December 13, 2025
Highlights of this weekend's open-house lineup: Knoll-top property on Coyote Road; redone 1914 house in the Lower Riviera; fixer on a flag lot near the Montecito Club; and an 85-acre ranch by Lake Casitas.
News from beyond the SBubble: Oxnard junior high students object to their school's racist eponym; San Luis Obispo Museum of Art postpones plans for a new building; "mule man" arrested near Paso Robles; Lompoc wants recreational access to areas at Vandenberg Air Force Base; three oil platforms may be removed.
February 11, 2020
Plus: The county announces $10.1 million for Montecito road repairs; Lobero Theatre stops selling bottled water; out-of-date sign about Cold Spring trailhead closure; meeting about a groundwater sustainability plan for Montecito.
More food news: First look at Café Ana's dinner menu; baking classes at Bettina and Bree'osh; monthly spaghetti suppers at Potek Winery; Kyle's Protein Grill opens in Goleta.
February 10, 2020
Other recent news: Mysterious money in the county supervisor race; how the Douglas Family Preserve got its name; racist graffiti at a bus stop; the cork oak is the tree of the month.
Neither the new hotel, the popular art installation, nor the popular new restaurant is enough to justify the two-hour drive on its own, but they add up to a satisfying getaway.
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February 8, 2020
Plus: The Ashley Road bridge in Montecito reopens this week; sneak preview of acclaimed film "Portrait of a Lady on Fire"; Lotusland's winter break is over (and it has murals for sale); "master flipper" does well in Cielito.
February 7, 2020
More food news: Sama Sama Kitchen's lunch menu; Mosaic Locale is now permanent; Mizza serving breakfast; new Turkish bakery/café; Pascucci relocating soon; Gioia opening on State Street; Mala Town in Isla Vista has closed.
The week's other top price reductions: Architectural exotica on the Riviera and in Hope Ranch; studs-up redo that would look like a better deal on a fancier street; what might be the best value in Upper Montecito.
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You've done a great thing for the hapless men of Santa Barbara with this series. Stopping by half of these stores. — Andy
The post office renaming will cost roughly $500,000 paid for by the USPS internal funds from stamps and fees. — Derek
Thank you, Erik, for reminding your readers to support local businesses; it is one of the critical ways to help our communities thrive. (I laughed… — Pat
I agree about the skimpy wine pour. However, we loved the shared entrees (chicken and salmon) with their special rice. Yes there were leftovers but… — ElizabethW
That 5% would go to all employees proportionate to their hours I would presume compared to tips where more skilled staff take a higher percentage,… — Don
Geo , you know absolutely nothing about the restaurant business. — Roy
What if, and bear with me here because this is complicated, restaurants just paid their staff normally and charged prices that reflected those expenses, i.e.… — Rich
Little Mountain just isn’t organized. Everyone is very nice and the atmosphere stylish, but there is something wrong with it. The food is weird, portions… — Joan
I intensely to test Sur charges for the cost of doing business. Will they give back 5% profits to the patrons when they do extremely… — Geo
Just call it "The Copper" — Bob
Recent Comments
You've done a great thing for the hapless men of Santa Barbara with this series. Stopping by half of these stores. — Andy
The post office renaming will cost roughly $500,000 paid for by the USPS internal funds from stamps and fees. — Derek
Thank you, Erik, for reminding your readers to support local businesses; it is one of the critical ways to help our communities thrive. (I laughed… — Pat
I agree about the skimpy wine pour. However, we loved the shared entrees (chicken and salmon) with their special rice. Yes there were leftovers but… — ElizabethW
That 5% would go to all employees proportionate to their hours I would presume compared to tips where more skilled staff take a higher percentage,… — Don
Geo , you know absolutely nothing about the restaurant business. — Roy
What if, and bear with me here because this is complicated, restaurants just paid their staff normally and charged prices that reflected those expenses, i.e.… — Rich
Little Mountain just isn’t organized. Everyone is very nice and the atmosphere stylish, but there is something wrong with it. The food is weird, portions… — Joan
I intensely to test Sur charges for the cost of doing business. Will they give back 5% profits to the patrons when they do extremely… — Geo
Just call it "The Copper" — Bob