••• The name of the Italian restaurant taking over the Via Vai space in Montecito’s Upper Village—a half-sibling of S.Y. Kitchen in Santa Ynez, and shooting to open this summer—is Ancora Osteria. In Italian, ancora means “again,” and also “anchor”—the new restaurant will be more of ocean-inspired than S.Y. Kitchen. —Restaurant Guy
••• “Sole Bidder Wants to Open Tavern-Style Restaurant at Anchor Rose Space; City Begins Lease Talks,” reports Edhat. This is for the upstairs space in the Maritime Museum building, and it’s to be called Harbor Tavern. (Seems ripe for confusion with The Harbor Restaurant on Stearns Wharf, but maybe that’s just me.) The names associated with the LLC are Donald Chick and Benjamin Goldhirsh. The upstairs space, as previously reported, is likely to become a Corazón outpost.
••• The Chick-fil-A in the works at 4765 Calle Real got sent back to the drawing board by the county Planning Commission: “A majority of the commission said that Chick-fil-A must show evidence that the drive-thru won’t have any additional impact on the environment than the same use without the drive-thru facility.” Well, of course it will unless everyone starts driving electric cars. Will a Costco gas station on Hollister Avenue, where lines would surely form, face the same hurdle? —Santa Barbara News-Press
••• There’s a for rent sign at Petra Cafe (14 E. Cota Street), but owner Falah Maayah says he’s “currently exploring a few options, including potential transitions and new concepts. […] Petra is still operating through this period, and I’ll have a clearer update soon.” —Restaurant Guy
••• The Santa Barbara News-Press has more on Beau, the “storytelling bar” that just opened downtown: “Rather than presenting the story directly, Beau distributes it. Clues are placed throughout the room, guiding guests from one detail to the next. Each cycle is built around a set of three clues that lead to a reveal before a new set replaces it the following month.”
••• You can get a sneak peek of the forthcoming Coyote’s Market in Carpinteria by ordering from a small menu of pick-up provisions for Easter: rack of lamb kits, two types of quiche, eggs, and a chocolate bunny, natch.
••• Ever since my husband and I moved to Santa Barbara, well before Covid, we have marveled at how far apart people stand in line while at, say, a café. The photo below was taken at Dart in Carpinteria; when I walked in, the guy was standing at the spot from where I took the photo. He was at least eight feet from the person being helped at the counter, forcing me outside onto the sidewalk. I naturally assumed he wasn’t in line—and I was wrong. (He wasn’t unpleasant about it.) I understand that some space is welcome, but three or four feet ought to be more than enough.
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