••• Restaurant Guy says that Bluewater Grill will be closing sometime in March.
••• Apparently, anyone brandishing a library card or library book can get a free scoop at Rori’s Artisanal Creamery during the month of February. —John Palminteri
••• State Of Mind Cafe is coming to 918 State Street (Canon Perdido/Carrillo), next to the SBIFF’s new cineplex: “State Of Mind will be a cafe thoughtfully designed for individuals with disabilities and special needs and feature things such as accessible furniture/floor plan, braille menus, customizable lighting per seating area, etc. Our vision is to create a space where everyone feels welcome! Similar businesses exist in other cities/states, but not in Santa Barbara. We will be committed to prioritizing the hiring of individuals with varying degrees of intellectual and developmental disabilities through Momentum Works in Santa Barbara, a local nonprofit. Their catering company will also be supplying our pastries. We plan to collaborate with various nonprofit organizations in Santa Barbara and offer the space for fundraisers, art events, private parties, and much more. As well as serving local coffee from Welcome Coffee Co., who sources coffee ethically directly from farmers to cut out the middleman and ensure farmers are paid a livable wage.”
••• Press release: “La Piazza, a new Italian Music and Food Festival will premiere April 10-12 at the Faulkner Gallery and Towbes Plaza at the Santa Barbara Public Library, and at various locations throughout Santa Barbara. The free, three-day celebration will highlight Italy’s rich musical heritage, its vibrant culinary traditions, and the spirit of community that connects us all. […] Visitors will enjoy bread and olive oil tastings, a fresh pasta stand with hands-on workshops, a kids’ corner, booths offering an array of authentic Italian products, cooking demonstrations, seminars on the food, wine, and music of Italy presented by the UCSB Italian Culture Department, and other engaging activities celebrating Italy’s contributions to the American Riviera.” There will also be performances of classical music.
••• El Encanto now has a way to reserve for the Cotogna collab dinner on March 21 that I mentioned a while back.
••• The forthcoming Lucky Penny outpost in Los Olivos (2902 San Marcos Avenue) will be open February 14-16 for a pop-up, starting at 11:30 a.m. and continuing till everything is sold out.
••• “Old Town Coffee has rebranded their location at 955 Embarcadero del Mar in Isla Vista to be a restaurant named Outpost which still serves their namesake java. They have been steadily adding food to the menu since OTC opened in January 2025.” —Restaurant Guy
••• From Santa Barbara County: “Recent rainfall has contributed to widespread growth of toxic death cap mushrooms across California, significantly increasing the risk of accidental exposure. Since Death Cap mushrooms are easily confused for safe-to-eat mushrooms, all mushroom foraging should be avoided.”
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