••• Sometime in July, R&D Local Kitchen will begin taking over Brekkies in Solvang for a series of Friday-through-Sunday dinner pop-ups. The chefs are Drew Terp and Rene Ortega, who worked together most recently at Pico, where Terp was the opening chef before moving to San Diego for a while. The Instagram profile says to expect comfort food, and I hear it’ll have an Iberian, tapas-ish bent. Photo by K. Conley.
••• There has been some discussion about whether the building currently home to Stella Mare’s—which just got its lease extended by a year—could be torn down. The short answer: not without a struggle. The long version, from city architectural historian Nicole Hernandez, is below. N.B. I confused Hernandez by asking about 40 and 50 Los Patos Way, thinking the greenhouse had a different address; the restaurant and the Montecito Athletic Club are all part of the same parcel, and by “40 Los Patos Way” she means the gym. The former house that’s now Stella Mare’s was constructed in 1874 and moved from 812 De La Vina in 1961.
The Second Empire–style building (Stella Mare) is the house on the parcel that is protected by being listed on the Historic Resources Inventory. The Historic Landmarks Commission reviews all exterior alterations and demolition all buildings on the Historic Resources Inventory, exactly the same as they do designated historic Structures of Merit. Although they are not formally designated historic, the California Environmental Quality Act requires that we maintain the list of buildings that qualify for formal historic designation and that all alterations meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation in order to have an CEQA exemption. […]
The building at 40 Los Patos Way is not on the Inventory but when one building on the parcel is on the inventory, the whole parcel shows as on the Inventory, as HLC will review all the buildings on the parcel so they are compatible with the historic resource and the property does not have to go to two different design review boards.
••• Two items worth noting for July 4: Merci’s special menu includes pork ribs, potato salad, and more; I have my heart set on the Bing cherry hand pies (order by 4 p.m. on July 2 for pickup on July 4). And Aperitivo is making sandwiches with its famous porchetta ($55 for two and a bottle of Sangiovese rosé, but quantities are limited; order by 9 p.m. on July 3 for pickup on July 4).
••• I enjoyed everything at dinner during Na Na Thai‘s pre-opening phase, and I mean no disrespect to the more traditional dishes when I say that the tom yum French fries are an instant classic. This photo (courtesy the restaurant) was taken before chef Nik Ramirez began adding crispy bits of fried garlic on top.
••• High Seas Mead posted that its taproom—at 138 Powers Avenue, off East Beach—passed its city inspection, so it could open as soon as August.
••• “Margerum Wine Company and sister label, Barden, have unveiled a new tasting room in downtown Los Olivos [….] Notably the first tasting room in the region to offer sushi within a Bento Box, as well as Kumamoto Oysters with sparkling wine pairings (from local favorite Jina Bae of BB Sushi and formerly of Aru Sushi in Buellton).” —from a press release (via Edible Santa Barbara)
••• Twenty-Four Blackbirds is taking things to the next level….
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