Bacara Resort & Spa — Santa Barbara’s premier luxury resort — now features a French influence with the arrival of Parisian chef Vincent Lesage and the opening of Angel Oak. The restaurant blends classic steakhouse traditions with coastal California flavors, highlighting fresh seafood and certified Japanese Kobe beef secured through a program initiated by Lesage.
The menu at Angel Oak emphasizes quality ingredients and refined preparations. Standout dishes include Kobe beef tataki dressed with soy-cured melon, yuzu and puffed rice; lobster and house-made gnocchi gratin brightened with local lemon; Angel Oak’s dry-aged New York steak finished with shaved black truffle and brown butter; and the house market seafood platter featuring poached Maine lobster, a rotating selection of oysters, split king crab legs, jumbo boiled shrimp, fresh lump crab ceviche, house cocktail sauce, a signature mignonette and lemon caviar.
Chef Lesage trained at the Institut Paul Bocuse in Écully and refined his craft with hands-on experience at The Ritz Paris and several three-Michelin-starred kitchens, including Bras and L’Astrance. He leads a culinary team that includes award-winning pastry chef Brooke Martin and New Orleans–born mixologist Cassie Hesse. Hesse updates classic cocktails with thoughtful ingredients — for example, the Manhattan’s Angel made with High West Rendezvous Rye — while the restaurant’s extensive wine cellar offers more than 12,000 bottles for pairing.
Angel Oak’s approach marries French technique with local produce and seafood, creating an experience that complements Bacara Resort & Spa’s coastal setting. The menu is designed for sharing and celebration, whether guests select a signature steak, a composed seafood platter, or one of the seasonal small plates. Desserts from the pastry kitchen showcase precision and creativity, rounding out a dining program built on provenance and technique.
Set within the resort, Angel Oak provides a polished dining room and attentive service suitable for special occasions, intimate dinners or relaxed evenings after exploring Santa Barbara. The combination of Lesage’s training, the restaurant’s ingredient-driven menu, and a deep cellar makes Angel Oak a destination for visitors and locals seeking elevated steakhouse and seafood cuisine with a distinctly French touch.