••• Longtime Carpinteria favorite The Food Liaison announced that it will “most likely be closing our cafe” after February 20. Owner Nirasha Rodriguez elaborated: “We will be putting it up for sale ASAP. But in the meantime, we will be offering corporate and private catering. Also opening our multiple kitchens to the community for use like pop-ups, community usage, cooking classes, and event spaces.”
••• Finally, signs of life for the Chick-fil-A at 4765 Calle Real: the project has been scheduled for a County Planning Commission hearing on March 25.
••• One of my favorite memories of Amsterdam is eating stroopwafels hot off the iron. I haven’t tried the ones from Stroop Haus, a new stroopwafel cart that can be hired for events, but I look forward to it. If your only experience with stroopwafels is packaged ones from Starbucks or something, you’re surely in for a treat.
••• From T.: “The Milpas location of mom-and-pop gem Los Altos will be closing this month (I heard February 22) and consolidating to its Goleta restaurant.”
••• The Nook in the Funk Zone is in the process of being acquired by the Bitar Group, which also owns Via Maestra 42, Milk & Honey, Chase, and the Palace Grill. “While the restaurant will continue operating as the Nook for the time being, [Georges] Bitar said the company is evaluating longer-term plans for the space and expects to introduce incremental improvements over time, though no definitive timeline has been set for future changes.” —Santa Barbara News-Press
••• After telling me that it’s opening at 918 State Street (Canon Perdido/Carrillo), State of Mind Cafe told Restaurant Guy that it’s still looking and has not signed a lease anywhere.
••• G. sends word that Pasta Santina has opened a shop at 4185 Carpinteria Avenue in Carpinteria. Here’s how founder Sergio Chierego describes it on his website:
Pasta Santina was born in Winter 2026 as I moved to Santa Barbara to be with my fiancé, rapidly falling in love with the territory and the Mediterranean lifestyle the central coast had to offer. I left my hometown in Sardinia at the age of 17 in 2006. This is the first time I had the chance to live close to the ocean, surrounded by nature, with great locally sourced ingredients and familiar neighborhood feelings. All together and at the same time.
Our pasta recipe follows traditions and looks into the future at the same time. A perfect blend of semolina, spelt, and whole wheat flours, dried for about 24 hours, makes Pasta Santina some of the most flavorful pasta available. Designed to have significant fiber and protein ratios, this nutritious product promotes the Mediterranean diet and the blue zone lifestyle.
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Not sure how you missed Queen Cup closing their coffee shop in SY, coupled with today’s news that Lucky Hen Larder is also closing- fall out or TBD new pastures? Queen Cup pops up in a cubby parking lot ( parking is a premium in Los Olivos! ) across from St Marks a few days a week…