Ever wait in line for frozen yogurt as one person monopolizes a clerk with an endless order? Ever shake all the money out of your wallet for a tiny cup, your choice from two flavors and a few toppings out of reach behind the counter? For all those who love frozen yogurt, but have always wanted to make their own creation while still keeping their finances in the pink, there’s Yogurtland.

The nation’s top self-serve frozen yogurt shop (dubbed a “yogurt buffet” by the OC Weekly), Yogurtland has become increasingly popular since the opening of its first shop in February 2006. In an era when “self-serve” has evolved from gas stations to supermarket and retail queues to the Internet — the ultimate platform for consumer customization and control — Yogurtland pulls all the right levers for its patrons by letting them pull their own. And given the low-cost and instant gratification habits of the digital generation, Yogurtland offers a premium product at an ultra-competitive price delivered ultra-fast, up to ten times quicker than other frozen yogurt parlors.

Patrons can choose from 16 rotating, and some seasonal, flavors including such classics as vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, as well as the trendy taro and green tea, and also more fanciful flavors as pistachio, peanut butter, pumpkin, espresso and New York cheesecake. More puckerish options include over a half-dozen tart flavors, including plain, blueberry, banana, mango and peach tart. Yogurtland’s all-nonfat selections, with nutrition info available, go a healthy step further for diabetic customers, providing a half-dozen “no-sugar added” flavors.

Then, of course, comes the decadence of dispensing your own garnishes, and Yogurtland maximizes the “kid in the candy shop” experience with 33 kinds of fresh fruit and toppings. Along with fresh strawberries, blackberries, peach, pineapple, kiwi, mango, watermelon, cantaloupe, pomegranate and other fruit, there’s an abundance of dry toppings. Why stop at nuts, sprinkles and chocolate chips when you can spoon out your own cheesecake bites or mochi? And while you’re at it, don’t forget branded treats like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Butterfingers, Oreos, M&Ms and Mini Gummi Bears. Yogurtland even offers a selection of cereal toppings like Coco Puffs, Fruit Loops, Fruity Pebbles and more healthy granola.

While potentially controlling calories by controlling portion size and toppings, Yogurtland customers ultimately determine what they pay. All dispense-your-own goods are 30 to 39 cents per ounce, up to 40% less expensive than other frozen yogurt shops.

Its unique create-your-own approach, low prices and late hours have combined to make Yogurtland wildly popular among teens and twentysomethings, becoming a student hangout much as Starbucks has done for the coffeehouse crowd. Its “pop-Asian chic” ambience, as noted by the OC Weekly, emphasizes a bright, clean and minimalist design, achieved in part by its inset, wall-mounted frozen yogurt dispensers. Yogurtland also appeals to a new generation through its environmental responsibility: from its paper containers (instead of Styrofoam or plastic) to its recycling and conservation efforts (take-what-you-want means little, or no, food waste).

The first Yogurtland opened in Fullerton, California in February 2006. Subsequent shops have opened throughout Southern California in Hollywood, Irvine, Long Beach, Little Tokyo, Rancho Santa Margarita and Tustin while their first Northern California location recently opened in Cupertino and their first New York location just opened in Greenwich Village. Other locations include those in San Diego and across Southern California, in addition to Las Vegas, Dallas and Honolulu. In total, there are currently 26 locations open across the country.

Yogurtland (www.yogurt-land.com) is a subsidiary of Yogurtland Franchising Inc.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

New In The Guide: Today I added the new Silvergreens on Chapala St to the restaurant guide.

Turkey Trivia: In honor of Thanksgiving Day (tomorrow, a day on which I will not be blogging), I present to you: turkey trivia

• What year was the first Thanksgiving celebration held?  1621
• Where was the turkey first domesticated? Mexico and Central America
• What is a female turkey called? a hen
• What is a male turkey called? a tom
• What great American statesman lobbied to make the turkey the national symbol?  Benjamin Franklin
• What sound does a female turkey make? cluck
• What sound does a male turkey make? gobble
• About how many feathers does a mature turkey have? 3,500
• Which state produces the most turkeys annually? Minnesota
• How fast can wild turkeys run? 25 mph
• What Native American tribe celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the colonists? the Wampanoag tribe
• Can wild turkeys fly? If so, how fast? Yes, up to 55 mph
• Approximately what percentage of American homes eats turkey on Thanksgiving? 90%
• Approximately what percentage of American homes eats turkey on Christmas? 50%
• What is the name of the skin that hangs from a turkey's neck? wattle
• Which U.S. president specified that Thanksgiving would fall on the last Thursday of November?  Abraham Lincoln
• Which president attempted to move the Thanksgiving holiday to the fourth Thursday in November to create a longer Christmas shopping season? Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Which country consumes the most turkey per year per capita? Israel
• What is the best way to defrost a turkey? in the refrigerator
• What is the most popular Thanksgiving song in the world? The Gobble Song, an annual YouTube sensation created by Santa Barbara's own Spencer The Gardener

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

New In The Guide: Today I added the Pattaya Bar & Grill to the restaurant guide.

Pattaya Opens In Goleta: Goleta's Appethai restaurant has returned with a new name and a spacious new location. Pattaya Bar & Grill, which is also a music club and banquet hall, has opened at 5918 Hollister Avenue in Old Town Goleta. Pattaya is not just big – it’s huge.
   In addition to a full Thai restaurant, the east side of the building has a large bar & grill, lounge and music stage. Just the bar & grill side of Pattaya, which offers American food with Thai appetizers, is larger than 90% of all restaurants in Goleta. The bar & grill has 10 large screen TVs, a full circular bar (think “Cheers”) and offers beer, wine & fermented spirits. In the future they plan to offer nighttime live music several evenings a week.
   The west side of Pattaya includes a large banquet hall, available for rent. Pattaya currently has two groups of 200 people booked to use the banquet hall. The banquet hall has a separate chef and can create custom menus for you.
Pattaya is open daily11 a.m. – 2 a.m. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. and dinner runs from 5 p.m. – midnight. For more information call 964-2800 or visit pattayasb.com.

Silvergreens Opens Downtown: Last Saturday Silvergreens Restaurant opened a new location in downtown Santa Barbara, across from the Paseo Nuevo Mall. The address is 791 Chapala Street which is next door to Esau’s Café. From breads, soups, dressings and hand-cut fries, to roasting their own meats and vegetables, the bulk of Silvergreens’ menu is made from scratch each day on site.
   This newest Silvergreens location is Santa Barbara’s first green certified restaurant, and features an innovative receipt technology, provided by Nutricate, that presents personalized nutritional information to each customer with each order. The system provides customers with information about their individual or customized order, including calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates and the percentage of recommended daily values. For more information about Silvergreens call 962-8500 or visit silvergreens.com.

Thanksgiving To Go:  Need a take-home turkey dinner for Thanksgiving? Call Sly's in Carpinteria (684-6666) or Pierre Lafond Bistro downtown (962-1455). Need just the trimmings? Call Fresco Cafe at Five Points shopping center (967-6037) or Fresco Cafe North in Goleta (692-8999). They are offering side dishes and some desserts for sale for Thanksgiving. And don’t forget to order homemade pumpkin ice cream from McConnell's Ice Cream on Mission Street (569-2323).

Monday, November 24, 2008

New Search Features Added To The Guide: Months in the making, today I added a new, comprehensive set of search tools to the restaurant guide home page.

1. You can now do text searches across restaurant name, address & reviews.
2. You can now do drill-down searches. For example, you can now request a list of all pizza locations on upper State Street that cost between $10-$20 and are open after 10 p.m.
3. There is a new search tool called "Name Starts With." For example, click on "A" and it shows you all locations starting with the letter A.
4. Enjoy!

Whodidily: Sprinkled Pink Cupcake Couture at 1150 Coast Village Road in Montecito has changed their named to “Whodidily.” I am told that they held a fundraiser that raised lots of money for Tea Fire victims. Good job!

Laura's Loss: Laura Knight, owner of the popular downtown restaurant Pascucci, lost her home in the Tea Fire. I asked her about it and received this email from her:

Hi John

Yes it's true, it's a horrible thing to happen to 210 families, but we have
good insurance and will rebuild. My heart goes out to those that did not
have adequate insurance, I know some of the people that had been living on
Mountain Drive for many, many years were underinsured. We bought our house
up at the top of Las Alturas 11 years ago (before the real estate market got
crazy) and it was a small house on a beautiful piece of property, we had
both ocean and mountain views, and had deer in our backyard all the
time...Thank-you for your e-mail, we are so touched by all the outpouring of
care & concern, phone calls, visits and e-mails from friends.

Talk to you soon

Laura

Spaced Out: Children and City College students, gathered at the Museum of Natural History observatory, watch the International Space Station and Space Shuttle fly over Santa Barbara last Friday evening.
 

Friday, November 21, 2008

Off Topic: My friend John Wardlaw used to live at 595 Sycamore Vista Road, on a hillside above the intersection of Sycamore Canyon Road and Stanwood Drive in Montecito. His home received a lot of attention from people passing through the area because it was octagonal-shaped and very visible from the road. After his family evacuated from the 1977 Sycamore Canyon Fire they wondered if their home was still standing. Like everyone else, they were not allowed in the neighborhood.
 
A day or so later the Wardlaws picked up a newspaper and found the answer in a most unusual way: There was a picture of their home ablaze on the front page of the Los Angeles Times (see below).
 
I visited his burned-out home not long after and the sight of it in ruins is one of my few memories of that fire. The Wardlaws still had the original plans and rebuilt their home exactly the same and lived in it for many years. Eventually they sold it and moved elsewhere in Santa Barbara.
 
Yesterday I paid my first visit to the area affected by the 2008 Tea Fire. I decided to stop by 595 Sycamore Vista Road to see if my friend's former home had survived. What I saw yesterday was exactly what I remember from that summer long-ago: a tic-tac-toe-shaped foundation, ashes and twisted, melted metal. My heart goes out to the current owners, who, like the Wardlaws in 1977, have lost everything.
 

Thursday, November 20, 2008

New In The Guide: Today I added the new Peet's Coffee, located at 1131 State Street downtown.

Bricks Closes: Bricks Cafe located at 509 State Street has closed their doors for good.

Burger Place Update: I received an email from Michelle Mastrangelo, owner of Epiphany Restaurant & Bar and Sesto Senso Ristorante, about her new restaurant "Burger Place" coming to Coast Village Road in Montecito:

"Well things are finally moving full speed ahead with the Burger Place.  We were delayed with the usual Permits, etc.  But got approval on our first inspection and will be installing the kitchen tomorrow.  So opening date will be first week in December Finally. We will be featuring Niman Ranch beef and focusing on quality and health conscious options. I will e-mail you a final menu as we approach opening date!" - Michelle Mastrangelo

Off Topic: Here is some space news from Fred Marschak, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Santa Barbara City College: You have a great opportunity to see the International Space Station with the Space Shuttle attached to it. They will fly over the Santa Barbara/Goleta area this Friday evening (November 21st) at 5:06 P.M. - 5:12 P.M. about 82 degrees high (almost overhead). Look in the South West direction (face the ocean - look a little right). It will be very bright. Bring your binoculars!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

New In The Guide: Today I added Backyard Bowls to the guide.

Dining In The Backyard: Backyard Bowls, the new Acai Bowls & smoothie shop, has opened their doors at 331 Motor Way (next to SB Roasting Co.) downtown. Pronounced ah-sigh-EE, the Acai berry is a fruit native to the Brazilian Amazon. Last Saturday night Backyard Bowls threw a grand opening party to celebrate the occasion. I stopped by on Saturday and tried the “Island Bowl” with Acai, banana, mango, coconut milk & shavings, pineapple juice, banana, berries, granola & honey. It was terrific and was my lunch for the day. Co-owner Dan Goddard tells me that their Acai bowls have been very popular and that he has a lot of repeat customers. Goddard says that there are three groups of people that, except for one day, have eaten at Backyard Bowls every day since they opened on November 6th. Hours on weekdays are 7 a.m. - 4 p.m., weekends 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. For more information call 845-5379.
 

Customers Casey Venturelli & Claire Patterson (left) and
Wanda Venturelli (right) with Backyard Bowls staff

Tydes Opens: Four Seasons Biltmore has announced the grand opening of its new signature dining establishment, Tydes Restaurant and Bar, located at the Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club. Tydes is open to resort guests, members and guests of members only, and is not open to the general public.
   The restaurant hovers above Butterfly Beach in Montecito, providing 180-degree views of the Pacific Ocean and coastline. Critically acclaimed chef Pilar Sanchez, most recently known for her Napa restaurant, has crafted a Mediterranean menu – combining French, Italian, Spanish and Moroccan influences.

Pinkberry Update: Construction has finally begun at 742 State Street, the future home of Pinkberry. I spoke with project manager Wayne Kang (DCM Construction Inc.) and he told me that Pinkberry’s grand opening is currently scheduled for the end of December.

Pattaya Update: The long-stalled Thai restaurant project known at Pattaya, located at 5918 Hollister Avenue in Old Town Goleta, is showing signs of life. Reports are coming in that construction has started again and that restaurant-related supplies are being ordered.

Monday, November 17, 2008

New In The Guide: Today I added the new downtown restaurant Jane to the guide. Jane, located at 1311 State Street, is now open for lunch in addition to dinner. Hours are Monday - Saturday 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Soup Kitchen: Restaurant Roy at 7 W. Carrillo Street now offers a "Soup Kitchen" open daily from 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. For $5 you get a 16oz bowl of soup & fresh-baked bread. You can dine in or take out. Chef Roy will personally serve your choice of five different soups made fresh daily. Soups are served in disposable, eco-friendly containers. For more information call 966-5636 or visit restaurantroy.com.

Fire: South Coast residents appear to have a routine down: Step 1) Enjoy a beautiful Santa Barbara sunset. Step 2) Listen to John Palminteri report breaking news about a fire burning in the mountains. Step 3) Pack valuables in to your car while ashes rain down on the city.
 
   I followed this routine last summer during the Gap Fire near my home in Goleta. I followed these steps again last week at my parents’ home in Montecito. During last week’s Tea Fire I added a Step 4: Prepare your home for eight evacuees including their cats & dog.
 
   My heart goes out to families who lost their homes in last week’s fire. While most residents’ lives have returned to normal, the nightmare continues for the less fortunate. You can help Tea Fire victims with a donation to the Santa Barbara Red Cross by calling 800-HELP-NOW or by visiting sbredcross.org. All assistance the Red Cross offers is free of charge and made possible by donations.
 
   While most local newspapers published fire news the day after it broke out, one paper, the weekly Pacific Coast Business Times, arrived at my home the *same day* as the Tea Fire, complete with large front-page Santa Barbara fire photo and in-depth analysis. How can that be? By coincidence they were running a story about the 1998 Stearns Wharf fire that broke out exactly 10 years ago tomorrow.

Friday, November 14, 2008

No Blog Today: I hope you are safe from the terrible Tea Fire raging in SB/Montecito today. I had eight evacuees stay at my home last night (plus their dog & two cats). Things may be busy here for awhile...
 

Photo by reader Lauren Hobson

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Mixer At The Bay Cafe: The Bay Cafe at 131 Anacapa Street hosted a mixer last night for the Santa Barbara Young Professionals Club. I, of course, brought my camera.

Cool Concept: I recently visited Yo Yum Yum yogurt at 1005 Casitas Pass Road in Carpinteria. Several people have told me this new dessert place is very popular and - no surprise - it was packed when I got there. They have a different concept than other yogurt shops that I have seen on the South Coast. Yo Yum Yum's yogurt is sold by the ounce, not by the cup size. You grab a cup and serve yourself as much or as little yogurt as you want. Next, you visit the toppings bar and again put whatever you want on your creamy creation. Finally, you go to the register, put your cup on the scale and they charge you 35 cents per ounce. There is no more wishing the person behind the counter had added a little more of this or a little less of that. You design your dessert!

Jaffurs Dinner At Renaud's: I just received this message for you from Craig Jaffurs of Jaffurs Winery:

Renaud's is a hip new French bakery/café in Loretto shopping center between Chaucer’s Books and Harry’s on upper State Street. It’s a great place that rarely opens for dinner. They are doing a small dinner with Jaffurs wines today, the 13th, at 6:30 pm. In addition, Maya of Maya’s Chocolates will be there to teach us about the world of chocolate and to let us taste her artesian wares. The dinner is coordinated by Laurence Hauben for the SLO Food movement which promotes local/artesian growers, producers, and chefs. The price is $75 per person.

Initially the dinner was sold out, but a few seats have opened up. If you are interested in going, please call Renaud at 569-2400 during the day for reservations.

Here is Renaud’s menu
- classic French Soupe a l’oignon
- Jarret de Veau aux petits legumes et champignons (Braised Veal shank with little vegetables and mushrooms)
- Mousse au chocolat façon grand-mère

Maya will present three single origin chocolates between the main course and the dessert, as an introduction to a free public event we are planning for early 2009, that will discuss methods and ethics of chocolate production around the world. She also leads tours of cocoa plantations, very, very cool.

Craig Jaffurs
Owner/winemaker
Jaffurs Wine Cellars
www.jaffurswine.com

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Thanksgiving Take-out: Fresco! at Five Points shopping center and Fresco Cafe North in Goleta are offering side dishes and some desserts for sale for Thanksgiving. Fresco Five Pts. has pick up available on Wednesday the 26th all day and on Thanksgiving from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Fresco North Cafe will offer pick up on Thanksgiving day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Natura Water: I have heard from a few people about a new water system named "Natura Water" that is starting to be used by local restaurants. I am told that The Hungry Cat, Epiphany and Julienne are using it. Natura Water is a water purification and refrigeration system that provides chilled sparkling and still water. It is billed as an environmentally-friendly alternative to transported bottled water. For more information visit naturawater.com.

Shopping Carts: I recently heard about a company named “Shopping Cart Retrieval Corporation” that – you guessed it – picks up abandoned shopping carts and returns them to the store of origin. Over 2000 stores have signed up for their service in California and Nevada. If you notice a shopping cart loitering around your neighborhood, be sure to call 800-252-4613.

Then & Now: A month ago I mentioned in this blog that my long time car (of 20 years) finally died. I showed a picture of my friend Claudia Ramstrum standing next to me the day after I bought the car in 1988. Claudia and I recently retook the photo with my new car. Amazingly, Claudia wore the exact same dress & necklace from two decades ago. I don't remember where we went to dinner way back when but this time we enjoyed a nice evening at Chuck's of Hawaii on upper State Street. I ordered the Steak & Scallops which were terrific.
 

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Jane Greets Downtown Diners: Montecito Cafe opened their new restaurant “Jane” last night at 1311 State Street (two doors down from the Arlington). The restaurant is named after owner Margaret Huston’s mother. I attended their pre-opening party last Friday evening and I am happy to report that the place looks beautiful and the hors d'oeuvres they served were terrific. I am looking forward to having dinner at the new restaurant that offers a similar menu to Montecito Café. Dinner begins at 5pm. For more information call 962-1311.

SBYPC At Bay Cafe: The Bay Cafe at 131 Anacapa Street will be hosting a mixer for the Santa Barbara Young Professionals Club this Wednesday, November 12th at 5:30pm. This is a terrific organization and I try to attend their mixers monthly. The event is free to members/ $10 for non-members. No need to RSVP, just come and hang out. For more information visit sbypc.org.

Itching For Trouble: Last weekend I was going for a drive when I passed a police officer (driving in the opposite direction) who quickly did a u-turn and pulled me over. For the life of me I couldn’t imagine what I had done wrong. My car is brand new so I knew it couldn’t be because of something unsafe about my vehicle. I hadn’t done a “California stop” or any other illegal driving maneuver.
   I rolled down my window and the officer approached me and said “Don’t you know there is a new law that makes driving while talking with a cell phone in your hand illegal?” I was bewildered at his statement because I hadn’t been talking on my cell phone. I then pulled my iPhone out of my pocket and showed him the call log that indicated I had made no calls that day.
   It then occurred to me what had happened. Periodically, over the last few weeks, I have been scratching my ear. This is due to a minor skin irritation that is almost gone now. I realized that I must have been scratching my ear at the exact moment the patrolman passed me and he thought I had been blabbing away on my cell phone. I explained my ear situation to the officer who laughed, told me to have a nice day and let me go. Lesson learned: don’t scratch & drive.

Monday, November 10, 2008

There's No Place Like Home: Hi there. How've you been? I missed you! I am back from a week of visiting with my childhood friend "Flip" who is an E.R. doctor near Houston, Texas. On my last day in Texas I visited Galveston Island which was devastated by hurricane Ike last summer. The place was a ghost town. Almost every business on the waterfront is closed, boarded up and damaged in some way. Except for one, every ocean pier on Galveston was fully destroyed by hurricane Ike. Miles of ocean-front homes were completely missing with nothing left but wooden posts sticking out of the water. Homes that used to be a half a block inland are the new ocean-front homes, and all are boarded up and damaged in some way. While visiting "old town" Galveston we came across a large boat resting on its side in the middle of a parking lot. It had floated down the main boulevard after a tide that was 12 feet higher than normal because of the storm surge. Here are some photos of our adventure.
 

Puccini Dinner: Renato Moiso, owner of local restaurant Via Maestro, will work alongside famed Italian Chef Aurelio Barattini in preparing a Tuscan feast for guests at the Giacomo Puccini 150th Birthday Celebration, held Saturday, November 15 on-stage at The Granada. Puccini’s greatest arias will be performed throughout the dinner and the evening concludes with Italian Dance music by the Ciambella Orchestra. Hosting this black-tie gala is the composer’s granddaughter, Simonetta Puccini who runs a foundation dedicated to maintaining the composer’s Italian properties. For tickets and information call (805) 898-3890.

Holdren's Update: Holdren's Update: I received an email from Clay Holdren about the two restaurants he is planning to open in Camino Real Marketplace:

Hey John,

The lease has been signed and we are looking at an August/September 2009 opening. It is a big project that will take a little time. Holdren's will be one of the restaurants and the Italian spot has yet to be named. The Italian concept will be traditional Italian food with a few wrinkles. The price point for lunch will be $8-$12 and for dinner most dishes will be in the $10-$15 range with some exceptions. I will let you know more info when I have it. Spread the word!! Thanks for all that you do for the restaurants in SB.

Thanks again,
Clay Holdren
Holdren's Steaks & Seafood

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Hello From Texas: I am away on vacation. I might not be able to update this blog for the rest of this week (though I'll still have email contact).

A Day Of Decision: Many blogs have published lists of the people and propositions they think you should vote for in today’s election. I personally have never liked that idea but I recognize that this year is especially important so I thought I would share my political leanings with you.
 
   I am voting yes on Proposition M (all restaurants must stay open until midnight) and no on Proposition C (corkage fees allowed at restaurants). Proposition D (all dining establishments must offer delivery) will surely be popular as will Proposition W (free Wi-Fi required at all restaurants, coffee shops & bakeries) and they both get my vote. Proposition L (live music required at all eateries) will be expensive but I feel it is worth the investment in our future.
 
Unfortunately, the one item on today’s ballot that I sponsored, Proposition R (all restaurants are required to reserve a table at all times for the Restaurant Guy), seems to be failing by a large margin.
 
There are many candidates vying for various titles in this election and the title of “Friendliest Restaurant Owner” has a huge amount of competition in town. I heard that Dale Dellar of Kahuna Grill and Karim Chhibbane of Chef Karim’s have been doing well in the mail-in votes tabulated thus far.
 
Ultimately the decision that matters most is your own. Good luck at the polls!

Voting Perks: Today Starbucks will give voters a free coffee at participating U.S. stores. After voting, voters must go to a Starbucks store, where they’ll be given a tall (12 oz) cup of brewed coffee at no charge (limit one per customer). Woodstocks Pizza in IV is giving away free 8" Cinnabreads w/o purchase when you have a "I voted sticker." Ben & Jerry's is also having a free scoop national promotion for all who voted.

Thanksgiving: Each November my inbox is swamped with the same question: Which restaurants serve a traditional turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day? Last week I made a hundred phone calls to find the answer, just for Restaurant Guy readers. You should make reservations early because some places will be sold out weeks in advance. I have created a new Thanksgiving category that lists the restaurants serving a traditional turkey dinner on the big day and I  have also included them below, with phone numbers:

Monday, November 3, 2008

Hello From Texas: On Saturday I left on a spontaneous vacation to visit my friend "Flip" near Houston, Texas. Yesterday I took some pictures (below). Texas is the land of big welcomes, big cities and cheap gas.
 

Halloween Pictures: I attended the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara's Halloween party Friday night. It had a great turn out. As always, I took a bunch of photos.

Off Topic: Reader David passed some non-restaurant news my way: Circuit City is closing 155 stores, which the company announced in a press release today, and, unfortunately, the list included Santa Barbara.

Chocolate de Vine: I received a press release about the Chocolate de Vine event this Saturday and posted it below. The event is a fundraiser for Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center, which offers crisis intervention and counseling for victims of sexual violence.

Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center will hold its 2nd annual Chocolate de Vine fundraiser on Saturday November 8th at the Carriage and Western Art Museum from 7:00 to 10:00pm.

The benefit will offer chocolate creation samples from 11 chocolatiers and pastry chefs, among them Jessica Foster of Jessica Foster Confections, Deden Putra of Bacara Resort and Spa and Jean-Michel Carré of Chocolats du Calibressan. Several local wineries including Fess Parker, Rideau and Curtis will offer wine tasting throughout the evening.

The event will feature a judged competition of chocolate creations and present 5 awards, including Best Tabletop Presentation, Outstanding Flavor Appeal and the coveted People’s Choice Award.

In addition to listening to the sensational, zesty Salsa sounds of Somos Son; guests will have several chances to bid on luxurious getaways to Spain, Catalina Island, Las Vegas, and more in the live auction.

The Chocolate de Vine fundraiser benefits Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center (SBRCC) founded in 1974 to support survivors of sexual assault. SBRCC offers a 24-hour hotline, crisis and long-term counseling, self-defense programs, and sexual assault prevention education programs. All services are offered in English and Spanish regardless of ability to pay.

Tickets are $65 in advance and $75 at the door (if available). The ticket to the event includes wonderful hors d’oeuvres by Rincon Catering & Beach Club, a commemorative wine glass, chocolate samples, wine tasting. A VIP reception, offering a special appetizer & wine pairing and chocolate & wine pairing will be held from 5:30 to 7:00pm. The $100 ticket also includes admission to the main event. Tickets can be purchased by calling (805) 963-6832 or by visiting sbrapecrisiscenter.org.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!

Rumor Machine: A sheet of 100% recycled paper popped out of the Rumor Machine this morning that had some news relating to Summerland. The message said that the Big Yellow House will one day be a Mexican Restaurant with a wonderful wine list and authentic Mexican food.

Peet's Update: Computerworld blogger Mike Elgin has a write-up about the new Peet's Coffee that opens on State Street this Monday. Elgin says that Wi-Fi will be free, but unlike Starbucks, you don't need to have a Peet's debit card to use it. Elgin also says that they installed lots of wall outlets specifically for customers to plug into while using their free Wi-Fi.

Mel's Update: Reader Stefanie tells me that recently-closed Mel's Lounge in Paseo Nuevo Mall will become the new home of fashion clothing store "eMBe." For more information visit embegroup.com.

Sam The Shoplifting Seagull: This story just in from reader Patty:

A seagull named Sam in Aberdeen, Scotland has developed the habit of stealing Doritos from a neighborhood convenience store. The seagull waits until the Manager isn't looking, and then walks into the store and grabs a snack-size bag of cheese Doritos. Once outside, the bag gets ripped open and shared by other birds.

The seagull's shoplifting started early this month when he first swooped into the store and helped himself to a bag of Doritos. Since then, he's become a regular. He always takes the same type of chips.

The Manager thinks it's great because people are coming to watch the feathered thief make the daily grab and run, and that's good for business, and especially since customers have begun paying for the seagull's stolen bags of Doritos because they think it's so funny. However, the Manager did say, 'If that seagull starts to grab a 8-pac to go along with the Doritos, I may have to put a stop to it.'

Watch a video of Sam in action.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

New Cupcakery: Santa Barbara has a new dessert destination. Owner Somthavy Mathouchan officially debuted her new company Sugar Bliss Sweets, at this year's Black & Blue Ball. For the event she produced 2000 desserts ranging from a variety of cupcakes, Agave Nectar Truffles, Pineapple Coconut Bars to an exotic White Chocolate Mousse with Lavender Sugar. Sugar Bliss Sweets doesn't have a walk-in storefront. Instead Mathouchan personally delivers all of her orders and does not charge for setting up dessert stations and other presentations. Mathouchan also offers a range of desserts for those with food allergies. For more information call (805) 284-2007 or visit sugarblisssweets.com.

Free Dr. Pepper: In a unique marketing strategy, the Dr. Pepper Company has reportedly entered a dare of sorts between themselves and Guns N' Roses front man Axl Rose. They have stated that if Axl Rose manages to release his new album, "Chinese Democracy," in 2008, they will give everyone in America a free Dr. Pepper. Chinese Democracy, which has been in the works for seventeen years, is set to debut on November 23, 2008. Dr. Pepper will keep up their end of the bargain by offering coupons on their website drpepper.com for 24 hours on the date of release.

Drink Pumpkin: This just in from Hollister Brewing Co. in Goleta:

Hi John:

We’ve just added a really tasty Pumpkin Ale to our line-up of beer offerings. It’s brewed with 65 lbs. of roasted Farmers Market pumpkins and 70 lbs of pumpkin meal. This amber ale is gently spiced with cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. It’s 6% A. B. V. (alcohol by volume).

Thanks,

Marshall
Hollister Brewing Company
6980 Marketplace Drive

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Lunch Special: Pizza Mizza, next to Sears in La Cumbre Plaza, is having a pizza lunch special Monday-Friday 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Enjoy a 1-topping personal pizza plus bottomless soda/ice tea for $7.99. For more information call 564-3900 or visit pizzamizza.com.

Dinner Special: La Rumba Bar & Grill at 3435 State Street is offering a dinner special. Buy any main course & get $2 off the second main course. For more information call 682-4370.

"Heart of Gold" Halloween Masquerade Fundraiser Party: This is the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara's big Halloween party of 2008. I plan to attend for sure. Justin Michael, founder of Mazque, is a major sponsor. This is the same party the Santa Barbara Association of Realtors, the SB Chamber, and Scene&Heard Magazine are all talking about.

WHAT:
Halloween Costume & Masquerade Party 2008 Event, put on by The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara. Date: Friday, October 31st. Time: 7:00 PM to 1:00 AM. Location: Santa Barbara Auto Group 401 Hope Ave (enter at Smart Car showroom).

WHY:
1) To have fun, to see, and be seen
2) To be at the best Halloween Party in town
3) To raise money for the Santa Barbara Foster Care Gift Program

ENTERTAINMENT:
Non-stop music and dancing all night, with:
- King Bee, Santa Barbara's premier dance band
- DJ Pauly Paul, playing the songs you know, and love to dance to
- DJ Fab, spinning late night international grooves

OTHER:
- Full Bars + Food
- Costume Contests with prizes (BE CREATIVE!)
- Special Guests
- Photographer
- And more

TICKETS:
- $75 in advance, $100 at the door
- To buy tickets go to sbmask.com or the Lobero Box Office.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Say Hello To Jane: Montecito Cafe owners Margaret and Mark Huston will be opening a new restaurant named “Jane” in mid-November at 1311 State Street, the former home of Gisella's Trattoria. The menu will be similar to Montecito Café’s popular offerings with a few new items added to the mix. The new eatery, two doors down from the Arlington, “will continue Montecito Café’s 23 year philosophy of quality, service & value,” says Margaret Huston. “Everything is made from scratch including hamburger buns, salad dressings, mayonnaise, sauces and desserts,” she added. The building is brand new, built from the ground up, and will include a large two-story fireplace. When Jane makes her debut next month, be sure to say hello by calling 962-1311.

