Changes Are Coming to the Breakwater Restaurant

••• Dudley Michael and Grace Austin of The Shop, Wingman Rodeo, and the Rodeo Room have taken over the Breakwater Restaurant on the harbor and will “soon will be bringing Santa Barbara the waterfront dinning experience it deserves,” they said in the announcement. “Please be patient with us as we get to know our new business, its team members and our new neighborhood on the waterfront—we will not be closing during this transition. We will be making some changes and improvements over the next few months but an extensive rebrand will occur in early 2025. For the time being, we will be testing and trying out new ideas so come down and enjoy the creative process with us.”

••• I’m rarely tempted to buy anything new at Vons Pavilions, but while in the so-called ethnic-foods aisle, I happened upon Fly by Jing’s Sichuan Gold. (Ingredients: soybean oil, Sichuan rapeseed oil, chili pepper, Sichuan pepper, ginger, garlic, rock sugar, star anise, cassia bark, green onion, chili oil extract.) I’ve been putting it on everything. The website says it’s nine times hotter than company’s classic chili oil, but it doesn’t strike me as all that hot—and I’m a wimp when it comes to spice. But then I only use a few drops at a time.

••• A profile of Pang Zi Noodle Shop. —Independent

••• Cuso’s Creamery is opening at 620 State Street (Cota/Ortega), formerly the site of Rockin’ Yogurt. I popped into Cuso’s Bikes across the street, assuming the two endeavors are related. They are indeed, said patriarch Domenic Mancuso, who runs the bike shop with one son and who will be operating the ice cream shop with all three kids (one of whom is Jack Mancuso, founder of Cuso Cuts, maker of barbecue seasonings and such; some of his products will find their way into the ice cream, which will be made in house). Look for Cuso’s Creamery to open soon, possibly by the end of the month. With McConnell’s and Tondi Gelato a block away, that part of downtown really is going to be ice cream central.

••• The Indochine nightclub at 434 State Street (Gutierrez/Haley) has closed, and there’s a notice of ownership change in the window. I reached out to Chris Dixon, one of the liquor-license applicants, who said this:

We just got the keys yesterday and will be cleaning up the place considerably up until re-opening (still as Indochine) on Friday August, 16. Our game plan will be to open Friday-through-Sunday nights at 8:30 p.m. until students come back, at which time we’ll open Thursday nights, too.

We will keep the Indochine concept likely through the end of 2024, and then will remodel [and rebrand]. Our vision is to expand to 6-7 days per week from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. next year to include light food, an elevated beverage program, and a top-of-class music platform, characterized mainly by electronic music and DJs, with occasional bands and day events.

••• Having been warned that Mother Dough bagels sell out quickly, I pulled myself together and ordered right at noon last Tuesday (for pickup on Saturday)—waiting for the second hand and refreshing the website page took me back to pandemic times. But I was so worried that I would get beat out that I checked out as soon as I had three everything bagels in my cart. Happily, founder Jennifer Gonzalez-Neely recognized my name and gifted me three other flavors (sesame, salt, and furikake) and three spreads (garlic herb cream cheese, gochujang cream cheese, and whipped honey butter). My husband and I hoovered down two everythings as soon as we returned home—half with the garlic herb spread, and half with the gochujang spread. Delicious! I will be going back for more. P.S. Read more about Mother Dough in American Riviera Media‘s profile.

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