Carpaccio bar on menu for Montecito

By Barbara Pearson
Staff Writer
July 23, 2007

Bacon has six degrees of separation from carpaccio. Sesto Senso, a new restaurant – or more specifically a wine and carpaccio bar – slated for 1026 Coast Village Road, Montecito, is being launched by the owners of Epiphany in Santa Barbara.

Alberto Mastrangelo, an Uruguay-born Italian, and his wife, Michelle, founded Epiphany six years ago with the help of their friend, Kevin Costner.

Costner starred in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” with Christian Slater in 1991. In 1995, Slater appeared in “Murder in the First” with Kevin Bacon. So there it is. Bacon and carpaccio really aren’t all that far apart.

“He opened the door for us, which is pretty amazing and generous,” Michelle Mastrangelo said of Costner’s investment in the couple’s first restaurant. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.He believes in what you can do and trusts you blindly.”

Although Costner is not an investor in Sesto Senso, Michelle Mastrangelo said his original support of Epiphany made it possible for the couple to achieve and continue their success by pursuing additional restaurant concepts. The Mastrangelos are looking for a Santa Barbara site to house a second Sesto Senso location.

“It’s common in Italy. We always wanted to have a wine bar with a carpaccio bar because it’s one of our favorite things,” Michelle Mastrangelo said. “My husband likes to call it Italian sushi.”

Carpaccio is, after all, thinly sliced and dressed raw meat. And similar to sushi, Sesto Senso will be designed much like a sushi bar, in which patrons can sit at a counter and choose a meat of their liking to be prepared before them, carpaccio style.

Sesto Senso will offer caviar, tartare and charcuterie, which includes cured meats such as salami, mortadella or even pate, a wide selection of artisanal cheeses and an extensive wine list with port, cognac and champagne.

An outdoor patio area will be available for smoking cigars. Michelle Mastrangelo said the restaurant will use an advanced wine preservation system to allow for storage of high-end wines that will, in turn, give customers the freedom to order just one glass instead of paying for an entire bottle. In fact, Michelle Mastrangelo said she and her husband are even toying with the idea of offering a 3-ounce tasting option as an alternative to a full glass, so that customers can try a little or a lot.

“We’re trying to focus on great value for your dollar and name recognition as well,” Michelle said of the restaurant’s wine selection, which will range from affordable at $7 a glass to “amazing and rare” at $25 a glass. “Our concept is for people to feel comfortable, so if you don’t know a lot about wine, you don’t feel put off.”

The wine list will focus on local wines, but could include a variety of Italian, Australian and Spanish imports. Carpaccio dishes will range from about $10 to $18 and can be eaten as a snack or dinner, Michelle said.

The Montecito Sesto Senso could open as soon as Aug. 21. The Mastrangelos recently obtained a building permit to make the space “contemporary but comfortable,” Michelle said. She said Montecito was an ideal choice for a location because it would not detract business from the Mastrangelo’s Santa Barbara restaurant, and there was a need for the concept in the area.

“I’ve always loved Montecito, it’s such a cute, quaint little village,” Michelle said. “Our customers say there’s no place to go [in Montecito] when they want to continue the evening , but don’t want to drive downtown.”

Exact operating hours have not been established, but the restaurant likely will be open seven days a week from about 5:30 pm to midnight.

Chris Roth of Leider Hayes Commercial Real Estate represented the Mastrangelos in their lease of the 1,500-square-foot Coast Village Road location. Phillip Kyle and Mike Hieshima of Epsteen & Associates represented the building owner, Santa Barbara Bank & Trust.