Sam’s Place

Scotty Cantino and Ben Jones met touring as musicians and cooked and poured for friends in a backyard before building this room: wood paneling, church pews out of a Ventura mission, flannel curtains, candles, and cassette tapes for the music. There is no website, no phone number and no social media, so it runs on walk-ins and word of mouth. Cantino's natural wine list stays under a hundred dollars a bottle, against roasted Japanese sweet potatoes, chicken wings and a bar steak. The patio takes the overflow.