Pony Espresso Has Shortened Its Name and Expanded Its Ambitions
More food news: The reasons behind Linden Hall's implosion; Crudo to open in Solvang; Pattaya Thai Restaurant has rebranded; profiles of Bouchon and Cookie Plug; the World of Pinot Noir festival is coming up; Los Alamos Market has a new owner. 5
Santa Barbara Airport Has Added “VIP Concierge Service”
Plus: The Biltmore now intends to fill in its unpermitted pool; Heidi Merrick archive sale; Habitat for Humanity is looking to reopen its Restore store; progress for the Electrify America charging station; Orlebar Brown opened at the Montecito Country Mart; Los Patos roundabout construction to start soon; retreat center on Painted Cave Road; Namaste clothing boutique is moving. 9
The Effort to Build a New Pedestrian Bridge Over Highway 101
Other recent news: The spectacular Pepper Hill house finally got published; Santa Barbara's new city administrator; some of the issues people have with county supervisor Das Williams; two school fields opened for after-hours use; understanding Santa Barbara’s Measure A; Carpinteria Avenue mixed-use development moves forward. 8
What’s the History of This Tower on Ortega Ridge?
"I was on a trail run with some friends behind Summerland. We were on Hunt Drive and when you look across where the Ortega Reservoir is, there's a house up on the hill that seems very old. From a distance, it looks like it may have a clock tower. Would you have any information about this building? Maybe it was a school or a commercial building back in the day?" —B. 2
























Recent Comments
We gave Bar Lou a try after it opened. It was SO NOISY our server had to scream the specials to each diner at our… — Karen
Personally think that there’s too many similar restaurants clustered on Coast Village Road and they need something different. I actually loved when Empty Bowl opened… — AFC
That Funk Zone artwork at the bottom is by David Diamant. https://davidjdiamant.com/ — Tal
Hello fellow avocado allergy sufferer! I too have the same allergy and was shocked that even the marinated olives weren’t safe to eat. So weird.… — BW
Erik, these round ups are so great and for the second year in a row I've been able to do all my shopping locally. So… — Meg
I’m curious what the chatter is with Little Mountain. Is it positive? I agree that Bar Lou was a beautiful space. I hope a solid… — Foodie
Just when you think Ty is finished desecrating the lovely, iconic Biltmore property… six gated driveways 😩 — J
I really wanted to like Bar Lou and have it in the rotation, but the price to good ratio was just off for me, even… — Meg
There was one of the finest restaurants in town A vegan restaurant every meat eater could love. A stunning white decor that made coming there… — Joe Millo
Totally agree. The Santa Barbara Company is the BEST for finding unique, special gifts. Love this place and the staff. — laura