Grand Reopening: Cafe Bianco at 11 W. Victoria Street in Victoria Court has reopened after four months of renovation.

I know you're tired of the Halloween theme but rest assured; I feel your pain. With that said...

Haunted House: The headline of my column about the Big Yellow House restaurant in August 2007 was “The Big Yellow Wreck.” That pretty much summed up the situation. Then, during July 2008, I reported a sighting of a new sign out front that read “Opening December 1st.” Last weekend, with Halloween rapidly approaching, I paid another visit to our familiar friend in Summerland. The “Opening December 1st” sign is still there but it apparently isn’t referring to 2008. The building remains unchanged and as haunted-looking as ever, complete with broken window, dust and cobwebs. The only thing missing are the ghosts & goblins!

Pumpkin Carving Contest: Pierre Lafond Bistro is having a pumpkin carving contest on Wednesday 10/29 at 6pm. Enjoy Free Cider and Cookies. Here is the official press-release:

"Calling all pumpkin artists... bring your carved or decorated pumpkin to Pierre Lafond Bistro anytime between now and Wed 10/29. A panel of local judges will choose the pumpkin that best celebrates the spirit of Halloween in Santa Barbara. Claudia Bratton and Cathy Remak are judges - Winner receives "Dinner and Movie" for 2 people - plus, The Independent will feature a photo of the winning pumpkin."

Monday, October 27, 2008

Empty Bowls: The 11th annual Empty Bowls Lunch benefiting the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is this Sunday, November 2 at the Rockwood Woman’s Club, 670 Mission Canyon Road. For a donation of $25 or more, choose a handmade bowl that you can take home with you and enjoy a simple meal of gourmet soup and bread. There are three seatings: 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. For tickets & information call 967-5741 x104 or visit emptybowlssantabarbara.com. Watch a video of Empty Bowls 2007.

For Halloween: McConnell's Ice Cream at 201 W. Mission Street is now serving pumpkin ice cream, just in time for Halloween.

Speaking Of Halloween: Bob & Ellie Patterson of Here's the Scoop sent me this email last week:

Hi John,

Just a reminder that Coast Village Road turns into GHOST VILLAGE ROAD Oct 31st 3-6PM. Many of our neighbor merchants will hand out treats and we will have  our own Halloween flavor Gelato. "Worms 'n' Dirt (it's really our best selling Cookies 'n' Cream with chucks of Gummy Worms mixed in.

Again this year we will be taking tons of photos for our Costume Contest. Costumes will be judged on creativity & originality, open to every one 2-15 years old. Would you consider posting some of the winners picks ??? We'll be displaying the winners on our Kid's Art Wall in the store all during November.

Montecito Inn host their own "Haunted House" in their underground parking area, also 3-6PM

Thanks,
Bob & Ellie Patterson
Here's the Scoop
1187 Coast Village Rd.
Montecito, CA. 93108
805-969-7020

Friday, October 24, 2008

Sly's Serves Lunch: Sly's restaurant at 686 Linden Avenue in Carpinteria has started serving lunch. On weekdays from 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. you can now enjoy salads, fish & seafood, mussels & fries, hamburgers, mac & cheese, pasta, sanwiches and more. Sly's also offers a weekend brunch on Saturday & Sunday from 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. For more information call 684-6666.

Late Night Special: Takenoya Japanese restaurant at 5934 Calle Real in Goleta now offers a late night special: Receive a 20% discount Sun-Thu 9-11 p.m. and Fri-Sat 10 p.m. - midnight.

Halloween Candy Poll: When I was a kid, wandering the neighborhoods of Montecito on Halloween night, I would encounter some houses that had great hand-outs and others that had lousy ones. Most were somewhere in between. To this day I vividly remember the people and homes that handed out the best stuff. Therefore, as an adult home owner in Goleta who now lives life on the other side of the trick-or-treat transaction, I try to be one of the A-List destinations on Halloween. What treats do YOU recommend? Email your suggestions!

• The Restaurant Guy says "JUMBO-SIZE Snickers bars for the big kids. It's expensive but well worth the 'wows.'"

• Reader Ryan says "King Size Reeses..."

• Reader Dianne says "Glow stick bracelets."

• Reader Christine says "I am on 5 acres in Los Olivos- we do not get trick or treaters...but we hold a annual harvest party that the kids love!! I always make shepards pie and caramel apples for the kids. I buy the apples on Alamo Pintado at Dittmars apple stand- then my daughter Emily and I peel what seems like 1,000 caramels- and melt them- and make the BEST treat ever- a caramel apple! The best is handing them out to kids and telling them I made them just for them!"

• Reader Stefanie says: "Here's a creative idea and a good way to support the local economy. Go to Chocolate Maya - get some of their crafty treats! Local, organic and absolutely the best chocolate in town!"

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Three Pickles Coming To Goleta: Three Pickles deli at 128 E. Canon Perdido Street will be opening a new location around the first of the year at 420 S. Fairview Avenue in Goleta.

Backyard Bowls Update: A couple months ago I first mentioned that Backyard Bowls was coming to downtown but I was asked to not say what their product actually was. Owner Dan Goddard sent me the following press-release with the full story that I can now share with you:

Backyard Bowls, the first to feature the Acai Bowl in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, CA October 21, 2008 – BACKYARD BOWLS ANNOUNCES GRAND OPENING NOV. 15, providing local residents with the first place in the city to truly experience Acai Bowls. A what bowl you say? Pronounced ah-sigh-EE, the Acai berry is a fruit native to the Brazilian Amazon, which is quickly becoming popular and is known as one of the healthiest super-foods on our planet. An Acai Bowl is full of granola, fresh fruits and honey atop a frozen Acai berry blended smoothie. Not only is it full of antioxidants (2x that of blueberries), essential fatty acids, tons of vitamins and phytonutrients… it tastes amazing. Many people are replacing their everyday meals with an Acai Bowl- it fills you up, tastes great, is packed with the nutrients you need, and gives you the energy to attack your day! Backyard Bowls just may change the way you look at your next meal.

Besides Acai Bowls, Backyard Bowls has a full custom smoothie menu that you are not likely to confuse with that of a chain smoothie bar. Their blends include a vast array of natural ingredients that are sure to awaken your body as well as your taste buds. In addition they have other healthy options such as hot oatmeal bowls, fresh yogurt bowls, cottage cheese bowls, granola bowls, fruit bowls, and much more. They pride themselves on providing healthy alternatives to the standard choices for breakfast and lunch. Also, Backyard Bowls is a green company that is passionate about promoting environmental health, and preserving a beautiful Santa Barbara.

Not only are they a great and quick new alternative to your regular breakfast and lunch routine – but they are also in a perfect location. You can find them just off lower State Street – at 331 Motor Way, with a large parking lot right in front. So as you leave your weekly class at Yoga Soup around the corner, or get up from your coffee break at the SB Roasting Company – stop on into Backyard Bowls and check out their menu, meet the friendly new owners, and introduce yourself to the Acai bowl– your body will thank you.

Pinkberry Update: In February the Rumor Machine broke the news that frozen yogurt chain Pinkberry was coming to town to 742 State Street, the former home of Jamba Juice. On July 23rd the first visible sign of their arrival appeared in the form of papered-over windows with the Pinkberry logo splashed across them. Three months later (October 23rd), anticipating that they might open any day now, I took a peek through the window to check on their status and this is what I saw:
 

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Big Wednesday: Every Wednesday after 5 p.m. Kahuna Grill in Paseo Nuevo mall has a special: Buy one burger or sandwich combo and get one free!

Award Nominee: "Around the World" travel radio, hosted by News-Press Co-Publisher Arthur von Wiesenberger and News-Press columnist Richard Mineards, is one of four nominees for the Best Travel & Dining Radio show by International Restaurant and Hotel Awards. Nominees will gather at the Beverly Hilton on Nov. 16 for the awards ceremony, hosted by the Travel Channel's Mark DeCarlo. "Around the World," launched by Mr. von Wiesenberger in 1998, encourages listeners "to take a trip on your radio." It airs live 10 to 11 a.m. on KZSB AM 1290 and streams live via the Internet at aroundtheworldradio.com. The public can submit a vote for the show by following a link on nippers.com.

Pictures: Last night I attended a Santa Barbara Young Professionals Club meeting at Chef Karim's Moroccan Restaurant and took a bunch of photos.

New In The Guide: Today I added new local restaurant Crushcafe (1315 Anacapa St) to the guide. Pictured below are owner Shannon Feld (left) and Jasmine Hendifar.
 

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Benefit For Afghan Orphans: Tonight at 7pm Chef Karim's Moroccan Restaurant (1221 State Street) is hosting a benefit for orphans and physical training in Afghanistan. Tickets $60 pre-sale & $70 at the door. Includes appetizer, main course, dessert and entertainment. Drinks & gratuity not included. Call 455-4066.

Specials At Esau's: Esau's Cafe at 729 Chapala Street is offering Happy Hour specials running from 3-6 p.m. everyday: $4 Baja Halibut Taco and 1/2 price beer & appetizers. For more information call 965-4416 or visit esauscafe.com.

Lemon Festival Pictures: I have put pictures online of the California Lemon Festival that I attended last Sunday.

Most-Viewed: I looked at the web site stats and, of the 108 pictures I posted online from the Beer Festival, these were the most-viewed photos. The #1 photo was Ladies in Pink followed by Sharp Dressed Men and Party of Eight.
 

Monday, October 20, 2008

Beer Festival Pictures: I attended the Santa Barbara Beer Festival at Elings Park over the weekend and was surprised to see how huge an event this has become. I am told that attendance was twice that of last year. The Beer Festival is definitely in the big leagues and will be a Santa Barbara tradition for years to come. I took 108 pictures of the event and added them to my photo blog.
 

Watermelon Fire & Ice: While visiting my friend “Flip” in Texas last summer I had the opportunity to try some amazing homemade salsa called “Watermelon Fire & Ice.” Juicy watermelon replaces tomatoes in this salsa that's simultaneously cool and spicy hot. It’s a perfect compliment to that bag of chips you have ready for Wednesday’s World Series featuring the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies. It’s also great as a topping for grilled chicken or fish.
   Flip likes to modify the recipe a bit by using habañero peppers with the jalapeños (and he suggests using gloves when chopping jalapeños or your hands will burn all night). To not have the salsa become too watery, let the chopped watermelon drain in a colander for a while. Mix everything together in a large bowl and you will end up with four cups of delicious, Restaurant Guy-approved salsa. If you want to really go all out, use a hollowed-out watermelon halve as a serving bowl. Here’s the official recipe:

• 3 cups chopped watermelon
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeño pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Friday, October 17, 2008

Backyard Bowls Update: Back in August I wrote about a new eatery named "Backyard Bowls" that will be coming to 331 Motorway Way, next to the Santa Barbara Roasting Co. off of lower State Street. Owner Dan tells me that they will be having a soft opening at some point during the week of Oct 27. Their grand opening is currently scheduled for the weekend of November 8.

Natural History of Food: The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is will soon be hosting the next event in their "history of food" series and this time it is all about whiskey. Learn about the tradition of whiskey from Scotland, Ireland, America and Canada from a Whiskey Ambassador. Walk the Tasting Path, enjoy a variety of whiskeys, and sample dishes that showcase how premium spirits complement fine cuisine. Enjoy Celtic music, song and dance. Cost: Members and people clad in kilts or tartans $45; Non-members $60. Date: Sunday, November 2, 2-5 p.m. To reserve tickets call 682-4711 ext. 170.

SB Independent Publishes Poll Results: Check out the list of food winners in the Independent's Best Of poll that was published yesterday.

New In The Guide: Today I added Cafe Int'L - Isla Vista to the restaurant guide.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Crushcafe Opens Downtown: Shannon Feld, owner of Crushcakes Cupcakery, has opened Crushcafé at 1315 Anacapa Street, which is next door to her popular bakery. The new restaurant is open every day from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Breakfast, served until 11am, includes yogurt, oatmeal, bagels, bread pudding, breakfast sandwiches, an assorted bread basket, and quiche of the day. The lunch menu includes homemade soups, six different salads served with fresh bread, six different grilled panini’s, eight cold sandwiches and three types of melts. I have put a copy of their full menu online. For more information call 963-3752 or visit crushcafes.com.

Now Offering Dim Sum: Ryan Yoshinaga, General Manager of China Pavilion at 1202 Chapala Street, tells me that they will be serving Dim Sum starting on November 1st. A full dim sum menu will be served Saturday and Sunday, during lunch only, between 11-3 p.m.

Peet's: The official opening date for Peet's Coffee, which is coming to old La Salsa location at 1131 State Street, is Monday, November 3rd.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Café Int’L Opens In Isla Vista:  International Cafe on Calle Real in Goleta has been renamed “Café Int’L” and a second location opened last week in Isla Vista. The new restaurant serves breakfast, lunch & dinner and is located at 6578 Trigo Road, replacing the now-closed Fresh Wok. Steve Rhim, owner of both Café Int’L locations, is offering one of the most diversified breakfast menus in Isla Vista.
   Breakfast (served all day) includes: a full bagel menu with flavored cream cheese; all types of eggs (omelettes, scrambles, eggs benedict with lox or Canadian bacon), two kinds of sausage, corned beef hash and ham. For breakfast you can also enjoy biscuits & gravy, oatmeal, pancakes, French toast and five different breakfast burritos. Many vegetarian options are available.
   Lunch features many popular sandwiches including turkey 4 ways, roast beef 3 ways, tri-tip 4 ways, corned beef, pastrami and burgers. Nine different salads are on the menu including Shrimp Louis and a large chicken Caesar. Readers Sharon & Huyen suggest you try the "Everything Bagel" with honey walnut cream cheese and perhaps the Cajun Veggie Sandwich on a toasted French roll.
   Restaurant hours are 6:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. seven days a week. For more information call 968-2255 or visit cafeintl.net.
 

Speaking Of Isla Vista: Reader Mark recently pointed out to me that hot dog, chicken & salad phenomenon Lettuce B. Frank (413 State Street) has put an announcement on their web site indicating that they will be opening a restaurant in Isla Vista in 2008. Reader Mark also tells me that Eclectic I.V. (6530 Pardall Rd) has closed down for good. Final Isla Vista news: Fresh Start is now offering paninis while Mr. Pickles Sandwich Shop, CaliRoll Express and I.V. Deli Mart are now offering delivery.

Jungle George Grill: Dish Cafe at 5722 Calle Real in Goleta has been sold and will reopen in the future as “Jungle George Grill.”

Zizzo's: Two years after the Storke Road Drive Inn closed at 370 Storke Road in Goleta, it appears that a new occupant is preparing to take its place. Zizzo’s Drive Thru Coffee House should arrive in the near future, selling coffee, smoothies, pastries and sandwiches.

Congrats HBC!: Hollister Brewing Co. in Goleta won an award at the just-completed Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO. The GABF is the largest beer competition in the United States. HBC’s Hip Hop Double IPA (India Pale Ale) was awarded a silver medal at the annual festival which drew over 46,000 attendees and featured 472 breweries competing in 75 judged categories with 2,902 beers entered in the competition.

Monday, October 13, 2008

California Lemon Festival: For the past sixteen years the Lemon Festival has been the biggest celebration in the Goleta area, and it keeps getting better each year. This weekend, October 18-19, the California Lemon Festival takes place off of Storke Road at Girsh Park in Goleta. For more information visit lemonfestival.com.

Santa Barbara Beer Festival: This Saturday, October 18, from noon - 4 p.m., visit the 2008 Santa Barbara Beer Festival at Elings Park off of Las Positas Road. For $30 you can enjoy unlimited beer tasting from dozens of breweries and listen to live music from three bands including Carpinteria’s famous “Brewery Boys.” For more information visit sbbeerfestival.com.

Tuesdays: A reader recently told me that they noticed I seem to publish the most interesting news on Tuesdays and asked me if that is true. First of all I must say I didn't think anyone would ever notice. Second of all I must say yes, that's true. The reason I do this is because I like to synchronize the biggest stories in my blog with my print column that runs on Tuesdays in the Santa Barbara Daily Sound. If big news lands in my inbox I almost always save it for Tuesday. That way my print column isn't always announcing "yesterday's news" even if yesterday's news originated from my own blog. So, on average, Tuesdays tends to be the most interesting blog day of the week. Though sometimes my blog sucks on Tuesdays (I always reserve that right), it won't tomorrow. I have a pile of restaurant-related news scoops that I have been saving up to unleash upon the South Coast foodie scene.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Free Coffee?: Reader Primetime tells me that, for a limited time, you can get a free 8oz coffee at Jeannine's Bakery on Figueroa St. You are supposed to pick up a free coffee card at any Jeannine's to redeem it for a coffee. I was told by Jeannine's on upper State Street that if you can't find a card, you might still be able to get a free coffee on Figueroa.

McConnell's: Reader Primetime also tells me that Jimmy Young of McConnell's Ice Cream will soon be opening a store location in Ventura.

Zagat Survey: Earlier this week I posted winners in the top 5 of the 2009 Zagat Survey of local restaurants. I failed to note, however, something interesting at the bottom of the list. La Super Rica Taqueria, which was tied for 3rd for "Top Food" in Santa Barbara, was ranked dead last for both service & decor (on a list of 57 restaurants). Yet La Super Rica, located at 633 N. Milpas Street, is always packed with lines out the door. Apparently great food trumps everything!

New Photos: I finally took pictures of Yo Yum Yum Yogurt in Carpinteria and I also received new photos from the owners of D'Vine Cafe on De la Vina Street and European Deli in the Fairview Shopping Center.

Best Liquor Store: Several responses have come in for yesterday's liquor store poll and I have posted the comments below.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Pattaya Showing Signs Of Life: In this blog I have been chronicling the odd life of Pattaya Thai Restaurant & Music Club in Old Town Goleta that is terrific in all respects but one: it has never opened. Large, colorful ads for the eatery have been running in the phonebook for nearly a year and their web site has been online even longer. Reader Wendy passed me new information this week:

My "news tip" for you is that I was told there is a "Help Wanted" sign on the door of Pattaya. You remember Pattaya, the mysterious Thai place that has been supposed to open in the old Alex's Cantina (or Hobey Bakers, if you go back that far) location. For years now it's had a sign, lights on outside every night and a vague web site, but nothing else...this is the first sign of movement in ages.

Best Liquor Store? This just in from reader Alan. Can you help him out? If you email me I'll post your replies here.

While this is not exactly a "restaurant" question I can't think of a better person to ask - Which is the best liquor store in town? I don't mean I need help on picking up a six-pack but what if I'm looking for a good scotch and don't know where to go? Any help is greatly appreciated.

• Reader Brian says: "Regarding your question about best liquor store in town I have two, San Roque Liquor and Mesa Liquor. Both are owned by Syrian cousins independently, they are very proud of their selection. Easily the largest craft beer selection in town."

• Reader Elizabeth says: "We wanted to let you know of another great place that sells liquor. It's Lazy Acres of all places-not exactly a liquor store but their selection is vast, everything from the really sophisticated stuff down to the ol' favs. And if they don't carry it they will get it in just a few days! Plus the folks are nice and helpful."

• Reader Chuck says: "Reader Brian knows his beer and definitely has it right about San Roque and Mesa Liquor. A couple other suggestions for a robust scotch selection: Plaza Liquor next to Ralphs on upper De La Vina, De La Vina Liquor (formerly the Minute Market) on De La Vina, and Talevi's on Hollister. All three have deep selections for scotch - prices aren't perfect, but the selections are good."

• Reader Caryn says: "Keg and Bottle in Isla Vista has every kind of beer and liquor you could ever want. The walls are lined floor to ceiling with liquor and most of the beer they keep refrigerated so its ready to go!"

• Reader James says: "Regarding the best liquor stores in town, for beers San Roque Liquor has as many craft and imports as your likely to find in this town, at decent prices, too. For liquor and Scotch specifically, De La Vina Liquor has the best selection I've found in town, and even outside of Scotch they have a very excellent variety (only place in town I've found decent rye and high-end gin). I must add, though, start your searches at Trader Joe's in almost every case, and if they don't have it, then look at these other places. They're selection is limited and changes frequently, but their prices are out of this world. This week I bought a 12 year sherry cask Highland I normally pay $50 for for $38 (Glenmorangie)."

Wine Cask Review In LA Times: The Los Angeles Times has published a detailed review of the Wine Cask restaurant.

End Of The Road: In Monday's blog I celebrated the end of my life-long car and the arrival of a new one. Unexpectedly, on Tuesday I was mourning its loss after 20 years of driving. Who would have thought one could be moved to near-tears over an aging inanimate automobile? Anyway, I feel much better today and am enjoying my new vehicle a lot, especially the incredible gas mileage. Here is a photo taken the day after I bought my first car and a picture on Monday just before my reliable old friend and I parted ways. FYI, the lady pictured in the photo below, my good friend Claudia, is planning a visit soon to retake that picture with my new car (and join me for dinner again too!).
 

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Zagat Releases Survey Results For 2009: Zagat just released their highly-respected annual survey of restaurants and I had an opportunity to glance at the booklet covering the Santa Barbara region. It appears that Downey's is a big winner again this year. Zagat surveyed fewer than 60 local restaurants so if your favorite place didn’t make the list, it doesn’t necessarily mean it received a low ranking.  Here are restaurants listed in the top five in various categories for the 2009 Zagat survey:

• TOP FOOD:
  1) Ballard Inn, Downey's
  2) Arigato Sushi, Bella Vista, Ruth's Chris
  3) Bouchon, Brothers Restaurant at Mattei's Tavern, La Super Rica, Lucky's, Stonehouse, Trattoria Grappolo,
  4) Ca' Dario, Hungry Cat, Montecito Café, Olio e Limone, Plow & Angel, Square One, Wine Cask
  5) Hitching Post, In-N-Out Burger, Louie's, Stella Mare's
   
• TOP SERVICE:
  1) Downey's
  2) Louie's
  3) Ballard Inn, Stonehouse
  4) Bella Vista, Bouchon, Brothers Restaurant at Mattei's Tavern, Palace Grill, Plow & Angel, Ruth's Chris,
      Trattoria Grappolo
  5) Blue Agave, Lucky's, Olio e Limone, Stella Mare's
   
• TOP DÉCOR:
  1) Stonehouse
  2) Plow & Angel
  3) Stella Mare's
  4) Bella Vista, Brothers Restaurant at Mattei's Tavern, Coast, Sevilla
  5) Ballard Inn, Cold Spring Tavern, Elements, Louie's, Wine Cask
   
• MOST POPULAR:
  1) Downey's
  2) La Super-Rica
  3) Bouchon
  4) Wine Cask
  5) Ca' Dario
   
• BEST BUY (top three):
  1) In-N-Out
  2) Baja Fresh
  3) La Super Rica

Here is some of the raw Zagat data for all 57 local restaurants surveyed, sorted with highest ranking on top. My fingers are sore from all the typing...

Survey Participants:

Gender: 47% women,  53% men
Age: 8% 20's,  22% 30's,  22% 40's,  23% 50's,  25% 60+

Scoring System:

26-30 extraordinary to perfection
20-25 very good to excellent
16-19 good to very good
10-15 fair to good
0-9 poor to fair

Survey Results:

Monday, October 6, 2008

Seafood Festival: The annual Santa Barbara Harbor & Seafood Festival takes place this Saturday, October 11th, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The festival lures seafood lovers of all ages to Santa Barbara’s Harbor for one of the community’s favorite events. Timed to celebrate the opening of commercial lobster season (October 1st), the annual benefit for the Page Youth Center showcases regional seafood specialties, in addition to cooking demonstrations, interactive maritime education, children’s activities, boat rides, live music and more. In conjunction with the festival, John Henigin will be hosting wine tasting outdoors in the area near Chuck’s Waterfront Grill and continuing each Saturday, depending on weather.

Celebration Of Harvest: The Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association is holding their annual Celebration of Harvest this Saturday, October 11th. The event takes place at Rancho Sisquoc Winery in Santa Maria (1-4 p.m.) and includes over 95 wineries and 20+ restaurants/caterers. For tickets ($65) call 805-688-0881 or visit sbcountywines.com.

Cafe Del Sol: Last night I had dinner at Café del Sol in Montecito and discovered a dish that is now on my short list of favorite meals in Santa Barbara. Next time you visit, order the Crab Cakes with hollandaise & mango relish, $22.95. It’s phenomenal. And hopefully you will have Orbelin Munoz Garcia as your waiter who gives phenomenal service!

End Of The Road: I was steamed last Saturday - literally. I have owned exactly one car in my life, purchased brand new just out of college. My Nissan Maxima is so old that I think dinosaurs were roaming near the dealership when I bought it. It is so old that it does not even have air bags or cup holders! Having wanted a new car (and cup holders) for a long time, I stopped taking it to the mechanic for preventative maintenance about 6 years ago. The only thing I did was change the oil and tires as necessary. It STILL didn't die. A few years ago the CD player died. A couple of years ago the air conditioner & heater started to fade. Last winter, during a rain storm, I felt a single drop of water fall on my shoulder from my *closed* sun roof. I knew the end was near.
   Last weekend I was driving through Thousand Oaks and suddenly noticed little bits of steam coming out from under the hood. I then looked in my rear view mirror and saw huge clouds of steam billowing behind me. To make a long story short, I had Auto Club tow me to the nearest repair shop and the mechanic gave my car a fatal diagnosis. Hurray!
   Over the years, knowing the car could die at any time, I kept mental notes of what my next car would be. At one point in my life it was going to be a Porsche Carrera convertible. Then it was going to be the Toyota Highlander SUV. With gas prices sky high over the last few years, my choice had switched to the Toyota Prius. My car is dead today so today I am buying a Prius. In addition to getting 45 MPG it has GPS mapping and bluetooth to link my cell phone to the stereo for hands-free calling. And, most important of all, it has cup holders!

Friday, October 3, 2008

Downtown Vons To Close: Downtown Vons Market at 34 W. Victoria Street is scheduled to close this December. It may become a mixed-use development called Arlington Village that would include 15,000 square feet of commercial space and 29 residential condos.

New In The Guide: Today I added the new Jeannine's Bakery on Figueroa Street to the guide. I also finally got around to taking pictures of the new Los Agaves restaurant on Milpas.

Avocado Festival: Remember that the 22nd annual California Avocado Festival starts this afternoon at 4pm on Linden Avenue in Carpinteria and runs through Sunday! For more information visit avofest.com.

No Oktoberfest: The Brewhouse will not be having its 5th annual Oktoberfest this weekend because the Santa Barbara Police Department has denied their permit application.

Restaurant Of the Month: Congratulations to Ca Dario for being Restaurant of the Month for October! Ca Dario was voted Best Overall Restaurant in the 2008 Santa Barbara Survey. Can you spot the special guest in Ca Dario's group photo?

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Another One For the Cemetery: For the first time in decades the grill at Carrow's Restaurant on Carrillo Street has gone cold. There is a notice on the door saying it is closed and the outside sign is now gone. The 24/7 eatery is located in a plaza that was scheduled to be redeveloped. Last I heard, the redevelopment plans were on hold. Thanks to reader Benjamin for the tip.

Reprieve: It appears that Cafe Bianco is just remodeling. The windows are papered over and a sign on the wall says "We will be closed for four weeks starting July 4th." Apparently it has taken a lot longer than four weeks. Reader Jessica tells me that Cafe Bianco was seen re-installing their deli counter the other day.

Coffee News: I was wandering downtown recently and saw a weekly newspaper (one page) called Coffee News. It is being distributed to local restaurants and coffee shops. I was confused at first because the news & stories on it had nothing to do with coffee. I eventually figured out why when I saw their slogan: "News to Be Enjoyed Over Coffee." It is a national publication that I assume is new to town because 20 of the 30 ads on the paper were for Coffee News itself. For more info visit sbcoffeenews.com.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Cafe Bianco Closes: Reader Dana let me know that Cafe Bianco is currently undergoing nonexistence.

New At Matador: This Saturday night, October 4th, Matador at 714 State Street will have Spanish guitar at 8:00 p.m. and Flamenco Dancers at 8:30 p.m. (reservations recommended). Also, artist Susan Tibbles will have her work on display at Matador October 1-27, 2008. There will be an artist reception this Thursday, October 2, 5-7pm.

Country-of-Origin Labeling Law: No more wondering where your steak came from, or where your vegetables were grown: Starting this week, shoppers will see many foods labeled with the country of origin. Retailers must now notify customers of the country of origin -- including the U.S. -- of raw beef, chicken, veal, lamb, pork, goat, wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish, fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, peanuts, pecans, macadamia nuts and whole ginseng.
   Exceptions to the law include processed foods and foods that are mixed together. For example, raw chicken must be labeled but not breaded chicken tenders. Raw pork chops are labeled but not bacon. Frozen peas get labeled, but not frozen peas with pearl onions. Raw peanuts are labeled, but not trail mix. Meat and seafood sold in butcher shops and fish markets are also exempt from the new law.

Off Topic: It appears that Coastal Woman magazine has ended it's six year run and has ceased publication. As it turns out The Restaurant Guy was invited to participate in this year's bachelor auction, benefiting Women’s Economic Ventures. I was looking forward to it and am heartbroken today... :(

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Cafe Shell: As mentioned last Friday, Shelley Shoemaker celebrated her two year anniversary as the owner of Barcliff & Bair (1112 State Street) by throwing a big party. While at the event, I found out that Barcliff & Bair has been given a new name, “Café Shell,” that will be phased in over the coming weeks. Partygoers were also given a preview of a unique offering that will be available on the third Thursday of the month at Café Shell: “Breakfast for Dinner.” During the party we were treated to blueberry pancakes, eggs, sausage, strawberries and orange juice. This evening breakfast buffet concept works really well, I must add.

Menu Labeling Law: Gov. Schwarzenegger signed a "menu labeling" law today to give restaurant customers more information about what they eat. The new law applies to restaurants with 20 or more locations in California, which includes more than 17,000 eateries. Beginning July 1, 2009, they will be required to provide brochures containing nutritional information including number of calories and grams of saturated fat. Starting Jan. 1, 2011, all menus and menu boards above front counters will have to include the number of calories for each item.

Off Topic: In this blog last February, during the final days of CompUSA in Camino Real Marketplace, I mentioned that representatives of Best Buy were seen visiting the building. I am happy to report that Best Buy’s arrival was approved last week by Steve Chase, Goleta’s planning and environmental services director. The building will be expanded by nearly 8,000 sq. ft. and go before the Design Review Board on October 28th.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Avocado Festival: The 22nd annual California Avocado Festival begins this week on Linden Avenue in Carpinteria. Festivities start Friday 4-9 p.m. then continue Saturday (10 a.m. - 9 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m. - 6 p.m.). Enjoy 30 avo-food booth, an arts & craft fair, live entertainment on three stages, the world's largest vat of guacamole, and avocado ice cream. For more information visit avofest.com.

Sweet Buttercup: I attended the grand opening of Sweet Buttercup on Saturday (2611 De La Vina Street) and took photos of the event. They had such a huge turnout (causing them to run out of cupcakes) that they will have an encore grand opening this Saturday, October 4th (4-6pm). I suspect they ran out of cupcakes in part because I ate more than my fair share. At this Saturday's event complimentary coffee and milk will again be provided. For more information call 967-8160 or visit sweetbuttercup.com.

New In The Guide: I have added Yo Yum Yum yogurt (of Carpinteria ) to the guide (pictures coming soon).

Merry Christmas: Costco has launched their Christmas collection even though it is still September (see photo I took yesterday). I remember the days when I was shocked to see the Holiday Spirit arrive just before Halloween. I predict that in the near future Seasons Greetings will begin on Labor Day.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Dinner And Movie: Pierre Lafond Bistro at 516 State Street is having a special promotion during the month of October: Sunday thru Wednesday after 5pm you receive a free movie pass with your dinner entree. The movie pass is for any Metropolitan Theatre - valid till 12/31/08. Reservations are required (call 805-962.1455). Pierre Lafond Bistro is also partnering with KLITE. Listen to Gary and Katherine for "Date Nite" give-a-ways. Enter on the KLITE website. They will be giving out free dinners at Pierre Lafond that includes the movie pass.

