The Incredible SY Kitchen in Santa Ynez A Must Try!

About SY Kitchen

 Opened in April 2013, S.Y. Kitchen offers fresh, modern, Italian dishes in any of the three rooms of their Italian-inspired, California farmhouse.  Meals are served in the Front Room where guests are warmly welcomed, the Porch with cushioned banquet seating and fresh air, or the Dining Room that also hosts family seating and private parties.

SY Kitchen

SY Kitchen

SY Kitchen

Executive Chef & Owner/Partner Luca Crestanelli. He is extremely talented and beyond friendly, and on my first visit, I went to the open kitchen to introduce myself. He and his brother (also a Chef at SY Kitchen) were incredibly nice and talkative. See my full interview with Luca here.

More about Chef & Owner/Partner Luca Crestanelli:

Luca was born and raised in Verona, Italy.  Fluent in Italian, Spanish, and English, and possessing a degree in Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, Chef Luca is a modern Renaissance man. Having worked throughout northern Italy and Southern California, Crestanelli found his passion and refined his sensibilities to food through his travels around the world.

Chef Luca discovered that ā€œingredients, recipes, and methods of cooking can vary from each little town or village within a country, as they have their own age-old traditions which they practice.ā€  Therein he developed his own style of creating ā€œan enriched, authentic, local culinary experience that honors traditional Italian cuisineā€.

Through his inspired dishes at S. Y. Kitchen, Luca has established himself as a standard-bearer for the Santa Ynez Valleyā€˜s bright culinary future.  Working closely with local farmers and food purveyors, Crestanelli sources his ingredients daily by visiting local produce fields and farms himself. Surrounded by all of these fresh local ingredients, why wouldnā€™t we go from the field to the kitchen?  There is no other way of preparing brightly flavored, fresh food; it’s my purpose in life.ā€

SY Kitchen

The charming bar where I sat and enjoyed dinner on my first visit. I returned for cocktails and dessert the second night!

SY Kitchen

SY Kitchen has an incredible cocktail program lead by Alberto Battaglini, Mixologist & Bar Manager (shown below).

SY Kitchen

More about Mixologist & Bar Manager Alberto Battaglini:  

Native of Verona and a school chum of Lucaā€™s, Alberto Battaglini dreamed of a restaurant career. Attending Scuola Alberghiera, he learned the fundamentals of cooking and food service. He quickly learned that being a chef was not for him. From there he started an ardent love affair with spirits which took him to Gatwick, London where he met his mentor in mixology, Ian Slater. Alberto furthered his mixology passion in Spain and Mexico prior to meeting Luca at Bar Toscana in Los Angeles. Alberto is now the resident Mixologist at S. Y. Kitchen where he creates his own infusions of spirits and bitters from a local bounty of fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

SY Kitchen

The incredible cocktail I enjoyed. Check out the powdered sugar on the top of this drink.

SY Kitchen

The pasta special of the evening that I ordered. It was covered in truffles, and quite a generous portion at that. I recommend ordering one of their fabulous pastas!

SY Kitchen

SY Kitchen

Santa Ynez KitchenA huge thank you to Chef Luca and your team for hosting me for my incredible visits to your restaurant. Your food is amazing, along with the service, the guest experience, and your team leadership. I look forward to visiting on my next trip to Santa Ynez. Thanks again for having me!

Restaurant interior photos and Chef/Mixologist headshot courtesy of Rob Stark photography

 

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