Crushcakes’s Wine Bar Spinoff Has Opened

••• I have to admire In-N-Out’s new fry boat pool float, even if I’m one of those people who love the burgers, hate the fries, and would prefer not to see Bible verses (Proverbs 24:16, in this case) where I don’t expect them.

••• Crush Bar & Tap, the new beer-and-wine bar from the Crushcakes folks, has opened in the former Armada Wine & Beer Merchant space off State Street (Anapamu/Figueroa).

••• Edible Santa Barbara reports that Cajé‘s café in the former Coffee & Bean Tea Leaf space on State Street (at Canon Perdido/De La Guerra) has soft-opened.

••• The Independent‘s cover story is an in-depth follow-up report on White Buffalo Land Trust’s purchase of Jalama Canyon Ranch and its plans for regenerative farming there.

••• El Pastorcito’s Noleta restaurant has closed. (There’s more on its De La Vina pop-up here.) —Restaurant Guy 

••• “Liquor stores and mini-markets throughout Santa Barbara would be affected by [a] proposed ordinance to regulate alcohol sales. […] Current businesses would be grandfathered in, but they would be required to maintain their businesses in a lawful manner or risk fines, or suspension of their alcohol sales. […] New businesses would need to get a conditional use permit to sell alcohol, as determined by the Planning Commission.” If that sounds like an overreach for the Planning Commission, get this: “Assistant City Attorney John Doimas said that once the city figures out an ordinance for liquor stores and mini-markets, it would then move to places that serve alcohol for on-site use.” Making life harder for businesses will only continue to hobble downtown’s recovery. —Noozhawk

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