Monday Night Special: Jill's Place Shalhoob's Restaurant at 632 Santa Barbara Street now offers a Monday night special starting at 5pm: Shalhoob's Sirloin Steak $12.95, Full Rack Baby Pork Back Ribs $19.95, Tri Tip Sandwich $9.95. For more information call 963-0378 or visit shalhoobs.com.

Party At Barcliff & Bair: Shelley Shoemaker celebrated her two year anniversary last night as the owner of Barcliff & Bair. There was a big turnout at the party which included hors d’oeuvres, champagne cocktails and “Breakfast for Dinner” for all attendees. I of course brought my camera along and took some pictures.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

New Sushi Spot Coming To Montecito? A job advertisement appeared on Craigslist on September 18th that reads: "Sushi Chef (Montecito, CA) - New sushi restaurant seeking an experienced sushi chef. Must have prior japanese/sushi restaurant experience. Be a part of this new concept. Please send resume for consideration." Seeing that Tsunami in Montecito closed recently perhaps it will be replaced with this "new concept." Thanks to reader Colette for the tip.

Carl's In Carp Starts Construction: This just in from reader Sara: "Looks like Carl’s Jr. in Carpinteria is finally making some progress. The inside of the building (old Denny’s?) has been gutted, and there is an official “coming soon” sign outside. Hooray, something new!" The building located on Carpinteria Avenue and visible from the freeway used to be a Coco's Restaurant & Bakery.

Dish Remodeling: Several people have asked me if Dish Cafe on Calle Real in Goleta is closed. Well, yes and no. I stopped by Dish yesterday and saw that there is a sign on the front that says they are remodeling. A glance inside reveals that they are replacing pipes under the foundation. I don't know yet when they will reopen.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Holdren’s Opening Two Restaurants In Camino Real Marketplace: Sources tell me that Holdren's Steaks & Seafood (512 State Street) is planning to expand its presence on the South Coast. The lease is not yet signed but it is nearly certain that within 6-12 months the owners of the popular steakhouse will open a pair of new restaurants in Camino Real Marketplace, in the spot formerly occupied by Zaffiro. It is my understanding that they are going to put two different restaurants in the building, both running out of the same kitchen. One side will be a traditional Holdren's restaurant and the other side will be an inexpensive Italian concept with the same quality as Holdren's. The Italian side will be a little bigger than the Holdren's side, roughly 2/3 to 1/3.

Jeannine's Opens In La Arcada: Reader Jonathan tells me that last Sunday Jeannine's Bakery opened at 15 E. Figueroa Street in La Arcada, the former home of Finestra Caffe.

Cupcake Grand Opening: Sweet Buttercup bakery at 2611 De La Vina Street is having its grand opening this Saturday, September 27. Owner Ellena Munoz will be opening the kitchen doors from 4-630pm for all to sample her cupcakes. There will be individual as well as boxed cupcakes available for purchase for those who would like to take Sweet Buttercups home. Complimentary coffee and milk will be provided. For more information call 967-8160 or visit sweetbuttercup.com.

Mexican Restaurant Coming To Santa Ynez: Carlos López-Hollis, managing partner of Carlitos Cafe & Cantina downtown, tells me that he will be opening a Mexican restaurant and tequila bar at 3544 Sagunto Street in Santa Ynez (the former site of Café Volare/Chef Rick's). “The goal is to combine elements of our family's two restaurants, Carlito’s and Cava, to create a comfortable, sit-down eatery that serves inspired and authentic Mexican and Latin cuisine along with our award-winning, signature margaritas,” said López-Hollis.

Pollo Campero: I came rolling into SB last night at 4:03am. I'm quite tired so this might be my last blog for a day or two. The flight home wasn't memorable for its view (it was dark). It was memorable for its unusual content: lots of chicken. Pollo Campero is the El Salvador-equivalent of KFC and has a cult following across the country. You even see motorcycles, with their smiling/waiving chicken logo mounted on the back, delivering Pollo Campero to hungry citizens everywhere. El Salvador citizens who regularly travel to the U.S. make it a habit of bringing lots of Pollo Campero to the friends & relatives they are visiting. So, as with all flights leaving El Salvador, ours was packed - with chicken. The pictures below are of people near me waiting to board our flight to the U.S. with their Pollo Campero.
 

Monday, September 22, 2008

Flip Flop: Santa Barbara is at 34 degrees latitude on the globe and I am currently at about 13 degrees latitude. That distance has made it difficult to determine the status of Piranha Restaurant & Sushi Bar. Two readers sent me emails over the weekend indicating that there is a big "For Lease" sign on the Piranha building now so I have closed out the restaurant again from the guide. Unless a "We're remodeling!" sign magically appears, I'll consider Piranha gone.

Petrini's And Farmer Boy Turn 50: Ralph Karlskint owner of Farmer Boy Restaurant (3427 State Street) and Joe Bohnett of Petrinis Restaurant (14 W. Calle Laureles) are celebrating the 50th birthday of their restaurants this week. Both restaurants, which opened in San Roque in 1958, are lowering prices to 1950’s levels Mon-Wed, September 22-24. An order of buttermilk pancakes at The Farmer Boy costs only 40 cents this week and a plate of spaghetti at Petrini’s will set you back a mere 85 cents.

Big News: I have big restaurant news that will be the first item in tomorrow's blog. I am gathering up the details right now.

Traveling: I am flying back to the U.S.A. today and should arrive in SB on Tuesday at about 3am. Here are some photos taken recently at the coast of El Salvador. The picture on the right shows lightning reflecting off the ocean and tidal pools.
 

Friday, September 19, 2008

Piranha Still Swimming?: Reader Stephanie tells me that Piranha Restaurant & Sushi Bar is still alive and undergoing a remodel. Being a few thousand miles away it is difficult to sort out the conflicting reports so I have resurrected them from the Restaurant Cemetery just in case. It seems odd to me that they didn't put up a "we're remodeling" sign on the day they closed.

And The Investigation Reveals...: Earlier this week the Rumor Machine popped out a sheet of 100% recycled paper indicating news so extraordinary I had to investigate before I could give any details. The rumor essentially said that a local landmark restaurant on the waterfront had been sold to the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. I called (from El Salvador!) the manager of the landmark, the owner of the landmark and the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and all of them denied it. In fact Bubba Gump said they had no plans to open any new restaurant in the country for a year.

The Pyro Guy: Here is a video of me launching those fireworks I bought earlier this week.

Traveling: Yesterday I spent the morning visiting the Mayan ruins of San Andres in the Zapotitán Valley. In the afternoon I played with children at a local orphanage. They especially liked the face painting session!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Changes At Fresco Catering: Here is a message I received from Jill Brouillard, owner of the Fresco!:

Hello John,

We are now OMNI-FRESCO CATERING!

I have been operating Fresco / Brouillards catering for thirteen years and have decided that within the next year or so, I would like to devote my time to the creation of additional Fresco Cafes. I have partnered up with my two chefs, Heather Story, a graduate of the SBCC Culinary Program, who has been my chef for eight years and Sarah Dandona, a CIA graduate with an additional accounting degree, who has been with me for two years.
   These two women have been the backbone of culinary production for a long time and they are the natural choice to continue on with the catering business after I withdraw. I am going to spend the next year working with them on sales and service so that I will leave all my long time customers in good hands. I will continue to consult with them as well far into the future. We are currently creating our 2009 catering menu.
   The most exciting component of this move is that we have signed an agreement with the ISLE VISTA YOUTH PROJECT. It is a day care center located on Phelps Road in Goleta. In exchange for the kitchen facility, we will be creating menus and feeding the children there each day, a breakfast, lunch and snack. In addition, we will be holding in-service education to parents and the children regarding nutrition, and will be developing an organic garden, where, with the children's help, we will grow some of the food we serve. We are very excited to be working with such a fine non-profit organization with a wonderful and cooperative staff and we are set to begin in October / November.

Thanks,
Jill Brouillard

Traveling: This week I visited the city of Ataco in El Salvador. Here is a picture of yours truly hanging out by a colorful building and shot of the main street through town.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

New Eatery Coming To I.V.: A new restaurant named "On the side" will offer burgers, babyback ribs and a sports lounge when it opens early next year at the location formerly occupied by Isla Vista Spot.

Consolidated: Sources tell me that Chucks Waterfront Grill and Endless Summer have changed the LLC, to a one person licensee. Now, one person owns both...

Mexican Food Poll: Reader Alisa asked me if I know of any place in town that offers homemade authentic flour tortillas. Reader Gina has asked me who serves the best tamale in town. Please email me your suggestions!

• Reader Lynn says: "I think La Super Rica makes the best tamale in town - hands down.  During fiesta though, Our Lady of Guadalupe homemade tamale's are the amazing and I always buy a few dozen's and freeze them :)"

• Reader Robert says: "Delicias on South Fairview in Goleta has always had great tamales."

• Reader Margie says: "[Regarding tamales,] Reynaldo's Bakery in Carpinteria - on Linden - of course!

Need To Investigate: The Rumor Machine popped out a culinary bombshell of a message yesterday. It's off the scale. I really need to investigate whether it is true or not rather than put out a rumor. I'm working on it...

Speaking Of Bombshells: In the U.S. we launch fireworks once a year on the 4th of July. Here in El Salvador, they launch fireworks every DAY. It appears to me the national past time. Everyone does it, usually from their backyard. Being a closet pyro and not wanting to miss out on a rare opportunity, I paid a visit to the nearest fireworks store (see photos below). Keep in mind this store doesn't sell your garden-variety sparkler. They specialize in event-style mortar shells sold to average Joes like myself. I bought an 8-pack of aerial display mortar shells (free cannon included!) and an 8-pack of Roman Candles. I considered buying the M-80 thousand pack (pictured below) but it was a bit overkill and I didn't want to spend the rest of my vacation picking up scraps of paper from my sister's backyard.
 
 

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Piranha Closes: Reader Lindsey tells me that long-time sushi sensation Piranha Restaurant & Sushi Bar closed its doors for good on Sunday at 3pm. Piranha moved from 714 State Street to 801 State Street just last February. This closure surprises me because they have been around forever. I had made it a habit to stop by from time to time to enjoy their Manzano roll.

Silvergreens Coming To Chapala: Last January the Rumor Machine revealed that Silvergreens Restaurant of Isla Vista was opening a new location downtown, across the street from California Pizza Kitchen. Sources tell me that this is indeed true and that they hope to open in October.

Sojourner Menu News: Here is a press-release about Sojourner Cafe's updated menu that now offers portion size options:

SOJOURNER UNVEILS NEW MENU TO CELEBRATE 30 YEARS

The Sojourner Café, which opened its doors in March 1978, commemorates its 30 years of service to the Santa Barbara community with the introduction of a revised menu. Still at its original location at 134 East Canon Perdido Street, “The Soj” has retained many of the original dishes and all of the original intent, with an emphasis on healthy and wholesome fare that also aims to delight. Like all businesses and individuals in today’s economy, the restaurant has also felt the pinch of rising costs across the board, and has met the challenge with a new menu that is both simplified and expanded.
Owner Donna Mudge said, “One of our greatest commitments is to the environment, and we were chosen as the flagship restaurant in the City of Santa Barbara’s pilot composting and recycling program. This got us to thinking about the sizes of our portions and how much we could cut back on waste… of uneaten food, of to-go containers, etc. At the same time, rising costs of food and fuel have forced us to consider raising some of our prices.” The Sojourner’s solution: a choice of portion size on almost every menu item. “Now, you can get a lunch-sized meal at dinnertime, while your friend with the huge appetite can order a more generous helping of the same dish,” said Mudge. Regulars and newcomers alike will find one menu, with more options, at both lunch and dinner. “At the very least,” quipped Mudge, “we’re printing on less paper!”
Watch for new menu items from the Sojourner’s team of chefs, cooks and bakers. Mudge continued, “We greatly appreciate the support of our local community and will continue to provide food that nourishes ‘the body and soul’ for years to come.”
The Sojourner is open from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Mon. - Sat. (until 10:00 p.m. Sunday). Reservations are recommended. Phone 805-965-7922. www.sojournercafe.com.

Hello From Central America: I am back in the city of San Salvador now. For those of you who don't know, the country of El Salvador is bordered by Guatemala & Honduras. It is the smallest Central American country and the only one with no border on the Caribbean Sea (Pacific Ocean only). There are lots of volcanoes in this region and mild earthquakes every few days. I spent a lot of time on the coast recently, primarily in a swimming pool at a resort called Las Veraneras. There are a lot of armed security guards including some at the pool. I even saw a lifeguard with a shotgun. Think of the irony of that.
   I am down here visiting my sister and helping my parents celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. The photos below are of Pat & Tom Dickson of Montecito on their wedding day September 13, 1958.
 

Monday, September 15, 2008

Hello From El Salvador - I am away on vacation on the North-West coast of El Salvador in a tiny bungalow, with a slow Internet connection. I had to wait an hour for a little girl to finish playing on barbie.com or disney.com - I couldn't really tell which - before it was my turn to make contact with the outside world.  I am using a worn-out computer that looks like something from the 80's. The screen is on its last days - the left side looks normal while the right side of the display appears all squished. So I do all my typing with everything dragged over to the left side of the screen. It has a Spanish keyboard so the the layout takes some getting used to. The keyboard doesn't have all the keys on it - probably lost during Michael Jackson's heyday...

Yo Yum Yum Is A Go Go - I am told that the new Yo Yum Yum Yogurt shop on Casitas Pass Rd in Carpinteria has opened its doors for business.

Carlito's Celebrates 30th Anniversary - Here is a press release from Carlitos Cafe & Cantina

Carlitos Café y Cantina - Celabración de 30 Años!

Just across from the historic Arlington Theater in downtown Santa Barbara, Carlitos Café y Cantina has long been a favorite with locals and tourists seeking a relaxing ambience of the courtyard patio with its colorful umbrellas and bubbling fountain. What a better place for a lazy afternoon or a romantic evening.

Founded in 1978 by the López-Hollis family, Carlitos Café Y Cantina has served inspired regional Mexican cuisine using the freshest ingredients for over thirty years. The true Carlitos experience combines many elements: award-winning salsas, fresh homemade tortillas hot off the grill, authentic grilled especiales, premium 100% Blue Agave tequilas, generous margaritas, live Latin music provides a great vibe and, of course, dedicated customer service.

Carlitos is marking its thirtieth anniversary over a long weekend, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, September 18th, 19th, 20th & 21st. According to managing partner, Carlos López-Hollis “festivities will include live music, commemorative tee shirts, CD’s, and half price margarita specials.”

In 1997, the family opened “sibling” restaurant, CAVA, at 1212 Coast Village Road in Montecito. It features a Latin fusion cuisine and combines tapas, sangria, paella and other Latin influences than that of Carlitos.

With 30 years at the same location, 1324 State Street, Carlitos “is the result of a lot of hard work, sweat and creativity,” said López-Hollis. “My parents started Carlitos months before I was born – I think as soon as I was delivered, they went straight back to Carlitos – so, I’ve grown up in the business along with sister, Amy Marisa. We’re very proud of it and it’s heartwarming to see the way people have responded to it”. And that is something to celebrate. Viva Carlitos!
 

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Hello And Goodbye: Though I just returned from a week-long vacation, I am leaving tonight for another one. I am flying to El Salvador where my parents will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. As regular blog readers know, my sister & her family live in the city of San Salvador (brother-in-law works at the U.S. embassy). My mom & dad wanted all their kids (and grandkids) around for the special occasion so they decided to hold the gathering down south. I'll be staying at a coastal resort for 10 days and I am not sure what the Internet situation will be so you might not hear from me for awhile. I have put together a truckload of news that should hold you over for a few days. Keep sending me those tips! See ya soon. - John

Coming Soon: Crushcafe: Crushcakes Cupcakery owner Shannon Feld tells me that she will be opening Crushcafé this October at 44 Arlington Avenue, which is next door to her popular Anacapa Street bakery. The new restaurant will be open every day from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Breakfast, served until 11am, will include yogurt, oatmeal, bagels, bread pudding, breakfast sandwiches, an assorted bread basket, and quiche of the day. The lunch menu includes homemade soups and six different salads served with fresh bread. A variety of sandwiches appear on the menu, all for less than $10. Crushcafe will offer six different grilled panini’s, eight cold sandwiches and three types of melts. For more information, including a complete menu, visit crushcafes.com.

Peet's Update: Sources tell me that Peet’s Coffee, destined to open at 1131 State Street (the former home of La Salsa), officially arrives October 23rd.

Melting Pot Update: The Melting Pot restaurant, coming to 608 Anacapa Street in the near future, officially started construction on August 28th.

He's Dead, Jim: 602 Anacapa Street, next door to The Melting Pot, has been a construction zone for more than a year now. This location has been advertised as the future home of Bollinger’s restaurant & music club (which I once referred to as “SOhO on steroids”). Sadly, sources tell me that the Bollinger’s project is officially dead… kaput… toast.

Scotch Bonnet Closes: A reader sent me an email yesterday saying that she visited Scotch Bonnet restaurant (428 Chapala Street) at 9 p.m. last Saturday night and it was closed. No menu on the door. Not even a light on. I called their voice mail and heard the following message: "Scotch Bonnet restaurant is no longer open. We're sorry to anybody we have inconvenienced." Scotch Bonnet opened last May, replacing Sevilla restaurant.

The Habit Opens Near La Cumbre Plaza: On Monday, while the downtown crowd was celebrating the grand opening of Cafe Luck, uptown folks were celebrating the grand opening of the newest Habit restaurant near La Cumbre Plaza. I added the Habit to the guide today. Here is the official press release, written by Barbara Johnson:

Newest Santa Barbara Habit Restaurant open for business

After over a year of planning, design and construction the newest HABIT RESTAURANT, located within a completely recycled new building, is open for business. Local burger entrepreneurs Brent and Bruce Reichard have done it again, and this time it in grand style. The latest location is within a finely renovated commercial retail / office structure designed by local award winning architect Michael Holliday AIA. Prominently located between Five Points Shopping Plaza and the newly upgraded La Cumbre Plaza Mall, the new Habit is expected to be a hit with both young and old alike. “People have been stopping by for weeks asking us when we are going to open, and that is happening this week” said Habit Owner Bruce Reichard. A VIP party was hosted Saturday evening for about 100 people including members of the design and construction team as well as friends and family. Bruce’s brother and partner, Brent Reichard was honored as 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year by the South Coast Business & Technology Awards and in 2007 by Ernst and Young for the success he and his brother have achieved in growing their small Goleta based burger joint into a multi-million dollar enterprise with over 20 locations throughout southern California.

The newest Habit Restaurant is located in a prominent uptown location at 3890 La Cumbre Plaza Lane within a commercial building also owned by the Reichard Brothers. The new facility has been renovated in exceptional fashion, transforming a dated existing structure into a breath of architectural fresh air. “The goal was to recycle the 30-year-old existing building to better meet the needs of the community and to expand upon the ongoing renovation at La Cumbre Plaza Mall” said Project Architect Michael Holliday AIA. “The finished product is a transitional building, with an appropriate balance of traditional architectural elements combined with more contemporary forms, colors and lighting. The new building seems to fit comfortably within the Santa Barbara Mediterranean vernacular and yet brings a certain renewed presence to the area ”.

The building renovation effort included many GREEN and SUSTAINABLE design features and utilizes a rich combination of natural finishes and materials. Red brick pavers, copper handrails and FSC certified redwood railings have been utilized in the building architecture and displayed in unique fashion on both the exterior and interior common areas. Existing asphalt from the site was recycled and new high fly ash concrete was utilized which reduces the heat island effect of exposed parking areas. New areas of drought tolerant landscaping have been included as part of the site improvements. Building upgrades include new high efficiency SOLEX window glazing, high fly ash (low polluting) concrete, energy efficient lighting, low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) paints, finishes and adhesives, high efficiency HVAC units and extensive wall / roofing insulation to exceed Title 24 Energy conservation requirements. “We kept the bones of the existing structure and applied a new energy efficient skin to the exterior.” said the architect.

The new HABIT Restaurant is also a very welcoming site. The red-brick dining patio is landscaped with drought tolerant Mexican Fan Palms and the interior is a contemporary blend of state-of-the-art cooking facilities and warm inviting dining spaces complete with innovative lighting and flat screen TV monitors. “There’s no substitute for quality” is the Habit motto and after months of anticipation the new facility seem to resonate that fact. “We love what we do and feel blessed to be a part of such a wonderful community, come down and see us at our new HABIT location.” said Bruce and Brent. The contractor for the project was Terry Bottenfield of Bottenfield Construction of Ventura.

New iPhone Desktop Icon: The iPhone version of the SantaBarbara.com Restaurant Guide now has a desktop icon. The desktop icon is a quick link to the guide, eliminating the need to launch a web browser first. To place the icon on your desktop, open the dining guide home page with your iPhone browser at http://iphone.santabarbara.com. Then click the "+" at the bottom of the screen and select "Add to Home Screen."
 

 

Monday, September 8, 2008

Cafe Luck Opens Downtown: Like a fine wine, good things in life take time. Four years in the making, Santa Barbara's newest French restaurant, Cafe Luck (18 E. Cota Street) officially opens tonight. I interviewed owner Gene Montesano and thoroughly enjoyed his passion & enthusiasm for this culinary gem that he and chef David Rosner have brought to downtown. He tells me that the Braised Short Ribs are to die for. The grilled Mediterranean sea bass is served whole, instead of as a slice, and was highly recommended to me by Leonard Schwartz, General Manager of Lucky's in Montecito who is helping launch the new restaurant. A "raw bar" is located to the left of the front entrance and will be in great demand by seafood lovers. Cafe Luck is open daily for dinner from 5:30-10 p.m. (reservations highly recommended). Lunch may be added to the menu in the near future. For more information call 962-5393.

Oh, and before I forget, I fired up my scanner and put Cafe Luck's menu online for you.

Ruby's Diner Closes: Reader Craig Smith tells me that Ruby's Diner in Paseo Nuevo has closed. I stopped by the eatery and noticed a sign on the door that read "The location will be permanently closed at close of business today, September 3, 2008. Thank you for your support and patronage throughout the years."

Taste Of The Town: I attended Arthritis Foundation's annual "Taste of the Town" fundraiser on Sunday at Riviera Park Gardens (see photo album). The event was packed with wine and food lovers. I had such a good time that I stayed nearly four hours even though it was a three hour event! Restaurants / food purveyors included A Piece of Cake, Bacchus, Ballard Inn, Barcliff & Bair, Bay Cafe, Brother's Restaurant, Ca' Dario, Cheese Pies, Chef Karim's, Crushcakes, Pierre Lafond Bistro, Elements, Emilio's, Green Star Coffee, Jade, Los Arroyos, Louie's, Michael's Catering, Mondial, Neo-Chase, Omni Fresco Catering, Opal, Outback, Pacific Beverage, Palace Grill, Peet's Coffee, Piatti, Renaud's, Santa Barbara Chocolate Fountains, Santa Barbara Olive Co., Sesto Senso, Shepherd Farms, SOhO, Spa Cafe, Stateside, The Faculty Club, Wine Cask and Via Maestra 42.
 

 

Friday, September 5, 2008

Mad For Madison's: Madison's Grill & Tavern at 525 State St now has a Tuesday special: $12.95 for all you can beef ribs (while supplies last). For more information call 882-1182.

On The Road: I am on the I-5 driving back to SB right now from a seven day vacation. Have a great weekend!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Sprinkles VS. Sprinkled Pink:  I can now consider my current trip to Northern California (near the Oregon border) a "working" vacation. The Los Angeles Times managed to track me down yesterday on a mountaintop in the woodsy backcountry. There is no cell reception at my lakeside cabin here so I go for a daily hike to the the top of the tallest peak in this area to get a faint phone signal to check my voice messages on my iPhone. To my surprise there was a call from Eric Lindberg of the Santa Barbara Daily Sound letting me know that the LA Times needed to talk to me ASAP. The object of their desire? My series of photos of Sprinkled Pink Cupcake Couture taken last July that they needed for a story in today's paper.
   I called the Times reporter from the the top of picturesque Mt. Kirok and did a brief interview before the faint signal faded out completely. I then embarked on a speed hike down the lava boulder-strewn peak to help the paper make their deadline. After banging away at my laptop for a half hour or so and then transmitting 61MB worth of photos over a HughesNet Internet satellite dish, the Times had their prize. Today's LA Times story is about the cupcake powerhouse Sprinkles and their displeasure with the name of Montecito's newest dessert destination.
 

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Luck Cafe Opens: Reader Huyen tells me that the new French restaurant Luck Cafe (18 E. Cota Street) officially opens this Saturday, September 6th. Given that I am in the middle of nowhere right now, I can't tell you much more than that!

Dish Cafe Closed For Remodeling?: Readers Krista and Tony sent me the following message:

News from Goleta is that Dish Cafe is closed temporarily for "remodeling".
The windows are blacked out and the sign says exactly that, closed for
remodeling. Go figure??

Taste Of The Town: This Sunday, September 7th, enjoy Santa Barbara's original tasting event, featuring samples from over 80 local restaurants and wineries. All proceeds benefit the Arthritis Foundation. The culinary event takes place at Riviera Park Gardens (2030 Alameda Padre Serra) from 12-3 p.m. Price is $100 per ticket ($125 at the door). Register in advance by calling 563-4685 or visiting tasteofthetownsantabarbara.com.

Gone On Vacation: I am away on vacation this week in Northern California. Here are some pics taken yesterday.
 

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Los Agaves Opens On Milpas: Two years ago Carlos Luna moved to Santa Barbara from Guadalajara, the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco. And he’s been busy ever since. Yesterday was the grand opening of his first restaurant, Los Agaves, at 600 N. Milpas Street, the former home of La Tolteca. The interior is designed to have the rustic look of a home in Mexico. The eatery offers Mexican cuisine & seafood dishes from different areas of Mexico. Luna suggests you try the Chile Campestre with bell peppers, cheese & shrimp and a chipotle dressing. Los Agaves is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Restaurant Of The Month: This month's recognition goes to Boathouse at Hendry's Beach.

Mystery Photo: The mystery photo in last Friday's blog is of the space formerly occupied by Zelo Restaurant.

Gone On Vacation: I am away on vacation this week in Northern California, at a lake about a mile from Oregon. Here are some pics taken yesterday.

Friday, August 29, 2008

La Colmena Opens: A new Mexican restaurant named Taqueria La Colmena has opened at 217 N. Milpas St, the former home of Cajun Kitchen and Pavlako's Eatery. I added them to the restaurant guide today. Restaurant hours are Sun-Thu 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. For more information call 962-3705.

Daily Sound: I am told that there may be a story in today's Santa Barbara Daily Sound newspaper about the new iPhone Restaurant Guide that I launched yesterday.

Gone On Vacation: By the time you read this I am driving up the 101 / I-5 on my way to an annual vacation at a lake in Northern California, near Mt. Shasta. When I visited the lake last year I gathered with four friends of mine to take our five year photo. My friends and I have posed for the exact same photo every five years since we were teenager. If you keep the tips coming I'll try to keep the blog going while I am there. At the lake we have always had incredibly slow 19.2kb dial-up modem Internet access. That's pure, never-ending pain for 'net junkies. This year, for the first time, we have high-speed Internet via a satellite dish on top of the cabin. Yeah! Maybe I'll just stay there and become The Trout Guy.

Speaking Of Driving: If you are extremely bored with nothing better to do, you can watch me drive up California, via a live GPS map.

Mystery Photo: While I am on vacation I'll let you try to guess which Santa Barbara restaurant this used to be. The picture was taken this week. I'll post the answer in Tuesday's blog.
 

Thursday, August 28, 2008

New iPhone Restaurant Guide Launches Today: The SantaBarbara.com Restaurant Guide has now been formatted for the iPhone. I developed this mobile restaurant guide specifically for the iPhone and it takes advantage of many of its unique user interface abilities including the maps function. It has a minimalist design to maximize the screen real estate available to the guide. Unlike the regular web version of the SantaBarbara.com Restaurant Guide, you can browse the entire guide with just your thumb. Zoom in to photos by simply rotating the phone. Write a review while still seated at the restaurant! I'll be adding a search feature to the iPhone guide over the next few weeks. For more screen shots visit the new iPhone page in the dining guide.

To view the new mobile restaurant guide, direct your iPhone web browser to: http://iphone.santabarbara.com

iPhone Screen Shots

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Kobachi Izakaya Dining Opens Uptown: Kobachi Izakaya Dining has opened at 4141 State Street in El Mercado Plaza, the former home of Kampai. I stopped by for lunch and have included a picture (below) of my elegantly-displayed green tea ice cream dessert. Owner Kenichiro Soeda suggests you try the Gindara Nitsuke ($8.95, simmered black cod in sweet ginger soy flavored broth) and perhaps the Creamy Buna Shimeji Mushrooms ($4.50, boiled Shimeji mushrooms, served cold in sweet sour sesame saunce). Kobachi is a small-portions style of dining (similar to tapas) that will compliment drinking and a social atmosphere. Soeda tells me this style is the way people eat in Japan and that in the U.S. kobachi is primarily available in large cities. He says it is rare for restaurants in small towns to serve this style but it is getting more popular.
   Restaurant hours are Tue-Sat 11:30am-2pm, 5:30pm-11:30pm. For more information call 692-0717 or visit kobachiizakaya.com
 

Drive-Thru Coming To Goleta? On September 9th a representative from McDonald's restaurant in Camino Real Marketplace will be visiting a Goleta neighborhood to make a presentation to home owners about adding a drive-thru to their eatery. The restaurant was built with a drive-thru window already in place but it was never activated.

Boathouse Menus Online: The new Boathouse restaurant at Hendry's Beach has added their breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and drinks menus to their web site.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Esau's Café Reopens Tomorrow: WELCOME BACK! We missed you. Continuing a 52 year Santa Barbara tradition the new Esau's Cafe is set to reopen Wednesday within the new Paseo Chapala project located at 729 Chapala Street. Scott and Arti Stanley, purveyors of fine food in the south coast area for over 3 decades, will bring the best of their culinary talents to their loyal following of local customers. “We will be serving the same great breakfasts and lunches that have made us famous, but also we will be offering new courses of fine dinner dining,” said owner Scott Stanley. The Stanley’s will continue to operate their existing Esau’s Café restaurant in Carpinteria.
   The new facility was designed by local award-winning architect Michael Holliday AIA and features artwork by Carpinteria surfer and artist Rick Sharp. “Unique back-lighting of the traditional oil paintings by Rick Sharp create an illusion of windows to another world and bring a classic Santa Barbara feel to the interiors, which highlight local surf breaks from Rincon to North County,” said Michael Holliday. Both dining rooms at Esau’s Café feature gallery-quality surf photography from an elite list of Santa Barbara’s leading surf photographers including David Pu’u, Scott Price, David Orias, Sean Collins, Nick Alker and others. The ceiling of the new restaurant features select hand-crafted surfboards from local Santa Barbara shapers Al Merrick, Renny Yater, Dave Johnson and others.
   Esau's serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and will also offer beer & wine. The eatery opens at 6:30 a.m. on weekdays and at 7 a.m. on weekends. Esau's closes at 10 p.m. except for Friday & Saturday when the doors stay open until 11 p.m. For more information call 965-4416.
 
Coming Soon: Sources tell me that French restaurant Luck Café at 18 E. Cota Street and The Habit restaurant in La Cumbre Plaza will both be opening in about two weeks.

New In The Guide: Esau's Cafe - Downtown climbed out of the Restaurant Cemetery today, making it this guide's first official zombie restaurant. I added all new photos & information. Esau's had been located on lower State Street for decades when the landlord decided to not renew the lease in 2006. I also added Sprinkled Pink Cupcake Couture to the guide following their successful launch yesterday morning.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Tsunami Closes: Fans of Montecito’s Tsunami Japanese restaurant, located at 1014 Coast Village Road, tell me that the eatery appears to have packed its belongings and moved on. I stopped by the restaurant during posted business hours, peeked through the window of the locked front door, and could see that the cash registers, liquor storage, TVs and wall art are all gone.

