Caruso's is named after billionaire real-estate developer Rick Caruso, who opened Rosewood Miramar Beach in 2019.Rosewood Miramar Beach is located in Santa Barbara's ritzy Montecito neighborhood. Courtesy of Rosewood Miramar Beach In a few short years, the resort and restaurant have made a big splash in the world of luxury hospitality. Rosewood Miramar Beach is currently one of only 15 properties worldwide to hold a triple Five-Star title from the Forbes Travel Guide, meaning its hotel, spa, and restaurant have all received five stars.In 2022, Caruso's received both a Michelin star and a Green Star which honors sustainable restaurants from the Michelin Guide. It's held on to both ever since."Opening a restaurant and getting a Michelin star in a couple of years is a big deal," Falsini told me before our dinner. "Our journey has been like flying high, very fast."Falsini is in the kitchen every night, infusing the restaurant's fresh California ingredients with his Italian heritage.Falsini opened Caruso's at Rosewood Miramar Beach in 2019. Courtesy of Rosewood Miramar Beach Falsini first fell in love with cooking when he was 16 and washing dishes at a restaurant in Rome for extra pocket money.His culinary career would take the chef across multiple continents as he cooked at luxury hotels like the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Hilton Abu Dhabi, and Solage in Napa Valley."I think the beauty of food is that every day is a new day, and every day is different," Falsini told me. "That's why I feel like I never work a day in my life."There's no doubt that Falsini is working hard as the director of culinary operations at Rosewood Miramar. But his quest for perfection is to impress the guests, not the Michelin inspectors."People, when they come here, I want them to have fun," Falsini said. "To feel the warmth, to feel the love of a beautiful Italian restaurant."I was instantly struck by the elegant and romantic ambiance as I walked into Caruso's.The Michelin-starred restaurant feels like you're walking into a luxurious yacht. Courtesy of Rosewood Miramar Beach Even the rare California rain couldn't damper the beautiful ocean setting, which Caruso's leans into with its open-air design. The beautiful navy leather booths match the blue lacquered accent wall, and the pristine white chairs are decorated with gold brass rings. It felt like I could've been on a yacht in the South of France.The impeccable service was in motion from the moment I took my seat. A purse stool appeared by my side, a napkin was placed on my lap, and the water was poured instantly. Falsini believes the well-rehearsed choreography is essential to fine dining."All those steps and the precision, like the little notes of a symphony, are very important," he said. "Those waiters, they walk around like ballerinas. And the hospitality, that European warm touch, is a big part of what we do here in Caruso's."I then perused the menu, which offers multiple price points. There's the $175 four-course experience and two chef's tasting menus priced at $285 per person."The Land" focuses on meat, while "The Ocean" highlights seafood. The restaurant also offers plant-based versions of its menu upon request, and a $145 three-course experience is available Monday through Thursday.Business Insider received a media rate for the four-course dinner. Dinner began with an elegant array of amuse-bouches.Among the amuse-bouches were gougres filled with truffle cream and a small soup. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider From the moment the first amuse-bouche arrived, it was clear I was in the midst of a five-star resort.Servers brought mini cones stuffed with king crab and caviar, which sparkled with gold leaf. Then came a delicious gougre filled with truffle cream.My favorite was the palate-cleanser soup, which tasted of blue cheese a variety, I later learned, that's exclusive to the restaurant and was topped with dark chocolate shavings.There's also a bread service, which I loved so much I forgot to take a picture first. A server decanted the house-made olive oil right at the table and offered two types of butter. One was infused with black truffle, the other with seaweed I finished them both. The warm sourdough, made from a 30-year-old starter, was sublime."Am I allowed to bring more bread to the table?" the waiter asked, seeing my clean plate."Absolutely," I replied.A Baja Kanpachi crudo, which looked like a work of art, was the first course of the night.The Baja Kanpachi crudo was beautifully presented. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider The Baja Kanpachi was served with pixie tangerines, apple cucumber salad, and lemon verbena chilled tea. Each ingredient was so gracefully layered together in its liquid pool of gold that I imagined the chefs in the kitchen carefully placing every piece on the plate with a tiny tweezer.The juicy tangerine shimmered against the butter-soft fish, which instantly melted on my tongue. The slivers of jalapeo provided a subtle but delightful kick of heat.The intricate and refreshing dish immediately delighted my senses.The next dish was one of the most beautiful soups I've ever seen.I was awed by this honeynut squash vellutata soup. