••• The windows at Mollie’s on State Street (f.k.a. Trattoria Mollie on Coast Village Road) have been papered over, noticed Edible Santa Barbara, and sure enough, the restaurant has closed. Chef-owner Mollie Ahlstrand says she’s doing catering and cooking classes, and she might try to reopen closer to Montecito.
••• In its third-quarter report, Radius Commercial Real Estate shed a bit more light on the brewery coming to 102 E. Yanonali: It’s Validation Ale, which appears to be a new endeavor. The trademark is in the name of the Brian and Briana Deignan Living Trust.
••• Corazón Guisados, the fast-casual Corazón Cocina spinoff coming to E. Victoria Street, has changed its name to Del Corazón. It’s conceivable that this will also be the name of the restaurant Corazón seems to be opening in the Little Alex’s space at the Montecito Country Mart….
••• Restaurant Guy walked back his assertion that Starbucks isn’t taking over the old Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf space at De La Vina and State.
••• Another option for recycling wine corks: the Grassini Family Vineyards tasting room at El Paseo.
••• The new Carp Kitchen & Grocery has started offering dinner for takeout and delivery. Bear in mind that the restaurant is only open till 4 p.m. (and closed Tuesdays). Update: The restaurant is now open till 7 p.m. (but still closed Tuesdays).
••• “The Australian team behind MealPass chose Santa Barbara as a pilot city (along with Seattle) to test out its new app. […] This new app is a unique, high-tech way to pair restaurants that have surplus food, like end of the day leftovers, with people who are food insecure. And, there are built in tax deductions for the restaurants.” —KEYT
••• The Blue Owl is launching a stage for performances: “Blue Owl Live is built to serve as a platform for creative self-expression. Whether it’s music, comedy, poetry, or otherwise, our stage is open and ready to showcase talent. […] We are accepting booking requests, so share this post with your fellow musicians and entertainers. If you would like to perform or have a suggestion, email [email protected].”
••• “Hochaya Tea House has opened at 7060 Hollister Avenue in Goleta, the former home of Choppa Ice Cream and Zizzo’s.” —Restaurant Guy
••• A reader in Solvang sent an update on the PARc Place redevelopment there. The following businesses are up and running: Cailloux Cheese Shop, Via Gelateria, Heritage Goods & Supply, McClain Cellars, Cordon Wine, and Dascomb Cellars. And coming soon: Alma Rosa Winery and the Records E T C record store. (Update: Alma Rosa has actually opened, too.)
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Alma Rosa is open & pouring – lovely tasting room!
Did that italian ice place ever open next to Mollies? Looked inside and it looked brand new.
Also is Reunion opening this week?
The Italian ice place never opened, at least that I saw. And Reunion keeps hinting that it’s close but there’s no date yet. (I just tried asking again.)
Just heard back: it’s opening today at 3 p.m. The hours are tentatively 3-9 p.m., at least for now.
We have one Montecito restaurant which seems to be in a stall – Wine Bistro.
We have two Montecito favorites we all would love to see in Montecito:
Mollies
Little Alex
Maybe one of the above could be Wine Bistro’s answer? Just sayin.