Sprinkled Pink Opens: If you are depressed about the closing of Tsunami in Montecito, you can cheer yourself up by eating a tasty cupcake at nearby Sprinkled Pink Cupcake Couture which opened this morning at 1150 Coast Village Road. Owner Wendy Jones tells me that their signature cupcake is the "Whipper Snapper." It is a vanilla or chocolate cupcake with a cookie dough center. Store hours are Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information call 969-9808 or visit sprinkledpinkcupcakes.com.

New In The Guide: Today I added restaurant Julienne to the guide and scanned & posted their menu online.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Wine & Dine Social: On Wednesday, August 27th visit Spiritland Bistro (230 E. Victoria St) for their monthly wine and food social gathering. Guests bring their own bottle of wine to share (no corkage fee) and receive a four-course organic meal. The focus for the evening will be Viognier/Rousanne/Marsanne and the event will feature winemaker Craig Jaffurs. Cost is $45 which includes tax & tip. For more information call 966-7759 or visit spiritlandbistro.com.

Gourmet Challenge: On Saturday, September 6th join the Gourmet Challenge benefiting the Lance Armstrong Livestrong Foundation. Start/finish in Santa Ynez Park in the Santa Ynez Valley. The event includes a 5k and 10k run and a full + half metric century bike ride through the Santa Ynez Valley followed by a gourmet luncheon with music and more. $100 donation to participate. For more information call 805-350-0294 or email dsobell@comcast.net.

Nights: I attended Nights last evening at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the event appears to be as popular as ever (see photos).
 

Travis Wilson, Maritza Mejia, Judy Trejos & Jon Wang partying at Nights

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Pita Inn Closes: This one's for the record books, to be filed in the chapter titled "Shortest-lived Restaurant." I have been informed that Pita Inn on Santa Claus Lane has closed after 25 days in business. Reader Richard tipped me off to this one and also tells me that Pita Inn might reopen. Given that their sign is off the building and the phone number is disconnected, I'll close them out until I hear otherwise. FYI, the previous record holder was Granada Grill with a lifecycle of approximately 90 days. Granada Grill is also the only restaurant to enter the Restaurant Cemetery while being the current Restaurant of the Month.

Santa Barbara Water Taxi Announces Dinner Cruises: Here is a press-release sent to me by Capt. Fred Hershman:

"Santa Barbara harbor’s cute yellow passenger-carrying tug boat, Lil’ Toot now offers a whole new waterfront experience in harbor dining. Teaming up with Fresco Cafe and Buttonwood Winery, Lil’ Toot now transforms into “Chez Toot” on weekend evenings -- making it the harbor’s “hot ticket” weekend dinner spot.
   With its cute smile beaming from the bow, and the playful “fine cruis-ine” theme, Lil’ Toot makes its sunset transformation into the casual elegance of Chez Toot offering a sit-down dining experience with culinary selections such as savory grilled chicken breast with rosemary and garlic aioli or grilled shrimp with roasted red pepper sauce and gorgonzola salad with roasted beets.
   While cruising the harbor, guests will enjoy a delicious dinner, sip award-winning wines in real glassware and watch the sun set in a comfortable, intimate, unique and fun environment. New clear glass windows allow passengers to dine in comfort out of the wind and cool night air or can be raised to enjoy the warm, balmy Santa Barbara summer evenings.
   Chez Toot is the perfect private dinner destination for unique corporate dinners, or an intimate gathering of your favorite friends and family. The price for gourmet dinner and wine is $55 per person. Chez Toot comfortably seats up to 14 for dinner. Advance reservations are required for open dinner seating or private dinner groups - call 805/896-6900 or visit our website at www.sbwatertaxi.com for more detailed information." - Capt. Fred Hershman

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Last Call: After 45 years in business Mel’s Lounge & Cocktails closes its doors this Sunday, August 24^th.

New In The Guide: Today I added Boathouse (2981 Cliff Drive) to the guide and updated the photos of restaurants remodeled in the last year including Chilango's and Intermezzo.

Speaking Of Intermezzo: Intermezzo hosted a gathering of the Santa Barbara Young Professionals Club last night and I brought my camera along.

Panera Bread: Here is another tip about Panera Bread: Reader Nancy tells me that she was at the Panera in Thousand Oaks recently and on their paper take-out menu there was a list of stores "coming soon" to cities nearby. One of the cities listed was Santa Barbara.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Julienne Opens Tomorrow: "Progressive American" restaurant Julienne opens tomorrow night at 138 E. Canon Perdido Street, the former home of Le Bon Cafe. Owner Justin West tells me that the restaurant will serve dinner only and will be open Wednesday – Sunday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Last seating is at 9:45 p.m. and reservations are accepted but not required. West operates the restaurant with his fiancée Emma Gudeman who he met in culinary school. Creating Julienne has been their dream for two years and the restaurant opening will be followed by their wedding in October. Sous Chef Weston Richards was previously the Chef de Cuisine at Intermezzo. Wine director Graham Tatomer has his own label (Tatomer Wines) and has put a lot of effort into creating a unique list for Julienne.

Special Olympics Fundraiser Today At Taffy’s Pizza: Special Olympics Santa Barbara will be hosting a fundraiser at Taffy's Pizza today from 11am to 9pm. Enjoy great food and 20% of your purchase will be donated to Special Olympics. You must print and bring the flyer downloadable at www.so-sb.org to participate. Proceeds benefit the Fall Sports Programs for youth and adults with intellectual disabilities. Fall sports include Bowling, Cycling, Softball and Soccer. For more information call 884-1516.

Middle East Festival: This weekend, August 23-24, starting at 10 a.m., you can enjoy the Santa Barbara Middle East Festival at the Carrillo Rec Center, 100 E. Carrillo Street downtown. Cost is $5 at the door and includes Middle Eastern Food, arts, crafts and gifts, Henna art and dance workshops. Also included are free drum, belly dance and line dance classes and lectures throughout each day. Saturday evening, August 23rd at 8pm there will be a concert featuring Alexandra King, Elizabeth Strong, Tamra-Henna and many more stars of Belly Dance. Cost of concert is $30 ($25 with festival hand stamp). For festival information call 687-8823 or visit alexandraking.com.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Rumor Machine: I have a love/hate relationship with the Rumor Machine. I loved it when it told me about Pinkberry coming to town many months before the official word was released. I hated it when it recently told me that a deli is coming to Paseo Nuevo and then a FroYo wine bar promptly announced its arrival instead (not that there is anything wrong with that). Perhaps it is time to contact Make It Work (makeitwork.com) to initiate some repairs, especially after this morning’s print-out which read “Vons market in La Cumbre Plaza will be transformed into a movie theater.” As always, this rumor might be completely false or a brilliant forecast of future events. Your call.

Think Pink: Wendy Jones, owner of Sprinkled Pink Cupcake Couture in Montecito, tells me that her dessert destination is tentatively scheduled to open for business next Monday, August 25^th.

The Boathouse Sets Sail: The official name is the "Boathouse" but with the huge amount of public interest in Santa Barbara's newest seaside restaurant, that opened last Sunday night, it is rapidly becoming "Port Hendry". Tom & Adam White spent $1.6 million renovating the Hendry’s Beach building formerly known as the Brown Pelican and it has quickly become a local treasure. I attended a “friends, family & neighbors” cocktail party last Wednesday night and it was clear to the hundreds of attendees that the Boathouse will be THE locals spot for years to come. While at the bar you now face the ocean (instead of the wall as was the case at the Brown Pelican). They have opened the outdoor wall of the bar as well so you can attack the bartenders from both sides. While at the cocktail party I enjoyed the outdoor patio that is surrounded by new glass walls & heaters. Everyone was warm & cozy even though the banners on the new flag pole were flapping in the coastal breeze. Mr. White tells me that the Boathouse will be serving local fresh fish and suggests you try the local sea bass which is in season right now. Initially the Boathouse is open for breakfast & dinner and lunch will be added to the schedule next week. Hours are 730am to close. For more information call 898-2628 or visit boathousesb.com.
 

Friday, August 15, 2008

Panera Bread: Reader Steve pointed me to a January press-release indicating that Panera Bread, a bakery chain with 1,185 locations across the U.S., intends to open a store in Santa Barbara County. Reader Valerie tells me there is a "coming soon" sign for Panera Bread in Santa Maria on Betteravia. I don't know yet if Panera has included the South Coast in their plans.

Julia Child 007: News circulating in the press right now claims that Santa Barbara's dear departed & world famous chef Julia Child was a World War II-era spy.

YAMR: I heard the term YAMR (pronounced "yammer") the other day during a conversation about Santa Barbara eateries. I stopped the chatter in mid-sentence and asked what the heck a "YAMR" is. I am told that it is an acronym for "Yet Another Mexican Restaurant."

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Rockin' The Boathouse: Last night I joined hundreds of others for a "friends & family" pre-opening cocktail party at the Boathouse restaurant at Hendry's Beach. Anyone who happened to show up at Hendry's Beach during party time was let in as well. There was an open bar serving free drinks and delicious appetizers from 5:30pm to well past 9pm. As always, I took a whole bunch of pictures of the event.
  I was very impressed with what Tom & Adam White, Sky Construction and others have accomplished here. The Boathouse will be THE place to go in Santa Barbara for years to come. It already has become an instant local treasure. While at the bar you now face the ocean (instead of the back wall as was the case at Brown Pelican). They have opened the outdoor wall of the bar as well so you can attack the bartenders from both sides. The outdoor patio is surrounded by new glass walls and it was warm, calm & cozy outside even though the banners on the new flag pole were flapping from the coastal breeze. That feature alone is a huge accomplishment.
   Owner Tom White tells me that they will be open for dinner this Saturday & Sunday and then will be completely open (breakfast, lunch and dinner) starting Monday. They won't take reservations. It will be first come, first serve. Because the Boathouse shares the location with beachgoers, parking will probably always be tight.

Speaking Of Grand Openings: Pho Bistro at 903 Embarcadero Del Norte in Isla Vista might have set some sort of record for longest grand opening in history. I was in the area yesterday and snapped the photo below. Pho Bistro's grand opening sign was still proudly displayed out front for all to see even though they opened 15 months ago. Considering that each year thousands of new students arrive in Isla Vista for the first time, that might be a pretty good marketing strategy. Party on!
 

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Fresh Start Opens In Isla Vista: Fresh Start Community Cafe & Creperie has opened at 6558 Pardall Rd in Isla Vista. The restaurant offers donuts, bagels and crepes. The most popular item on the menu is the "Fresh Start Crepe" which includes strawberries, banana, whipped cream, Ghirardelli chocolate sauce and strawberry compote. For more information call 685-1924 or visit freshstartiv.com.

Aloha Friday: It's "Aloha Friday" every week at L & L Hawaiian Barbecue near Costco in Goleta. Wear your favorite aloha shirt on Fridays and receive 10% off.

Mickey & Mac Part Ways: McDonald's eateries at Disneyland and at neighboring California Adventure will close September 2nd. In 2006 Disney decided not to renew a cross-promotional agreement with the fast-food giant. If you don't remember seeing the Golden Arches in the legendary theme park, that's because there weren't any. The restaurants went by other names, specifically Burger Invasion, Conestoga Fries and Harbour Galley. But the menus included familiar McDonald's fare such as the Big Mac.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Live Culture: Later this year (or early next) a “frozen yogurt lounge” named Live Culture will be moving into 11 W. De La Guerra Street in Paseo Nuevo mall, the former home of Pierre Lafond. The Rumor Machine recently proclaimed that location would become a deli so it looks like I need to send it in for repairs. A new sign out front of Live Culture reads:

“Live Culture frozen yogurt lounge, café & wine bar is the vision of three Santa Barbarans who want to share their love of life, specialty foods and good company in a comfortable yet stimulating environment. Most of all we are creating a gathering place for our friends, family, like-minded locals and out of town visitors to relax and take in all that a nice meal and/or treat in a beautiful surrounding has to offer. We are dedicated to giving back to the community and will host charitable events for local & global causes. A community seating area with Wi-Fi access will be provided to encourage community and social development. We look forward to incorporating you into our Culture!”

For more information visit liveculturelounge.com.

Grapevine: The Grapevine Fine Food Market will soon be moving into 126 E. Canon Perdido Street, the former home of Jimmy's Oriental Gardens. The new high-end food market should open in September.

Page Reader: The Daily Sound newspaper has discontinued use of the page reader service (where you can visually flip through the pages of the paper with your web browser). They may try an alternative page reader service at some point in the future. The Daily Sound is currently focusing on their home delivery subscription service. If you like to read my Tuesday column online, much of the content of the Daily Sound is still available in text form (including my column) on their home page.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Sly's Opens In Carp: James and Ann Sly (James is the former chef at Lucky's in Montecito) have opened their new restaurant named "Sly's" at 686 Linden Avenue in Carpinteria. I added them to the guide today. The eatery serves seafood, steaks and cocktails. For more information call 805-684-6666 or visit slysonline.com.

Caffeine Crisis?: The Coffee Bean at 1226 State Street (next to the Granada Theatre) closed their doors for good on Sunday after being in business for 16 months. The 24-hour Java Jon's (not to be confused with Java Jones) at 8 S. Milpas Street closed its doors recently too. This means that a total of four coffee places have closed in the last 13 months. Fear not a caffeine crisis, however. There are still 40 places in town that consider coffee to be their primary product. Coffee is so plentiful that if you go to the Fairview Shopping Center in Goleta there are two Starbucks locations only 89 steps apart.

History Of Rusty's Pizza: Ever wonder how Rusty's Pizza got its name? One might assume (as I did) that it was started by a person named "Rusty." It turns out that my assumption was incorrect. There probably was a person named Rusty but he didn't serve pizza; he served roast beef! In 1969 the founders of Rusty's Pizza bought a restaurant named "Rusty's Roast Beef" (see photo) at 910 Embarcadero Del Norte in Isla Vista, currently the home of Dublin's Sports Grill. The plan was to turn it into a pizza parlor but money was tight at the fledgling business and they couldn't afford to replace the large "Rusty's Roast Beef" sign on the front of the building. What they did instead was alter the existing sign to replace "Roast Beef" with "Pizza" and a local legend was born.
   Within three years, the locations on Milpas and State Street were added, followed closely by Carrillo, Fairview and Carpinteria. The 90's saw the opening of Rusty's on Storke Road in Goleta and Rusty's on Turnpike Road. 2002 marked the opening of Rusty's newest location on the waterfront across from Stearns Wharf. All Rusty's locations are locally owned and operated. For more information visit rustyspizza.com. Better yet, order a pizza by calling 564-1111.
 

Friday, August 8, 2008

Backyard Bowls: A new eatery named "Backyard Bowls" will be coming to 311 Motorway Way, next to the Santa Barbara Roasting Co. off of lower State Street. Their food product is unique and I have been asked to keep it a secret until they open in mid-September. I can tell you that the mystery meal is indeed unusual and that I look forward to trying it. Sorry to leave you hanging!

Speaking Of Secret: Chef Brenda Simon, owner of The Secret Ingredient catering service, will be taking over the cafe at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State Street. The location was formerly occupied by Fresco Museum Cafe and Zal's Museum Cafe.

Ka-Ching: Jaimie Perez of Santa Barbara recently won a contest put on by Domino's Pizza as part of a promotion of its new Gotham City "Dark Knight Experience" pizza. Perez ordered a pizza and it was delivered with a check for $10,000. I hope she tipped the delivery person!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Hotcookie.com: I go to a lot of restaurants. And delis. And markets. And coffee shops. It's part of my job. A few months ago I started to notice that a lot the places I visit served cookies. Not long after that discovery I had a new revelation: most of these desserts are made by the same company: Hotcookie.com. While munching on one of these tasty treats at a downtown restaurant recently I asked the owner about Hotcookie.com and he quickly praised them. He said he loves them, the public loves them and that the lady who sells them is wonderful.
   Santa Barbara resident Christina Gumpert (founder of the company) migrated to Santa Barbara from Sun Valley, California and decided to start a business that sells instant happiness. Why cookies? "Because you can't eat flowers," Gumpert says. To guarantee freshness of their cookies, they bake them the same day they're ordered. Cookies are hand delivered for Santa Barbara residents and sent via USPS for all other orders. Hotcookie.com will soon opening a storefront at 2018 Cliff Drive on the Mesa, next to Albertsons. For more information call 564-2397 or visit (of course) Hotcookie.com.

Yanni's: Mackenzie Market at 3102 State Street has had a secret Greek & American deli on the premises for years. Apparently the word has gotten out. The market's deli (and catering) business has grown so much in recent years that the owners have decided to give this side business an official name: Yanni's Greek & American Deli. The name of the market will remain unchanged. For more information call 682-2051.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Middle East Festival: During the weekend of August 23-24, starting at 10am, you can enjoy the Santa Barbara Middle East Festival at the Carrillo Rec Center, 100 E. Carrillo Street downtown. Cost is $5 at the door and includes Middle Eastern Food, arts, crafts and gifts, Henna art and dance workshops. Also included are free drum, belly dance and line dance classes and lectures throughout each day. Saturday evening, August 23rd at 8pm there will be a concert featuring Alexandra King, Elizabeth Strong, Tamra-Henna and many more stars of Belly Dance. Cost of concert is $30 ($25 with festival hand stamp). For festival information call 687-8823 or visit alexandraking.com.

Logo Chocolates: Jill Marie Carré from Chocolats du CaliBressan in Carpinteria recently sent me an email about their new "logo" chocolates service:

"Hi John, we have begun "Logo" chocolates. This is especially great for any type of business that would like to create their own personalized chocolates, form, flavor and logo. Great for "Thank you's", holiday gifts employee incentive gifts - well you name it. They are excellent and CUSTOMIZED. Also great for people planning weddings, their own names and date on personalized chocolates. Anyone wanting to make lasting yummy moment with their name or logo. You should come in and see or go on line and take a look at www.chococalibressan.com" - Jill Marie Carré, (805) 684-6900.

Photo Blog: I added some more pictures to the Photo Blog including those taken at the Santa Barbara Wine Festival in June and photos from my visit to the Greek Festival (with my niece Heather) taken on July 26th. The lines for food were so long at the Greek Festival we didn't get a chance to try any!

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Sly's Update: Host Michael Bott tells me that Sly’s Seafood, Steaks & Cocktails at 686 Linden Avenue in Carpinteria is undergoing final inspections and might open this week, possibly as early as tomorrow.

Yellow House Update: It has come to my attention that a closed yet well-known yellow-colored restaurant in Summerland will no longer be renamed “The Yellow Rose” when it reopens this December. Owner Bernard Rosenson, who is about to begin extensive renovations of the building, has decided to keep the familiar name “The Big Yellow House.”

Speaking Of Yellow: I was flipping through the yellow pages the other day and noticed that some restaurants try harder than others to get your attention. Some restaurants list just a name and phone number. Others have 1/8 page, 1/4 page, 1/2 page and 3/4 page ads. A select few individual restaurants, however, have gone the extra mile to let their services be known by taking out a full-page color ad.
   The champion is Eladio’s which stands alone with the only double full-page ad that opens like a centerfold when you reach the restaurant section of the Verizon Yellow Pages. Verizon’s full-page advertisers are All India Cafe, China Pavilion, Rose Cafe and Uncle Chen's.
   In the Santa Barbara Community Phonebook that recently arrived at my doorstep there are an abundance of full-page advertisers, including: Cafe Del Sol, China Pavilion, Enterprise Fish Company, Epiphany, Fishouse, Holdren's, Opal, Palace Grill, Rose Cafe, Santa Barbara Shellfish Co, Sesto Senso, Spiritland Bistro and Stella Mare’s.

Fiesta Fotos: Saturday 8/2/08: Ricardo's annual "Fiesta Fandango" party on Miramonte Drive

Monday, August 4, 2008

Kobachi Opening Uptown: Reader Caroline sent me an email on Saturday letting me know that Ahi Sushi is planning to open a new restaurant. I stopped by and got the scoop. In about two weeks Ahi Sushi will be opening a new restaurant called “Kobachi Izakaya Dining” at 4141 State Street in El Mercado Plaza (near Highway 154). They will be replacing the now-closed Kampai. Kobachi is a small-portions style of dining that will compliment drinking and a social atmosphere. Think of it as a Happy Hour that never ends!

Rachel Ray: John Palminteri's "On The Spot" column in the current issue of CASA Magazine reports that TV personality Rachel Ray has been visiting local restaurants, getting interviews for an upcoming show. She hosts the syndicated talk/lifestyle program "Rachael Ray" and two Food Network series, "30 Minute Meals" and "Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels." Palminteri says that Ray made stops at Elements Restaurant & Bar, La Super Rica Taqueria, Stella Mare's and Palace Grill.

Fiesta Fotos: On Saturday, along side many others, I served pancakes at the 57^th annual Kiwanis Club Pancake Breakfast at Alameda Park (see photos). I personally cooked about a 1,000 pancakes from 7am to 11am for a seemingly endless stream of hungry locals. For kids I created Mickey Mouse pancakes and Frosty The Snowman pancakes. For one lucky local I created a "Das Williams" pancake.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Coming Soon: Happy August! July went by way too fast. Based upon some conversations I had at a big party last night (see below) I have a few restaurant updates to report. It appears that Burger Place in Montecito (located in the former home of Baskin Robbins) and Los Agaves on Milpas (located in the former home of La Tolteca Restaurant) are scheduled to have late-August openings.

New Restaurant Guide Categories: I have started a new round of phone calls to all 676 locations in this guide to gather information for three new categories. I don't want to spoil the surprise by telling you what those new categories will be but I can tell you that *many* people have requested that I add them. Getting information from restaurants is impossible without actually calling each location on the phone and squeezing it out of them. At my current rate of about a dozen calls per day it should take somewhere in the neighborhood of 56.333333 days before the new categories appear in the guide.

Fiesta Fotos: Last night I went to Celebracion de los Dignatarios at the Santa Barbara Zoo and took 126 pictures. Local food outlets present at the party (and photographed) include Rincon Catering, Crushcakes, Pizza Mizza, Coffee Bean, Beach Grill at Padaro, Trader Joe's, Stella Mare's, Max's, Arnoldi's, Grill Classic Catering, Elements, Sesto Senso and State & A.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

The Pita Inn Opens In Carp: Reader Jason let me know that the Pita Inn at 3807 Santa Claus Lane in Carpinteria is now open so I added the eatery to the guide today. The Pita Inn replaces Smokin Jacks Kansas City BBQ which closed earlier this month. I stopped by yesterday and interviewed manager Rick Dorantes who told me that the Pita Inn serves Mediterranean cuisine and that they had their grand opening last Friday. Dorantes suggests you try the Lamb Kabob, Hummus and Baba Ganous. All entrees are less than $8 (most are under $7) and the menu includes Shish Kabob, Kifta Kabob, Shawarma, Lamb Kabob, Jerusalem Mix, Vegetarian Falafel and Vegetarian Combination. All sandwiches are served inside pita with lettuce and tomatoes. All plates (an extra $1 or so) are served with rice, salad and pita bread. I scanned the entire menu and put it online for you. Hours are Monday - Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information call 566-6602.

El Encanto Update: El Encanto Dining Room representative Philippe Berger contacted me and let me know that the opening date of the popular Riviera restaurant has changed from Spring 2008 to the Fall of 2009.

Better Late Than Never: This is the last week to spend with my nieces Katy, Victoria & Heather who are visiting from El Salvador which means the demand for my time is escalating - hence no blog yesterday. I haven't even been home in 5 days and have been updating SantaBarbara.com from my laptop at the beach and at parks, from my iPhone at ice cream shops and from my parents' house in Montecito (where my nieces are staying). The craziness starts all over again in September when I fly to El Salvador for 10 days to join my parents there who will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Chad's: I attended a packed house at Chad's on Chapala last Saturday night to celebrate the final days of the ever-popular eatery. Without a doubt Chad’s is going out at the top of its game. I took a bunch of pictures at this giant martini party. Many people have sent me emails (and even called me at 1-800-SANTABARBARA) inquiring about what will happen to the historic building at 625 Chapala Street after Chad & Co close their doors. I have been informed that it has been sold to Jodi House (also known as the Brain Injury Association of Santa Barbara). I have been a supporter of Jodi House for years and am happy to hear they have a permanent home! For more information about Jodi House call 563-2882 or visit BIAofSantaBarbara.org.

Viva La Breakfast-a: As always this time of year, there are a lot of Old Spanish Days events going on this week. This Saturday, August 2, enjoy the 57^th annual Kiwanis Club Pancake Breakfast from 7 a.m. to noon at Alameda Park. All you can eat for $6. Net proceeds go to Kiwanis charities and youth activities. I’ll be there on the line helping dish out thousands of pancakes to the general public. Come on by and let The Restaurant Guy serve you breakfast!

Mega Mixer: I attended a "Mega Mixer" last night at the Museum of Natural History. This was a gathering of about 30 groups that having regular networking events. I heard that so many people arrived (500+) that they had to limit entry. Needless to say it was a success and I, of course, took a ton of pictures.

Earthquake: Santa Barbara is having a small earthquake right now while I am typing this last linsdasdsd..dd..d.s.das..

Monday, July 28, 2008

Skinny Counties: CNN has published statistics listing the counties in the United States whose population has the lowest average body mass index. The skinniest county is Marin County, CA, followed in order by San Francisco County, CA, Williamson County, TN, Maury County, TN, Boulder County, CO, Douglas County, CO, San Mateo County, CA
Fayette County, GA, and Santa Fe County, NM. All California counties that made the CNN list appear to be from the Bay Area. Sounds like Southern California needs to get back on the tread mill...

New In The Guide: Today I added Brummis - The German Taste to the guide.

Smokin No More: Smokin Jacks Kansas City BBQ at 3807 Santa Claus Lane in Carpinteria has closed its doors for good. There is a large new sign on the building that reads "The Pita Inn." The reference to "Pita" sounds foodish to me and, in fact, makes me hungry for one right now. I'll conduct an investigation to find out if Jack & Co is being replaced by a restaurant or a hotel. Stay tuned!

Speaking of Smokin: I have finished a complete rewrite of some old (2001 era) software in the restaurant guide. One of the most popular pages in the guide is the List All A-Z page. Until recently it took 22 seconds for the page to search the database for all 677 dining locations and assemble the whole mess into an alphabetized, hyperlinked, multi-column, web browser-friendly HTML format. Now it only takes three seconds, making the A-Z page infinitely more usable. Many times I prefer using an A-Z list instead of a search box because no typing is required.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Tribute To Chad's: As mentioned last week, Chad's on Chapala has announced that they are closing soon. Chad's on Chapala, owned by local legend Chad Stevens and his wife Michelle, is going out at the top of their game. The popular restaurant has consistently topped local polls for hosting the Best Happy Hour and serving the Best Martini. To help mark the last happy hour and the last martini served at Chad's, I will be hosting a tribute during Happy Hour. The SantaBarbara.com Restaurant Guide will be buying a round of martinis to toast a farewell to Chad, Michelle and their amazing staff.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Brummis Opens On Upper State: Brummis - The German Taste opened today at 3130 State Street, the former location of El Caballo. Brummis is owned by Ela Brumm and her mother Veronika Brumm who moved here recently from Germany. I interviewed Ela Brumm this morning and she said she visited many cities throughout California before deciding on Santa Barbara because of the nice people who live here and the under representation of traditional German cuisine on the South Coast.
   The restaurant menus are elegantly designed and include pictures of famous locations throughout Germany. Brumm suggests you try the Schnitzel (with sauces) and the German Bratwurst (with sauerkraut). Other popular items on the menu include Schnitzel Burger, German Potato Salad, Berliner Currywurst, Sauerbraten, Rouladen and Spaetzle & Kloesse. Daily specials are available for $6. Restaurant hours are Monday – Saturday, lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Free parking is available at the rear of the restaurant. For more information call 687-5916.
   Oh, and before I forget, I scanned their menus and put them online, just for you!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

New At Matador: Matador Restaurant at 714 State Street has several new offerings just in time for Fiesta. The restaurant has introduced the Matador Happy Hour: Monday - Friday 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Enjoy three Tapas for $15, $3 Sangria, $3 beer, and discounted pitchers of Sangria. Kicking Off Old Spanish Days in style: Live Flamenco dancers and Flamenco guitar Thursday, July 31st and Saturday, August 2nd from 8 p.m. - 11 p.m. New Weekend Tapas Hours: Saturday and Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Tapas Tuesday: first three Tapas ordered for $15.00 all day. Sangria Sunday: half price Sangria all day. For more information call 965-1307 or visit sbmatador.com

Wheat And Gluten-Free: Jocelyn Kuzminski, pastry chef for Elements Restaurant & Bar at 129 E. Anapamu Street, informs me that they have introduced a new dessert menu. Half of Elements' new dessert menu is completely wheat and gluten-free. This includes desserts such as Bananas Foster Creme Brulee with cinnamon meringues, Dark Chocolate Mousse with a flourless chocolate cake, and a Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Tart with a toasted pecan crust. In addition, other wheat and gluten-free desserts and cakes can be created on request. For more information call 884-9218 or visit elementsrestaurantandbar.com

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Pinkberry To Open On State: In this blog on February 5, 2008 the Rumor Machine popped out a message indicating that frozen yogurt phenomenon Pinkberry was planning to open at 742 State Street, the former home of Jamba Juice. I am happy to report that the rumor is true. Reader Angela tells me that the windows at that address are now lined with promo posters for Pinkberry. Pinkberry has dozens of locations in Southern California and Manhattan.

Pascucci Now Offering Lunch Specials: For the first time in their 15 year history, Pascucci at 729 State Street has introduced lunch specials. I received the following email from Pascucci owner Laura Knight:

Hi John,

We just started a "LUNCH SPECIAL" (first time ever, in 15 years) and so far,
within the first 2 days, it's been overwhelmingly popular, over 100
customers ordered this, has tallied almost 50% of our lunch sales!!!

Most of our lunch business is local business people, shoppers, and retail
employees, and most of those customers don't want to take leftovers with
them (Dinner crowd, much more likely to take food home) so we started this
week-day lunch special:

• Choice of Caesar salad OR organic mixed green salad (with choice of home-made dressing)
• Plus: Choice of half lasagna OR half chicken picatta with fettuccine alfredo
• Plus: Choice of soft drink OR Mango Iced Tea (free refills)

All this for a mere 9.95!!! (same price as lasagna or chicken picatta ala carte)

This has been great, many customers would rather have the salad and
beverage than the other half of the lasagna or chicken picatta that they
know they really shouldn't eat, or will not eat to be thrown away and
wasted!!!

Laura Knight
Pascucci

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Sly's Update: Yesterday I got a first-hand look at the progress of Sly’s Restaurant on Linden Avenue in Carpinteria and it appears that an August opening is much more likely than the mid-July launch I suggested in this column a few weeks ago.

New Construction: Working its way through the Goleta City Council right now is a proposal to build a new hotel and restaurant on the 3 acre lot immediately north-east of the Storke Road/Hollister Avenue intersection. In nearby Isla Vista construction is about to begin on a new boardwalk along Pardall Road that will potentially be frontage for a series of new cafes.

YoYumYo? YumYoYum? In a recently blog entry I mention that YoYoYum Yogurt is opening in Carpinteria in the near future. Reader Preston has issued a correction and says that the name will actually be "YoYumYum Yogurt."

KEYT: Reader John Palminteri emailed me this morning to let me know that he mentioned this column in a recent video broadcast.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Quantum Kitchen Closes: Reader Jonathan let me know that Quantum Kitchen & Cocktails at 201 W. Carrillo Street has closed their doors. Apparently private dining will still be available. The following message is currently posted on quantumrestaurant.com: "Thanks for stopping by! Quantum Kitchen & Cocktails has called it a day. Private dining still available. But... watch this site closely for developments in the near future." Word on the street is that Quantum may reopen with a new concept in three months.

