••• Soft-opening this Wednesday: The Sando Truck, stationed in the Test Pilot/Paradise Spring Winery parking lot and specializing in katsu sandwiches. “I spent 18 years in hospitality with Kimpton, El Encanto, Alisal Ranch, and most recently the Drift,” says Nick Gillio. “I left hospitality to pursue my passion of bringing a traditional katsu sandwich to Santa Barbara.” (Photo by Silas Fallstich.) From the announcement:
Nick has fond memories of enjoying Katsu sando during his visits to Japan, where this beloved sando is a staple. Featuring a breaded and deep-fried cutlet, often made from pork (tonkatsu) or chicken, the Katsu sando is traditionally served on Japanese Shokupan bread. It is widely available throughout Japan, from subway stations to department stores and convenience stores, as both a snack and a meal. Inspired by the great taste and amazing flavor of this sando, Nick has long envisioned introducing it to America.
••• I ran into Ramon Velazquez at the Montecito Country Mart, where his Alma Fonda Fina recently opened. He said that Jaguar Moon, his Ventura collaboration with Good Lion Hospitality, should be ready in six weeks or so, to be followed by his restaurant at the 700 Linden multi-tenant complex in Carpinteria. The latter will be more akin to Corazón Cocina than Alma or Corazón Comedor, but with more seafood. As for complaints that Alma isn’t fast-casual, he said that 1) he likes to do different concepts whenever possible, and 2) the Country Mart management was concerned about too much lunchtime traffic in the parking lot. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if the desire to draw an upscale clientele to the fancy shops is also a factor. P.S. Alma is taking reservations via its website.
••• The Factory, Satellite’s event space on E. Haley, announced that it received final sign-off from the state Alcohol Beverage Control and will soon post a calendar of public events.
••• Travis Twining of the Santa Barbara Public Market has bought the local outpost of Wexler’s Deli, and his first act was to cut some of the prices, at least for September. Mike Kassar of Wexler’s says not to worry: “We’ll be licensing our name and we’ll be there all the time, the same way we are at our Las Vegas location, to make sure food quality and standards are excellent. We’ll still be supplying our house-smoked meat and fish weekly.”
••• “Santa Barbara’s Soul Bites Looks to Raise $30,000 by Monday to Stay Open […] After Summer of Slow Sales.” —Independent
••• Zaca Coffee has opened in Buellton (240 E. Highway 246). —Noozhawk
••• After coffee at Zaca, you can head over to the new farmstand at The Yard Orchard & Co. in Solvang: “Our mission is to bring the historic Dittmar’s Orchard and Vineyard back to life, honoring its legacy of producing high-quality apples. Alongside these renowned apples, we will be offering a variety of fresh fruits from nearby farms in Carpinteria.” It’s mainly open weekends now, but hours are in flux; check before you go.
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I had the pleasure to eat at Alma over the weekend and the food is EXCELLENT. The tuna tostada and the ceviche with coconut milk is head exploding delicious.
Wexler’s will have a mighty fight to make it.
I’m wondering why Wexler’s price point was so high. Is it because they have to transport everything to Santa Barbara?
I’m really glad the new owner took notice and cut the prices at Wexler’s. I went for the first time a few weeks ago and thought it was way overpriced. I thought the Reuben was good but nothing special. The coleslaw was not good, nor was the Russian dressing (how hard is that to make?!).
Agreed! Fresh, crunchy coleslaw is a easy to make and adds a lot of yum to a meal. I also couldn’t believe how bad their coleslaw was … high school cafeteria quality
If only Wexler’s would improve the taste and quality of their food. I’ve tried them 4x and every single time, I’m disappointed from old bagels (not fresh and I know Yetz’s bagels very well) to tasteless corned beef to barely getting butter and cream cheese on the old bagel to tasteless cole slaw. I’m a NYer and these sandwiches don’t come close to a NY Jewish deli experience. I do however, like the rye bread they used.
Soul Bites is in a TERRIBLE LOCATION. 30k won’t fix that problem. They would be wise to take any funds and move to a food truck or a much better location.