••• Add Little King Coffee‘s breakfast sandwich—egg and cheese on a biscuit, with bacon and/or avocado for an additional charge—to the list of worthwhile ones in town. P.S. That’s Priedite Barbecue hot sauce in the metal cup.
••• Mesa Burger‘s Goleta location has closed; the only remaining one is the original on the Mesa. —Restaurant Guy
••• Noozhawk profiled Marisella, the new restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara. Of note: “Any locals dining at Marisella get 20% off the bill automatically [and] for the valet-phobic, parking is free for any guest of Marisella.”
••• Third Window Brewing has added root beer, Sarsaparzilla, to its roster. The backstory is cute.
••• “The Charlie Palmer Collective, which has nine restaurants nationwide, will completely overhaul the food and beverage program at two hotels: the Paso Robles Inn, which was founded in 1889 and recently unveiled a massive renovation, and its sister property, the Piccolo. The hotels currently operate the Steakhouse, a rooftop bar named Tetto and Cattlemen’s Lounge.” —San Francisco Chronicle
••• The Los Olivos Wine Festival is October 11, as part of the town’s Day in the Country event; and the annual Santa Barbara Vintners Festival is October 18 at Vega Vineyard & Farm.
••• I finally made it to the Masala Spice outpost on the Mesa, where the indoor lighting—a weak spot when the space was Mesa Verde—has been much improved. The menu mentions a $3 corkage fee for beer, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. Can’t say I blame the restaurant, what with the 7-Eleven and a gas station on either side.
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Had a local SB woman in w/2 out of town guests this week- as we chatted, I told her how Little King had opened up in the Post and that they should go by and try it, the local woman mentioned her daughter knows the owner of one of the clothing stores in the Post and they’re all biting their nails as they have no foot traffic whatsoever. It’s a brilliant spot for a “in and out” coffee stop w/instant freeway access✔️
I was in with some friends from out of town and it was very disappointing. We were there on a weekday it was not very busy and our drinks took a long time. The pastries were not fresh and the smell from across the street was too much so we left as soon as we got our drinks. I will not be returning any time soon.
R.
I was wondering if Ospi and the other new stores that face the Bird Refuge have smelled the stinky odor. I can smell from the 101 as I drive by and I have to keep my breath in when I stop by my favorite food truck, “Cesar’s” that is on Los Patos.
We were there this weekend and it was fantastic all around. So pleased to have this new spot. I was a naysayer about The Post initially; it’s hard when things you’ve known one way forever change. But I think the redevelopment is fantastic. We have a young family and I appreciate that the space is very family-friendly as well. The developers did an excellent job ensuring that. We live downtown but don’t often take our toddler to State Street for numerous reasons.
I have a store in The Post and have to say that the foot traffic has been great. All of the other shops have been doing pretty well as far as I can tell, and we have people consistently in the store.
Little King is great as well- people have been loving it! They just opened, so the slow service was likely a small business just getting off the ground. Please try to take it easy on small businesses that have just opened- it is such a challenging thing to do and places need a minute to get their flow right. Little King is a GREAT addition to the area.
Happy to hear your store+ is gaining traction – I’m rooting for you all, hence me mentioning it to my SB guests! The amount of LK Montecito posts on the Gram show the views are worth a stop- the coffee & food speak for themselves
The smell from the birds refuge is unbearable at times. I will not go to any place to eat at the post.
If memory serves – and it’s been a while since I never went back because of this – Mesa Burger insists on cooking medium temp? This is something that only restaurants with overbearing lawyers do…
Speaking of Ospi, tried it for dinner. The worst ever. Had to return two dishes. It far from real Italian cuisine. If they make it, there bar sales will be the reason.
On principle, I won’t return to Ospi due to the aptly-named Memento Mori management who decided it was a sound idea to stay open on the day of a death in their kitchen. The lack of respect for the dead person and their staff speaks volumes about their ethos.
I agree. Save yourself the headache of Ospi and just go to Bettina! Unfortunately, the ineptitude of The Post is already getting old. If I want a side of LA attitude with my food and shopping, then I’ll just go to LA. Although it’s funny because I enjoy shopping at the Shoppe Amber Interiors in Calabasas far more than the one here. Shoppe at The Post is so unpleasant. The manager always seems awkward, suspicious and rude, and her associates are not very design savvy or helpful. When they first opened several of the girls were great but I guess have since moved on. I like the brand but they would have to clean house before I consider going back. Little King is really good, and a nice alternative to having to fight traffic in the Mart’s lot for Cafe Luxxe. But watch out for falling palm tree branches in The Post lot! Two hit my car and so I am not too eager to return. Also, the bird smell is temporary, maybe just during the summer months? I swear I can smell it even with my car windows rolled up driving by lol.
lol, Luxxe is about as LA as it gets
After being disappointed with the Masala Spice in Goleta, I was pleasantly surprised by how great the food is at the Mesa location. Everything I’ve had there is incredible – dosa, panipuri, tandori prawns, lamb vindaloo, kadhai paneer. The Sri Lankan items are also delicious, although the sweet/sour profiles are well outside the flavors I am used to. I highly recommend trying it out if you haven’t been!
I was impressed by the overall good vibe ambiance of the place especially the staff. Food was generally good if not great (I consider myself a seasoned Dosa aficionado) but it was all so pleasant that we look forward to returning.
We went shortly after they opened and enjoyed the staff, location, and what they’d done with the place, but the food was just bland. Very sad because they Mesa could really use an Indian place like Apna. Whether in person or via Grubhub, Apna has never disappointed.