Bell’s

406 Bell St

Los Alamos, California 93440

United States

BY BILLY NORRIS | AUGUST 7, 2026

The Food:

Santa Barbara Sea Urchin; Regiis Ova caviar, mille crêpe

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho; Inez olive oil, marigold

Bell’s Seeded Sourdough; Stepladder Creamery cultured butter

Finley Farms Lettuces; shallot & Medjool date dressing

Ris de Veau; peaches, escarole, hazelnut aillade, fennel pollen vinaigrette

San Clemente Island Bluefin Tuna; Satsuma plums, basil, citrus verjus

Mt. Lassen Rainbow Trout; haricots verts, capers, sauce d’or

Topher’s Sweet Corn & Tomato Risotto; Mimolette cream

Rhum Baba; blackberries, crème fraîche

Fromager d’Affinois Triple Cream; Ryan Farms walnut rosemary tart

The Wines:

2023 Sandlands Red Table Wine (Lodi)                   93

It’s no secret that Santa Barbara County, particularly the Santa Ynez Valley, is a rich agricultural dreamscape. The restaurant scene has improved dramatically in recent years, and though relatively limited in number, the restaurants in Santa Ynez, Los Olivos and Los Alamos are generally of exceptionally high quality. However, the region’s crown jewel is Bell’s.

Bell’s opened in March 2018 to much acclaim. Housed in a historic bank building in the one-horse town of Los Alamos, Bell’s is the brainchild of Chef Daisy Ryan and her husband, Greg Ryan, a duo of alums from some of the top kitchens in New York and Los Angeles, including Per Se and Gramercy Tavern. The cuisine is what the Ryans refer to as “Franch”  — French-inspired bistro fare with a dose of on-the-ranch California homeyness. Bell’s has scooped up a litany of accolades, including a Michelin star in 2021 and a semifinal finish for a James Beard Award just this year. On the heels of their early success, the Ryans established Companion Hospitality, which includes some of the best restaurants the area has to offer. The seafood-centric Bar Le Côte in Los Olivos is a must-visit, and the fiery Na Na Thai in Buellton is a painfully satisfying stop after a long day of tasting. The Ryans’ nonprofit, Feed the Valley, delivers high-quality, locally sourced food to families in need. The Ryans are doing great things.

Bell’s offers à la carte dining for lunch and a prix fixe menu for dinner. The décor is warm and inviting, with an open kitchen in the dining room and an aesthetic charm that lands somewhere between French country farmhouse and industrial chic. Service is top-notch: warm and welcoming, friendly but not overly chummy, seasoned, professional and at ease. The experience is elevated from minute one. 

Santa Barbara Sea Urchin; Regiis Ova caviar, mille crêpe.

An amuse bouche hits the table first. A stacked mille crêpe shingled with alternating layers of thin crêpe and herbed crème fraîche comes topped with a glistening orange lobe of Santa Barbara sea urchin roe and a sizable quenelle of Regiis Ova caviar. Explosively briny, creamy and unctuous, it’s one of the best single bites I’ve encountered all year. I can’t help but make a silly dad joke to the server, “I’ll have 20 more of those, please.” He laughs, kind of; I’m sure I’m not the first to make that joke.

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho; Inez olive oil, marigold.

A bowl of burnt-orange-hued heirloom tomato gazpacho arrives next, dotted with local Inez olive oil and a scattering of marigold petals. The temperature is ideally tepid, warm enough to allow the flavors to shine but cool enough to be refreshing. The flavor is pure tomato in the full swing of summer, unadulterated and crystalline, with a texture that’s both mouth-coating and delicate. I decide one corny joke is enough for the evening, but I do consider requesting a spatula to better retrieve every last drop of this magical elixir from the shallow bowl. 

Bell’s Seeded Sourdough; Stepladder Creamery cultured butter.

Finley Farms Lettuces; shallot & Medjool date dressing.

A wedge of Bell’s seeded sourdough served with velvety, slightly funky Stepladder Creamery cultured butter appears simultaneously with a simple salad of Finley Farms lettuces with a shallot and Medjool date vinaigrette. The greens are bright and fresh, with the subtle sweetness of the date dressing lending a bit of pop. At this point, I register that the portions have been generous but not overly so. Everything is calculated and precise, and the pacing is just right. 

Ris de Veau; peaches, escarole, hazelnut aillade, fennel pollen vinaigrette.

