The last time Michel Richard opened a...

The last time Michel Richard opened a new restaurant, he (and Bruce Marder) came up with the Broadway Deli. It’s a place where Santa Monica locals eat affordable bistro, deli and American bar-and-grill classics, and it bears little resemblance to Richard’s famous Citrus on Melrose.

A week ago, Richard went north to Santa Barbara and opened another restaurant, but this time the food is very Citrus-like. Even the name of the new place, Citronelle, betrays a certain kinship with the original restaurant. Richard also brought in his sous-chef from Citrus, Anthony Pells, to be executive chef of the new place.

There are recognizable favorites from the Citrus menu--the crab cole slaw and the tuna burger at lunch, for instance. And there are signs of Richard’s sly culinary tricks--a delicious and simple tomato pie appetizer is constructed just like a classic apple tart (Richard began his career as a pastry chef). The best dessert pun is Richard’s chocolate-cappuccino cup filled with mocha mousse and cinnamon-topped egg-white “foam.”

All of Richard’s food is light and elegant. He rarely uses cream, preferring, instead, intense sauces based on pureed vegetables or reduced meat juices.

Richard’s clean aesthetic extends to the look of his restaurants. Citronelle, like Citrus, is airy and full of light. Set on the third floor of the Santa Barbara Inn, just across the street from the Pacific, it has a magnificent ocean view. You’d never know that the space once housed a Don the Beachcomber.

* Citronelle, 901 Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara, (805) 963-0111. Dinner for two, food only, $40-$75.