I’m a New York pizza guy who has lived in So
Cal for many years. I’ve been to almost all the
great newer pizza places in Los Angeles and I’m happy to report we have caught up to NY
My issue with Bettina is the pizza is very inconsistent and the last time oily and over
sauced with little cheese
Especially the meatballs are great… sooo good
Been following this closely and very much agree! It seemed from the reporting that they didn't even really have to go through the MPC, that the MPC threw a fit when they realized Caruso intended to skip the MPC and go directly to the county - as was his right due to the nature of the project being proposed. They demanded to be a part of it and then made complete asses of themselves. Classic.
The MPC and MBAR have an emarrassing history of being the biggest incestuous NIMBY's that trip over their own feet on delusions of grandeur power, when luckly they have no real say. I think of them every time I am stuck in Montecito side street traffic from travelers using driving apps to skirt the 101 mess that they delayed from fighting the widening for years.
Santa Barbara is pretty amazing compared to most city's in the country. Are you aware that 24hr fitness is not retail, and the "national issue" due to online shopping is greatly exagerated? Brick and mortar stores still represent 85% of shopping and is growing as more retailers combine the digital and in person shopping experience. What's hurting retail is lack of foot traffic, the number of people coming down to State Street today is still less than it was pre-pandemic.
Kudos to the developers of 15 S Hope Ave for proposing something outside the box, that I think fits well in the general character of SB. It's nice to see something different from generic post modern Spanish Revival being proposed. I wish them luck.
Quasi related - all this pizza talk make me realize I feel the same way about generic post modern Spanish Revival the same way I feel about Rusty's Pizza - It's all over town, it's mediocre at best, and someone you know swears it's really good.
Yes the place is a dungeon and there are only about 100 other gyms in town... the true culprit.
I worry about the parking for all of these structures. The one on Hope said 19 parking spaces for 46 units which does not seem sufficient. The building on De la Guerra did not mention parking at all. The streets will become overrun with cars parked for tenants.
State street is pretty amazing compared to most downtowns in this country. Are you aware this is a national issue due to shifts to online shopping? Times have changed.
Bettina folks are from Roberta’s, a lauded Brooklyn pizza establishment. I’ve been to Italy, I’m just back from New York and I’m a foodie. Bettina makes not only excellent pizza but an entire menu of amazing stuff. Michelin agrees.
Even more businesses leaving downtown, and with 24 hr fitness they can't even (incorrectly) blame it on the "retail apocalypse". When will city council finally wake up to the current state of State St. being bad for business?
Yes, I read she had worked with Renato.
Thanks. Good to know.
Yep, there is not much to discuss what an authentic Italian pizza is. That doesn’t change the fact that we love Bettinas.
Yes, I went to the 10th Anniversary 10 course tasting last night. All extra fees were clearly communicated, and It was worth every penny. They somehow acquired A5 wagu beef from Japan for the final course. It was AMAZING!
Discussions about “real” pizza are so tired.
Why they took their ny strip off the menu and replaced it with their tomahawk steak is beyond me. It was the best steak in town!
I’m a big fan of Empty Bowl Friday night wings. Very spicy. We had the Vietnamese wings last night at Lama Sama and they were all right. I think the whole place was pretty slammed from two World Series nights and just opening up for business.
We've long thought that secretly the best wings in town are the chili lime wings at Your Choice, which is just across the street and a few doors down from the new Sama Llama. Very similar to the Sama Sama Vietnamese wings, and a bigger portion to boot. We absolutely love the the new Sama Llama since it's walking distance for us, but I'm pretty sure at some point we'll put in a phone order at Your Choice for some wings and pick them up on our way overto Sama Llama.
I laughed when I saw that Rusty's had won best pizza in the latest reader polls! What's even funnier to me is how expensive Rusty's is. A medium "Rusty's Special" will regularly come in more expensive than pizzas at Bettina. Rusty's pizzas may taste cheap, but their effect on your wallet is anything but.
Not sure why the original poster keeps returning to Betina (sic) if it's "not terrible" at best. Yes, please, keep the table open for others that appreciate their food.
Yeah, I went last weekend, and generally enjoyed it. The beer selection is excellent as you would expect. I found the Sama Sama food to be good but the portions were ridiculously tiny. I think it was five or six chicken wings for something like 20 bucks.
I’m not super thrilled about the sports bar vibe that I got, but I’ll try again sometime that’s not Sunday in the middle of 20 screens showing NFL games.
Bettina‘s pizza tastes great, but i feel in general people opening pizza places never had a „real“ italian pizza…
[Man, I really need to fire my self-editing editor. That's a lot of "wonder" in them there sentences.]
Revolver is absolutely fantastic pizza and I would never lump them in the same sentence as Rusty's and Little Caesars.
Revolver, Bettina, St Bibiana, L'antica are IMO the heavy hitters in town, with Nook and yes, Ginos (whole pie, not slice) being right up there with them.
There's a reason Rusty's and terrible beer like Fig Mountain win Independent reader polls and it's certainly not the quality of their product.
