TASTE
Taste - Bibi CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Owner Alejandro Medina; turmeric rice; murgh tikka; halibut moilee; a spiced ice cream; kulcha stuffed with panir, onion, and chili; farmers market salad.
Recently recognized by the Michelin Guide, BIBI JI has been a downtown destination since 2018 for favorites like the murgh tikka and uni biryani. The latest additions to the menu, by executive chef Kiran Bheemarao, introduce more tandoor items—the malai kebab, panir tikka, and stuffed naan called kulcha are must-trys—along with an array of classic southern Indian street foods. Among the latter are Mysore bonda, which are potato-and-pea fritters served with an okra raita, and papri chaat, a salad with house-made crackers, chickpeas, yogurt, chutney, herbs, and a medley of other textures and flavors. The extensive list of low-intervention wines is updated weekly. Owner Alejandro Medina
66 w i n t e r 2 0 2 1
explains, “Low-intervention wine is not just about farming practices but also wines made without the use of additives or manipulation in the cellar. We strive to educate people to think about where and how their wine is made in the same way they consider food. The beautiful local organic produce and seafood of Santa Barbara deserve to be enjoyed with wines of purpose.” Tables in the pastel-pink dining room and on the lively patios—with a progressive playlist and the smell of signature spices (roasted in-house) in the air—are just as likely to host Gen Z TikTokkers and Los Angeles weekenders as mainstay Montecito residents and celebrities. 734 State St. B I BI J I S B.C O M . C.B.
PHOTOGRAPHS: SARA PRINCE
State Street Spice