Once upon a Thursday in fall, we met at Pierre Lafond Bistro for a treat--the chance to explore the kitchen and sample some food from the re-designed café on lower State Street. Pierre Lafond’s has been around for awhile, but they’ve taken a step up from a sort of deli format to a very nice but unpretentious restaurant. First we talked with Chef Nathan Heil, and Miguel, his Sous Chef, about some of the special items they were preparing. The kitchen was busy, but really organized, and Chef Heil and his crew were relaxed and confident, going about their business as we peeked into different corners and asked lots of questions. Unfortunately that night the wireless mic wasn’t working, so we can’t share much of their answers with you.

One of the things we found out was that Cheif Heil gets almost all of his ingredients from local Farmers’ Markets and the Pierre Lafond organic garden out in the valley. So the menu is seasonal, serving whatever is fresh & ripe at the time. Even the flowers come from the gardens. Being a French bistro, they also have a LOT of cheeses, which all the waiters get trained to know about, and a lot of wines, too. We didn’t get to meet the Sommalier, but we were more interested in what we could actually try, anyway.

On Thursdays, Chef Heil offers a special comfort food menu: Grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup or salad. Our sandwiches came out next to a steaming cup of tomato soup, and boy were they good! We took our first bites and our mouths were met with a montage of delicious flavors--cheeses, crunchy bread, and a variety of condiments. Once we were stuffed to the brim, we went back into the kitchen, only to find that we had another surprise waiting for us. Chef Nathan was starting to prepare a our desserts, consisting of warm farmcakes with a dollop of ice cream and a raspberry.

Wow! A fairy-tale ending to our meal and the evening!

Pierre Lafond Bistro
516 State St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 962-1455

Parking in public lot;
entrances on Haley and
Anacapa Streets