There are three options on the menu for each of the next three courses. My dining companion and I choose different options for each so as to be able to taste the widest representation of the menu. The ris de veau (veal sweetbreads) is easily the best interpretation of this niche offal cut I’ve ever tasted, and that’s saying something — I love sweetbreads and order them whenever I see them. Also, what did I just say about portion sizes? That’s out the window here. Enticingly rich, dripping with umami-laden demi-glace and perfectly accented by sweet-tart fresh peaches, bitter escarole, crunchy/toasty hazelnut aillade and floral-scented fennel pollen vinaigrette, this is an unashamed plate-mopper. This would’ve made a fine main course, but alas, there’s plenty more where that came from. Onward.

San Clemente Island Bluefin Tuna; Satsuma plums, basil, citrus verjus.

San Clemente Island bluefin tuna, caught the day before, takes a fresher, more delicate approach. Cold cubes of meltingly tender tuna are lightly dressed in a ponzu-like sauce, offset by dollops of creamy whipped crème fraîche, incredibly sweet Satsuma plums and pungent fresh basil. It’s another dish with spot-on balance that showcases local, seasonal ingredients at peak.  

Mt. Lassen Rainbow Trout; haricots verts, capers, sauce d’or.

For the main courses, we opt to skip the much-talked-about Steak au Poivre (a Bell’s staple) for two lighter options. Mt. Lassen rainbow trout arrives in a presentation that straddles classic meunière and piccata, with a punchy brown butter vinaigrette, capers, torn sourdough croutons and al dente green beans. Cooked to a precise medium rare, the fish yields to a gentle press of the fork, flaking into soft, tender ribbons. The sauce is an excellent counterpoint: bright, fresh and just salty enough to accent the richness of the fish. 

Topher’s Sweet Corn & Tomato Risotto; Mimolette cream.

The unexpected superstar of the night is the sweet corn and tomato risotto with Mimolette cream — not the most exciting dish on paper, but in practice, one of the most delicious things I’ve eaten in the last year. Creamy carnaroli risotto studded with plump kernels of sweet corn and piled with roasted cherry tomatoes sits in the middle of the plate, encircled by a ring of fluffy, umami-rich, orange-tinted sauce made of Mimolette (a hard French cow’s milk cheese). The sauce calls to mind a luxurious version of Cheez Whiz — yes, I know, that doesn’t sound appealing unless you’re from Philadelphia, but this is ridiculously great. Running a spoon through alternating swathes of risotto and cream delivers eye-rolling delight. I am fully aware of my hyperbole here, but in this case, it is fully warranted.

Rhum Baba; blackberries, crème fraîche

Desserts, though not necessary at this point, are part of the deal. The rhum baba is an interesting take, presented as a fresh brioche roll soaked in a light rum syrup rather than the traditional cake version. It’s good, if unremarkable, but the three gigantic blackberries on the plate are wildly flavorful. 

Fromager d’Affinois Triple Cream; Ryan Farms walnut rosemary tart

Fromager d’Affinois Triple Cream comes nicely tempered, oozing onto the plate with buttery, salty goodness. The shatteringly crisp walnut tart with crunchy fried rosemary leaves provides a savory, subtly sweet accompaniment that rounds out the meal in style.

Stick a fork in me, I’m done.

The wine list at Bell’s consists of about 50 selections from across the globe, with a general emphasis on California. A fair number of wines are priced under $100, which is commendable. By-the-glass options are mostly built around collaboration bottlings with Santa Barbara County producers. Corkage is welcome and priced fairly at $30 per bottle. 

On this evening, the 2023 Sandlands Red Table Wine (Lodi) carries us through the meal from start to finish. An equal-parts blend of Cinsault from Bechthold Vineyard (the oldest known Cinsault in the world, planted in 1886), Carignane from Spenker Ranch (planted in 1900), and Zinfandel from Kirschenmann Vineyard (planted in 1915), the 2023 hits all the right notes. It’s dark and spicy but also fresh and relatively light on its feet, clocking in at only 12.9% alcohol. Layers of dark cherry, fresh plum, exotic spices and a leather-like undertone unfurl in the glass, braced by a kick of vintage-2023 freshness and a whisper of fine tannin. It works quite well with the range of dishes — light enough not to overpower delicate flavors yet structured enough to stand up to the heartier courses. A slight chill helps the wine really sing. 

My only complaint of the evening is that the wine arrived at the table notably warm. A brief swim in an ice bucket easily rectified this, but it was evident that the lower-priced wines on the list were all sitting out in the dining room. Sure, they are likely the quickest to turn over and long-term cellaring is not a factor, but this is an oversight for a restaurant of this quality.

Dinner at Bell’s was a highlight of my two weeks in Santa Barbara County. Visitors to the area should prioritize a visit. Though walk-ins are welcome at lunch, dinner requires reservations. I cannot wait to go back.

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