••• Jimboz Lounge on De La Vina has closed for a renovation. As you can see, it’s a substantial one.
••• A new pop-up to keep your eye on: The Avocado Mafia, which hopes to open its own shop, is fulfilling advance orders at the Little Kitchen every other Monday. The menu includes two toasts, a bowl, a smoothie, and avocado water (“avocado, lime juice, water, pinch sea salt”). Order by August 6 for pickup on August 9.
••• A Noozhawk article says restaurateurs are unhappy with the city’s push to reclaim sidewalk space for disabled access. The only one to go on the record is Warren Butler of Chase Restaurant: “I don’t feel it was the intent of the City Council to push people back inside and put our guests and employees at a greater risk unnecessarily,” he said. “Now is not the time to be pushing people back inside and is not in line with the state’s mandate of encouraging outdoor dining. We can do this while complying with all ADA requirements.” That’s a bit rich considering Chase repeatedly flouted Covid-19 health orders.
••• Reserve now for the next dinner at Santa Barbara Hives on August 20: “For Summer Dinner 2 we are super excited for Chef Christopher Rayman of Sproutcraft Creamery in collaboration with Chef Akiko Sunazawa, of the French Laundry, to incorporate Chaga, from the Chaga Co., into their dishes.” (From WebMD: “For centuries people in Eastern Europe have been drinking chaga tea for its many health benefits. Chaga tea is made from the chaga mushroom, which typically grows on the trunks of birch trees in the Northern Hemisphere.”)
••• The Goodland Kitchen space in Goleta has been reborn as Goodland Dining: “The menu is 100% Mexican Food created by Our Chef Luis Sánchez who has for more than 20 years of experience in the food industry. In our menu you can find delicious dinners and pastries and for breakfast our delicious and incomparable chilaquiles and chile verde plates. We also offer commercial kitchen space for those who want to start their own food business” (via Edible Santa Barbara). Only the breakfast and lunch menus are online and they’re not very Mexican so I’m not sure what’s going on.
••• I no longer have the patience for long tasting menus, but my husband and I made an exception while staying at Harbor House Inn, south of Mendocino. Chef Matthew Kammerer is killing it: every single dish (there were 10 or 12, depending who you asked) was outstanding. And while the guest rooms aren’t quite up to the standard set by the restaurant and the bluff-front setting, they’ll certainly do if you plan on exploring the wine list in depth. P.S. The breakfast is heavenly.
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