TO BE RICH…
The craziest, coolest house is under construction in Montecito. Imagine if a Bond villain decided to spend $100 million on a two-bedroom Brazilian modernist lair in Middle-earth…. Check out the renderings.
·················
RESTAURANT REVIEW
If dinner at Malibu Farm at the Rosewood Miramar can leave you wondering what the point of the place is, other than a Plan B for people who can’t get into Caruso’s, lunch there makes delightful sense. A review.
·················
TO BE RICH… (PART 2)
Oprah strikes again: With the purchase of Jeff Bridges’s property, the entertainment mogul has expanded her Montecito estate to 70 acres. A shame about the fence, though.
·················
GOOD HOUSEPEEKING
Open houses this weekend: Turnkey property within walking distance to Coast Village Road; small-town charmer with a private park entrance; Mission Ridge ranch with view; a glamorous spec makeover; and many more.
·················
ODDS & ENDS
••• The revised Montecito Debris Flow Risk Map has been pushed back.
••• A pair of proposed new developments downtown (with small buildings making way for larger ones).
••• Helistop hearing.
••• The charm of hand-drawn signage.
Read the post.
·················
ODDS & ENDS (PART 2)
••• Will Montecito’s Manning Park (above) lose its resident ranger?
••• Vons stopped collecting plastic bags for recycling.
••• The return of the Yes Store, a seasonal artisan co-op.
••• Hyatt Centric hotel is undergoing serious renovations.
••• A pointless scale.
Read the post.
·················
NEWS DIGEST
••• 122,000 acres of county land opened for oil and gas leases.
••• Bristol Farms store delayed by unpermitted work.
••• Homeless housing on Hollister Avenue is in the pipeline.
••• Progress on eight-acre debris basin in Montecito (above).
••• Auction of Huguette Clark’s doll collection.
Read the post.
·················
Please forward this to anyone who might find it interesting. To subscribe, click here. You can unsubscribe at any time.

















Recent Comments
Does the Après Ski party include a lift ticket? — Heidi Smith
Bravo, Music Academy of the West! — Deborah David
Santa Barbara Museum of Art gift shop has moved upstairs. Still a great place to shop with lots of Impressionist merchandise to match the GREAT… — LG
This is the box outside of Ca’ Dario at the corner of Anacapa and Victoria. — Mike
Renaming the post office and spending $500 k to do it. Is another great example tax payers money being wasted. — Dan Kolodziejski
Hallelujah! The return of that Southbound on-ramp is long overdue — Tammy
You've done a great thing for the hapless men of Santa Barbara with this series. Stopping by half of these stores. — Andy
The post office renaming will cost roughly $500,000 paid for by the USPS internal funds from stamps and fees. — Derek
Thank you, Erik, for reminding your readers to support local businesses; it is one of the critical ways to help our communities thrive. (I laughed… — Pat
I agree about the skimpy wine pour. However, we loved the shared entrees (chicken and salmon) with their special rice. Yes there were leftovers but… — ElizabethW