••• Seven Bar & Kitchen owner Michael Gomez bought the former Neighborhood Bar building at W. Montecito and Bath, and once it’s done getting remodeled, he plans on reopening Seven there. Rodeo Room is part of the same property, but it’s not going anywhere: “We are working closely with them to create a new hub for locals and visitors to enjoy food, drinks, and music,” says Gomez.
••• Starting May 1, both locations of Handlebar Coffee Roasters will stay open till 5 p.m. daily.
••• Goodland Waffles & Melts is now at Mosaic Locale (State between Anapamu and Figueroa) Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A small selection of Buena Onda empanadas is still offered at the Draughtsmen Aleworks counter.
••• AMA Sushi at the Miramar resort has ditched its à la carte menu, so now your two options are prix fixe (three to five courses for $85-$110) and omakase ($145). The prix fixe menu that’s online was confusing, so I asked the hotel, and an important bit of info about the sashimi/nigiri option is missing on that one. The menu below is clearer. P.S. Two reasons a restaurant might shift from à la carte: it ensures a baseline revenue from every seat—no more ordering two pieces of sashimi and calling it dinner—and it helps limit food costs. UPDATE: A. points out that if you go for the five-course option, you’re paying $15 for edamame or miso soup.
••• An Independent article on Satellite‘s Natural Coast Wine Fest on April 22 has this about the second location: “the wine bar is expanding to a second, much larger location with commissary kitchen and extensive outdoor space at 616 E. Haley Street, sharing walls with Duo Catering. […] They’re planning to host events at the new spot, from their own pop-ups to weddings and company parties.”
••• Pat says that the handheld menu at Taqueria La Unica now has an English version on the back.
••• The back patio has opened at Longoria Wines‘s new-ish tasting room (on State Street between De La Guerra and Ortega).
••• After I posted about Organic Soup Kitchen announcing a second location but not specifying where, the good folks at Renegade Wines let me know that an OSK sign has been posted next door to their store (126 E. Haley).
••• Kitchenette is a new meal-delivery service founded by local Sophie McNally. The meals are all family-style (four servings) and frozen, and designed so that you can stick them in the oven without defrosting (unless you want to), with deliveries on Wednesdays and Sundays to the Santa Barbara area (Summerland to Goleta). The cost is $48 per meal, and the current lineup includes chicken tinga burrito bowl (below); vegetarian lasagna, Santa Maria BBQ chicken, and spaghetti squash and turkey meatballs.
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Glad to hear that Handlebar will stay open later. They were one of my go to (pre-pandemic) places for an afternoon cup and cookie.
The Longoria wine tasting space is lovely.
I have tried Kitchenette’s veggie lasagne and the turkey meatballs and both were delicious and provided generous servings! Highly recommend.