Taqueria Talk: Reader Foodie Dan let me know about a business name application filed by "Taqueria La Colmena."  The new restaurant proposes to open at 217 N. Milpas Street, the former home of Cajun Kitchen and Pavlako's Eatery.

Photo Blog: I am reorganizing the way I store and display pictures from the various events I attend. The photos had been scattered all over SantaBarbara.com. Starting today I have created a Photo Blog that will serve as a central repository for my event pictures. I also added a link to the photo blog at the top of the home page of this food news blog. To help launch the new photo blog I have added pictures from the Sprinkled Pink Preview Party that I attended last night at 1150 Coast Village Rd in Montecito. Owner Wendy Jones told me that her Sprinkled Pink Cupcake Couture store should open in mid-August.

Speaking Of Photos: I have finally upgraded my digital camera. All photos taken over the last 5 years for this restaurant guide and for all of SantaBarbara.com were courtesy of my Sony DSC-P92 digital camera (5 megapixels). My latest and greatest toy is the Sony DSC W-300 which first went on sale last month. It is Sony's current high-end pocket digital camera and the picture quality is far superior to the P-92, it is half the size, has a larger screen and shoots at 13 megapixels. I am planning to re-shoot my entire Santa Barbara Picture Library which has some photos taken over a decade ago (with relatively crappy digital technology). The only photos I probably won't be able to re-shoot were those taken on Snow Day, February 13, 2001. On that day we had snow-capped mountains with bright blue skies.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Meun Fan Thai Cafe Opens: Last summer owner Rojana Saisut was dining at Ichiban Sushi on the Mesa and gazed across the street at Mesa Thai Cuisine. She remembers dreaming of owning her own Thai restaurant in Santa Barbara some day. A month later Mesa Thai Cafe closed and went up for sale and Saisut jumped at the opportunity. She is now the proud owner of Meun Fan Thai Cafe. "Meun Fan" means "like a dream." Saisut, who used to own a Thai & Sushi restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, opened her dream restaurant on the Mesa on July 17th at 1819 Cliff Drive. She suggests you try the Spicy Chicken Basil, the Pad Thai and any of their Curries. Hours are Mon-Thu 11am-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun Noon-9:30pm. In addition to adding the restaurant to the guide today I grabbed a copy of the menu, scanned it and posted the menu online, just for you.

Peet's Coffee On Pueblo: The Park Place Deli at 403 Pueblo St has added a Peet's Coffee station to their offerings. Hours are Mon-Fri 6:30am-7pm, Sat-Sun 6:30am-2:30pm. I added Peet's Coffee - Pueblo St to the guide today.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Last Days At Chad's: I received an email this morning from Chad Stevens, founder of Chad's on Chapala, that his namesake restaurant is closing at the end of next week:

John,

It is final now!!! This is Chads on Chapala's last week. Please join us for a fun filled event July 21st to July 26th. We will be having live music every night and we will be serving our Filet at 1/2 price $18.00. Happy hour will be from 4:30 until 6:30.

Monday --- John Lyle
Tuesday--- Kinsella Brothers
Wednesday- Jason Campbell
Thursday-- Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan
Friday---- Jason Campbell
Saturday-- Kinsella Brothers

It is going to be a rocking week. Don’t miss the last time where you can have those great martini's and large glasses of wine. We look forward to seeing everyone that can join us. Please let as many people you know about the last week at Chads.

Wilbur Hardee 1918-2008: Wilbur Hardee, an entrepreneur who founded the Hardee's restaurant chain in 1960 with a drive-in hamburger stand near the East Carolina University campus in Greenville, N.C., has died at age 89. The chain currently operates 1,900 Hardee's in the U.S. and has 200 international locations. Soon after the company went public Hardee famously lost his controlling stake in the company while drinking and playing cards with his business partners. He bet much of his newly minted Hardee's stock during the game and lost. Hardee went on to launch 85 different restaurants throughout the U.S. including Biscuit Town, Hot Dog City and Beef & Shake.

Keen For Ketchup: While eating at Fat Burger on State Street on a recent June afternoon with my friend Patrick, I went through my usual routine for all burger places: I fill up two or three small paper ketchup cups with the popular condiment, balance them carefully on my palm, and carry them to my table. Invariably I interrupt the lunchtime conversation, at least once during the meal, to return to the ketchup dispenser for a refill. Patrick, on the other hand, had a brilliant solution for taking care of his ketchup needs: he grabs a plastic soda cup lid, turns it over so it forms a wide, shallow bowl and fills it to the brim with more ketchup than humans should be allowed to have. No balancing act or refills required. Needless to say Patrick's patent-pending approach will be my standard operating procedure for the foreseeable future. Here is a photo I took during that fateful, enlightening lunch:
 

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Yellow Rose: Reader Lou Cannon sent me a message this morning: "There is a hand-lettered sign outside the Yellow Rose, former Big Yellow House, saying it will open Dec. 1, 2008."

Tasting Menu: Downey's restaurant at 1305 State Street has introduced a "Santa Barbara Tasting Menu". This new menu features a four-course meal (using locally grown produce) paired with two glasses of local wines. Price is $60/person. Downey's achieved the top scores in Santa Barbara for both Food (28) and Service (27) in the 2008 Zagat Restaurant Survey.

Sandwiches: I recently heard that the Greek House Cafe at 5 W. Haley Street has added sandwiches to their menu. Speaking of Greek, the 35th annual Greek Festival is Saturday & Sunday July 26-27, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free!

Picture Of The Day: I saw this sign at Anna's Bakery in Camino Real Marketplace:
 

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Rumor Machine: I removed the Rumor Machine from the trunk of my car and brought it back to my home office, now that the brave firefighters have largely contained the Gap Fire near Goleta. As soon as I plugged it in, a sheet of 100% recycled paper popped out with the words: “The new Habit Restaurant that is coming to La Cumbre Plaza in August is going to serve beer and desserts.” Will this be an upscale version of the Habit perhaps? As always, this rumor might be completely false or a brilliant forecast of future events. Your call.

Summer Splash: On July 17th, 6:30-9:30 p.m., a fundraiser cruise is being held aboard Warren Buffet’s Santa Barbara Channel Cat. The event raises money to support the Aeromedicos Clinic in Cadeje, Baja CA. This sunset spectacular features wines by Imagine Wine and hors d’oeuvres by Via Maestra 42 and costs $100/person. Call 688-1769 or visit channelcatcharters.com.

Dinner & Dancing: Cafe Buenos Aires at 1316 State Street offers live music three nights a week. Wednesdays include live professional Tango musicians & open Tango dancing. Friday nights you can listen to live South American music and Saturday nights feature live Latin jazz bands. For more information call 963-0242 or visit cafebuenosaires.com.

Google Grub: Google employee #53, Charlie Ayers, was not hired to help the world have a better experience using the popular Internet search engine. Ayers had a more important task: creating healthy menus served up free to employees on the Google campus. His offerings have been a huge success and are legendary in the tech and foodie worlds. Ayers has now published a book titled “Food 2.0: Secrets from the Chef Who Fed Google.” He outlines the basics on how the right foods can transform your mind and body, and then teaches you how to stock your kitchen with the healthiest foods available. Raw, organic, and fermented is Charlie’s mantra, which is reflected in more than 90 easy-to-prepare recipes. And, following the formula Charlie used at Google headquarters, the meals and snacks are designed to feed your brain exactly what it needs at different points throughout the workday. The book is available for $13.75 on Amazon.com.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Montecito Is Sprinkled Pink: The front line of the South Coast cupcake invasion has shifted to Montecito and troops have been spotted at 1150 Coast Village Road. The former home of now-closed Gelateria Gioia is the new address of “Sprinkled Pink Cupcake Couture.” Construction is nearly complete and this new dessert destination should open by the end of the month or mid-August at the latest. The décor in the shop will be bubble gum pink, gold and whimsical. Owner Wendy Jones describes it as "Tiffany’s meets Willy Wonka…but in pink!"

   Jones says their signature cupcake is the "Whipper Snapper." It is a vanilla or chocolate cupcake with a cookie dough center. They will have a couple of “cupcake girls” who will wear sparkly dresses and carry cupcake boxes (like cigarette girls in Vegas) around their neck. They will be available to cater events with Sprinkled Pink’s tasty cupcakes. They also have milk and cupcake deliveries, cupcake of the month club or you can have your own cupcake party with a tray of unfrosted cupcakes, sprinkles and frosting.

   Store hours will be Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sprinkled Pink also delivers cupcakes to your home or office for $36/dozen. For more information call 969-9808 or visit sprinkledpinkcupcakes.com.

Old Spanish Days Wine Tasting: I spent Saturday afternoon at the Courthouse enjoying the 3rd Annual Old Spanish Days Wine Tasting presented by Elements Restaurant & Catering. I of course brought my camera and took lots of food photos and people pictures. I think I spent most of my time next to their ice bucket full of jumbo shrimp. I must have pounded two dozen of the colossal crustaceans.

The Photo Guy: Speaking of photos, apparently the people who bring you "Nights" at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art read this blog. Blog readers know I have been posting photos (see May and June pics) of the monthly Nights event in this column and the museum staff has now asked me to be their official photographer for the rest of the season. The photos wills be used for a spread in Santa Barbara Magazine, the press and various promotional uses.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Old Spanish Days 3rd Annual Wine Tasting: Over 40 local wineries will pour over 100 wines at the 3rd Annual Old Spanish Days Wine Tasting in the Sunken Gardens, tomorrow, Saturday, July 12, 2008, presented by Elements Restaurant & Catering. A portion of the proceeds benefit Old Spanish Days. This popular event kicks off the festivities for Santa Barbara’s Fiesta. The day’s activities begin with a special rare/reserve tasting and cooking demonstration at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Gardens from 2:00 – 4:00 pm. The popular main tasting takes place from 4:00 – 7:00 pm. Once again, Elements Restaurant and Catering hosts this special event, providing an assortment of delicious foods to pair with the wines. Live music will add to the late afternoon festivities. Tickets are also available for purchase at ticketmaster.com and at the Arlington Ticket Agency, 963-4408.

Remodel: Reader Robert tells me that Smokin Jacks Kansas City BBQ at 3807 Santa Claus Ln in Carpinteria has a "closed for remodeling" sign on the door. I am told that it doesn't appear that remodeling has started yet.

Fans Line Up For New iPhone: Jeanne Greenfield, with AT&T store manager Andrew Wilson, celebrates the successful purchase of the first iPhone 3G in Goleta. Greenfield, a technology teacher from Santa Ynez, was first in line at the AT&T store at 7:15pm Thursday evening and camped out all night for the iPhone 3G launch at 8am Friday morning. By 8am the line wrapped around the building with 103 people in queue. The store only had 30 of the new iPhones in stock so the majority of the crowd put in an order for delivery next week. I arrived at about 5am to purchase my new toy but unfortunately was #32 in line.
 

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Finestra Caffe Closes: Realtor Julian Nafal tells me that Finestra Caffe at 15 E. Figueroa Street has closed and will be replaced by a Jeannine's Bakery. Nafal represented both Finestra and Jeannine's for the sale/purchase of assets and helped Jeannine's negotiate the new lease at La Arcada.

New In The Guide: Today I added the new Cantwell's Summerland Market to the restaurant guide.

Mel's Closes In August: Word on the street is that Mel's Lounge, open since 1963, closes August 24th. According to Mike Knapp, who has owned Mel’s for the past five years, the monthly rent was doubled to about $10,000. A Santa Barbara native, Knapp said he hopes to relocate or open a new bar, but does not yet have a location.

Picture Of The Day: I took this photo yesterday during my camping trip at Montana De Oro State Beach, a few miles south of Morro Bay.
 

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Camping: I am returning from camping at Montana De Oro State Beach near Morro Bay so there will be no blog today.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Luck Café opens in August: In January 2005 a notice about the pending arrival of "Luck Cafe" appeared on a door at 18 E. Cota Street, between Blue Agave and Square One. Then nothing happened. Last November the Rumor Machine popped out a message revealing that the lease was held by Gene Montesano, owner of Lucky's, Joe's Cafe & more.
   Last week, a few hours before the start of the Gap Fire in Goleta, I happened to be walking by Cota Street and peeked through a hole in the papered window of the restaurant. I was surprised to see the interior looking nearly complete. Sources tell me that the Luck Café will be a French restaurant and will likely open in August. I am told that John Bennett from Joe’s Café is a consultant.

Julienne Coming To Downtown: "Progressive American" restaurant Julienne will open next month at 138 E. Canon Perdido Street, the former home of Le Bon Cafe. Owner Justin West tells me that the restaurant will offer a “sustainable local seasonal menu” and will use “classic European cooking techniques.” Julienne will be open for dinner five nights a week and should start serving customers in early August.
 

Monday, July 7, 2008

Rumor Machine: The Rumor Machine required a backup generator periodically last week due to the power outages caused by the Gap Fire. As I prepared to put the Outspoken Oracle in the trunk of my car, due to an evacuation warning, I noticed that an ash-sprinkled sheet of 100% recycled paper was sitting in the lower tray. It read: “11 W. De La Guerra Street in Paseo Nuevo mall, the former home of Pierre Lafond, will become a deli.” As always, this rumor might be completely false or a brilliant forecast of future events. Your call.

Show Your Support: I am told that many restaurants, particularly those in Goleta, have been hit hard financially by last week's Gap Fire. Power outages caused many restaurants to give away or throw out food, and the dark smoky skies kept many customers away. You can show your support by having breakfast, lunch or dinner out on the town as much as possible this week and next.

Santa Barbara Wine Festival: During a quieter, simpler time in Santa Barbara's history, meaning before last Tuesday's Gap Fire, people gathered outdoors for food, wine and fun. That was the case at the recent Santa Barbara Wine Festival at the Museum of Natural History on June 28th. I took pictures of the event that was reportedly attended by more than a 1000 wine lovers.

Gone Camping: My nieces Katy, Victoria & Heather are visiting from El Salvador and I am leaving for a camping trip with them at Montana De Oro State Beach for the next two nights. If my laptop's Sprint 3G wireless Internet card can receive a signal from this remote seaside location, I'll try to update my column.

This photo of my nieces was taken while I hiked with them at Lizards Mouth off
of West Camino Cielo at about 4pm last Tuesday. The Gap Fire started a few
hundreds yards below where this picture was taken about an hour and a half later.
 

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Saigon In and Out Opens On State: Saigon In and Out Vietnamese restaurant on Milpas Street has a new sibling. 1230 State Street, next to the Granada Theater, is the home of the new Saigon In and Out. Both restaurants are owned and operated by William Lam, a resident of Santa Barbara for more than 30 years. Lam learned the art of quality food preparation and restaurant management from his mother who owned an eatery in Saigon. Popular menu items include #2 spring roll and the #21 Pho Dac. The restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information visit saigoninandout.com.

Yogurt Shop Coming To Carp: Baskin Robbins at 1005 Casitas Pass Rd in Carpinteria closed last March. Reader Preston tells me that new construction has started at that address and that it will be the future home of "YoYoYum Yogurt."

Happy 4th Of July: I am currently writing today's foodie news from my laptop on the 101 freeway. I started typing in Santa Barbara and completed this blog as I passed the Getty Museum on the 405 freeway.  I am traveling with family to my annual 4th of July outing in Newport Beach, CA. Even though I am a Santa Barbara native I have only enjoyed the 4th of July on the South Coast twice in my life. Specifically I go to the Balboa Peninsula to a home that has the Balboa Bay in their front yard and a beach on the Pacific Ocean in their backyard. For those of you enjoying the Fourth at home you might consider trying a 4th of July Fireworks Cruise. The Lil' Toot boat leaves Stearns Wharf at 8pm and returns at 10pm. Price is $65 per person and includes appetizers and wine. For more information call 896-6900.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Summerland Cantwell's Opens Friday: Daily Sound columnist Leslie Westbrook is reporting today that the new Cantwell's Market at 2580 Lillie Avenue in Summerland is having a "soft opening" this Friday. Jim Gally, owner of Cantwell's Market in downtown Santa Barbara, says the hours will probably be 6am to 8pm. In addition to being a market, Cantwell's has more than 30 inside tables inside and out where you can have a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The store will have twice as many groceries as the original Summerland Market it replaces while also offering a large cheese selection, sausages, organic produce, party platters and catering services.

Chocolate Tour And Tasting: Chocolats du CaliBressan at 4193 Carpinteria Ave #4 in Carpinteria is starting a series of chocolate tour and tasting events. If you are interested in the process of creating (or eating!) chocolates, Chocolats du CaliBressan will be hosting the events on two Thursdays of each month, including July 17th & 31st, August 14th & 28th, and September 11th & 25th. Time is 6-6:30pm, reservations required (10 persons minimum, 15 maximum), and the cost is $20.00 per person. Includes complimentary glass of champagne. You should RSVP by Monday before each scheduled Thursday event. For more information call 684-6900 or visit chococalibressan.com.

French Festival: On Saturday July 12th and Sunday July 13th from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. enjoy the 21st annual Santa Barbara French Festival at Oak Park. Admission is free and over 20,000 people are expected to attend. This year's event will feature dozens of chefs preparing fine French food...everything from crêpes to Cajun, from café au lait to decadent desserts and pastries. Enjoy French beer, wine, champagne and soft drinks.
   Food vendors at the event include Pacific Crepes, Southern Delight (Cajun cuisine), Acadie Crepes Company, Josette's Bistro, Lemoine Crepes, Mai's Vietnamese, Edelweiss Choir (Alsatian cuisine), The French Grille (Santa Barbara Catering Company), Starr Events (featuring chef Jean-Paul, of the now defunct Le Bon Cafe) and Le Hot Dog (in a baguette, French style).
   There will be continuous free entertainment on three stages, including cancan, Moroccan belly dancers, grand opera, Cajun and classical groups, folk dancing, jazz, and cabaret music. Wandering mimes, jugglers, and accordion players will perform throughout the crowd. Kids will enjoy puppet shows, storytellers, and a wading pool. For more information call 564-7274 or visit frenchfestival.com.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

New Ownership: It has come to my attention that the local Baja Fresh restaurants in Goleta and Santa Barbara (and La Salsa in Five Points Center) have changed ownership. They had been company-owned outlets and have now been sold as franchises to a local businessman. I am told that the new owner, who takes over the restaurants in early July, will be adding cold beer to the menu at Baja Fresh.

Afternoon Discount: UCSB students tell me that Courtyard Cafe near the school of Engineering now offers pre-made sandwiches at half price after 4pm.

Marry Me Leyla: In my blog on November 30th, 2007, I mentioned that I was running on the Ellwood Mesa and spotted a huge sign in the sand saying "Marry Me Leyla" (see photo). I asked blog readers if anyone knew the story about that. Well, I finally heard from Leyla herself:

Hi John,

That's so cool that you spotted [my fiancé] Nate's proposal!

Nate and his brother were out at the beach early Friday morning setting up the lettering. I was working a half day and met Nate at his parents' house to go for a jog up at Ellwood where we go jogging every now and then. We started jogging and jogged over to the edge of the cliff and Nate said that he wanted to stop and take a break and check out the ocean so he kind of just turned me in the direction of the beach and there it was! Then he got down on one knee and it went from there. He actually had his brother off a ways hiding in the bushes videotaping the whole thing and his brother edited the video footage and set it to music so now we have a short video of the proposal. It was definitely a very memorable day!

Take Care,
Leyla

Monday, June 30, 2008

Saffron Opens Downtown: "International cuisine" specialist Saffron opened last week at 113 W. De La Guerra St, a few doors west of the Paseo Nuevo mall. Their phone number is (805) 966-3333. I added them to the guide this morning. Saffron's kitchen is headed by Le Cordon Bleu graduate Executive Chef James Schmidt and Pastry Chef Robert Kilburn.
   Browsing Saffron’s menu is like taking a dream vacation around the world with stops in Australia, China, England, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Spain, Thailand, and the USA. Saffron offers a happy hour (5-7 p.m.), a cocktail bar (try the pomegranate margarita) and "the lowest price imported beers in town." Saffron currently serves lunch 11 a.m. -2 p.m. and, starting July 7th, begins serving dinner from 5-9 p.m.

• The lunch menu includes: Italy: Italian Spring Vegetable Salad $9, Thailand: Fiery Grilled Beef Salad $13, Spain: Clams Piperade $13, Italy: Grilled Extra Thick Pork Chop $19, Morocco: Katafi Crusted Halibut $18, and Thailand: Grilled Chicken in Southern Red Curry Sauce $16
• The dinner menu includes: Spain: Bouillabaisse $23, Italy: Grilled Extra Thick Pork Chop $19, Morocco: Katafi Crusted Local Halibut $18, Thailand: Grilled Chicken in Southern Red Curry Sauce $18, Japan: Seared Ahi Tuna $21, and France: Grilled Hangar Steak $24
• I also scanned all of Saffron's menus and put them online for your viewing enjoyment, including their dessert menu and wine list.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Subway Opens Downtown: No, the city has not built a new public transportation system (though with these high gas prices, it might not be a bad idea). Subway Sandwiches has opened at 1021A State St, replacing the old Cingular Wireless location, a few doors down from Spice Avenue. I added them to the restaurant guide today. Though this new location is Subway's 11th store on the South Coast, Starbucks still holds the record with 13 area outlets. Apparently sandwiches and coffee are the objects of our desire...

Yellow Rose Update: In August 2007 I wrote a story with the headline "The Big Yellow Wreck." I reported that the now-closed Big Yellow House restaurant in Summerland was in a state of disrepair. In February 2008 I updated the story after having a conversation with the new owner of that building. I reported that if all goes according to plan, the final permits should be in place by mid-March with a grand opening of the Yellow Rose this August. I stopped by the Big Yellow House yesterday and apparently all has not gone according to plan. No construction has started at all. The only apparent change since my visit last year is that the dust is a little deeper and the weeds are a little taller!

Sly's Update: After my visit to the Big Yellow House yesterday I continued south to Carpinteria to check on the status of Sly's Seafood Steaks Cocktails at 686 Linden Ave. Unlike the former pride of Summerland, Sly's is a flurry of activity, with construction workers nailing, sawing and painting. I spoke with restaurant manager Michael Bott and he told me they are hoping for a mid-to-late July opening.

And The Winner Is...: In the last week I posted pictures from Nights at the Museum of Art and pictures from a masquerade ball at Epiphany Restaurant & Bar. After examining web site statistics, I can report to you that the most viewed picture from this month's Nights was of this smiling group. The most viewed photo at the masquerade ball was a snapshot of this cloaked crowd.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Personal Chef: During my foodie fact finding missions over the last few years I have noticed a growing trend: hiring a personal chef. I have met several personal chefs in my travels and increasingly read about them online. For example, I recently heard about Chef Gary Nielsen. For $100/hr (3 hour minimum) Nielsen offers personal chef services, cooking lessons, and kitchen organization. He advertises he services for "intimate dining, parties, entertaining business associates, holidays, weddings, and family gatherings." For more information call 403-5800 or visit sbchef.com.

Best Of The Best: The Robb Report, a national magazine about places, products and services that appeal to the wealthy (which means I likely will never have a subscription!) recently featured the Hitching Post II restaurant in Buellton. Their May 2008 issue included the Hitching Post II in a list of the "100 best restaurants in the world." The magazine questioned dozens of the most influential vintners around the world and came up with a list of 100 restaurants that the panel of vintners agreed were the "best of the best." The restaurant, featured in the wine movie "Sideways," is located at 406 East Highway 246 in Buellton and can be reached at (805) 688-0676.

Clean Creeks: Pizza Mizza at 140 S. Hope Ave and Shalhoob's Restaurant at 635 Santa Barbara St have been newly certified as "Clean Creeks" businesses. The City of Santa Barbara offers this certification for restaurants that take important steps to protect creek and ocean quality.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Out Today: My "real job" requires an emergency fix of a failed computer server so I am off duty today.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Cats & Dogs: The Hungry Cat restaurant and The Winehound are having a wine tasting event this Saturday, June 28th from 3-5 p.m. at the 1134 Chapala Street eatery. The wine tasting, which costs $100 per person, is advertised to have “incredible wines you never get the chance to taste” in addition to cheeses & appetizers from Chef Dylan Fultineer. For reservations and a wine list call the Winehound at 845-5247.

Lunch Special: Pizza Mizza at 140 S. Hope Ave, next to Sears in La Cumbre Plaza, has a new 1-topping personal pizza lunch special. Price is $7.99 and includes a bottomless soda or iced tea. The special runs Monday - Friday 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Call 564 3900 or visit pizzamizza.com.

Having A Ball At Epiphany: Last Friday night Epiphany Restaurant & Bar hosted a masquerade ball and fundraiser for Unity Shoppe. Here are the pictures...

Monday, June 23, 2008

Champagne Dinner: This Wednesday, June 25th, 6:30 p.m. Spiritland Bistro at 230 E. Victoria St. is having a “Champagne Dinner.” It is a 4-course gourmet organic meal and the entrée is Scallops in Coconut Curry. The dinner includes a speaker from Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards. Price is $45 and includes tax, tip with no corkage fee. Reservations required. Call 966-7759.

Vegan Dinner: This Friday, June 27th, Chamomile Cafe at 915 Linden Ave in Carpinteria is having a special event where you can try out their entire vegan dinner menu. The evening will include music by local duo “Two Strangers on a Stage.” The cost is $25 per person and includes dessert of handmade mango sorbet and biscotti. Reservations required. Call 566-5954.

Boathouse Update: The official prediction for the opening date of Boathouse restaurant was June 22nd. Last weekend I stopped by the restaurant, which replaces the Brown Pelican at Hendry’s beach, and it appears they still have quite a bit of work to do. A lot of progress has been made but my *unofficial* prediction is that the opening will not occur before August.

Boathouse construction photo 6/22/08

Friday, June 20, 2008

Gelateria Gioia Closes: The Gelateria Gioia ice cream store in Montecito has been "almost" closed for awhile, with the open hours few and far between. I received this email yesterday: "Dropped by last night based on times stated here and this place is definitely closed. no ice cream in sight. no tables. no chairs. empty inside. nothing. looks pretty closed to me. - Lil"

Central Coast Culinary: I recently heard about a business named Central Coast Culinary, run by Host & Chef Jerry Phillips. One of the services offered by Philips is the Santa Barbara School of Cooking. The cooking school offers a wide variety of cooking classes, demonstrations, and culinary tours. Their classes offer hands-on cooking techniques that will hone the culinary skills from the beginner to the seasoned chef; they offer classes in a wide variety of cooking styles from a farmers market tour class to the many ethnic styles that are popular today. The school includes: a custom home cooking classes, a hands on cooking class, a demonstration-style cooking class, a one-on-one skill development, custom recipes & shopping lists and shopping techniques. For more information call 805-430-6177 or visit ccculinary.com.

Nights: The Santa Barbara Museum of Art had their monthly Nights extravaganza last night. Here are some photos.
 

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The sad news continues...

Volare Ristorante Closes: Reader Margie sent me an email this week: "Hi John. Volare Ristorante in Santa Ynez is closing. I believe last Saturday was when the owner told my friends (who play jazz there) that he was closing the restaurant. That's the third restaurant in that location to go under. - Margie"

Daltons Closes: Reader Tony tells me that a sports bar in Goleta is gone: "I know you don't typically cover news about drinking establishments in the Restaurant News but in case you had any interest, the diviest "dive bar" in town , Daltons out in the Padre shopping center in Goleta North has closed down. In the window is an license application for "Rounding Third" most likely to be another sports bar judging by the name. Thanks! - Tony"

Fredric J. Baur 1919-2008: The man who designed the Pringles chips-in-a-tube packaging system has died at age 89. Fredric J. Baur was so proud of his accomplishment that his ashes were buried in a Pringles can.

And in other news...

Mazque: In my June 2nd blog I had a story about Mazque - the masquerade ball happening tomorrow night at 8pm at Epiphany Restaurant & Bar. I just received word that Epiphany co-owner Kevin Costner will be at the party. Tickets are $50 in advance, $100 at the door and a portion of the proceeds goes to Unity Shoppe. For tickets call (310) 775-7527 or visit mazque.org.

Speaking Of Celebrities: I received this anonymous email yesterday: "I saw Adam Sandler last night at Holdren's and a friend said someone saw him last week. Is he filming a movie around here?"

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Nothing but sad news today... :(

Zaffiro Closes: Zaffiro Italian restaurant in Goleta closed their doors after a successful three year run in Camino Real Marketplace. Zaffiro owners Perry & Paula Ferguson wish to thank the people of Goleta and Santa Barbara for all their support over the years. The Ferguson's encourage you to support the Santa Barbara Food Bank and the Rescue Mission; all their stocks of food at the time of closing last weekend went to both causes as well as to their kitchen staff. They are considering opening in another location in the future so stay tuned! Rumor has it that the landlord has been pursuing P.F. Changs to take over the spot while another rumor says the landlord wants a retail shop there instead. Your call.

Rincon Sub Closes: Rincon Sub, located at 1108 Casitas Pass Rd in Carpinteria has closed their doors for good. They first opened in May, 2007. Reader Esrotu tells me: "Went to order some sandwiches today and they were loading everything into a truck. They said their last day was Friday...sad."

Al Steinman 1929-2008: Reader PrimeTime emailed me last night to say that Moby Dick Restaurant's legendary Al Steinman has passed away after a brief battle with cancer. He was 78. A native of New York, Steinman worked for the original owner of Moby Dick's then became part owner in subsequent years. The restaurant, and Steinman, have been a fixture on Stearns Wharf for decades. The Moby Dick burned down several times, twice under Steinman's ownership, and he faithfully rebuilt it each time. There will be services tomorrow, June 18, 2pm, at Mt. Sinai in Burbank. Steinman, whose wife died in 2003, is survived by four children, a large extended family, and countless friends across Santa Barbara.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Theatrical Treats: Enjoy a luncheon and play reading series at Victoria Hall Theater 33 W. Victoria St. This Thursday, June 19th will be a performance of "The Trial of Mata Hari."  The 12:15 pm luncheon/matinee costs $25. For more information call 800-494-8497 .

Free Egg Rolls: I saw an advertisement for Dish Cafe at 5722 Calle Real in Goleta recently that included a pledge to: 1) Make healthy food taste great, 2) Never use microwaves, 3) Support local organic gardeners, and 4) Make you healthier! But it was pledge #5 that really caught my eye: Free egg rolls with purchase of any dinner meal of $9 or more. For more information call 964-5755.

Brunch At Stateside: Stateside Restaurant & Lounge at 1114 State St now offers Sunday brunch from 10am-2pm. The restaurant, which offers "Asian inspired California cuisine" also has started a "Quick Lunch." From 11am-2pm you can choose from Chef's selected $9 menu and your order will arrive within 15 minutes guaranteed or your lunch is free. Call 564-1000 or visit StatesideSB.com

Monday, June 16, 2008

The Story Of Phelps Road: This story has nothing to do with restaurants so consider it “food for thought.” This is a tale about a small Goleta neighborhood's cry for help that has been the subject of online news stories but rarely mentioned in the local print and television media. Phelps Road is a quiet cul-de-sac in Goleta (near Costco) that is threatened with being transformed into a cross-town highway. The new highway is part of UCSB's “Vision 2025” Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) that is open for public comment until June 23rd.

The Phelps Road cul-de-sac was designed as a center piece of the community of Storke Ranch. At the end of the cul-de-sac is a gate open only to emergency vehicles. Phelps Road is surrounded by low-income apartments, a day care center, a children’s playground, a swimming pool, a tennis court, a bike path, a nature preserve and single-family homes. There is a constant flow of foot traffic across Phelps Road by children playing in the street, families wanting to swim, residents playing tennis, students biking to UCSB and students walking to Isla Vista Elementary School.