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I unabashedly gasped when the honeynut squash vellutata soup, topped with an intricate tuile of vines, arrived at my table.The delicately placed orange petals appeared to bloom straight from the branches, adding even more dimension. The black bowl only added to the dramatic effect, serving as the perfect backdrop for the bright-orange squash.The soup was obviously a huge hit with the group chat, but it was so much more than a pretty picture. Each velvety sip seemed to magically capture every flavor of autumn thanks to the sweet and earthy honeynut and the crunch of the hazelnut, which paired beautifully with the bright burst from the orange crme fraiche.Then came the Santa Barbara spiny lobster girasoli.The Santa Barbara spiny lobster was topped with a delicious bisque. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider When I sat down with Falsini before dinner, he told me that all of the seafood at Caruso's is "from the ocean in front of you.""We don't fly in anything; we only buy from local small fishermen in order to support the community," the chef said, adding that he hopes to make Caruso's a zero-carbon footprint restaurant by 2026.Falsini even tags the fishermen he buys from when he posts the restaurant's dishes on its official Instagram page, as he did with the beautiful Santa Barbara spiny lobster girasoli.The dish was presented on a plate illustrated with blue fish, which looked as if they were swimming amid the delicious bisque. And the spiny lobster, served with delicate shavings of Granny Smith apple, was butter-poached to perfection and tasted divinely tender.The Channel Island halibut was my favorite seafood course of the night.The Channel Island halibut was infused with so much flavor. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider Falsini's first rule for cooking fish is to "love the fish," and his care and passion were on full display with this halibut.This Channel Island halibut was easily the most delicate version I've ever had. A server arrived tableside to pour the beautiful burro fuso sauce, which had a hint of sweetness from Vin Santo and a zing from makrut lime.The soft and tender meat of the fish, which cut like butter, instantly soaked everything up. Its flavors lingered on my tongue long after the fish was gone, which is exactly what Falsini aims to achieve with every one of his dishes."I believe the journey of the chef is a discovery journey," he told me. "We put things together that were already made. We just have to discover them and put them together in a different way.""It's fascinating because you become like a mad scientist," he continued. "So how do we surprise? We can add the different layers of flavor, of sensation, of feelings when people eat the food. So when the people take a bite, they go, 'Oh, what's that?' That's what we want."My delicious meal was complete with the budino dessert.The budino dessert, infused with Johnnie Walker whiskey, was made for Rick Caruso. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider Falsini specifically made the budino dessert with Rick Caruso's favorite drink, Johnnie Walker Blue Label whiskey. It features chocolate-toffee pudding laced with a full shot of the whiskey and topped with whole-bean vanilla gelato. Falsini told me the dish was so popular that 80% of the restaurant's guests would choose it from the prix-fixe menu before he took it off to focus on desserts with seasonal and sustainable ingredients.However, the sweet treat is still available to those who ask, and I got to try it since my almond allergy ruled out the other choices.Decadent, sweet, and indulgent, the budino is truly a dessert fit for a billionaire no wonder it was such a hit!I wouldn't be surprised if Caruso's earned a second Michelin star soon.Falsini at Rosewood Miramar Beach resort in Montecito. Courtesy of Rosewood Miramar Beach I've eaten at several one-star Michelin restaurants over the past few months, but the skill and imagination on display at Caruso's are on a different level.Getting to the next star isn't just about great food. It's about the entire experience. And Falsini's dedication to his guests would be evident even if I hadn't gotten the chance to speak with him. Just take a look at the Yelp and Tripadvisor pages for Caruso's. Under every review, whether it be praise or critique, is Falsini himself, wondering what he can improve and fix."I look at everything through food. I go to sleep, and I dream about food. I get up and think about food," Falsini told me. "I am always thinking: What can we do with the menu? How can we make it more interesting, more different, more enticing? How can we raise the bar? How can we grow?"I, for one, can't wait to see what's next for Falsini and Caruso's.