December 12, 2025
And in other recent local news: A reprieve for Institution Ale's neon sign; initiative to protect whales from ships; West Beach hotel gets nixed; an urge to merge Montecito's special districts; Styrofoam recycling; Montecito road repairs; library plaza renovation update.
August 20, 2019
Plus: New pan-Asian restaurant Oku is getting close to opening on Cabrillo; expanded hours at Buena Onda and Merci Montecito; Peruvian pop-up.
The Saudi investor who bought More Mesa for $25 million has put it back on the market—this time for $65 million. Locals are searching for a way to save it from development.
August 19, 2019
While the whimsical exteriors of local architect Jeff Shelton can be seen all over town, interior glimpses are far rarer. In the case of this E. Cota Street rental, the owner shares Shelton's Seuss-meets-Gaudí sensibility.
Named Croyden House, the grand 1929 mansion on Middle Road in Montecito feels like the board game Clue come to life—although any stress involved will hopefully have to do with upkeep rather than a murder in the library.
August 18, 2019
Plus: Oliver's is now serving lunch; new outdoor seating at Café Ana; the Monarch has gone entirely prix-fixe; renting the Lark's patio for a private party; picnic boxes from Bossie's Kitchen. 1
And what might be the best barn in the entire area. 2
August 17, 2019
The Montecito Association sent out another excellent update on the dire insurance situation in Montecito and beyond: Policies aren't being renewed, and new coverage is hard to come by (and/or expensive). 1
From Hope Ranch to Rincon Point, greater Santa Barbara has some of the most sensational high-end real estate in world. Siteline covers it editorially, with the journalistic ethics that you would expect from traditional news outlets.
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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
The lack of generosity above is truly astonishing. Santa Barbara is an extraordinarily expensive place to live, as we all know. The 5% toward team… — OJ
Extra charges/fees are cash grabs that diminishes the dining experience. Tipping is out of control, then layer in the fees, and I ask myself if… — David
Recent Comments
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
The lack of generosity above is truly astonishing. Santa Barbara is an extraordinarily expensive place to live, as we all know. The 5% toward team… — OJ
Extra charges/fees are cash grabs that diminishes the dining experience. Tipping is out of control, then layer in the fees, and I ask myself if… — David