Approximately 33 cars per day drive to the end of the Phelps Road cul-de-sac. UCSB’s LRDP proposes to open the cul-de-sac to bridge a connection to Mesa Road and increase the number of cars per day from 33 to 7,000. To illustrate the concept of 7,000 cars, imagine a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam of vehicles stretching 21 miles from Costco in Goleta all the way across the South Coast to Linden Avenue in Carpinteria. The LRDP proposes to send the equivalent of a 21-mile traffic jam down Phelps Road every day.

Fortunately UCSB, a crown jewel in our community, is open to alternative suggestions. Suggestions proposed by Goleta residents, who wish to keep Phelps Road closed, include improving alternative transportation and upgrading pedestrian & bicycle routes. Marc Fisher, associate vice chancellor for campus design and facilities at UCSB is quoted in the current issue of the Pacific Coast Business Times as saying "We'll support the city [of Goleta] in whatever they decide to do. We're very flexible about this particular roadway."

The city of Goleta is having a meeting tomorrow tonight, June 17th, at 6pm to discuss the Phelps Road issue. The public is invited to attend and speak at the meeting which will be held in the Goleta Council Chambers at 130 Cremona Dr, off of Los Carneros Road, between the 101 freeway and Hollister Avenue.
 

Friday, June 13, 2008

Friday The 13th: Beware!

$1 Tacos: Laguna Store & Deli at 512 Laguna St now has a $1 taco special on Fridays and Saturdays from 6-9 p.m. Speaking of inexpensive tacos, reader Jonathan recently sent me an email about Lilly's Taqueria at 310 Chapala St: "Howdy. After years, Lilly's Taqueria finally raised their prices. All tacos are now $1.35, up 10 cents. I can live with that. -Jonathan"

Square Watermelons: Here is a cool new trend, just in time for summer: square watermelons. A round watermelon can take up a lot of room in a refrigerator and the usually round fruit often sits awkwardly on refrigerator shelves. Smart farmers have found a way to force their watermelons to grow into a square shape by inserting the melons into square, tempered glass cases while the fruit is still growing on the vine. I found a company located in Michigan that makes these cases that you can buy online at square-watermelons.com.
 

Thursday, June 12, 2008

New In The Guide: Yesterday we lost a Java Jones but today we gained a Java Jon's. I recently discovered this place at 8 S. Milpas St. It is a full coffee shop inside a gas station at 8 S. Milpas St and it has a feature that is very rare in this town: it's open 24 hours. Until today there were only nine 24-hour places listed in this guide. Now there are 10. I spoke with the lady at the counter at Java Jon's and she said there is a constant stream of coffee customers all night and she keeps brewing new pots of java to keep up with the demand. They have 10 types of coffee available and grind their own beans onsite. If you're looking for a place to fuel up your car and body - think Java Jon's.

Frugal Food: Here is a new culinary trend that is sweeping the nation: As food prices climb there has been a big boom in web sites offering low-cost recipes. At web sites such as allrecipes.com the number of visitors to the low-budget and quick-and-easy recipes has skyrocketed in the last few months. Allrecipes.com has seen a big increase in visitors searching for ground beef & pasta ideas and traffic to their "Making 10 meals with $10" page is booming. Other popular sites that offer inexpensive recipes or create-it-from-scratch suggestions include thriftyfun.com, thefamilyhomestead.com and hopefulhousewife.com. Ideas mentioned on these sites even include a variety of spam casseroles (yes, I said spam) and tips on making powdered milk taste better (add vanilla).

Crushcakes: I finally tried Crushcakes Cupcakery the other day to see for myself the object of so many strong opinions. I ordered a chocolate mini-cupcake and a peanut butter mini-cupcake. They were delicious! I am not a cupcake expert (is there such a title?) so I don't know the nuances of that entire genre of dessert. But I do know what tastes good to me and this was great. While there I noticed that the price of regular cupcakes is now $3 instead of $3.25.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Java Jones At State & Figueroa Closes: Believe it or not, Santa Barbara has lost a coffee shop. The name has been removed from the facade of Java Jones at 1101 State St and there is a sign posted outside saying, "sorry we're closed, please visit our other locations." In my April 11, 2008 blog I reported about a fictitious business statement for  "Santa Barbara Juicers," announcing that they are soon doing business at 1101 State St. Employees working inside Java Jones at State & Figueroa last April told me at the time that they had not heard of Santa Barbara Juicers or of any plans to close.

Now Delivering: Uncle Rocco's N.Y. Pizza at 437 State St. have a new sign out front indicating that they now deliver. Call 884-0994.

The Habit Update: The new Habit restaurant near La Cumbre Plaza is set to open this August. Below is a photo I took last week of the construction. Former Cheesecake Factory and Mimi's Cafe executive Russ Bendel was recently named president and chief executive officer of the Habit. Bendel is charged with expanding the 30-unit chain to more than 120 eateries over the next five years. The chain plans to open units in California, Arizona and Nevada. In a written statement, Bendel said he his happy to be part of a unique burger brand. “It is well positioned in the premium, quick casual niche and its commitment to quality is exceptional,” said Bendel. “I am very excited to be a part of the growth of this world class brand.” The South Coast Habit restaurants are wholly owned & operated by brothers Brent & Bruce Reichard. The Reichards have run the The Habit restaurants for more than 25 years and last year sold an 80% stake in the chain to investors, led by KarpReilly LLC. For more information visit habitburger.com.
 

June 2008 - The Habit near La Cumbre Plaza

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

I Love Santa Barbara: And apparently so does the popular Chinese restaurant chain P.F. Changs. I heard whisperings a few weeks ago that Chang & Co has an eye on the South Coast so I decided to call their media relations department. As soon as I identified why I was calling, the kind lady on the phone said "I love Santa Barbara." I then asked her if P.F. Chang's loves Santa Barbara too. She told me that they are interested in opening a location in the Santa Barbara area and have even sent representatives to our area to scout for a location. No leases have been signed at this point.

Solstice Fundraisers: Aldo's Italian Restaurant at 1031 State St is now offering "10% Tuesdays for Solstice" on June 10, June 17 and June 24. 10% of your lunch or dinner at Aldo’s goes to support Solstice. Call 963-6687. Pierre Lafond Bistro at 516 State St is having a new wine release & food pairing dinner on Tuesday June 17th, 2008 at 7 p.m. Price is $95 and includes tax, tip and a $20 donation to The Summer Solstice Celebration. RSVP Pierre Lafond at 962-1455.

Off Topic: On May 30th I mentioned how the band Journey was in need of a new lead singer and discovered Arnel Pineda from a video he posted on YouTube. Apparently finding your new lead singer on the web is becoming popular. I just received word that the band Boston, using MySpace, has done the same thing.
 

Monday, June 9, 2008

It's Dinner Time At Sesto Senso: They opened last December at 1026 Coast Village Rd near Vons in Montecito as a wine & carpaccio bar. Last week the popular Sesto Senso added the word "Ristorante" to their large wood sign above the doorway, responding to the wishes of their many fans. You can now enjoy Italian & Californian cuisine Sun-Wed 5-10 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to midnight Thu-Sat. Sesto Senso is brought to you by the husband-wife team Alberto & Michelle Mastrangelo, owners of Epiphany Restaurant & Bar downtown.
   Michelle wrote to me recently about the changes at Sesto Senso: "Many of our guests have told us that prior to visiting us they were not aware that we even had food and had the impression that we were a wine bar/tasting room. We love great wine but also love great food, so we wanted to make a place where you can enjoy both and can select to have appetizers "tapas" or a full dinner. It was our intention to create an affordable, ambient destination in Montecito for those looking for something different. Most importantly we listened to what our customers wanted and dinner it was!"
  The new dinner menu includes Wild Pacific Salmon $14, Diver Scallops $14, Rack of Lamb $18, Filet Mignon $18, Wild Mushroom Risotto $12 and Fancy Mac & Cheese $9. This morning I added Sesto Senso to the restaurant guide and put a copy of their menu online. For more information call 565-1956.

New Sunday Brunch: Giannfranco's Trattoria at 666 Linden Ave in Carpinteria now offers a brunch menu on Sundays (adults $20/person, children $15/person). Brunch starts at 11am and features a frittata omelet served with fresh fruit and choice of crisp green salad or classic Caesar salad. Lunch includes traditional Italian-style panini sandwiches and a selection of entree salads & pasta dishes. For reservations call 684-0720.

Off Topic: If you have been holding off your purchase of an iPhone until the new, faster Internet version is released, your wait is about to come to an end. At 10am today Apple's Steve Jobs introduced the new "iPhone 3G" which goes on sale July 11th. A video of the speech will be available this afternoon at Apple.com. Some of its many new features include high speed wireless Internet (“3G”), Maps with GPS (find your location and track your progress along a route) and 3rd party software support (you can now add thousands of software programs, including games). It’s more affordable too, with prices starting at $199 (1/3rd the cost of the original iPhone). Late news: AT&T has raised the month cost of owning an iPhone by $10 so it won't be quite the deal as I originally reported.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Jodi House Round Up: Jodie House, also known as the Brain Injury Association of Santa Barbara, is having an event tomorrow, Saturday June 7th noon-3pm. Event includes BBQ, music, games and more. Ticket price is $20, $10 for children under 12. Address is 1235-C Veronica Springs Rd in Santa Barbara. Call 563-2882.

Playing In The Kitchen: I recently heard about a series of culinary workshops for kids called "Playing in the Kitchen." The workshops are "hands-on" with cooking demonstrations including summary of kitchen ABC'S, kitchen tools, measurements, kitchen rules, food safety tips and clean up. Workshops are co-ed and limited to 10-12 children. Staff for each workshop includes chef/instructor and up to three teenage camp counselors. All children receive a notebook of recipes, participate and prepare most recipes. Each day kids work in small groups to prepare the day's recipes and healthy meals. Workshops include The Beginner Chef (ages 7-8), The Apprentice Chef (ages 8-9), The Sous Chef (ages 10-11) and The Master Chef (ages 11-12). For more information call 637-6123 or visit playinginthekitchen.com.

New At The Zoo: The Santa Barbara Zoo had a special event for local media and the hospitality industry last night. While there I took some photos of the gathering. Part of the night's itinerary included a tour of the new $7 million renovation that is underway near the grassy hilltop at the zoo. They are building a restaurant called "The Wave" that will include sustainable seafood and local produce. It will also offer catering for events at the zoo. The biggest part of the renovation is a huge new condor exhibit where the public will finally get a chance to see real condors up close. The condor exhibit is being built into the hillside overlooking the bird refuge. There will also be an amphibian exhibit that showcases amphibians from the Los Padres national forest. Weather permitting, the renovations should be complete around spring 2009.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

California Pasta Reopens Today: Closed since January for a remodel, California Pasta in Paseo Nuevo opens today. Co-owner Jim Craddock sent me a message about the changes: “California Pasta has just undergone a major remodel/ full transformation.  It has taken a bit longer than expected but the restaurant came out beautiful. We have an entirely new restaurant from the ground up, to include all new equipment, granite tables & counter tops, plates, etc. The menu has been kept primarily the same with very little change.”

Summer Sessions: Chad's Restaurant at 625 Chapala St now has live music on their heated patio every Thursday & Friday evening. Also enjoy Happy Hour from 4:30-6:30pm. Dinner starts at 5:30pm until closing. Call 568-1876.

Apple: It appears that Apple is still in pursuit of the former Pier 1 Imports location at 928 State St for use as a new Apple Store. A reader attended the Historic Landmarks Commission (HLC) meeting on May 28th and Apple representatives were there too. For more about that, see the HLC notes below.

Historic Landmarks Commission Agenda: I took a look at the May 28th agenda for the Historic Landmarks Commission (HLC) meeting that is posted on the City of Santa Barbara's web site and found two items of interest:

Address: 928 State St (former Pier 1 Imports location, possible future Apple Store address)
HLC Agenda Notes: "Proposal to remove an existing 4,375 square foot interior mezzanine and stairwell and the replacement of an existing elevator and stairs with new elevator and stairs at the rear of the building. Also proposed is a new secondary exit stair at the northeast corner of the building and construction of 3,706 square feet of new second story floor area. The existing north and south parapet wall will be raised to the height of the existing tile roof. The rear facade improvements include the relocation of the secondary exit door, restoring the existing rear door, and the addition of seven new windows."

Address: 801 State St (Piranha Restaurant & Lounge)
HLC Agenda Notes: "Proposal to construct a 1,080 square foot third story addition and add 607 square feet of additional basement floor area for mechanical and accessory use in an existing commercial building located in El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District. The project consists of alterations and additions comprised of two new kitchens, two bars, 961 square feet of third story outdoor patron seating, and new patron seating in the basement, which was formerly used as a commercial kitchen and storage. The project will result in a structure that is a maximum of 35'-0" tall at the roof ridge line."

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

1st Thursday Music Series: The Wine Cask at 813 Anacapa St is hosting an after party for "1st Thursday," an evening of art and culture in Downtown Santa Barbara. Starting on June 5th the Wine Cask will have a summer music series from June-Sept. 8-10:30p.m on the first Thursday of the month. Includes a five-piece Jazz band on the Wine Cask court yard and admission is free.

Speaking Of Wine Cask: Here is an official announcement from the Wine Cask:

"The Wine Cask is proud to announce the completion of a restoration of its courtyard to recreate conditions as they existed in 1926.
   The Wine Cask has expended the time, energy, and money required to restore the landscape of its courtyard in order to bring authenticity and historical integrity to El Paseo. Shrubs, spices, and flowers mimic the courtyard as it was in 1926. The fountain has been rebuilt authentically as depicted in vintage photos.
   With the help of historian Alexandra Cole and landscaper Bob Cunningham the courtyard can now truly be called historical. Moreover, it is now pleasant and comfortable for guests to enjoy their dining experience. We invite you to come by and have a champagne toast to the Wine Cask and Santa Barbara and its quest for excellence in wine, food, and service."

Gas Is Cheap: ...when compared to other products found in your home. Now if we could just survive on 6 oz of gas...

• Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19 - $9.52 per gallon
• Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25 - $10.00 per gallon
• Gatorade 20 oz $1.59 - $10.17 per gallon
• Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29 - $10.32 per gallon
• Evian water 9 oz $1.49 - $21.19 per gallon
• Whiteout 7 oz $1.39 - $25.42 per gallon
• Brake Fluid 12 oz $3.15 - $33.60 per gallon
• Scope 1.5 oz $0.99 - $84.48 per gallon
• Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 - $123.20 per gallon
• Vick's Nyquil 6 oz $8.35 - $178.13 per gallon
• Visine Eye Drops 1 oz $7.19 - $920.32 per gallon
• HP Printer Ink 1.42 oz $32 - $2,884.50 per gallon!

Anacapa Update: I stopped by the 600 block of Anacapa St to see the construction progress of Bollinger's (602 Anacapa St) and The Melting Pot (608 Anacapa St). It appears Bollinger's has made a lot of progress but still has a few months to go. The Melting Pot on the other hand doesn't appear to have started construction yet. The Melting Pot's web site still lists 608 Anacapa St in Santa Barbara as a future location.
 

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Say Hello: Replacing El Caballo at 3130 State St (which closed last week) will be “Brummis – The German Taste,” brought to you by Manuela & Veronika Brumm.

Say Goodbye: Chili Town at 730 N. Milpas appears to have closed its doors. Reader Chris tells me that there is a big realtor's sign in the window next to a faded "closed for remodeling" note.

Say What You Will: Chilango's Mexican Restaurant at 503 State St is temporarily closed for a remodel.

Study Break: The UCSB Alumni and La Cumbre Yearbook present a “Study Break” for students at The Arbor (on campus) on Wednesday, June 4th 9pm. The event, limited to the first 500 students, includes free Woodstock's Pizza, energy drinks, a raffle and iPod giveaways

Fiesta Ranchera: Cox Communications presents the first annual “Fiesta Ranchera” at the beautiful Rancho La Patera gardens & Stow House, 304 Los Carneros Rd. Sample appetizers and beverages from local restaurants & wineries and enjoy musical entertainment by the Dos Pueblos Jazz Band and Area 51. Wednesday, June 4th 5-9pm. $55 in advance, $75 at the door. Call Arlington Ticket Office at 963-4408.
 

Monday, June 2, 2008

Paradise Cafe Turns 25: The iconic Paradise Cafe at 702 Anacapa St is celebrating its 25th anniversary this week with specials running from June 2 - June 5. The anniversary specials include their famous Paradise Burger for $7.50, Paradise Margaritas $4, Paradise Chardonnay $5, Paradise Syrah $6, Cobb Salad $8.50, and Huevos Valenzuela $6.50. The Paradise Cafe is located in a 1915 vintage brick and stucco building that once housed an Italian bakery. Attached to the main building is a Victorian structure that served as the proprietor's residence. The La Paloma Cafe opened at that location in 1938 and the building has been the home of the Paradise Cafe since the early 1980's. Call 962-4416 or visit paradisecafe.com.

Put On Your Mazque: Epiphany Restaurant & Bar at 21 W. Victoria St will be the site of a masquerade ball fundraiser for Unity Shoppe on full moon Friday, June 20, 2008 at 8pm. The masquerade ball series of fundraisers titled "Mazque" was started by Justin Michael in 2006 who recently joined the Unity Shoppe board of directors. I personally have attended these events and they are fantastic (tip: you can buy or rent a mask at Victorian Vogue, 4289 State St). Previous Mazque events raised tens of thousands of dollars for Westside Boys & Girls Club, Santa Barbara Middle School, and The Red Cross. Tickets are $50 presale and $100 the night of the event which includes bubbly, hors d'oeuvres and dancing. For tickets call (310) 775-7527 or visit mazque.org.

June Jazz At SOhO: Enjoy a series of jazz dinners during June with SOhO Restaurant & Music Club at 1221 State St. June 9th 8pm: Rebecca Kleinmann Presents the Elameno Quintet, June 16th 7:30pm: Kate McGarry, June 23rd 8pm: Frank Catalano, June 30th 8pm: Sally Barr Jazz Quartet. Call 962-7776 for reservations.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Norton's Sold: Reader Foodie Dan passed word to me that Norton's Pastrami at 18 W. Figueroa St has been sold and that there will be no major changes.

Smooth Jazz Sunday Brunch: Magic 106.3, in conjunction with Marmalade Cafe in La Cumbre Plaza, is offering a jazz brunch this Sunday from 11am-2pm. The live performance from jazz guitarist Jay Soto will also be broadcast over radio and on kmgq1063.com. For more information call 682-5246.

Book Signing: Chaucer's Books at 3321 State St has a book signing this Sunday, June 1st at 3pm by author John La Puma, M.D. La Pluma's book is titled "Chef MD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine - A food lover's road map to losing weight, preventing disease, and getting really healthy."

Off Topic: Last December the band Journey was in need of a new lead singer. While browsing YouTube, Journey guitarist Neal Schon accidentally stumbled upon a video of a band named Zoo in the Philippines. In the video the band was on stage covering Journey songs. The lead singer of Zoo, Arnel Pineda, sounded so much like former Journey frontman Steve Perry that he thought the video was a hoax. It wasn't. And Arnel Pineda is now the band's lead singer and touring the world with them. Here is a video about the discovery of Arnel Pineda.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

One In...: Owner Jim Craddock tells me that California Pasta in Paseo Nuevo reopens this weekend after five months of renovation that includes a new kitchen.

And One Out: Mexican restaurant El Caballo at 3130 State St has closed its doors after two years in business. Before El Caballo took over the location it was a Chinese restaurant named "Golden China." I heard a rumor that the restaurant was sold to new owners who are German. Hmmm...

Musical Indulgence: Emilio's restaurant at 324 W. Cabrillo Blvd now offers live music. Tonight from 4-6pm Jacques McKaba will be playing and Justin Claveria entertains from 9:30pm-Midnight on Friday.

Dinner Theater: Circle Bar B guest ranch at 1800 Refugio Rd offers a new dinner theatre show from May 31 - July 13 titled "Who’s In Bed With The Butler?" The theater, a small intimate converted barn and bunkhouse has presented comedies and musicals for over 36 years. The dinner features Santa Maria-style tri tip barbequed to perfection by the Circle Bar B guest ranch owner Jim Brown. General admission is $40 for dinner and the show. Senior admission (over 55) for Sunday matinees costs $32. For more information & reservations call 967-1962 or visit circlebarbtheatre.com.

Apple Update: Rumor has it that the former location of Pier One Imports is available for lease. On January 16, 2008 the News-Press reported that an Apple Store was going to be taking over the space. Sounds like that is not going to happen. The Pier One location was too huge for an Apple Store in my opinion and hopefully another suitable spot on State St will open up. Perhaps someone can convince Cheesecake Factory or Houston's to take the space?

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Mission To Mars: Here are pictures and a video taken yesterday at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.
I attended a field trip with the Santa Barbara City College class: ""Topics In Astronomy: Recent NASA Missions"

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

After School Cooking Class: Washington Elementary at 290 Lighthouse Rd on the Mesa offers a cooking class on Thursday nights. Each class they will prepare a main dish for 4 -5 people for your child to take home for the final bake or boil.  The dishes will be an assortment of dishes made with beef, chicken, pork, or fish.  Your child will learn self sufficiency and have the sense of accomplishment by providing your family dinner. Simple recipes are sent along with the food that can be recreated at home. $30 per class grades K - 6, includes all materials. Call Rebecca Brand at 563-0945.

Business Lunch: The Wine Cask at 813 Anacapa St offers new lunch options for business clientele. Presto Lunch: 45 minutes or less and includes specialty low price choices off of the restaurant menu. Leisure Lunch: Lunches include a glass of wine (red or white). To-go Lunch: Specialty box lunches to take your meal with you. Call 966-9463.

I'll Be Back: In case you didn't know, the folks at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) near Pasadena successfully landed a spacecraft on the polar region of Mars on Sunday (see photos taken from the Phoenix Mars Lander). The Phoenix Mars Lander, designed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, isn't a rover but instead stays in one place. It has a robotic shovel that will dig through the dirt to reach ice. It will then place the dirt & ice in a multi-million dollar Easy-Bake Oven and examine it for signs of life.
   As luck would have it, I am on a field trip today at JPL with students from Santa Barbara City College. In addition to meeting the brilliant men & women who design & manage many of America's spacecrafts & landing systems, I will be getting a first hand look at the actual third generation Mars rover called the Mars Science Laboratory, currently under construction at JPL. It is scheduled to launch in 2009 and land on the Red Planet in October, 2010. This thing is a beast. In addition to being almost five times the weight of the current rovers, it is nuclear powered and has a laser that can pulverize rocks from 30 feet away. It sounds to me like NASA is sending a Terminator to Mars.
 

Monday, May 26, 2008

No News Is Good News: I am taking the day off today and enjoying the I Madonnari festival at the Mission.
 

Friday, May 23, 2008

Scotch Bonnet Opens On Chapala: Yesterday Sevilla restaurant (428 Chapala St) closed its doors and opening in its place is Scotch Bonnet, named after the world's hottest chili pepper. The new restaurant serves Spanish cuisine with a Cuban flair and is open nightly for dinner from 5:30pm-10pm (tapas is served until 11pm). Sevilla owners Marc Jones and Steve Karan have partnered with Katie & Amy Scott from Tupelo Junction Cafe who will manage the restaurant. While I was visiting the eatery yesterday I was able to get a copy of their menu, just for you. In case you don't know, the name of the restaurant is pronounced "Scotch Bah-net."

Pizza Mizza Coming To Goleta: Pizza Mizza, located at 140 S. Hope Ave in La Cumbre Plaza, is planning to open a new restaurant in Goleta. They are looking for a 1500-2000 square foot location in the Good Land and I'll let you know as soon as piping-hot news slides out of the oven. Speaking of Pizza Mizza, they have sold their ownership stake in the Beach Grill at Padaro to their partners Ed and Nicole Schram. The news owners at Padaro Lane are considering offering a "Beach Grill Pizza."

Burger Place Update:  I stopped by Burger Place at 1016 Coast Village Rd in Montecito which is currently under construction. I snapped a picture of the progress and it appears to be coming along nicely. Burger Place is brought to you by the husband-wife team Alberto & Michelle Mastrangelo, owners of Epiphany Restaurant & Bar downtown and Sesto Senso in Montecito.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

New In The Guide: Today I added another El Rincon Bohemio restaurant to the guide. This restaurant isn't new; it just somehow slipped under my radar all this time. It's located in Old Town Goleta at 298 Pine Ave. Thank you to reader Cara for finding this restaurant for me!

Playing In The Kitchen: I recently heard about a series of culinary workshops for kids called "Playing in the Kitchen." The workshops are "hands-on" with cooking demonstrations including summary of kitchen ABC'S, kitchen tools, measurements, kitchen rules, food safety tips and clean up. Workshops are co-ed and limited to 10-12 children. Staff for each workshop includes chef/instructor and up to three teenage camp counselors. All children receive a notebook of recipes, participate and prepare most recipes. Each day kids work in small groups to prepare the day's recipes and healthy meals. Workshops include The Beginner Chef (ages 7-8), The Apprentice Chef (ages 8-9), The Sous Chef (ages 10-11) and The Master Chef (ages 11-12). For more information call 637-6123 or visit playinginthekitchen.com.

Dinner In The Sky: No, I am not talking about eating honey roasted peanuts on Southwest Airlines. There is a service (not available in Santa Barbara) where they hang your dining table from a crane 165 feet in the air, including 22 guests and serving staff. They will even hang a grand piano in the sky, next to your table, for musical entertainment. For pictures, movies and information visit dinnerinthesky.com. Thank you to reader Primetime for passing me this story.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Photos Updated: I have taken new exterior pictures of Jack's Bistro & Bagels - Carpinteria, Holdren's Steaks & Seafood, Mama's Bakery and Rose Cafe - Mesa. Jack's, Mama's and Rose had exterior changes and their photos needed to be updated. The older photo of Holdren's just sucked, quite frankly.

Excellent Meal Of The Day: The next time you are near "Noleta" stop by El Rincon Bohemio (in El Mercado Plaza) and try their amazing ground beef. For the full experience you should order the #18 (chicken taco with cheese enchilada) and request they make it a ground beef taco with a ground beef enchilada. You won't be disappointed.

Parking Lots From Hell: This is the first column in a series. I love The Habit at 216 S. Milpas St. I eat there several times a year. You probably do too because the place is always packed. I don't hold quite the same affection for their parking lot during the lunch hour, however. The parking lot (and the area in general) was so jammed recently I ended up walking a quarter of a mile for the right to feast on their tasty burger combo. The popular Habit on Milpas is bestowed the much-coveted "Parking Lot From Hell" award for its many unfortunate features, including:

• The dreaded "Dead-End L-Turn." Before you actually enter the parking lot you can easily see that all the front spots are taken but you need to drive all the way in and around the corner to see if there are any other spaces available (there aren't). And then you need to back all the way out because the L-Turn is a dead-end.
• The "Shared Entrance." This feature alone can earn a restaurant a plaque. The parking lot is right next to a gas station and vehicles frequently compete for right-of-way.
• The "Double-Shared Entrance." This parking lot is also the private entrance to another business that is frequently visited by big trucks. After you miss the lady entering the gas station and then avoid the guy backing out of the L-Turn, watch out for big rigs suddenly joining the parking lot parade.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Raspberry Shortage: If you like to order raspberry smoothies at Blenders in the Grass you might need to pick a different flavor for awhile. Smoothie stores such as Blenders typically use frozen raspberries and there is a shortage of the popular fruit right now. The U.S. only grows about 55% of the processed raspberries it eats and the rest come from Serbia in the summer and Chile in the winter. Serbia had a disastrous crop last summer and U.S. farmers had only a modest harvest. Nearly all U.S. frozen raspberries (typically used in smoothies) come from the Pacific Northwest. That region experienced an extended rain followed by 100 degree temperatures during the raspberry production season. The berry shortage is expected to last until early summer.

Giannfranco's In Westways Magazine: The Autoclub Association of America (AAA) has a monthly national magazine called Westways and the current issue has a very favorable review of Giannfranco's Trattoria in Carpinteria.

And The Winner Is...: One of the interesting things about running a web site is that you have access to statistics that lets you know which web pages people are looking at, and how often. In my gallery of 42 pictures from Nights in Friday's blog, this picture of two ladies was most popular, while this group of four ladies were a close second. In April 28th's blog I displayed a photo gallery of 66 pictures of the Taste of the Nation event and this lady won by a landslide. I think I am starting to see a pattern here. Are only guys reading this blog??

• From reader Chris: John, Your comment about only guys reading your blog caught my eye. Since you’re looking at the statistics of what other people are looking at, I thought I’d look for statistics of what pictures you took. Here’s my quick break-down of the types of pics you snapped: Girls only, Guys only, Groups, Couples, and Mix. And here’s my statistics.

  • Group: 9

  • Couples: 9

  • Mix: 7

  • Guys only: 2

  • And finally, Girls only: 11

  So of course the statistics of what the public clicked on will be swayed that way since you mainly posted pictures of women! Please keep up your great work, I love the site and read your blog almost every day. Oh, and my full name is Christine, so you’ve got one woman reading your blog. ;-)

Monday, May 19, 2008

Fresco Museum Cafe Closes: Yesterday was the last day of business for Fresco Museum Cafe at 1130 State St, inside the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Here is a message from co-owner Jill Brouillard:

Hi John,

We have decided that we will continue with the prototype of Five Points., the first being in Goleta. We will hopefully finalize negotiations on four to five additional locations, Ventura and south, sometime later this year. It is important that the stores are consistent and the museum location, although a lovely place, was too limited an operation to fit within this plan. It has been a crazy few years but it is all coming together and we thank everyone in Santa Barbara for their continued support.

Jill Brouillard

Irvine Robbins Dies: Irvine Robbins, co-founder of Baskin-Robbins (represented locally at 3611 State St) whose talent for creating unusual ice cream flavors helped push America past its chocolate-vanilla-strawberry tastes, has died. He was 90. Robbins, with his brother-in-law Burton Baskin, opened his first ice cream shop in 1945 in Glendale, CA. They decided the order of their names with a coin toss. By the time he retired in 1978, the company was selling 20 million gallons of ice cream a year in more than 2,000 stores around the world. Baskin died of a heart attack at age 54 in 1967.

Memorial Day Weekend: Don't miss great food & fun at this weekend's I Madonnari Festival at the Mission. The plaza of the Old Mission will be transformed with 200 colorful, large-scale street paintings created by 400 artists and young people. For 25,000 annual visitors, the festival also features live music on the Mission lawn, authentic Italian cuisine, and a special street painting area for children.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Thank You Roger!: Glenn Fichera, General Manager of the Treehouse Restaurant at 3860 State St asked me to send a big thank you to their busboy Roger Bernal who has worked there for 38 years. He is truly part of Santa Barbara history.

Clean Creeks: The Sojourner Cafe at 134 E. Canon Perdido St and Natural Cafe at 361 Hitchcock Way have been newly certified as “Clean Creeks” businesses. The City of Santa Barbara congratulates restaurants for taking important steps to protect creek and ocean water quality with their Certified Clean Water Business program.

It's Not Just Santa Barbara: Read this week's article on CNN.com about L.A.'s cupcake boom.

Nights: I attended Nights at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art last night. Here is a photo album (42 pictures).
 

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Fun And Chaos For A Cause: I am in recovery today from waiting tables in the comedy theatre/war zone that was Pascucci restaurant last night. Laura Knight, owner of Pascucci, donated ALL of the proceeds of the night to the Summer Solstice Celebration, including food, beverages and tips. Customers had a blast and so did the "celebrity" wait staff, busboys & bartenders. I can't remember a time when I have ever been so pushed to my mental multitasking limits as I was last night.

   It started out innocently enough when my first customers of the evening sat down at about 5:30pm. I chatted with them, explaining what was going on that night; that most people working the floor that evening weren't really waiters, busboys and bartenders. We were just a collection of misfits, winging it to help raise money for the Summer Solstice Celebration. "This night is going to be easy," I naively thought to myself.

