Star Power
Everyone was up all night at Lucky’s 25th
Written by Caitlin White
There’s no icon in Montecito more beloved by the community than Lucky’s steakhouse, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this past weekend. In recent years the restaurant has expanded to other locations like Malibu and even to the East Coast, but there can only ever be one original. The legendary chophouse has long been a haunt of celebrities and luminaries in the Santa Barbara community and beyond, including 92-year-old Carol Burnett, who recently held her cover shoot for one of our recent issues there.
Burnett is such a regular at Lucky’s that the servers know to bring her a chilled pink Cosmopolitan whenever she sets foot in the building—but for plenty of patrons here a classic martini is in order. That’s what her friend and cover-story interviewer, Dennis Miller, gravitates toward when he’s here. Along with his wife, Carolyn Espley, he was on deck for the celebration. Burnett and her husband, Brian Miller, showed up promptly at 5 p.m., which is her preferred dinner time, and they were easily the guests of honor at the soiree.
The drinks were flowing on Sunday as a Hollywood who’s who, including Kevin Costner, Michael Douglas, Christopher Lloyd, Michael J. Fox, and Larry David, nibbled on trays of caviar and sipped champagne, two other staples at this institution. Lloyd and Fox represented an unexpected Back to The Future reunion, the kind of thing that could only happen at Lucky’s. Meanwhile Costner was fresh off a flight from Las Vegas for the opening of his new club, Zero Bond. Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt made an appearance, while Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Matt Sorum, of Guns N’ Roses, also showed up with his wife, designer Ace Harper. Rounding out the VIP guests were Lucky’s cofounders Jimmy Argyropoulos, Gene Montesano, and Herb Simon.
The restaurant’s general manager, Larry Nobles, another beloved member of the community, was also in the building, making sure everyone’s night was running smoothly but taking a little bit of time to celebrate his own legacy with the company. The next generation of Lucky’s leadership, Sarah Simon and Gianni Montesano, will take the restaurant forward into its new era. Their sights are set on a location in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles, which will introduce a new clientele to the iconic restaurant. But no matter how far the brand reaches, the classic Lucky’s will always be the one on Coast Village Road, the one that has been a haven for this community for the last quarter of a century. Raise a glass, wherever you are, to the next 25 years and beyond.
