A New Osteria in the Upper Village

Ancora opened in the heart of Montecito's Upper Village as the neighborhood osteria the village had been waiting for: an Italian pantry cooked with California produce. Roman-style pinsa comes out of the oven beside house-made pasta, whole fish, and dry-aged steak prepared simply, and the wine list runs from Etna and Barolo to the Santa Ynez Valley up the road.

The room carries the food's confidence. Under a trussed ceiling washed in skylight, plaster walls hold arched passages and gold-framed mirrors, bentwood chairs gather at walnut tables, and a bar of deep green marble anchors the terracotta floor. Outside, a striped awning shades the patio and the tower of the Upper Village rises past the terrace tables.

Dinner runs Thursday through Monday from five, at 1483 East Valley Road.