Second Impressions of Taqueria La Unica

••• Noozhawk has more on the plan to convert the former Forever 21 building (State/W. Canon Perdido) into a 22-room hotel with a restaurant in the lobby (“where the light from the glass-bottom rooftop pool will shimmer through the building for a dynamic experience,” said architect Ed DiVicente) and a rooftop bar and “basement speakeasy,” which “transport patrons to days of old.” You know, like 2003.

••• 805 Living (page 84) says that Happy Cat Eats, next to Oku on E. Cabrillo Boulevard, is getting ready to open, with “breakfast and lunch to start, with plans to add dinner later. Morning fare will include house-baked pastries and breakfast sandwiches on brioche [….] Lunch offerings will lean toward street food with an Asian twist, such as panko-crusted hot dogs with add-ons, like crispy fried jalapeños and Asian slaw; burgers with truffle, mushroom, and smoked Gouda options; and okonomiyaki, a savory Japanese pancake dish.”

••• The plans that RH (a.k.a. Restoration Hardware) submitted to the Montecito Board of Architectural Review for its Upper Village store/restaurant said there will continue to be 20 parking spaces. That’s more than I recalled—I haven’t been behind the building in many years—but still likely to be an issue if the restaurant is popular.

••• Thanks to J. for the tip that Sevtap Winery is back, with a new tasting room next to Grassini’s in El Paseo.

••• The Santa Barbara Hives store in Carpinteria discussed its expanded café offerings with the Coastal View News: “We have organic coffee, espresso, teas of all sorts, house made fermented beverages such as shrubs and many other unique offerings. One special item is our fresh cashew milk we make daily for our espresso drinks, it’s delicious! We are partnering with local farms including Carpinteria Darby Farms for produce and making a variety of salads and sandwiches. Sandwiches include, but are not limited to, turkey and avocado, grilled portobello mushroom with tapenade, egg salad with butter lettuce, and dolphin-safe tuna salad with house pickled onions. All our sandwiches are made with local freshly baked breads (We love Riviera Bread!). Our fresh salsa and chili rellenos are incredible! Our baked goods include scones, blueberry bran and banana nut muffins, a breakfast bar, brownies, and cookies all with vegan and gluten free options.”

••• A friend couldn’t believe I wasn’t obsessed with Taqueria La Unica, so I went back for another visit. Second impressions: 1) it was much less crowded, with no line at noon yesterday; 2) the printed menu comes in Spanish or English and explains the options more clearly; 3) the salsa bar was much more robust, and it was a highlight—especially the salsa made from roasted Serrano peppers and lime; 4) as I promised last time, I ordered something besides tacos—a costra and a torta. A costra is crispy griddled cheese wrapped around meat (in my case, al pastor) and placed atop a corn tortilla; for the torta, the restaurant was out of suadero, so I got it with birria. Both were very tasty, with far more flavor than the tacos I had on my previous visit. They were also pass-the-Tums calorie bombs the likes of which I rarely eat. One or the other would have been enough, which leads me to: 5) Taqueria La Unica has to be one of the best values in town. The costra was $6.95, and the torta was $14.95—and the whole meal could’ve fed three. P.S. It was nice that the food was served on a real plate and a metal tray, but plastic utensils aren’t up to the job. I had to tear at the costra with my hands, which wasn’t pretty. Why are so many restaurants still using “disposable” plates and utensils? The pandemic excuse doesn’t fly anymore. I’m trying so hard to cut down the amount of plastic we use at home and then we go out for a meal and, well, why do I bother?

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