Bar Le Cote

Bar Le Cote restaurant offers delicious seafood based culinary creations in a charming location in Los Olivos, California

During my lovely dinner at Grandmaster Recorders in Hollywood, I struck up a conversation with the restaurant’s sommelier regarding a particular wine from Coquelicot Estate Vineyard . He then gave me some recommendations of wineries in Los Olivos and Los Alamos that I quickly made a note to visit.

After a delicious lunch and conversation with a friend at The Shop Brunch in Santa Barbara, I lesuirely made my way up the coast to two of the wine makers on his list – Lo-Fi Wines in Los Alamos and Coquelicot Estate Vineyard Wines.

Then, I walked from Coquelicot to visit his restaurant recommendation: Bar Le Cote.

My first impression was that the restaurant was that it was beautiful. It felt like a taste of Napa Valley and Yountville – in Los Olivos. I took a seat at the bar and browsed the menu before ordering.

The amuse-bouche was a lovely two bites of Spanish white anchovies.

Out first were the single orders of a single PACIFIC GOLDS OYSTER from Morro Bay, California and a MERE POINT PETITES OYSTER from Maquoit Bay, Maine. These both were crisp, clean and delicious. Similar to my experiences with Mere Points at L & E Oyster House and Found Oyster, I love how they have a delicious, smooth to eat flavor, without the creamy mouth feel.

I continued with the BLC SPICED FRIES (lemon Aioli). Now, these fries were outer worldly delicious. The trick? My server stated that the flavor profile is achieved by seasoning them with Old Bay seasoning and Tajin!

When my order of YELLOWTAIL CRUDO (Finley Farms Fennel & Rhubarb, Avocado Purée, Santa Agueda Creek Olive Oil) arrived in front of me, I delighted in how beautiful it looked. However, I felt that me excessively enjoying the spices of the fries slightly slanted the flavor profile of my tongue. Honestly, I would have preferred the oysters, then the crude and THEN the fries.

Nevertheless, the crudo was light and perfectly seasoned. I loved that it was just as delicious as it looked.

For my main dish, my server alerted me of an issue. She’d originally recommended that I do the half portion of the PAELLA DE MEJILLONES (Hope Ranch Mussels, Bomba Rice, Saffron, Aioli), as I didn’t want to order too much. But, I wanted to try as many light bites as I could. However, after confirming that I’d ordered the half portion, she later informed me that the kitchen had already started making a full order.

I asked if I could get part of it boxed. She said yes – but not the mussels – as they as a rule don’t box up mussels to go due to food poisoning. Which was completely fine. So, when my order arrived, I focused on eating all of the mussels with a single RACHELLE’S SAFFRON BUN, for a bready contrast. What I really wanted was another order of the BLC spiced fries. But, I didn’t want to get too full and have to drive uncomfortably.

As I was finishing up my meal, a couple sat next to me and inquired about what I’d ordered and enjoyed. It was an absolute pleasure to recount my meal and tell them that I highly recommend an order of the fries.