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
Aperitivo Is Opening a Second, Larger Restaurant
More food news: Linden Hall is not happening; Augie's 2.0 will have lower prices; Pico is on the market; quest for king cakes; take-and-bake chicken pot pies from Bossie's Kitchen; Coral Casino's liquor license; the Ethnic Breads wholesale bakery in Goleta is opening a storefront. 16
Best BBQ Has Opened on State Street
More food news: Taza Mediterranean Street Kitchen has closed; The Good Plow's last day is Sunday; the Brunch Monkey pop-up at Handlebar is off; chef Budi Kazali to open a Solvang restaurant; profiles of Dang Burger, Little Dom's Seafood, and Santa Barbara Fish Market; the Southern Exposure Garagiste Wine Festival is coming up; changes at Choi's Oriental Market. 6

























Recent Comments
100% — Tom
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