Petit Valentien review - Good things do come in small packages

I do find my way to the Santa Barbara area fairly frequently because my girlfriend lives there. That area does food very well and one place we have eaten more than once is Petit Valentien. I was in SB this past weekend and we decided to go there on a Saturday night for dinner. Petit Valentien is located in the “La Arcada” area off State Street by the Museum of Art.

Dinner

I love where Petit Valentien is situated within La Arcada as it just reminds me of a side street you’d find in Barcelona (and once I finally travel there I can confirm this thought, but for now don’t mess with the visual). It is a cozy restaurant with a nice bar area and a variety of high tops, quasi-booths, and standard sized tables. I had made a reservation that night, as it was a holiday weekend and I figured they might be busy. When we arrived, there really was no one tending the door. One server said it would be a minute for our table and five minutes later we were still standing there waiting. A few minutes after that, a different server asked if we had been helped. He asked my name and knew my reservation and we were seated shortly thereafter. We had a party of four: three adults and one child (my daughter, who has a discerning palette given her age).

One thing to note regarding dining in the Santa Barbara area is that the food may be great, but the service can be spotty. I have seen this in all calibers of restaurants there. So the fact that we waited about 10 minutes to truly be acknowledged by anyone in a restaurant that was barely ¾ full did not surprise me one bit. I did see one couple give up and leave and if it were my first time at PV, I would have bailed on it, too. However, I had dined here before, so I was willing to wait it out. We were seated at a low top table by the bar and had a nice view out into La Arcada (PV has a few outdoor tables, too).

The dinner menu is basically split into small plates and large plates and both are priced reasonably. Most small plates are $9 or less and all entrees are $18. The menu offers seafood, meat, poultry, salads, and soup. My girlfriend and I opted to split an Endive and Pear Salad for our starter. My daughter zeroed in on the Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup. Our server was nice and attentive, but he seemed to also be covering for some service shortfalls from some of the other wait staff that evening, so he could be a bit delayed at times. It wasn’t bad enough to be annoying and we were all talking anyway, but it was noticeable.

We were given fresh ciabatta rolls, which helped ease the wait for the first course of food. I ordered a bottle of 2007 Jack Creek Cellars Pinot Noir for the table. It’s a very nice example of Pinot from Paso Robles. It is fruity, but not sweet, and silky on the palette with a nice, rounded finish. It was an instant hit with everyone. I feel PV’s wine selection is nice and priced well. The bottle I ordered was maybe $12 or so over retail. That’s nice to see in a day and age where some restaurants charge 3x retail (or more) for a bottle of wine.

The starters arrived and I could smell roasted red peppery goodness wafting across the table from my daughter’s plate. She tried a spoonful of her soup and her eyes confirmed what my nose was telling me, so I asked for a sample. It was really amazing. The tomatoes and roasted peppers had been pureed, so the soup was a nice consistency and no hunks of veggies to be found. My daughter started dipping the ciabatta into it and she was a very happy camper. The Endive and Pear Salad is a nice, light starter. A little bitter, a little sweet, and just right with a very mild sweet vinegar dressing.

There were two main entrees ordered at the table: seared scallops with mini-arugula salad and Duck Breast with wine based reduction. The scallops were large and meaty (about U8 sized) and there were 4 on the plate. They were cooked perfectly and when paired with the mini-arugula they became just right. The duck breast was also very good, but it was sooo rich. The portion was nice sized, plump, and juicy. The reduction was well done, but it was a tad sweet for me. I had a couple bites of the duck and returned my attention to the scallops…

We didn’t opt for dessert this trip, but PV has some nice offerings (the flourless chocolate cake is always a winner). We were content to finish our wine and have coffee as a finale instead.

Final Take

Petit Valentien provides a nice variety of dinner choices in plates of all sizes that are priced right. The food is prepared well and to a high quality. The service, while sometimes not the fastest, is usually good. Combine that with a solid wine list and you have a cozy restaurant that could easily become a favorite Santa Barbara haunt for any foodie.

 Overall Grade = B+ (Very Good)

The EV Foodie