••• Ancora Osteria officially opens August 13 in the former Via Vai space in Montecito’s Upper Village. Here’s a sneak peek at the menu, which may change—and will definitely look prettier—by the time the restaurant debuts.
••• Quel dommage! Merci will end dinner service on August 22 as it focuses on “exciting things.” So go get that chocolate soufflé while you can.
••• Milio’s Pizza (801 State Street, at De La Guerra) opens for lunch through dinner on August 14; it’s closed Mondays.
••• The next tenant of the vintage stone building at 1 Garden Street (at Cabrillo Boulevard) is the Santa Barbara Gelato Garden, offering “gelato, local grab-and-go favorites, and Santa Barbara–themed merch,” says Omar Khashen, who is also involved in The Ellwood and Lily’s Donuts & Pops. “Should be open in late September.”
••• The first Salty’s Frozen Yogurt pop-up is August 8 and 9 (from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m) at Mother Dough Bagels.
••• According to the Radius Commercial Real Estate Q2 report, the Whiskey Richards space at 435 State Street (Haley/Gutierrez) is available for sublease. By the way, on Thursdays, the bar is now offering auto-tuned karaoke, which is something I didn’t know existed but will really come in handy when I finally get around to performing my rendition of “Son of a Preacher Man.”
••• A long profile of The Grand on State. —Independent
••• An all-day breakfast restaurant called Mad Yolks, which has outposts in Santa Cruz and San Jose, is opening at Paseo Nuevo.
••• The Taco Bell on Milpas Street is closed for renovations—including lettuce remediation?—for three to four months. —Restaurant Guy
••• At some point, Blackbird restaurant at the Hotel Californian got turned into The Knock Kitchen & Cocktails, “a cinematic coastal gastropub where the familiar is quietly disrupted.” In a good way, one hopes. “The Knock pairs elevated technique with a menu anchored in California’s land and sea. The atmosphere is calm yet expectant, and the plates are intuitive but unpredictable.” This is really reading like Mad Libs. “Here, the cocktails serve as fuel for suspense, while the service carries a distinct note of misdirection.” That last part is almost enough to make me want to go. If the photo on the website is accurate, the room looks the same. Here’s the menu.
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The menu at Knock kitchen looks odd. ‘Everything but the head chicken’ is really not appetizing
If we are tracking fast food closures – I submit “why has the Rusty’s on Upper State been closed for maintenance for more than a year?” for burning questions status.