••• While we await official confirmation that S.Y. Kitchen is taking over the former Via Vai space in the Upper Village, people involved have been telling people, who have been telling me, that’s a done deal. A former manager of Via Vai is apparently onboard, and they’re working on incorporating the space next door as a bar. UPDATE: S.Y. Kitchen’s Luca Crestanelli says they have indeed signed a lease on the Via Vai space and are looking for a liquor license for it (but not for the space next door). UPDATE 11/28: Crestanelli asked me to clarify that his partners in S.Y. Kitchen are not involved in the new restaurant. (So I changed the headline accordingly.) As for what we can expect, he said, “The core idea is doing what we do best. Simple dishes [including pizza] made with high quality ingredients. A relaxed and vibrant atmosphere. Comfortable space. Good wine. Good service. Hopefully we can get a liquor license.”
••• “Fire Damages Indochine Lounge in Downtown Santa Barbara […] City crews knock down the blaze and report no injuries; the cause is under investigation,” reports Noozhawk. It’s at 434 State Street (Gutierrez/Haley).
••• Send some good energy to the folks at Bossie’s Kitchen, closed for two months and counting due to a “health-related emergency.”
••• A profile of Lama Sama. Of note: Sama Sama “plans to run catering gigs out of the San Roque kitchen.” — Independent
••• And a profile of Happy Cat Eats, where the most expensive item on the menu is $17 and you can get a $1 cup of drip coffee made with Handlebar beans. —Independent
••• Dalan Griffin of Rascal’s has launched a catering business called Palma Plant-Based Catering. Below: little gem salad with beet hummus.
••• For your calendar: Tickets to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden‘s popular Beer Garden event (March 15) go on sale January 3.
••• The Independent visits Libretto jazz club in Paso Robles: “Call it jazz club envy: Why can’t Santa Barbara have a spot like this?” Amen to that.
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We had a great jazz club in the mid-90s on Victoria St. where Corazon is now, next to the barber shop. I saw Jack De Johnette there, Eddie Harris, Ronnie Earl, Ernie Watts, and I can’t remember who else. A nice young French man owned the club but tiny as it was he couldn’t make a go of it. Not enough people came out for that kind of music. I wish Libretto success!