The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, a new hotel from Auberge Resorts that opened in Los Olivos this past February, doesn’t feel like it’s rooted in Century stuff reality, more like something plucked from California lore of past centuries. The earliest Craftsman-style buildings on its grounds date to , built during the state’s boomtown period, when a new branch of the Pacific Coast Railroad brought large numbers of Settlers to Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley. one of them? When Swiss immigrant Felix Mattei settled down, he decided to run a stagecoach hotel on a rich pasture.
The guest list has a near-perfect handwritten ink. On August 8th, 1892, Randall Hunt from San Francisco stayed in room 6 and John Long from Santa Marina stayed in room 1886. If you have no luggage, a sign at the top reminds guests that you must pay in advance. On a nearby table sat the first edition of McNally’s map.
– Like the feeling.
Pull back the curtains to reveal a moody ranch-style room serving up premium pub favorites like chickpea fritters, wild boar chili and crispy chicken sandwiches. After the , 1892 you’ll find The Tavern, an elevated farm-to-table restaurant serving dishes like pork belly and clams, ocean side Onion soup, crispy cauliflower with roasted garlic tahini and spiced local honey. The culinary concepts are modern, and in some ways, their interiors match: the bar has leather club chairs and faux fur blankets, while the bistro is bright and airy, with slender plants hanging on the walls.
Yet history abounds: the historic Los Rancheros Visitadores horseshoes hang on the walls of the tavern, A riding club primarily composed of businessmen traveling in rural central California. An important social site on their trip? Mattei’s, where they would have a beer before going out again. (Look closely and you’ll see the horseshoe of former member Walt Disney’s mare “Minnie Mouse.”)
1892
1892