   Reality set in when FOUR MORE groups of hungry customers were seated at four tables in my section, all at once. I hadn't even taken the order yet for the first couple. I had just been standing there blabbing. Now I suddenly had FIVE tables that needed my attention, all at the same time.  And I quickly realized that I would be asked many questions I couldn't answer:

• Them: "What's the soup of the day?"    Me: "Uh, I don't know."
• Them: "Can I get bread without any cheese crumbs on it?"    Me: "Great question."
• Them: "What red wine goes well with the Portofino?"    Me: "I'm not a real waiter. How about if I guess?"
• Them: "Do you have any herbal teas?"    Me: "Me, personally? No. The restaurant? Maybe."
• Them: "My meal didn't come with any sauce on top. Can I still get some?"    Me: "One would think so."
• Me: "Would you care for dessert?"   Them: "Aren't we suppose to receive our dinners first?"   Me: "AAAACKKKK!!"

   The "war zone" aspect kicked in when I realized I was on my own when things would go wrong. For example, if the "celebrity" assistant forgot to deliver a knife, fork & spoon, I had to assume things would never arrive and had to get them myself. Unfortunately I didn't have a clue where the restaurant kept the utensils. As I turned to hunt for utensils, a second table asked for a small plate for their bread, a third asked for a bottle of vinegar and a fourth table said there was something strange looking in their salad dressing cup. Unfortunately I also didn't have a clue where the restaurant kept the small plates & vinegar or what the proper procedure was for identifying strange objects in a salad dressing cup (DNA analysis???).

  At the beginning of the night we were told to simply write drink orders on a ticket and leave them at the bar and they would be taken care of. Except tonight, at this moment, the bar was in chaos as customers swarmed in and overloaded the "celebrity" bartenders. A drink ticket dropped off at this bar, at this time, would be quickly swallowed up into nothingness. Throughout the evening we all improved as a team and things became much smoother. A lady named Summer (pictured in blue hair below) saved me time and time again by handling all my drink orders for me.

   A memorable moment occurred when I saw a "celebrity" busboy walk up to one of my tables with a beer. I assumed they must have ordered one from him and thought how nice it was of him to take care of that. To my shock and horror the "celebrity" busboy took a big swig of the beer then plopped it down on their table. It turns out that it was the "celebrity"  busboy's own beer and he needed a free hand to clear the table. The customers at the table apparently got a big laugh out of that, realizing that anything goes tonight; including busboys who swig beers on the job.

Here is a picture of some members of the first shift (I'm the one in the bowtie).
I worked both shifts and ended the evening at 11pm. Photo by Robert Bernstein.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

May I Take Your Order?: For the first time since I was a teenager I'll be waiting tables at a restaurant. Tonight from 5-10pm I'll be serving diners at Pascucci restaurant at 729 State St to help out a fundraiser for the Summer Solstice Celebration. In Monday's blog I incorrectly reported that 10% of your dining bill goes to help support Summer Solstice. Laura Knight, owner of Pascucci, is donating ALL of the proceeds of the night to Solstice, including food, beverages and tips. That's huge - and very generous.

Burgers For A Buck: There was an article in yesterday's News-Press that mentioned that Ruby's Diner in Paseo Nuevo is celebrating the chain's 25th anniversary by selling burgers for a $1 all day today (noon-8pm). They have prepared more than 700 lbs of beef for today's event. Usually local patrons of the restaurant consume about 100 lbs of beef per day.

Speaking Of Burgers: Last August I reported in this blog that Carl's Jr. will be taking over the old Coco's Restaurant location on Carpinteria Ave in Carpinteria. The Coastal View newspaper reports that the Carpinteria Architectural Review Board has approved plans for the new eatery that is scheduled to open in late October or early November. Like many Carl's Jr.s locations, it will also house a Green Burrito. Keeping in accordance with city code, the restaurant will not have a drive-through. Because Carl's Jr. corporate headquarters is also in Carpinteria, new menus items will be tried out at and special events will be held at the new restaurant.

Off Topic: For the first time I have seen gas being sold for $5 per gallon. I took the photo below at The Village Service Station in Montecito. On a related note, the price of gas may be affecting travel to Santa Barbara. A friend of mine has traveled to Santa Barbara by bus every Thursday for the last four years. Each time, at about 12:30pm, he passes by all the hotels on Cabrillo Blvd and always sees people lounging around by the pools. He tells me that on a recent Thursday, for the first time in over four years, not a single person was outside by any pool on Cabrillo Blvd. And there was great weather that day.
 

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

More False Than Brilliant?: Last month the Rumor Machine popped out a message that said the deal for Whole Foods to come to upper State Street had fallen through. Noozhawk.com reports today that Santa Barbara City officials say that Whole Foods is still on track to take over the current location of Circuit City. However, Noozhawk.com also added a similar rumor that says Whole Foods is considering an alternate location on lower State Street, near Gutierrez Street.

Reaching For Stars: Help hundreds of runaway, homeless, abused and at-risk kids by participating in the 9^th annual “Reaching For Stars” event this Wednesday, May 14 6pm-9:30pm at the Cabrillo Arts Pavilion. Enjoy an extraordinary dining experience created by five of Santa Barbara’s top chefs with exclusive wine tasting by Cottonwood Canyon Winery. Proceeds benefit Youth and Family Services YMCA, Noah’s Anchorage Youth Crisis Shelter, Isla Vista Teen Center and Youth Development Outreach. For information and tickets call 569-1103 x32 or visit ciymca.org

Restoration Project: No, I'm not talking about an endangered creek or meadow. I am referring to the dining database, that lost all its reviews from April due to the exploits of a talented hacker in China. I have found ways to restore some of the data. If you see a burst of reviews for a restaurant (for example, four reviews of Matador appeared yesterday) that's likely just me working behind the scenes.

Lucky #13: Today is my birthday and I have decided that my "favorite meal" this year (a.k.a. "dinner tonight") will be Pot Roast. A Cookies & Cream ice cream cake will be my dessert.

Just Add People: It appears Saffron restaurant at 113 W. De la Guerra St is very close to opening.
 

Monday, May 12, 2008

Foodquake Rattles Goleta: I stopped by Fresco Cafe North last Saturday, late in the afternoon, not expecting many customers to be around. It was packed. On a Saturday. In the late afternoon. That was my first clue that this new restaurant at 5940 Calle Real (across the street from Zodos) is shaking up the food scene in Goleta. Their menu includes salads, sandwiches, burgers, tortilla wraps and pizza. I interviewed co-owner Indras Govender who mentioned that this new Fresco is open on Sundays, whereas the uptown location (at Five Points) is not. Govender also told me that they will have a grand opening party on Sunday, May 18th from 12-5pm that includes food, fun, a magician and a live band. Future plans for the restaurant are to upgrade the large outdoor patio to include a 6 ft tall glass enclosure and heaters. Fresco Café North is open daily from 8am-9pm serving breakfast, lunch & dinner. For more information call 692-8999 or visit fresconorth.com.

Dine Out For Summer Solstice With Celebrity Waiters: This Wednesday, May 14, 2008 from 5pm-10pm Pascucci at 729 State St is hosting a fundraiser for the Summer Solstice Celebration. Be waited on by former mayors, our current mayor, council members, Solstice board members and by local media. 100% of your bill goes to help support the 34th annual Summer Solstice Parade. There is no cover charge and no reservations taken so show up early! Guests are invited to show their “Solar Flair” which is the theme of this year's parade (June 21st). The Solstice committee has asked me to participate. Though I don’t consider myself a “celebrity,” I do know a thing or two about serving food. I worked as a waiter for four years at the Casa Dorinda retirement community in Montecito.

Wine Futures: The Wine Futures event last Saturday night at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, put on by Elements Restaurant & Bar, was a big success and had a huge turnout. An enthusiastic and well-dressed crowd enjoyed samples of wine from dozens of wineries and AMAZING food from Elements. I enjoyed far more than my fair share of filet mignon, salmon, ravioli, chicken, sushi, shrimp cocktail, cupcakes and chocolate-dipped strawberries. My lovely date, who attended the event with me, said her favorite wine was "2005 Syrah Bien Nacido X Block" from Qupé Winery ($75/bottle) that will be available starting this September.
 

Friday, May 9, 2008

Restaurant Guide Is Up: In case you hadn't noticed, the restaurant guide is back online after a three day visit to the repair shop.

Wine Futures At The Courthouse: Enjoy fine food, wine (including special early releases) and music at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse this Saturday, May 10. Elements Restaurant & Bar presents “Santa Barbara Wine Futures in the Courthouse” from 6:30-9pm. The cost is $90 per person and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Granada Theatre Restoration Project. Call 884-9218 or visit elementsrestaurantandbar.com.

A Death In The Family: Here is an additional email about Gilbert Garcia, the kitchen manager at Steve's Patio Cafe who died in a motorcycle accident last week:

John,

Thank you so much for responding. We are so heartbroken. The memorial service was
last Thursday, and our friends at A & J Limousine comp'd us a 14 person van to take our staff and our folks (my husb and I were born and raised here) to the rosary and memorial. Gilbert's mother and father are still living in Jalisco Mexico, and they took his body back to Mexico so his parents could bury him.

We had cards on our counter so anyone who wished to contribute money to his family could. We took more than 30 cards from regulars to the ceremony on Thursday night. So many of our patrons are also heartbroken. I can't say enough how special he was...

As an aside, Gilbert asked for a day off each month to take his nephew (the boy's dad also works for us) to UCLA for Doctor's visits, as the boy was born with a cleft palette. Gilbert spoke better English than his sister and brother-in-law and was able to communicate effectively with the doctors. Gilbert was on his way, to drop off his motorcycle and pick up a car and his nephew and take him down to UCLA. This is just one example of his commitment to family....

I can't stress enough how wonderful he was. No attitude, No machismo...just wonderful.

Thank you, for sharing whatever you feel appropriate with your readers. Steve and I are adamant that he be remembered and that he not just be a quick "blip" on anyone's radar..

There is a hole in our heart that cannot be filled.

Nicole Bates
Steve's Patio Cafe

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Restaurant Guide Is Down: I am still working to bring the restaurant guide back online. The guide experienced an online attack, exploiting a vulnerability in the database. The guide will come back online when the database is restored and new safeguards are in place. On the downside it looks like we'll lose all the reviews submitted during April and early May. On the plus side, I have contact information for each of the reviewers and will request they resubmit.

A Death In The Family: The owners of Steve's Patio Cafe have contacted me and asked me to let you know that their kitchen manager, Gilbert Garcia, passed away recently in a motorcycle accident on the 101 freeway:

Dear John,

My husband and I own Steve's Patio Cafe and love your website. We follow the reviews and use the guide for our own eating out.

Last Monday, our friend and kitchen manager, Gilbert Garcia was killed on his motorcycle on the 101 North at El Sueno. Gilbert had worked along side my husband every day for the last 5 years. Steve works 6 days a week and Gilbert also works 6 days a week, they alternate giving eachother 1 day off a week. Gilbert was the only reason we were ever able to leave for a weekend.

Gilbert was at the restaurant for 15 years prior to our owning the restaurant when it was "Mike's Place." Gilbert was responsible for creating fantastic tasting soups as well as a myriad of other creations. He has been a staple at our location for 20 years and we are mourning the loss of our friend. He was a husband, father of 3 and a wonderful friend. Not many know this, but when we bought the restaurant 5 years ago, Gilbert was part owner with Mike Moodhard. He asked to stay on, and actually taught my husband Steve, everything he knows. There was no condescending attitude or anything of that nature, just a love of the restaurant...

Our regulars of course know, but like many other restaurants in town, customers are cyclical. Could you help us get the word out about Gilbert? He was truly a wonderful man. We just want anyone who would like to come in and share a story or two...to please come in. He was a part of the Steve's Patio Cafe family and we are so very sad to go on without him.

Please also know, that on the day of the service, we locked up at 11 am, with Gilbert's picture and a sign in our window. A homeless couple came up to the patio and the woman started to cry. Steve asked her what's wrong? She told him that Gilbert used to come to their park after work and feed their dog. Gilbert was selfless and wonderful.

I don't know if this letter/information is appropriate for the paper or your blog...please feel free to email me with any questions. We want the Santa Barbara to know of the loss of a friend and a staple in the restaurant business.

Sincerely,

Nicole Bates
Steve's Patio Cafe

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Restaurant Guide Is Down: The restaurant guide is down and I hope to get it back up soon.

Fresco Cafe North Opens: Jill Brouillard, co-owner of Fresco!, emailed me last week to let me know about art at their restaurants and about the opening of Fresco Cafe North on Calle Real near Fairview. Fresco Cafe North will be operated by Indras and Tilly Govender who previously ran Giovanni's Pizza at that location:

Hi John,

Just a comment on your recent blog about art in Santa Barbara Restaurants. Fresco Five pts. has been showcasing artists for the past nine years and our artists have been very successful in selling their art as well. We are proud to support local these artists and grateful that their wonderful works have graced our walls and enhanced our diners experience.

Big News!!!!
We are happy to announce that Fresco Cafe North will also be showcasing local talent. Fresco Cafe North will be opening officially on Monday the fifth and the featured artist are Amir Jabbari, Michele Zuzalek, Nance Cole and Malcolm Tufnell.

Mark and I are so excited to be working on this project with Indras and Tilly Govender, two truly remarkable and hard working Santa Barbarans.

We hope to see all our clients in Goleta.

Jill Brouillard

Neon Lights: Ken Boxer, owner Palazzio on State Street, passed me information about ordinances prohibiting neon lights throughout Santa Barbara:

Hi John,

I wanted to let you know about what's happening quietly in Santa Barbara. About two weeks ago I put two neon signs in my storefront window. One that reads:" People Don't Leave Here Hungry!," and the other: "Open." Two days after I installed the signs, I received a letter from the City telling me to either take them down or move them away from the window 4 feet. If I didn't do either, I would get fined on a daily basis.

Consequently, I moved the two signs away from the window the required 4 feet. I am now in compliance. I called the "powers that be" to find out what's going on and what is the law regarding neon. According to City Officials, the neon signs have gotten out of control in Santa Barbara. Evidently, there are ordinances prohibiting neon throughout Santa Barbara and especially downtown.

John, you are about to see many neon signs either coming down from storefronts, or being pushed back four feet from the windows. All of the Costco-area "open" signs are going to be history soon. The city has almost 150 business neon violations that they are in the process of enforcing. You are going to begin seeing many neon signs coming down all over town.

I just thought I'd give to you a heads up.

Good luck with the blog. I think it's fabulous having this blog in town.

Best wishes,
Ken Boxer
Palazzio

Monday, May 5, 2008

A New Cantwell's: The popular Cantwell's Market at 1533 State St is opening a new location in our cozy coastal village known as Summerland. Cantwell’s replaces the Summerland Market at 2580 Lillie Ave which closed last May. Opening is scheduled for this June. Call 969-5893 or visit cantwellsmarket.com.

It's Hot: No, I’m not talking about the weather. I am referring to the new Corktree Cellars at 910 Linden Ave in Carpinteria. Friends of mine had to wait nearly an hour last Thursday to get a table and a chance to try Corktree’s popular tapas menu. Call 684-1400.

Rumor Machine: I turned on the newly-repaired Rumor Machine this morning and nothing happened. No blinking lights. No chug-chug of the ink cartridge motor. Before throwing it out of my home-office window and onto my driveway I realized that my power strip had blown a fuse. An Inconvenient Truth is that I have way too many power-hungry gadgets at SantaBarbara.com’s corporate headquarters. With a gentle push of the little fuse reset button hidden behind a tangle of cords, the Rumor Machine suddenly came alive and popped out a message that said that California Pizza Kitchen is hoping to open a new location somewhere in Goleta and has a particular interest in Camino Real Marketplace. As always, this rumor might be completely false or a brilliant forecast of future events. Your call.

Spam Turns 30: No, I am not talking about the popular canned lunch meat from Hormel Foods which celebrated its 70th birthday last year. I am referring to junk email which marked its 30th year as a world-wide headache last Saturday. The first spam was a pitch for a new computer. "We invite you to come see the 2020 and hear about the DECSYSTEM-20 family at the two product presentations we will be giving in California this month," read the message, sent by a salesman named Gary Thuerk on May 3, 1978. "This is a clear and flagrant abuse of the directory!" complained one of the hundreds of users on Thuerk's recipient list in a publicly emailed response. Next month will be the 10th anniversary of the first Viagra spam, which offered a bottle of 30 pills for $500 from a company identified as "America YA Gifts Inc."

Friday, May 2, 2008

Restaurant Art: I was browsing the web site for the Santa Barbara Visual Arts Alliance recently and noticed that they had a very interesting list of local restaurants that sometimes show art. Here are some of the places they suggest you visit: Alcazar Tapas Bar, Arigato Sushi, Brewhouse, Blue Agave, Coffee Cat, D'Vine Cafe, Elsie's, Faculty Club, Intermezzo, Max's Restaurant, Muddy Waters Coffee House, Natural Cafe, Northstar Coffee, Patrick's Side Street Cafe, Red's, Roy, SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, Sojourner Cafe and Zookers.

Title Trouble: Yesterday I mentioned that Spoon, a local gelateria, finally opened on State Street near the Granada Theatre. That news will be the lead story for my column in the Santa Barbara Daily Sound next Tuesday. If you have any suggestions for a title, please let me know. The title must be 4 or 5 words. While dining at JR's BBQ at Creekside last night, my buddies Patrick, Beau and I tossed around some ideas:
John: "Gelateria Opens On State" John: "Spoon Opens On State" Patrick: "Gotta Whole Gellata Love" Patrick: "Not A Moment Too Spoon" Patrick: "State Street's Silver Spoon"	Beau: "Spoon A Boon To State" Beau: "Spoon A Boon At Noon" Reader Foodie Dan: "Spring Time Spoon Time" Reader Philippe: "A Little Bit Of Gelato!"
We Deliver: This whole week I have been hand-delivering the Best Of 2008 11x14 award posters to nearly 100 restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries and clubs. Earlier in the week I hit Isla Vista, Carpinteria and most of Goleta. Wednesday I walked/drove from noon until 8pm covering eastern Goleta, upper State Street, downtown, the waterfront and the Mesa. Yesterday I finished off with Milpas & Montecito. Below is a picture taken at my stop inside Blenders in the Grass in Camino Real Marketplace, where I also ordered a chocolate-peanut butter smoothie. From left to right: The Restaurant Guy, Luke Chapman, Andrew Hunter and Rhett Walker.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Spoon Opens On State: Gelato specialist Spoon has opened next to the Granada Theatre and I added them to the guide today. Spoon is the brainchild of Erin Casey who dreamed of opening a dessert boutique for more than 20 years. The endearing and enthusiastic Casey, with the help of James Rippel, saw her dream come true last Friday. She had been searching for a small location in an upscale part of Santa Barbara for over five years. Casey found the perfect spot when Victoria Vogue moved out and the space was partitioned to include a new entrance at 1222 State St.
   Spoon has been packed with happy customers all week who come to try the many unique flavors including Rose (it actually tastes like a rose smells!), Nocciola (hazelnut), Zuppa Inglese, Cupido and Pink Grapefruit. The gelato is created by an artisan gelato chef who designs special flavors for Spoon. Casey & company will soon be offering a portable gelato cart for hire, complete with girls in go-go boots and groovy outfits!

Square One: Charlotte Boechler has a great article in today's Santa Barbara News-Press detailing the story behind Square One's appearance on Fox's Hell's Kitchen last Tuesday. The producers of the show gave them a days notice to dream up the most exotic burger in the world. Square One had beef FedExed from Los Angeles and $500 worth of Black Perigord truffles shipped overnight from New York. Their creation for the show is now also on their regular menu, listed as the $90 Burger.

Club Update: I was wandering State St yesterday and noticed that Tonic is closed and that there is new construction going on inside. If anyone knows when they plan to reopen, please let me know. I also noticed that the sign for "The 300 Club" is no longer on the front window of the old Pep Boys location on State St. Instead there is a large poster from Radius Group indicating that the space is available for lease.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Cocktail Flight Nights: Every Wednesday from 5:30pm-8pm the Four Seasons Biltmore at 1260 Channel Dr in Montecito offers $12 flights of mini cocktail creations. Each flight consists of three different cocktails and each week a different type of liquor is debuted. Here's the cocktail calendar for the next 30 days: April 30 (tonight!): Kentucky Derby (Maker’s Mark Bourbon), May 7: Mommy Dearest (Grey Goose Le Citron), May 14 - Bollywood Bling (Bombay Sapphire), May 21: Baja Getaway (Patron Tequila), May 28: American Spirit (Jack Daniels). For more information call 969-2261.

It's About Time: Speaking of east side resorts, this guide has highlighted a lot of "Restaurants of the Month" over the years but that list never included an establishment from Montecito - until now. The Stonehouse Restaurant at San Ysidro Ranch will be in the spotlight during May.

Food Addicts In Recovery: Every Thursday 7-8:30pm you can attend meetings for those having trouble controlling their eating habits. Meeting location is St. Mark United Methodist Church at 3942 La Colina Rd, room #7. For more information call (415) 218-6676

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Square One On "Hell's Kitchen": The first challenge facing the 11 remaining chefs on Fox's Hell's Kitchen: make a gourmet pizza. The winning team enjoys a gourmet meal at Santa Barbara's Square One restaurant, created by owner/chef Jason Tuley. The show airs on Fox tonight at 9pm.

Cinco De Mayo: Be sure to go to De la Guerra Plaza this Saturday (11am-9:30pm) and Sunday (11am-9pm) to enjoy great Mexican food & music at Santa Barbara’s 17th annual Cinco de Mayo celebration. For more information visit cincodemayosb.com.

Drinko De Mayo: This Saturday, May 3rd, Telegraph Brewery is teaming up with the newly renovated Bistro 1111 at the Hotel Mar Monte for a beer pairing dinner. This is a three-course prix-fixe meal, each course paired with a different Telegraph beer including Telegraph's newest White Ale. The cost is $35 per person and you don't need a reservation. From 7 – 9 pm the bistro will be offering the beer-pairing option to everyone dining at the restaurant. So if you are in need of a good meal and some good beer, all with a great view of East Beach, head down to the Hotel Mar Monte (1111 Cabrillo Blvd.) on Saturday. For more information call 805-730-1111.

Bad Boy: The Santa Barbara Sheriff is seeking the public’s help in identifying a man (pictured below) who robbed the Blenders in the Grass smoothie bar at Calle Real in Goleta on January 7. He was wearing a shirt that said "Stop Snitching." If you think you recognize him, call the department’s criminal investigations division at (805) 681-4150.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Olive Of-The-Month Club: The nationally known Santa Barbara Olive Co has an "olive of-the-month club" where you can receive automatic deliveries of gourmet olives every month at a discounted price. Each shipment of three jars arrives in a stylish gift box and the service costs $17.99/mo. For more information call 800-472-6548 or visit sbolive.com.

Rumor Machine: After last week's repairs by the brilliant folks at Make It Work, I thought the Rumor Machine was fixed. Now I am not so sure because this morning's print-out didn't appear to be food-related. It read "Target has decided to build a store on the north side of Hollister Ave, immediate across from Camino Real Marketplace in Goleta. Estimated opening is late 2009 or early 2010." On second thought, it might be working just fine because most Targets have a grocery section and their own brand of boxed wines. As always, this rumor might be completely false or a brilliant forecast of future events. Your call.

Taste Of the Nation: Yesterday I went to the terrific Taste of the Nation fundraiser for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. Restaurants, wineries and breweries were out in force, bringing with them a great selection for hundreds of guests who braved Sunday's heat wave. Amy Rose and John Palminteri were MC's of the event. Some of my favorite foods included the Ahi shooters from Bacara Resort & Spa, ravioli from CaDario and the pineapple upside-down cake from Bella Dolce. I also drank about 10 bottles of delicious Fiji water to stay hydrated. View my photo album of the event (66 pics) or watch the short video clip below:

Friday, April 25, 2008

You Don't Know Jack: Jack's Famous Bagels (53 S. Milpas St, 3891 State St, 5050 Carpinteria Ave) is transforming into Jack's Bistro (& Famous Bagels). They now have full menus with sandwiches, gourmet sandwiches, paninis (Capri, Veggie & Baja), wraps, burgers, salads, pastas and homemade soups (Chicken Noodle, Tortilla Soup with Avocado, Tuscan Bean, Split Pea with Ham, Beef Mushroom & Barley, Chili Bean). The Carpinteria location has full indoor/outdoor restaurant seating available and the Santa Barbara Jack's Bistros will be more of an "express" version.

Wendy Marries Arby:  Arby's roast beef sandwich restaurants is buying Wendy's for $2.34 billion. The chain is represented locally by Wendy's - Goleta and Wendy's - UCSB. Apparently the Wendy's founders' family is not too happy about the acquisition of the chain which has fallen on hard times in recent years. Read the full story.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: It appears I inadvertently slighted restaurants in Carpinteria in my column in the Daily Sound last Tuesday. I wrote about the grand opening of Corktree Cellars Wine Bar & Bistro and fans of many popular restaurants in Carpinteria didn't like my last sentence: "With the smash-hit Giannfranco's Trattoria and Sly's Seafood Steaks Cocktails coming soon, Carpinteria is becoming quite the dining destination." Here is one of the emails I received:

Hello John Dickson,

I read your restaurant guide in today's paper, April 22nd, and was quite disappointed with your lack of knowledge regarding Carpinteria's restaurant scene.

It was great that you mentioned the new wine bar in town as well as the other up and coming places to eat in Carpinteria, BUT you failed to mention the best and most popular restaurant in town, Zookers Restaurant at 5404 Carpinteria Ave. This is unfortunate and typical of Santa Barbara publications to not know the full story about anything in our town.

I eat at Zookers all the time and often pick up your publication in front of the restaurant, so I find it hard to believe that you merely overlooked the place. You might want to check it out sometime...the food is awesome, and there is an amazing collection of orchids to boot...this is where all the locals go for the best and most creative food, and it is Montecito's little secret (so they think).

Please do your research, it was awarded SantaBarbara.com's best Carpinteria restaurant for 2008.

Thank you,
anonymous Carpinteria resident

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Rumor Machine: I called the brilliant folks at Make It Work who arrived this morning to fix the Rumor Machine. With a new ink cartridge and some well-placed Duct Tape, it appears to be functioning normally once again. The faded print-out from last Friday mentioned that the owners of Red Fish in Simi Valley are considering opening a restaurant in Santa Barbara. This morning's crisp, easy-to-read update to that story says that the Red Fish owners also operate Spark Woodfire Grill in Studio City, Huntington Beach and Beverly Hills. Spark might actually be the restaurant pondering life on the South Coast. As always, this rumor might be completely false or a brilliant forecast of future events. Your call.

Expanded Menu: Reader Foodie Dan tells me that Mediterra Cafe & Market at 5575 Hollister Ave in Goleta has a new expanded menu. They have added Chicken Lavash Wrap, Gyro Lavash Wrap, Meatball Panini, Meatball Plate and a Salad Plate. Other new arrivals include Bahcivan Aged Kashkaval Cheese, Bahcivan Fresh Kashkaval Cheese, Koska preserves and Eti Burcak biscuits. Call 696-9323 or visit MediterraCafe.com

Poll: Who Serves The Best Calamari?: Help reader Alan by sending me an email with your suggestions! I'll post the answers here.

"Hey John, I've been in SB for a few months now and thanks to your blog and restaurant guide I've made some wise choices when I dine out.  One quick question - where is the best calamari in town?
 Thanks! - Alan"

• Reader Lemonjelly says: "I like Arnoldi's calamari best in this town. It is lightly breaded, and the result is not greasy or soggy or bready. It really highlights the squid. The portion is also very generous. It costs $11 and I share it amongst 3-4 people easily. It comes with a slightly spicy red sauce, not quite marinara and not quite cocktail sauce. Plus, lemon wedges to squeeze over. Anytime I go to Arnoldi's, I must have the calamari. And I had some just earlier this week, too. :)"
• Reader Margie says: "Brophy Brothers-generous portions"
• Reader D. says: "Arnoldi's is the best calamari I've had, EVER."
• Reader Tom says: "Arnoldi's calamari is superb, but readers should also try the calamari at Enterprise Fish. They offer two varieties, regular and spicy. Both are crispy and wonderful with tasty condiments. In any case, for the best, look for the rings and the the spider-like pieces. Most places that offer the pounded strips are serving a tasteless, texture less breaded mass reminiscent of frozen fish sticks."
• Reader Anita says: "Dargan's Calamari appetizer is one of my favorites. It is nothing fancy, and it is probably just frozen, pounded & breaded, but it is excellent nonetheless. It is served with a spicy coleslaw and a spicy aioli which are also delicious!"
• Reader Ryan says: "Arnoldi's, hands down! It's a classic. Lightly breaded/fried with a spicy marinara sauce on the side."
• Reader Gina says: "Arnoldi's. Hands down."

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Taste Of The Nation: This Sunday, April 27, come to the Santa Barbara Historical Museum for a benefit to help end hunger in America. Local beneficiaries include the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. Enjoy an array of wines and special dishes prepared by over 20 of Santa Barbara's best restaurants & wineries. General Admission 1pm-4pm $75 in advance, $100 at the door. VIP 12pm-4pm, $100 in advance, $125 at the door. Location: 136 E. De La Guerra St. Call 877-268-2783 or visit TasteOfTheNation.org

Amateur chefs to compete at the Santa Barbara Fair & Expo: Once again it is time for the terrific Santa Barbara Fair & Expo at Earl Warren Showgrounds (today through Sunday). I just received news about a cooking contest taking place at the expo. Here is the full press-release:

   Whether it’s a fabulous down home Macaroni & Cheese or a savory and tart apple pie, Santa Barbara County residents are known for their culinary creativity. Local amateur chefs will have an opportunity to showcase their prized recipes at the 19th annual Santa Barbara Fair & Expo, held April 23-27 at Earl Warren Showgrounds. This year’s theme: “Peace, Love & Unity!”
   In the Expo competitions, local bakers and crafty chefs compete in several Adult Exhibits divisions, including Biscuits & Rolls; Breads; Bread Machine Breads; Cookies; Cupcakes; Confections; Decorated Cakes; Frosted Layer Cakes; Loaf Cake & Unfrosted Cake; Muffins; Pies & Pastries and Sponge Cakes. Home canners compete in the Preserved Foods division for Canning Labels; Dried Foods; Fruits; Jams; Low-sugar/Sugarless Jams; Jellies; Juices; Marmalades and Butters; Pickles, Relishes and Salsa; Preserves; Spreads; Syrup; and Vegetables.
The deadline to enter homemade foods, as well as wine and beer, arts and crafts, horticulture and fine art in the Adult Exhibits Division of the Fair & Expo is Saturday, April 19th. Visit the Santa Barbara Fair & Expo’s web site at www.sbfairandexpo.com for an entry form or stop by the management office at Earl Warren Showgrounds for an Exhibitor Handbook.
   The Fair & Expo Cooking Contests, one of the top highlights of the Fair & Expo, attract scores of contestants and viewers. The contest offers awards in the categories of Appetizer, Brownies, Cheesecake, Macaroni & Cheese, Ultimate Chocolate Dessert, Homemade Salsa (tropical and traditional) and Apple Pie. Each class offers a division for both adults and youth aged 18 and under.
   Contestants bring pre-made items to the Cooking Center in “California Dreamin” (Warren Hall) at Earl Warren Showgrounds just prior to the start of judging on the day of the contest. A celebrity panel of judges awards ribbons in first through third place based on taste and presentation. A recipe must accompany each submission. Those who pre-enter by April 9th will receive a free fair admission voucher.
   Cooking Contest events take place according to the following schedule: Appetizers: Wednesday, April 23rd , 7pm; Brownies: Thursday, April 24th , 7pm; Cheesecake: Friday, April 25th, 7pm; Macaroni & Cheese: Saturday, April 26th , 1:30pm; Ultimate Chocolate Dessert: Saturday, April 26th , 3pm; Homemade Salsa: Sunday, April 27th, 1:30pm; Apple Pie, Sunday, April 27th, 3pm.
   The Santa Barbara Fair & Expo is open on April 23rd and 24th from 4-9pm, April 25th from 4-10pm, April 26th from 11am-10pm, and April 27th from 11am-9pm. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors (60+) and $3 for kids (6-12). Children 5 and under are free. There is free admission for seniors from 11am-4pm on Saturday, April 28th . Most entertainment events are included free with fair admission. Carnival rides require ride coupons or pay-one-price wristbands, which are available through pre-sale and at the door. Tickets and information are available online at www.sbfairandexpo.com, or by calling the Earl Warren Showgrounds management office at (805) 687-0766.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The Year In Review: A year in review in April? Let me explain. As of today I have been writing for the Santa Barbara Daily Sound newspaper for one year. The current issue is my 53rd consecutive food news column. To mark the occasion (and help lull you to sleep tonight) here are some restaurant statistics for the last 12 months:

• We had 40 openings and 37 closings.

