Loquita

General Notes

One of the better Spanish restaurants that I've been to and definitely one of the culinary highlights that I experienced in Santa Barbara. Most of the time when I go to a Spanish restaurant, I get the experience of "oh it's solid but not particularly noteworthy". That was not the case here. It's on the pricier side and they tend to be pretty busy, but the food is worth it.

I actually originally ordered the paella, but the server messed up and instead we ordered a few extra tapas (comped), I appreciate the way the server handled the situation. It would have been nice to try the paella but realistically speaking I've never had particularly outstanding paella at a restaurant and I feel like I like the idea of it more than actually eating it, and it gave us a chance to try a bunch more other dishes (free of charge)

Dishes Tasted

• ★★★★ lamb chops -- new zealand lamb chops, nora chili & almond romesco. Easily one of the greatest lamb dishes I've tasted, perfect cook and the accompaniments go so well with it.
• ★★☆☆ pulpo -- spanish octopus, potato, salmorra puree, garlic 3 ways. I would have liked slightly more tender octopus, and the flavor combination / texture of the paste is a little odd, but overall good
• ★☆☆☆ champinones -- king trumpet mushrooms, mojo verde, crispy leeks, px sherry. Way too sour, although the leeks were nice
• ★★★★ broccolini -- local charred broccolini, wood fired romesco, paprika crumbs, px vinegar. Cooked perfectly, accompaniments flavors are awesome and textural contrast is nice
• ★★★★ pan con tomate -- with boquerones. Surprisingly incredible, the flavor is amazing, boquerones goes well with it. The bread was on the harder side but it went well with the tomato spread
• ★★☆☆ denia -- confit tomato, cured bluefin tuna, px reduction. The bluefin tuna was a little odd, although the overall dish was a nice little bite
• ★★★☆ carpaccio de carne -- grass-fed beef, manzanilla olive, pickled mustard seed, truffle machego, parsley aioli. Excellent flavor, nice texture, surprisingly large portion