••• L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele officially opens today in the former Embermill space on State Street between Figueroa and Carrillo. (Photo courtesy the restaurant.) UPDATE 11/11: A press release came out with the hours: Tuesday through Saturday, with counter service lunch 11 a.m.-4 p.m., takeout 4-6 p.m., and full-service dinner 6-9 p.m.
••• What a bummer: the plan for Handlebar Coffee to open at the corner of Milpas and Anapamu, across from the Bowl, didn’t work out. It would’ve been an excellent spot for a café.
••• They’re almost sold out for the season, but keep an eye out for the chocolate pistachio clusters from Santa Barbara Pistachio Company. The nuts are candied and then smothered in CaliBressan chocolate, and the result is addictive.
••• In a letter to the Independent, an employee of the 7-Eleven at Hollister Avenue and Patterson Avenue says that the “store is due to close in December along with a few other stores in town.”
••• The La Lieff Wines tasting room at 210 Gray Avenue in the Funk Zone—two doors up from Tyger Tyger—opens this Friday. We Want the Funk, which shares the space, is just waiting for the final OK from the city.
••• The Brass Bird café in Carpinteria has opened and it looks great—small wonder it has been popular from the get-go. Owners Sarah Dandona and Juan Rodriguez are doing much more than just coffee and pastries, with menus for breakfast and lunch that will grow over time. The café is open seven days a week, and it has a ton of outdoor seating and parking, with more indoor seating on the way. And Dandona and Rodriguez, who also own Teddy’s by the Sea, confirmed that the Teddy’s outpost in the former Mackenzie Market building in San Roque will be similar to the Carp original, but probably with a larger menu.
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E, know the details of why Handlebar didn’t work out? Thought that spot would be awesome. Can anything go there? Also is Handlebar considering any other locations?
Yeah, that was so strange how the owners denied it, but the location appeared on their website for some months…?
Permitting issues having to do with the parking lot and how it is shared with the County Bowl.
My sense is that the city has different aspirations for that property.
Doe the city actually own the property? Or was it just a matter of what the city is willing to permit? I keep hoping SOMETHING is done with that spot, it’s such a gem of a location and I’d love to see it go to good use.
Bummer about Handlebar. I hope something else charming and local goes there. Hope the city isn’t going to try to force some kind of redevelopment on the plot.
Gretchen Lieff and her husband win the award for consistently being the rudest and most demanding members I came across while working at the Coral
Casino, Four Seasons. I would rather stab my eye with a fork than support their new tasting room.
HOLLLLLLLLA for the folks in back
True!! and I am member & saw their rudeness..Can’t imagine how awful they were to you. Sorry,
I’m unaware of the owners, but I do like the concept of an all women owned and operated winery and I’ll support that. Kris Curran as an outstanding winemaker. Don’t let two bad apples bring down the others involved. In fact, I’ll visit the tasting room this weekend and provide my honest and unbiased reviews.
7Eleven closing on Milpas as well..confirmed
Is there a time line for the new teddys at the Makenzie market..? Also is this the same couple that owns omni catering.?
No and yes.
Thank goodness L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele has opened. What with only Gino’s Sicilian, Oppi’z, Mizza, Bedda Mia, Eleven14, Trattoria Vittoria, Neo Chase, Ca’Dario, Olio e Limone, Olio Pizzeria, and Olio Bottega in the area, we truly needed another Italian restaurant and pizzeria rather than some other style of cuisine.
There are few truly legit pie joints in SB. Revolver sits at the top and a few fall below. I’m all for these people opening and serving world class pizza.
+1 for Revolver
I like Revolver too, but it’s on westside, not within the three blocks of L’Antica, which is where all of the Italian restaurants I listed are located.
RE: the Handlebar location. Since it has been a garage for quite a long time, perhaps there was chemical leaching into the property making it not desirable for a food location?
if chemicals leaked there while the shop was serving the general public, the city/state would require them to clean it regardless of who is trying to lease it.
The chocolate pistachios are Sold Out ?
Their $65 pizza must be the most expensive pizza in SB.
If you check the ingredients you will see why one pizza on the menu is $ 65.00…. it contains truffles ( why you would truffles on a pizza is beyond me but that adds $$ to the cost). Most of the pizzas are in the $ 30.00 range. I for one am anxious to try the ” non pizza items as I’m not a pizza fan. I welcome any new restaurant, especially non chains, to Santa Barbara.
For sure there’s no question of why it’s so expensive. Let’s give it an award, or something.
The rest of the pizzas seem kind of pricey, too (but no where near $65). Seems like SB’s new restaurants are all skewed towards pricey meals (Augie’s, Rare Society, etc). We need some more less pricey options.
Careful… if you accuse Augie’s of being pricey, then Matt Kettmann will call you a “whiner” and a “racist.”
https://www.independent.com/2022/11/16/a-shotgun-blast-of-foodie-news/
If not wanting to pay $200 for two to eat dinner (regardless of the type of cuisine) makes me a racist, I guess it makes Matt an elitist. I guess I’ll cross the street to Casa Comal instead to eat with the regular folk.
I couldn’t agree more.