••• I snapped a few more photos of Ancora Osteria, opening in Montecito’s Upper Village this week, during a preview reception the other night. The space is a definite improvement over Via Vai. Co-owner Luca Crestanelli of S.Y. Kitchen says that reservations are being limited at the start in order to allow the restaurant to ramp up.
••• More on Milio’s Pizza, opening at 801 State Street this Friday. —Noozhawk
••• Local introduced a new all-day menu. On page two: “Ask your server about our vegan patty melt, cauliflower tacos, pasta primavera, and other [vegetarian] off-menu options.” Also, “both fryers are dedicated gluten-free. Many favorites—including crispy chicken, calamari, fries, and dessert doughnuts—are gluten-free. GF burger buns are available.”
••• For those of us who can’t wait for the annual Greek Grab Go event in the fall, the Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church’s annual Greek Festival is August 14-16 at Chase Palm Park. You can expect, gyros, pastitsio, souvlaki, spanakopita, baklava, and more.
••• According to its Instagram bio, Wella’s Soul Food (318 N. Milpas Street, between Gutierrez and Montecito) opens August 16.
••• Simpson House Inn, purchased by Hearth Hospitality (the Craft House Inn, the De La Vina Inn, Barbareño, Bistro Amasa) earlier this year, relaunches daily afternoon tea in the garden on August 26 with a new menu from Barbareño chef Julian Martinez. It’s $75 per person and reservations can be made online. (Photo by Zach and Dune.)
••• The lease for the upstairs space at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum building overlooking the harbor is on this week’s city council agenda, but one of the proprietors says they’re actually postponing it for a few weeks and will share more info once the lease is signed. They’re shooting for a May opening.
••• I did the hard work of doing recon at the new Sweetaly gelato shop in Paseo Nuevo. Don’t be fooled by the first photo below—soon after I took it, the line was out the door. The flavors lean toward the classic, although I was surprised not to see chocolate among the gelati. The closest is Ferrero Rocher, based on the milk chocolate and hazelnut candy, which I paired with tiramisu and enjoyed quite a bit, although they started to melt while I looked for somewhere to take a photo. Here’s hoping some outdoor seating is in the works.
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“ask about our vegan … off-menu options”. They can’t devote menu space to them?
Thank you for caring about vegans. /s
Another $250 a couple dinner with s single glass of wine each and eating the middle and $350 for the nice entrees and wine. Don’t you ever mention this trend?