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Tratoria Mollie, Montecito, California, USA
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Best Italian in Santa Barbara.
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Peter and Linda D'Aprix 2000
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We have had some wonderful meals at Trattoria Mollie some of the best Italian meals available. It used to provide the kind of meals you would want to eat daily, starting with Mollie's delectable rustic lentil or minestrone soup, chock full of the freshest vegetables.
Sadly, both the service and the quality of food has slipped drastically, at least according to our last meal at Trattoria Mollie. This is a great sadness to us since this restaurant has been a food destination of ours for years. But our latest visit was an unmitigated disaster with snotty service that was as poor as it was snotty. Food that fell so far short of what we had become used to from Mollie, that it was hard to believe it was her in the kitchen, but it was because I checked and there she was at the stove.
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Seafood Pizza with fabulous thin crust.
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Warm and welcoming ambiance interior of restaurant
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© Peter D'Aprix 1998-2002
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Mollie Ahestrand is an absolutely charming young woman from Ethiopia, but she is pure Italian by choice and training. She used to shine as brightly as the dishes that arrive so perfectly from her kitchen. She specializes in the foods of four regions of Italy- Padua, Umbria, Bologna and Rome. She trained at Arturo's which is rated as the best in Rome. Arturo's boasts the Pope as a devotee and the phone often rang from the Vatican calling for Mollie's dishes.
In a typical meal, we started with the Verdura Mista, a bouquet of fresh steamed & grilled vegetables dressed in extra virgin olive oil. My partner had meltingly tender grilled lamb chops (agnello allia griclia) redolent of rosemary served with a roasted potato and sitting on a bed of fresh spinach infused with lamb juices. My Branzino alla Griglia (fresh Atlantic Sea Bass) was a real pleasure and grilled to perfection. A fresh fruit compote and a incredibly rich homemade Vanilla Bean ice cream rounded out our meal.
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Mollie in her kitchen
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Mollie is famous for her home made pastas, thin and rich wood oven baked pizzas and breads which always are a favorite. But her often ignored meats and fish are of equal standing and should not be ignored. Her fabulous meals are served in an ambiance of terra cota washed walls, gentle lighting and private spaces created by judiciously placed potted trees.
All we can hope for is that she will see the light and start to put back into her restaurant the talent and quality we used to expect.
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Trattoria Mollie - 1250 Coast Village Road - Montecito, CA 93101
805-565-9381 for restaurant - 805-565-2342 Deli
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