Dom's Taverna, a Blast of Basque Brilliance

It might have been a four-day-weekend of drenching rain and people just needed to be festively out and about, but my guess is a recent Tuesday evening at Dom's Taverna is already par for the course. It's a space (what was for many years Trattoria Victoria) that's been designed with building a buzz in mind. Forget about a mere open kitchen that you get to peak into via a window; here it's like a thrust stage, catching all eyes on chefly action towards the back of the long room. You also have to walk half the length of the space to get to the host stand, which at first seems odd but then you get it--even before you get to claim your reservation, you're part of the party. And that's what this taverna's atmosphere is after.

Of course, good vibes only get you so far in the restaurant biz. You need to bring the receipts. These start with intriguing cocktails at Dom's Taverna (and I will keep using the full name so as not to confuse it with established fave Little Dom's Seafood in Carp), not the least of which is the New Moon, pictured above. You know you've accomplished something when you get me to order a vodka drink (cause, why is there vodka when liquor can have flavor?), but here's why this one succeeded, even before I got to see how spectacular it looks. They wisely infuse that vodka with horseradish (to a milder effect than I anticipated), then add manzanilla sherry and Lillet Blanc, and maybe some Suze, or at least that's what our very skilled server, who made clear it would be an astringent not sweet drink, suggested. Think a gin-less, more herbal, Vesper. The kicker is that squid ink ice half-sphere playing the role of the moon. Little bits of it fleck off into the golden drink, adding salinity and a dark allure. The drink even comes in a cocktail glass with a divot built in for the cube to rock in. Do note that as you get to the bottom of the drink, you will end up with ink stains on your nose as you savor the last drops. Have your napkin at the ready.

The Basque-inspired menu will entice you with dishes definitely out of the Santa Barbara ordinary (hooray for new cuisines!). Above you see "huerta" on the left and "pintxos" on the right, so think vegetable garden and small, savory snack/appetizer. The huerta is called Tomat, and features fresh market tomatoes (still hanging on into November), tomato confit, a rich yet piquant Marcona-cashew butter, orange zest, olive, and capers. Get a bit of everything and the brightness nearly glows right out of your mouth (I hope you're chewing with your mouth closed so this image is more spectacular than gross). The pintxos (yes, the staple of much of Spain's bar culture--douse the dreariness of your day in vermouth and snack away!) in the case is Ensalada Rusa: “Potato salad” (the quotation marks are theirs), wild bluefin tuna belly conserva, pickles, English peas, and smoked roe. Think of it as a chunky, sea-funky dip. It's suggested you use the the little torpedo-like tapa crackers as mini-ice cream cones to scoop the salad up, but they don't give you quite enough area to do that. So dip first, munch the crunchy cracker second. That works.

Being only two people with as far as we know only two stomachs, we had to skip many an enticing item, including crab rice, squid and beans, and Wagyu steak bites. And when the Dom’s Louis Salad arrived at a nearby table, we instantly knew part of our next visit's order. The jam-packed bowl, above its base of iceberg lettuce, also offered wild bluefin tuna belly, local crab, poached shrimp, piparra, radish, tomato, chive, lemon-espelette vinaigrette, Louis dressing. We were envious lookie-louis. (I hope that joke isn't so bad that it disqualifies me from ever having the dish.)

Fortunately we had the dish above swim on up to our table, and our envy was forgotten. Whole Fish Basquaise featured local catch of Santa Barbara Channel rock fish roasted in the Josper Basque grill that imparts a lovely charcoal smokiness to all it cooks, even a fish as tender and delicate as rock fish. The succulent seafood gets pumped up with garlic crisp, chili, olive oil, and a garum emulsion (a fermented fish sauce that's all the rage now, for very tasty reasons). Our one regret--they don't serve the plate with two straws so you can suck up every last drop of the stunning sauce. The fish is a perfect emblem for what Dom's Taverna is all about--find really good produce and product, local if possible, and do as little intervention as they can. But what Chef Crisp and his crew does do always highlights, elevates, perfects.

They also aren't afraid to push a boundary in a playful way. For above was a preview of what should be a regular menu item by now (or soon?)--Basque cheesecake adorned with caviar. At first thought this seems a strange mix of dairy and the sea, if not just an indulgent flourish. Then the first little salty-sea bomb bursts in your mouth, and the savory edge contrasts so well with the creaminess of the cake. Isn't it a delight to have a bite you've never had and you instantly hope to have again soon?

Come to think of it, that's how we ended up feeling about Dom's Taverna overall.