We love this place. It's quiet and relaxing. The food is fresh and delicious. The wine selection is outstanding. We like to drive to the area for the day and end it with a delicious meal.

Not surprisingly, the Ballard Inn Restaurant is located inside the Ballard Inn. For breakfast, it serves B&B guests only. At night it opens as a public restaurant.

I've stayed at the Ballard a handful of times and will be there next month for another visit and I'm booking a dinner reservation today to make sure we get a table. The food is exquisite and very unusual. Last time I had duck and it was unbelievably good. It's hard to guess what will be on the menu but you can always be assured it will be unique and delicious. Given the restaurant's proximity to the Los Olivos wine country, you're sure to be offered nice wine pairings.

The restaurant itself is tiny. There are less than 20 tables and the most prominent feature is the gigantic open fireplace which separates the restaurant from the Inn's lobby. You don't have to dress up to eat at the Ballard, but make no mistake: you'll be treated to a fine dining experience.

Book a reservation early and know where you're going. The Ballard Inn is in the middle of tiny Ballard and it's dark. Bring your bankroll too; it won't be a cheap meal either.

Cafe Chardonnay is part of the Ballard Inn. In the morning, the cafe serves breakfast to the Ballard Inn guests. For dinner it opens to the public as Cafe Chardonnay. The place is quite small but very cozy and intimate. The food was superb. The New Zealand lamb was out-of-this-world. The wine selection was good and the staff was attentive. This is a nice alternative to larger restaurants and is very romantic. If you're traveling with kids, you'll want to skip it. The menu is for adults!

If you want a relaxing, romantic getaway close to Solvang and Santa Barbara Wine Country, this place is wonderful. The staff was fantastic, the rooms are great, and the food is astonishingly good. After our first experience, my husband and I booked a second weekend three months later. This place is fantastic!

8/30/07 Update: make this a really nice weekend by booking dinner at the Ballard Inn Restaurant or at Mattei's (in Los Olivos a few miles away). Get a map of the local wineries and take a leisurely ride through wine country. Sadly, much of the wine trail has been polluted by drunken tourists because of the popularity of the movie Sideways, but take a chance and skip the ones that have limos and tour buses in the parking lot. Also make sure you're at the Ballard Inn for the evening complimentary wine & appetizer hour. My mouth is watering just thinking of the delicacies. Mmmmmm......