There are times when you just want a meal that’s comfortable — at a place that’s consistent, flavorful and reasonably priced.

For those moments, we submit for your consideration Petrini’s Italian Restaurant at 14 W. Calle Laureles in Santa Barbara’s San Roque neighborhood.

We received reports recently from our Let’s Go Eat Team members in the field about Petrini’s, mentioning a refreshed menu, so we set out at once to investigate.

Conclusion: If the bar from the TV show Cheers somehow merged with the original New York red-sauce Italian joint Mamma Leone’s, you’d have Petrini’s.

The food is American-ized Italian, so purists check your judgment at the door.

Petrini’s serves stroganoff and chicken Alfredo, for example, which you typically wouldn’t find in Italy. But they’re both really enjoyable.

The Alfredo sauce is made from scratch using the same recipe for more than 35 years.

The décor is kitschy mid-last-century Italian, and the vibe is fun and congenial. Many of the customers seem to know each other, and the servers — especially longtime waitress Victoria Browning — seem to know all the customers.

While there for dinner recently, a diner in a back booth complained that it was inappropriate for everyone to be talking with each other across the aisle. Friend, you might be in the wrong place.

Owner Jerome Bohnett, whose résumé includes stints at local favorites Brophy’s, The Big Yellow House and The Nugget, among others, told us, “I’d never been involved with Italian food before. I’d never been aware of the depth of flavor and nuance.”

“Dr. John Petrini (one of the founders and original owners) explained to me the importance,” Bohnett added, “of using, for example, the right kind of flour and spring water to make the best pizza dough.

“I just thought dough was dough.”

Dr. Petrini is one of three brothers who started the place in 1958. Rumor is his son, John, still comes in regularly for the pizza.  

Bohnett took over in 2015, and he keeps the focus on quality and value.

“We don’t advertise,” he explained. “We’d much rather keep the money in the business and pass that savings along to the customers.”

On a recent visit, The Let’s Go Eat Team principals (my wife and I) shared a large salad and a huge plate of Pinwheel Lasagne, for under $20 each.

What’s pinwheel lasagna? Think lasagna that’s rolled up instead of layered, and it’s just one example of the recent menu innovations springing up at Petrini’s.

“The process here these days is to put our R&D ideas on the chalkboard in the entryway,” Bohnett shared.

“If customers like them, we move them to the print ‘Specials’ menu. Then if an idea is really good, it might make it to the ‘Main’ menu.”

Bohnett’s partner in this culinary mastermind is chef Juan Manuel “Manny” Ortiz, who started at Petrini’s more than 45 years ago as a dishwasher.

“Manny has lots of inspired ideas,” Bohnett said.  “He gets here at 5:30 a.m. every day, six days a week, to prep and work on new ideas, figure out if we can actually make them.

“He makes all our soups without measurements or recipes, and they’re all spot on,” he added. “Sometimes he doesn’t know how good he is.”

Another key element of the Petrini’s experience is the servers, including the slightly acerbic Tim, who’s been there 16 years, and the legendary Victoria (28 years) who seems to know every customer, and remembers what each one orders.

Victoria takes an egalitarian approach to service.

“Come in your prom dress or your pajamas,” she told us, “doesn’t matter to me.”

Plus, she’s full of stories of the famous people who’ve stopped in over the years.

A couple of other notes: The wine list is a bit of a work in progress; wine aficionados may want to bring their own.

But the salad dressings are very popular, and you can buy bottles to take home.

“We make it and bottle it right here,” Bohnett told us.

We asked Bohnett what he most wanted Noozhawk readers to know.

“We’re grateful for the decades of support,” he replied. “That’s what kept us going.

“What’s moving us into the future is the renaissance we’re going through with the new menu ideas.  The customers are really enjoying it.”

We as well are really enjoying this new version of Petrini’s, and it’s unequivocally moved to our “main menu” of go-tos.

Locals Only

If you come for lunch, try the Torpedo sandwich, favored by founder Dr. John Petrini we’re told. And bring friends, because the thing is huge.

When You Go

Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m and 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. No reservations accepted.

If there’s no street parking, you can use the CVS lot across the street.

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