One of the strangest ironies of being a journalist who specializes in the softer side of things (food and wine, and arts and culture, as opposed to newsy beats like courts and crime, and politics and policy) is that I frequently get to wine, dine, travel, and experience things at a VIP level that I would never be able to afford on my measly salary. Such was the case when I recently dined at Sushi by Scratch, Montecito’s first Michelin-starred restaurant.
I’ve always been curious about the place — especially having been one of the few people who experienced co-owner chefs Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee’s incredible Silver Bough experience when it briefly orbited the universe at the Montecito Inn back in 2019 — so when the restaurant reached out with an invitation to check it out, I jumped at the opportunity to try it.
Here’s what it’s like to dine at one of Meghan and Harry’s favorite restaurants in the 805 region (they reportedly dine here often and recently brought along Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow).