The Daisy has quickly become one of the rising stars of Santa Barbara’s Arts District restaurant scene, in no small part because Carmen “Daisy” DeForest is very particular about the food that comes out of the kitchen.

“I serve our guests the same quality food I would make at home,” said DeForest, chef and co-owner with husband Dominic Shiach of her namesake restaurant at 1221 State St.

And customers have noticed.

The Middle Eastern-inspired menu DeForest creates is heavy on locally sourced produce and high quality meats and fish.

“I love the flavors of the Middle East — fresh, vibrant, herby and lemony,” she said, adding, “I learned from studying Yotam Ottolenghi, the amazing chef who brought Middle Eastern food to the world.”

The attention to detail in The Daisy’s food is readily apparent.

“We smoke our own salmon, trout and brisket (14 hours!), make our own bacon, grind our own meat, and make all the sauces, dressings, and dips by hand on-site,” DeForest told us.

“Our guests tell us how much they appreciate the care and love that goes into the preparation of our food,” she added.

“And because we source so much of it locally, you can feel good about what you eat.”

We felt good as soon as we walked in. The space is open, bright and airy, yet still warm and inviting.

The staff is smiling and welcoming, and there’s plenty of seating, both inside and outside on the patio or the street.

DeForest learned to cook this cuisine in an unlikely place: the Scottish Highlands.

“I was pregnant and hungry, and we were living in the middle of nowhere,” she explained. “So I learned to cook. And fell in love with it.”

Why Scotland? Her husband’s family founded the famed Macallan Distillery in the village of Craigellachie in 1824, and he and DeForest moved there to establish U.K. citizenship for the baby they were expecting.

Fans of haggis may go unrequited at The Daisy, but we tried and loved the falafel, the kofta meatballs, the smoked trout and the brisket sandwich, all of which are deservedly best-sellers.

And the menu is great for groups, offering something for vegans and meat lovers alike.

The Let’s Go Eat team has developed a secret heuristic method for quickly judging whether a restaurant’s food is made to high standards, which we will now divulge: the quality of the lettuce.

If it’s fresh and crisp, we’ve found we can almost always expect a good overall experience.

For the record, the lettuce at The Daisy is some of the most beautiful we’ve ever seen.

While DeForest’s domain is the kitchen, Shiach manages most everything else, including a wine list that features 16 wines by the glass “so guests can try lots of different things,” he told us.

Shiach’s family history provides him a rather unique pedigree when it comes to selecting alcoholic beverages.

Leveraging that accumulated wisdom, he has solved one of the classic enduring mysteries of the ancient Middle East: which wine pairs best with falafel.

The answer: Grüner Veltliner.

Eventually, the couple made their way from Scotland to New York, where Shiach (who had previously worked in film and theater) followed a dream and began taking classes in restaurant management.

Soon after they relocated to Santa Barbara, and with no previous restaurant experience, they opened BookEnds Café on the top floor of Antioch University at 602 Anacapa Street.

Three years later they felt ready to move to bigger things and opened The Daisy.

“The space is great,” DeForest said of the Victoria Court location. “When we first saw it we loved it because I really wanted to do a marketplace as well.”

At The Daisy marketplace, guests can buy many of the sauces, salad dressings and dips that are served in the restaurant, as well as take-home meals.

“And we’re great for events,” DeForest added. “You can rent out the whole place for special occasions.”

For us, any occasion (like “it’s Thursday”) suffices to return there.  

Inside Story

Ask for a side of the fermented chili sauce; it goes with everything.

When You Go

The Daisy, 1221 State St., is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and dinner 5 p.m. to close Wednesday through Saturday.

No reservations.