• Openings consisted of American 8, Deli 5, Seafood 4, Bakery 3, Dessert 3, Mexican 3, Burger 2, Vietnamese 2, BBQ 1, Cheese 1, Chinese 1, Fusion 1, Hot Dog 1, French Dining 1, Latin American 1, Mediterranean 1, Pizza 1, Steakhouse 1

• Closings consisted of American 10, Deli 4, Mexican 4, Dessert 3, Fusion 3, Bakery 2, Italian 2, Middle Eastern 2, Vietnamese 2, Coffee 1, Mediterranean 1, Pizza 1, Smoothie 1, Thai 1

• Net Gain/Loss: Seafood +4, Burger +2, Bakery +1, BBQ +1, Cheese Shop +1, Chinese +1, Deli +1, French Dining +1, Hot Dog +1, Latin American +1, Steakhouse +1, Coffee -1, Mexican -1, Smoothie -1, Thai -1,  American -2, Fusion -2, Italian -2, Middle Eastern -2

• Region with the most openings: State Street (13) followed by Hollister Ave (6).

• Region with the most closings: State Street (10) followed by Isla Vista (5).

• Month with the most openings: May 2007 (9) followed by September 2007 (7).

• Month with the most closings: September 2007 (6) followed by May 2007, August 2007, February 2008 & March 2008 (4).

• Address with the highest turnover: 910 Embarcadero del Norte in Isla Vista. In the last 12 months it has been Jerusalem Garden Cafe, New York Buffalo Wings and McMaster's Steak & Hoagie.

• Most shocking statistic: We’ve experienced a net LOSS of one coffee shop.

Tip-A-Cop: This Wednesday, April 23rd, at Outback Steakhouse and Holdren's Steaks & Seafood from 11am-1pm, join the Santa Barbara Police Department, SB Probation and County Sheriff's Dept as they serve you a great meal for a good cause. All tips benefit Special Olympics Santa Barbara.

Five Years, Twenty Pounds: That's how much I aged and lost in today's photo update at the top of the page.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Giovanni's Pizza Closes: Giovanni's Pizza at 5940 Calle Real in Goleta closed its doors yesterday. It will be replaced by Fresco Cafe North sometime next month.

New In The Guide: Today I added Corktree Cellars to the guide. Corktree is a wine bar & bistro located at 710 Linden Ave in Carpinteria that opened on Monday, April 7. They have a full restaurant menu with sandwiches, tapas, soups, salad and desserts. They also have “flights of wine” with three samples of different wines. Hours are Mon-Sun 11:30am-10pm. Call 684-1400.

Boathouse Update: Reader Jonathan spotted a new sign at the Boathouse Restaurant which replaces the Brown Pelican at Hendry's Beach. The sign reads:

Our Goal: To create a really nice restaurant for visitors to Hendry's Beach.

We will be serving locally caught fresh fish principally from the Santa Barbara, Ventura and Central Coast fisheries. We will be serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. We will have a take-out component, and will serve coffee and sweet rolls for beach walkers. We intend to keep it simple and to keep the quality at the highest level. The footprint [of the building] will be essentially the same as before. We are adding a deck with a windscreen so the experience on the deck should be comfortable and pleasant. The entire facility will be new and clean. We are working hard for a June opening. The stars will have to line up for us to get everything done that fast, but so far so good!

- Tom and Adam White

Off Topic: Santa Barbara band Anti-M has just released their new album Damage. I love their new song Let U In. I think it will get national airplay.

Friday, April 18, 2008

And Then There Were Seven: The Santa Barbara/Goleta area has nine 24-hour eateries. Starting this September two of them will get the axe including Spudnuts (the donut shop voted #1 every year) and Carrow's. That's because the Santa Barbara Planning Commission voted 6-1 yesterday to approved plans to raze a Carrillo Street shopping center, where both eateries reside, and replace it with a three-story commercial and residential development. Construction starts in the fall and should take two years. While ordering a glazed old fashion and a milk at Spudnuts this week, I spoke with a gentleman working the counter and he said "Our location is fantastic. I don't know what we're going to do. They have been talking about tearing this place down for so many years. The owner will decide what to do next."

Rumor Machine: Even though the "Replace Ink Cartridge" warning light on the Rumor Machine has been blinking for months, I am determined to milk it to the last drop. With a Santa Barbara Roasting Co. blended mocha in my left hand and a magnifying glass in my right, I was able to read this morning's faded printout: "Red Fish Restaurant in Simi Valley is considering opening a new location in Santa Barbara." Given that we have had four seafood-related restaurants open in the last 12 months I think am starting to see a trend here. Red Fish's web site is online at sparkredfish.com. As always, this rumor might be completely false or a brilliant forecast of future events. Your call.

Natural Cafe To Franchise: The former director of franchise operations for the La Salsa Mexican restaurant chain, Ozzie Garcia, has been named the Natural Cafe's new vice-president and he reportedly aims to franchise the brand beyond the South Coast.

17 Businesses Join The Guide: The owners of Arnoldi's Cafe, Berrilicious, Cava Restaurant & Bar, Chamomile Cafe, China Pavilion - Chapala, China Pavilion - Montecito, Crocodile Restaurant at Lemon Tree Inn, Good Karma Market & Deli, Ichiban Sushi, Keg N' Bottle Market, Matador, Palapa, Pavilion Garden, Pierre Lafond Bistro, Rockin' Yogurt, Tacone and Wahoo's Fish Taco contacted me and have opened control panel accounts. Control panel accounts in the SantaBarbara.com Restaurant Guide are free of charge and allow owners to post responses to public reviews written about their business. They can also enter extended descriptions of their business and information about specials, hours, web site, menus, etc. The total number of owners that have opened control panel accounts in the guide stands at 127. Welcome aboard!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Corktree Opens In Carp: Reader Primetime tells me that Jessica Pintard has opened her Corktree Cellars wine bar and bistro at 710 Linden Ave in Carpinteria. I am told it was packed the other night. Corktree Cellars has a full restaurant menu with sandwiches, soups, salad and desserts. With the smash-hit Giannfranco's Trattoria (666 Linden Ave) and Sly's Seafood Steaks Cocktails coming soon (686 Linden Ave), Carpinteria is becoming quite the dining destination.

New In The Guide: Today I added Matador (714 State St) and Kahuna Grill (Paseo Nuevo mall) to the guide. I went to Kahuna today to have lunch and take pictures. The place was packed. Dale, the popular manager of the Goleta Kahuna Grill, is working full-time now at the new downtown restaurant.  While there I ran in to Joe Crosby, sales manager of Santa Barbara Roasting Co, and he said that the best burger at Kahuna is the "Island Burger." I'll have to try it next time.

Name Change: In yesterday's post I mentioned that Cafe Gliss was opening soon at 602 Anacapa St. Reader Margie tells me that the name has changed to Bollinger's. For more information visit Bollinger.com

Off Topic: You may have noticed that this column has been appearing much later these days. Believe it or not I actually have a real job (I'm president of Coastline Communications Corp). Some of our email servers have been experiencing unusually heavy spam bombardment and I have had to take on new duties as the The Spam Guy.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The Next Hotspot: The 600 Block Of Anacapa: I was running through my list of places opening this year and noticed that a couple of biggies happen to be opening right next to each other. The Melting Pot restaurant will be opening at 608 Anacapa St and Bollinger's will be located at 602 Anacapa St. The Melting Pot has over 135 locations across the country. Bollinger's is a large restaurant & music destination with everything being designed from the ground up for optimum acoustics and ambiance. Think SOhO on steroids.

Mystery: "Santa Barbara Juicers" run by "Sherrie Anne Mondello" recently published a fictitious business name statement announcing that they are doing business at 1101 State St. However, I contacted both businesses currently at that address (a jewelry store and Java Jones) and neither of them have ever heard of Santa Barbara Juicers.

World's Largest Cookout: Uruguay, a small country in South America, hosted the world's largest-ever barbecue event. Last Sunday, April 13th, cooks produced 26,400 pounds of beef.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Rumor Machine: I finally replaced the roll of paper in the Rumor Machine but now the ink cartridge seems to be running dry. On a print-out this morning, though barely visible, I was able to discern one of the sentences that said that the deal to bring Whole Foods to upper State St has fallen through. The original plan was to have Whole Foods come to Hitchcock Plaza where the Circuit City building is now. As always, this rumor might be completely false or a brilliant forecast of future events. Your call.

Mesa Thai Closed: Reader Gary tells me that there is a sign on the door of Mesa Thai Cuisine at 1819 Cliff Dr that says they closed their doors as of April 1st. Reader Meghan went to eat there a few weeks ago and was told that the new owners are closing the restaurant for about 6 months for renovations. They supposedly will re-open in the fall and still serve Thai food.

Vintners' Festival: The annual Santa Barbara County Vintners' Festival attracts wine lovers from near and far for an opportunity to meet member vintners, taste their wines, and enjoy great food and music. The 2008 Vintners’ Festival will be held from 1 to 4pm this Saturday, April 19th and will be celebrated at River Park in Lompoc. The festival will feature the wines of our 100+ members of the Association, live music, a silent auction and wine country cuisine by local chefs. Tickets are $75 and there is a bus from Santa Barbara ($25) that leaves the Fess Parker Doubletree parking lot at 11:30am. For more information call 688-0881 or visit sbcountywines.com

Monday, April 14, 2008

Lunch Lessons: On Wednesday, April 16th listen to chef & author Ann Cooper and chef & attorney Kate Adamick talk about “school food reform.” Discussions will include school wellness policies, childhood obesity, how the USDA thinks our children should be fed, and how reform can be successfully designed and implemented in our community. This free event is brought to you by s’Cool Food and sponsored by the Orfalea Fund. Reception & healthy meal is at 5:30pm, presentation at 6:30pm. Marjorie Luke Theatre, 721 E. Cota St. RSVP at 565-7550 ex 110 or online at sCoolFood.org

Dine Out For The Earth: On Thursday, April 17th the following restaurants will donate a portion of their proceeds to the Environmental Defense Center: Aldo's, Arnoldi's, Bouchon, Fresco!, Quantum, Seagrass, Sojourner, Spiritland Bistro and Zookers. Call the EDC at 963-1622 or visit EDCnet.org

Goleta Neighborhood Alarmed By UCSB's Plans: This story has nothing to do with food (though it does involve a university devouring its neighbor). UCSB just released their "Vision 2025" plan for future development and it includes building a highway down the middle of the quiet community of Storke Ranch. UCSB's proposal is to extend and widen Phelps Rd to create a new connection between Storke Rd and Los Carneros. What is currently a quiet cul-de-sac surrounded by a daycare center, swimming pool, children's playground, apartments and homes is intended to be become one of the busiest streets on the South Coast. The traffic in the area will increase from 100 cars per day to more than 7,000 cars per day. The neighborhood is meeting tonight with UCSB officials at 7pm at Santa Catalina Hall (formerly Francisco Torres) in the Linda Vista Room. Santa Catalina Hall is the two tall buildings at the south end of Storke Rd. The public comment period to oppose the new highway in UCSB's general plan ends in May. I'll be attending the meeting.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Matador Opens On State: Matador Tapas Bar and Latin Steakhouse at 714 State St (the former location of Piranha which moved to 801 State St) is now open for business. This weekend they are having a grand opening and will be featuring Sangria specials on Friday and Saturday. Right now they are open for dinner only, Sun - Thurs 5-10pm and Friday and Saturday nights serving until midnight. They will begin serving lunch and brunch the week of April 21st. The menu at Matador brings together the flavors of Spain and Latin America, featuring a variety of Tapas (appetizer size plates), along with soups, salads, Brazilian Churrascaria barbequed meats, Latin Steakhouse entrées including fresh seafood and specialty desserts. A majority of the menu items are encouraged to be shared with others. Call 965-1307 or visit sbmatador.com

Kahuna Grill Now Open: Camino Real Marketplace's Kahuna Grill opened a new downtown Santa Barbara location in Paseo Nuevo today. The eatery replaces the now-closed Tiramisu restaurant that was located near the Paseo Nuevo movie theater.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Margarita Man: Last month I was at the Santa Barbara Daily Sound 2nd anniversary party and they had rented a couple of very cool automated margarita dispensers. The machines were provided by the Margarita Man, run by local owners Sean Bevan and Angela Miller-Bevan. I loved their business card. The man pictured on the front looks like a cross between a cabana boy and Indiana Jones [see card]. The standard package price is $175 and includes setup, pickup, your first mix concentrate, a 5 gallon pre-measured mixing bucket, an integrated cup rimmer with salt, and a festive, grass table skirt for the machine cart. Additional machines are discounted to $150 each. The machines make their own freeze so no ice is required, only power. The mixes do not contain alcohol. You can provide the liquor or can make the drinks non-alcoholic. One machine is usually sufficient for parties up to 100 guests. Call 683-0727 or visit MargaritaManSB.com

Taste Of Tuesday: Every Tuesday at 3pm Borders Books & Music at 900 State St has an event called Taste of Tuesday. Get the latest information on new books, movies and music while you sample food & beverages from their Seattle's Best Coffee cafe.

Restaurant Noise: There is a great article in today's Santa Barbara News-Press about restaurant noise. Feature writer Marilyn McMahan interviewed many people around town (including yours truly) about sound issues at local restaurants and coffee shops. I am considering creating a new category in the restaurant guide that lists places to eat that are quiet.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Ogden Coming To Solvang: Reader Hank emailed me a story today from IndianCountry.com that says famed Bay Area chef Bradley Ogden, whose restaurant of the same name is at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, is partnering with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians to open a restaurant at the Royal Scandinavian Inn in Solvang.

Cupcake Invasion Continues: Earlier this year I wrote about the influx of cupcakeries heading to Santa Barbara. I just heard about another one and they are already up and running. Sweet Buttercup sells cupcakes and cookies on the web or over the phone and doesn't have a storefront. Standard or custom cupcakes cost $34/dozen. Half-size cupcakes are $15/dozen. Flavors include Sweet Buttercup, Vanilla Chocolate, Choco-lotta love, Choco-latte, Vanilla-latte, Banana, Red Velvet, I dream of Chocolate, Lemon Cream, Sugar & Spice and Orange Blossom. Call 967-8160 or visit SweetButtercup.com.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Night: At Pierre Lafond Bistro (516 State St) every Thursday is Grilled Cheese Sandwich Night from 4pm-7pm. Price is $14.95. Choose from the chef's selection of gourmet cheeses and add some vegetables and/or meat stuffers. They will grill it all up on an artisan bread. Includes fries or salad. Call 962-1455 or visit PierreLafond.com.

In Search of A Home: I have been contacted by a well-known national burger chain that asked for my help locating real estate on the South Coast. The location must allow plenty of parking. If you have any ideas, please pass them my way!

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Kahuna Grill Opens Friday: Kahuna Grill opens a new downtown location in Paseo Nuevo this Friday. The eatery replaces the now-closed Tiramisu restaurant that was located near the Paseo Nuevo movie theater. Kahuna Grill has been a huge success in Camino Real Marketplace and they are considering opening a third location on upper State St in a couple of years.

Alcohol Ban: Rite Aid in Carpinteria has permanently lost their alcohol permit after receiving three warnings in three years about selling alcohol to persons under 21 years of age. Rite Aid in University Plaza in Goleta lost their permit for similar reasons last near and subsequently closed.

Anna Loves Peet: Anna's Bakery in Camino Real Marketplace now serves Peet's Coffee. The change occurred about a month ago and it has been well-received by the public.

Skydiving Without A Parachute: [watch video]

Monday, April 7, 2008

Friday, April 4, 2008

Stand-up Comedy: Stateside Restaurant & Lounge at 1114 State St now has a comedy night every Tuesday at 9pm. I went to one of these recently and it was really fun, with about 5 different comedians coming up to the stage. The cost was $5 at the door plus a two drink minimum, which is a terrific deal. This Tuesday, April 8th Stateside features comedian Skyler Stone, April 15th is John Roy and April 23rd is Andrew Norelli. Call 564-1000 or visit StatesideSB.com.

Music In The Valley: Volare Ristorante & Deli at 1095 Edison St in Santa Ynez now has free entertainment on Fridays & Saturdays 7pm-10pm, featuring Anthony Lazzara & The Volare House Jazz Band. Call 693-8072 or visit VolareRistorante.com

Slow Food: I recently heard about an organization called Slow Food Santa Barbara, online at SlowFoodSantaBarbara.org. This is the local chapter of Slow Food USA, which itself is a chapter of Slow Food International. They have 80,000 members in over 100 countries. Here is their mission statement:

 "Slow Food envisions a future food system that is based on the principles of high quality and taste, environmental sustainability, and social justice – in essence, a food system that is good, clean and fair. We seek to catalyze a broad cultural shift away from the destructive effects of an industrial food system and fast life; toward the regenerative cultural, social and economic benefits of a sustainable food system, regional food traditions, the pleasures of the table, and a slower and more harmonious rhythm of life."

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Fresco! Coming To Goleta: Fresco! owners Mark and Jill Brouillard have entered into an agreement with Indras Govender and his wife Tilly, current owners of the Giovanni's Pizza outlet on Calle Real in Goleta. This agreement extends the right to the Govenders to operate a Fresco Cafe in that space to be called Fresco Cafe North. The Brouillards will serve as management consultants and trainers for the staff which will be made up of current employees of Giovanni's, former Fresco at the Beach staff and Fresco! Five Points alumni. The conversion of the Calle Real Giovanni's into a Fresco Cafe should be complete in early May. The new cafe will be open Monday through Sunday from 8 am to 9 pm, serving the Fresco menu as well as chalkboard specials.
   "With the involvement of our experienced staff members, in combination with the very dedicated Giovanni team, we  feel that we can serve the North Goleta area very well," said Jill Brouillard. "Indras and his family have been Fresco faithful clients for years and we are looking forward to working with such dedicated and hardworking entrepreneurs," she said.
   The Brouillards are also negotiating an agreement to open additional Fresco Cafes in Ventura after the new year.

Speaking Of Giovanni's: Giovanni's Pizza at 6583 Pardall Rd in Isla Vista is having delivery specials right now. #1: 1 x-large 2 topping pizza, 1 appetizer combo (including Mozzarella Sticks, Jalapeno Poppers, Wings), 2 liter soda for $24.99. #2: 1 med 2-topping pizza, 1 spaghetti (meat or marinara), 1 large garden salad, 2 liter soda for $28.95. #3 1 x-large 2-topping pizza, large family salad, 2 liter soda for $23.95. #4: 1 meat lasagna or Fettuccini Alfredo, 1 small garden salad, 1 soda for $10.95. Call 968-2254 or visit GiosPizza.com.

The Woz: Like many locals I went to the Arlington last night to listen to a speech by Apple co-founder and inventor of the Apple II computer, Steve Wozniak. Mr. Wozniak was nice enough to stay for a book signing that had a huge line lasting until 11:30pm. I was lucky enough to get a picture with the Woz which I'll hang next to one I took many years ago with another famous engineer.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Prime Rib Special: Reader Dianne tells me that Tee-Off Restaurant & Cocktails has a prime rib special for 19.99. Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays through April 15, 2008. Includes all the sides they usually serve.

Ain't Gunna Happen: On March 13th the Rumor Machine popped out a message that a "Wine Cask-style" restaurant was coming to the San Marcos Building on State St. The latest word is that the deal is off.

Ghost Of Pattaya: They're the hottest restaurant in town that never opened. Early last year, in Old Town Goleta, the building at 5918 Hollister Ave (former home of Alex's Cantina) suddenly received a new coat of white paint.  It appeared that a new restaurant was planning to open there soon. And then nothing happened. No restaurant opened.
   During the Fall of 2007 a big colorful new sign appeared atop the building [see photo] that read "Pattaya Bar & Grill." I stopped by to try their food, and it appeared nothing had changed. From what I could see through the window, it was a ghost town on the inside.
   Then, in January 2008, a large, expensive colorful advertisement for Pattaya appeared in the Verizon Yellow Pages phonebook [see advertisement]. It reads (exactly) "Sportbar, Banquet, Catering, Live Music. Serve popular street vendor Thai Food under relaxing, friendly atmosphere. Open daily 11am-1am". About the same time, Pattaya launched a professional web site, complete with colorful food photos & menus. I mosied on over to the restaurant and, to my surprise, the interior still looked the same as last year. No progress had been made as far as I could tell.
   Fast forward to April 2008. While driving through Old Town Goleta at night, I noticed that their big sign was fully illuminated. There were even spotlights brightening up the entrance. With a sudden craving for Pad See Ew, I pulled over to finally give them a try. To my great disappointment, the inside looked the same as last year. And nobody was around. Nobody but 'dem ghosts.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

April Fools: A year ago today I posted an April Fools joke in this blog that read “Brophy Bros. is scheduled to be replaced by a McDonald's.” I added that they plan to use local catch in their filet-o-fish. I also mentioned that Joe's Cafe was going non-alcoholic and becoming a juice bar with the "stiffest OJ in town."
   A few days later I was at a meeting with a fundraiser committee and everyone was buzzing with distressing restaurant news. They all told me that they had heard from various friends that "Brophy's was becoming a McDonald's." I then starting hearing the same rumor again and again around town. Emails began flooding in asking if the news was true. Apparently my sense of humor didn't translate well and I had created one big mess. It was painful but I had learned my lesson: don't joke around!
   And in other news, I heard this morning that Brophy Bros is scheduled to be replaced by a Taco Bell
[see artist's rendering of the new facility]. Sources tell me that they will use local catch with their new Fish Taco Supreme & Sea Urchin Salad.

Rumor Machine: The dilapidated yet diligent Rumor Machine used the last of its paper roll this morning. The printed message I found curled up on the floor said that a liquor license application has appeared on the former Pep Boys building on lower State St that mentions "Club 300." As always, this rumor might be completely false or a brilliant forecast of future events. Your call.

Jazz Brunch: On April 6th Marmalade Cafe will begin a Sunday Brunch Jazz program with Magic 106.3/Kruz 97.5, similar to the Smooth Jazz brunch in L.A.

Monday, March 31, 2008

Grand Opening: The Winehound at 1221 Chapala St had their grand opening at 11am this morning!

Jordano's Food Show: On Sunday I attended the Hollywood-themed Jordano's Food Show [see photos] at Earl Warren Showgrounds. It is a huge, invitation-only event that ran March 30-31. Jordano's Foodservice, started in 1915 and still locally owned by the Jordano family, maintains a sales and distribution network throughout Central and Southern California.
   At the Jordano's Food Show, that occurs every two years, free food samples were everywhere. In fact, my entire lunch was made up of samples, starting with fruit, salad & pasta and ending with cookies & brownies. The purpose of the show is not just to sample food, however. It is to see some of Jordano's more than 10,000 foodservice products, displayed by the vendors themselves.
   What struck me as amazing is how many people and businesses are involved, behind the scenes, in even the simplest meal. For example, lets assume I am ordering a salad from a local restaurant that uses Jordano's as their source for food and food-related products. Where did my salad REALLY come from? I'll tell you:

• The lettuce & onion may have come from Boskovich Farms, Inc of Oxnard. Employee Mike O'Leary who is VP of sales & Marketing of Boskovich Farms' Fresh Cut division, likely brokered the deal with Jordano's.
• The cheese likely originated from the California cows of Dairy Farmers of America. AccuFood Food Services was their representative.
• The pieces of ham could have come from Saag's, an 85 person company based in San Francisco and owned by a Swiss family. It was started in 1933 by George Saag. Saag's employee and food specialist Allan Rasmussen likely represented the company when working with Jordano's.
• The chunks of pineapple came from Dole. Dole, based in Westlake Village, was represented by sales agency Elite Associates (owned by Jerry Campbell) who brokered the deal with Jordano's.
• The Hidden Valley Honey Mustard dressing was manufactured by Ventura Foods. Ventura Foods' sales agency was J.Goodman. J.Goodman agent Allen Weiss was the contact for the Jordano's account.
• The plate & fork may have come from Libby, Inc. Purchaser Sabra Demming, who works for Jordano's, probably was the intermediary.
• The reason my salad was cold was because it had been in a refrigerator made by Traulsen. KLH Marketing rep Nick Butler was Traulsen's representative for the Jordano's account.
• Because my delicious salad was so large, I decided to take it home in a styrofoam package that was likely made in the Bakersfield factory of Illinois-based Pactiv, Inc. Mike Fouch, from the sales agency F.Y.I., was the intermediary between Pactiv and Jordano's.

And I had always thought that making a salad was so simple.

Friday, March 28, 2008

$100 Million Tip: Starbucks and the California restaurant industry received a jolt recently after a San Diego judge slapped Starbucks Corp. with a $100 million judgment for illegally giving supervisors a portion of barista tips. Starbucks has been ordered to pay back tips to 100,000 former and current employees. The judge also issued an injunction that prevents Starbucks' shift supervisors from sharing in future tips. The ruling clarifies a California tipping law that bans shift supervisors from sharing in tip jar money even if they make drinks and serve customers alongside lower-ranked baristas. Starbucks spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil said the company will not comply with the ruling and planned an immediate appeal, calling it "fundamentally unfair and beyond all common sense and reason." But attorney Laura Ho, who tried the baristas case, said the court's verdict follows state law. "Starbucks illegally took a huge amount of money from the tip pool to pay shift supervisors, rather than paying them out of its own pocket. The court's verdict rightfully restores that money to the baristas," Ho said.

Pint Night At HBC: Here is a message from the friendly folks at Hollister Brewing Co.: "We are starting some new specials at Hollister Brewing Co. this coming week. Monday is now Pint Night! Enjoy most of our hand-crafted beers for just $3.00 a pint all night until closing, every Monday night. Also, every Tuesday will be Brewer’s Choice Tuesday! Our brewer, Eric Rose will choose 1 or 2 of our beers to feature for just $2.50 a pint and $10.00 a pitcher all day and night! So, come on in to Hollister Brewing Co. and help us celebrate Monday Pint Night and Brewer’s Choice Tuesday!"

Thursday, March 27, 2008

McDonald's Legend Herb Peterson Dies: Herb Peterson, Santa Barbara resident and inventor of the Egg McMuffin, has died at age 89. Mr. Peterson was co-owner and operator of all six McDonald's restaurants in Santa Barbara and Goleta. Monte Fraker, vice president of operations for the local McDonald's said Peterson created the Egg McMuffin in 1972 as a way to introduce breakfast to McDonald's. "Peterson was very partial to eggs Benedict," Fraker said, and worked on creating something similar. Peterson also wrote McDonald's first national advertising slogan, "Where Quality Starts Fresh Every Day." Fraker said that, although semi-retired, Peterson still visited all six local stores until last year when his health began to deteriorate. "He would talk to the customers, visit with the employees, he loved McDonald's," Fraker said. Peterson is survived by his wife, son and three daughters. A public memorial service will be held April 23 at All Saints by the Sea church in Montecito.

Ice Cream Exodus: A few weeks ago Baskin Robbins in Montecito closed their doors. Now reports are coming in that Baskin Robbins in Carpinteria has taken a dive. They're jumping off the cliff like lemmings! To order your single scoop of delicious Baskin Robbins Cookies & Cream ice cream on a sugar cone, you now have to go to upper State Street - the last local BR outlet.

Albertsons Given Reprieve: Albertsons Market on Casitas Pass Rd in Carpinteria has signed a short-term lease through January 2009. The market had been scheduled to close next month. In a related note, Carpinteria city counsel has passed a new "big box" ordinance limiting all businesses to 30,000 square feet or less. Vons Market in Carpinteria had considered taking over the Albertsons location and expanding it, which would have exceeded the new size limit. Vons has decided to instead stay at their Linden Ave location.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Lane Farms: Lane Farms, located at 308 S. Walnut Lane in Goleta, has a new crop of strawberries, Pixie tangerines, home grown lettuce and vine ripe tomatoes. They offer homegrown local and organic produce. Open daily 9am-6pm, Sundays 9am-5pm. Call 964-3773

The Early Show: Marmalade Cafe, located at 3825 State St in La Cumbre Plaza, offers a three course meal for only $12.95. This early dinner is available Mon-Fri 4pm-6pm. First course: Cup of Soup or Field Green Salad or Caesar Salad. Second course: Chicken Picatta or Fresh Filet of Salmon or Brisket of Beef. Third course: Homemade Tiramisu or Henry's Bread Pudding. Call 682-5246 or visit MarmaladeCafe.com

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Winehound Ready To Run: With a sudden tug on the leash, I knew we were close. The scent of wine was leading us right to 1221 Chapala St. Winehound owner Bob Wesley (the former wine guy at Lazy Acres) told me last week that he has received his ABC license and hopes to open this weekend or soon thereafter. His final task is to finish hiring and begin loading the store with 1300 cases of wine and 250 cases of beer. Once all the goods are in the door, the party begins.
   The Winehound grand opening celebrations will be featuring wine and beer specials, complimentary catered appetizers and beverages, gourmet cheese tasting, guest winemakers autographing bottles, free corkscrews, and free Winehound t-shirts/hats to their first 50 customers. Hours will be Mon-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun Noon-6pm. Call 888-869-2039 or visit TheWinehound.com.

Speaking Of Wine: I am told that The Cheese Shop, located next to Nordstrom in the Paseo Nuevo mall has a very good selection of hard-to-find Napa Valley wines. The Cheese Shop, which opened last month at 811 State St, can be reached at 884-9463 or on the web at TheCheeseShopInc.com

Frozen In Grand Central Station: This is a prank on a "grand" scale [watch video]. Over 200 people gathered at Grand Central Station in New York to pull off a 'frozen in place' act. The on looking travelers who weren't part of the act were mystified as to what was going on and experienced a "Twilight Zone" moment.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Chad's Update: As reported last week, Chad's on Chapala (625 Chapala St) is scheduled to close. Owner Chad Stevens, who founded the restaurant 16 years ago, says that it will remain open for at least the next two months and likely through graduation weekend. His family plans to keep operating their other restaurant Sambo's. Stevens said he does not plan to sell the Chad's business name in case he and his wife Michelle decide to open a new restaurant in the future. When the 625 Chapala St building is sold, the sale price does not include the restaurant's furniture, fixtures or liquor license. A new owner will, however, inherit construction approvals previously obtained by Stevens, including a new banquet room, kitchen upgrade and expanded handicapped restrooms.

Market Opens On State: The 411 Market opened at 411 State St [see photo] next door to Lettuce B. Frank. I am told by the owner it is a "healthy-food-oriented convenience market." They should soon have a liquor license and will be offering a full line of domestic wines, and will prioritize local companies as much as possible.

And In Other News: I am sure you have read endlessly about the changes inside the Granada Theatre, but have you heard about what's new on the outside? What's new is a gigantic antenna that can be seen from everywhere in Santa Barbara. See my before & after pictures. I have been told this morning that it is temporary and will be tucked inside the building out of sight. I hope that is true!

Friday, March 21, 2008</