’s bacon, eggs, and maple syrup.
~><~
** Tri-Tip Benedict **
Tri-tip slices on toasted English muffins with poached eggs, topped with Hollandaise sauce and parsley. Served with crispy potatoes.
~><~
And finally, here are my rankings for Jeannine’s Restaurant & Bakery:
Food: 4.25 / 5
With food options ranging between French toasts, eggs benedicts, pancakes, waffles, sandwiches, and salads, you will certainly find something that interests you, whether that is sweet or savory. The food was definitely filling and had great flavor to the dishes that we tried.
Atmosphere: 4.25 / 5
The restaurant’s interior definitely had a very homey feel to it, with large windows everywhere to let in plenty of natural lighting. The outdoor patio dining area definitely packed in a large number of tables, and the umbrellas did well to keep us out of the direct sun while trying to enjoy our food.
Service: 4.25 / 5
Even though there was such a huge crowd at the restaurant, big credit to the kitchen staff for staying on top of everything and getting out our food in a very timely fashion. Because the food and drinks were ordered up at the counter, we didn’t get much service table-side, only when the staff would bring out the food.
Price: 4.25 / 5
For the restaurant’s prime location right along the beach and across the street from the Santa Barbara Pier, you’ll definitely see some of that reflected in the price points. Our French toast was $18 for the plate and the Tri-Tip benedict was $19.
Overall:
17 / 20
(85%)
Categories: California, Restaurants
Chu On This 