Storybook owner Brigitte Guehr, is perhaps best known as a successful Santa Barbara restaurateur, and for her association with the now infamous Norbert's, as well as her later success at Brigitte's on State Street next to the Arlington Theater.

 

In 1999, Guehr delved into another aspect of the hospitality industry when she acquired Meadowlark Inn on HWY 246, and again in 2006 with the Storybook Inn, which she acquired with her partner, Bryan Bahman. Once a restaurateur, always a restaurateur, I say.

 

"I love to eat exceptionally fresh, flavorful but simple food." Said Guehr.  

 

With that in mind, she and Bahman recently have opened a unique fine-dining experience called BACCHUS at Storybook Inn in Solvang. Executive Chef Troy Tolbert, formerly of Wine Cask in Los Olivos, and protégé of the James Beard award-winner, Bradley Ogden, presides over the small kitchen that produces mouth-watering selections from a three-course menu that Tolbert touts as classic wine country cuisine.  

  BACCHUS has been open a scant two weeks, but with 30 years of restaurant know-how respectively, Guehr and Tolbert bring to the table all the finesse and refinement one could hope for in a dining experience.  

 "I tried to create a menu that is simple and straightforward, but with items you wouldn't spend time creating in your own kitchen, and with ingredients you might not be able to find in the market," said Tolbert.  

 Tolbert has a distinguished restaurant résumé, starting with his study under Ogden in the bay area, who, along with Alice Waters, is known as a pioneer in using sustainable, organic produce as part of his culinary philosophy. Tolbert has spanned the country opening acclaimed restaurants, but found an irresistible calling to come back to his roots on the central coast and a venue that would allow him to create wine country cuisine. 
Guehr has never considered herself a chef.

 

"After so long in the business, that surprises people," She said. But cooking skills aside, Guehr has a discerning palate and, after working with Norbert for so many years, a standard in service and quality that is second to none.  

"I don't think a dining experience should be pretentious. An incredible plate of well-prepared food, a nice, cozy atmosphere and a staff that really cares about your well being -- that is what makes the difference." 

After months of interviewing chefs, Guehr felt that Tolbert was the first to speak her language. They have a similar approach to creating an atmosphere conducive to an unforgettable meal. Neither Guehr nor Tolbert believes that good food means overloading on creativity or flavors. Let the food speak for itself, pair it with the right wine, and, according to this culinary duo, you have a winner every time.

 

One look at the menu and there's no doubt that a meal at BACCHUS will be unforgettable. Just to whet the appetite, the selections include: halibut in saffron vin blanc with roasted golden beet risotto; real Dungeness crab cakes with brown butter mango sauce and apple fennel slaw; juniper berry duck breast with red flannel duck hash and scarlett orange port sauce; and the rack of lamb with a mint, basil and arugula couscous as an accompaniment.

 

Although fine dining has always been the priority for Guehr, BACCHUS is a far cry from where she and Norbert began in the tiny little restaurant down by the tracks in Santa Barbara. That was back when Guehr was fresh from Germany where she worked as a waitress in a hotel.

 

In the early days after her arrival to Santa Barbara, Guehr was working hard and doing what she prized as her calling. With the opening of BACCHUS she feels this is a new era in her long and esteemed career.

 

“I have paid my dues. BACCHUS is about having fun, being creative; and I really enjoy supporting the passion that Troy puts into preparing a plate of exceptional food and bringing it to the table. The menu, the product, the preparation -- the detail is staggering and the result is really what I enjoy,” Guehr said.

 

Guests are enjoying the fruits of this process as well. Charles and Christine Walls of El Cajon, Calif., said, "Been in many B&Bs around the world. This is one of the best. Comfortable, charming, warm, inviting. The food was delicious and meeting people over wine and yummy appetizers was so pleasant.”

 

The combination of a charming B & B with wine and country cuisine, all located just steps from downtown Solvang, are sure to draw discerning palates from far and wide, adding BACCHUS to their growing list of notable restaurants and their guests’ noteworthy dining experiences.  

 

“A good meal can change your life.” Said Guehr.  

 

 

Not only has it changed her life, it has most certainly defined her life, and under the direction of Troy Tolbert, the legacy will continue at BACCHUS. 

 

 

Visit BACCHUS at the Storybook Inn, 409 First Street, Solvang www.solvangstorybook.com. (800) 786-7925 or (805)688-1703