••• Tri-County Produce will close at the end of April; owner John Dixon has decided to retire. “The plan is to still include a grocery market in the development” that’s getting built on that lot, says Dixon, but it’s “most likely not Tri-County Produce unless someone steps up in the next 60 days with a desire to continue the Tri-County legacy.”
••• Yetz’s Bagels has opened a deli a couple of doors down—and it’s not to be confused with the Goleta outpost in the works. Yetz explains the situation….
My neighbor, PokeCeviche, went out of business at the end of last year. My landlord has been asking whether I can do something with the space for a while, and for months I really didn’t seriously entertain the idea because I have Yetz’s Goleta in the pipeline and wanted to focus my attention on that. I finally agreed to do a deep dive and walkthrough of the space, and while it was in serious disrepair, the set-up itself was perfect for a deli and salad bar. For the past two months I’ve been deep cleaning, painting and repairing equipment in the hopes of opening a sister restaurant in Isla Vista that focused more on lunch and deli items to complement our breakfast service at Yetz’s Bagels. While we have some traditional deli items such as egg salad, tuna salad, etc., this is not a traditional Jewish deli. Rather, it is a college-oriented concept devoted to high-quality, fresh ingredients and made-to-order sandwiches and salads. I really took stock on what was missing in Isla Vista and realized that there are very few sandwich spots, virtually no salad joints, and the only one option for smoothies. With that in mind, I developed my menu around filling the needs of the students and the market.
••• Rori’s Artisanal Creamery is looking to open in Goleta. —Pacific Coast Business Times
••• A profile of Takashi Ramen. —Noozhawk
••• The 2025 edition of the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience is May 12-18, and tickets go on sale March 15. “The 2025 SBCE features a diverse and significantly expanded lineup of immersive experiences, including curated dining events, exclusive wine tastings, farm tours, cooking classes, hands-on workshops, and more—held at restaurants, wineries, farms, and unique venues across the county.”
••• 805Foodie says that the Gasworks complex at 1199 E. Thompson Street in Ventura will have a coffee bar called Room Service, with baked goods by Skylar Bryce. Previously announced tenants include Mother’s Tacos and Ruff House Barbecue.
••• From Dudley Michael of Rodeo Room: “We’re starting a really cool thing on Monday nights. Omakase. We are doing two seatings of eight—one at 5:30 p.m. and one at 8 p.m.—for a 14-course sushi tasting menu with optional cocktail pairing. We think the experience in other places can be a little sterile so we’re doing a cocktail-bar-sushi-a-go-go.” It starts March 17; the link to book will be in the Rodeo Room’s Instagram bio. UPDATE: “Omakase reservations will be released a month at a time. April bookings will be opening at the end of this week, which can be done on our @rodeoroom insta or rodeoroom.com.”
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Thank you so much. Omakase reservations will be released a month at a time, April bookings will be opening at the end of this week which can be done on our @rodeoroom insta or @ rodeoroom.com
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Interesting that Dudley thinks he can do it better than the restaurants that are offering it now. I’m going to wait a while and see if it’s something I would even consider. High end sushi at a bar.!?
For someone who is so judgmental it’s pretty clear you’ve never been to F&Bar. Some of the best Omakase experiences around the world are in bars. Have you ever even been to Japan?
Yo foodie, while I have been told I can border on delusional I must admit it’s fortunately not me doing the sushi 😂 but our amazing friend Mr. Slemmons @marui_me_sushi, who is very much capable in his craft….we are simply hosts of a uniquely wonderful experience, April is almost full—book soon 🤩 also glad you liked the shop, thanks for the kind words 🥰
So glad that the owner of Yetz’s actually looked at what was missing in IV and made decisions about the menu based on those observations. More of that in Santa Barbara please!
So sad to see Tri County go! Been going with my dad when I was a young girl and now I think of the amazing
Produce. Sweet carrots! Was the best pandemic store! Ocean view shopping. Loved the small batch farm meats. This is a gem. I really hate all the grocery stores with stale produce and meat.
…couldn’t agree with you more. I’ve even made the drive to SB specifically to shop TCP when I temporarily relocated to a city south of ours. It was always the Jewel in the local grocery scene, and a genuine “farm to table” concept/experience for local growers and consumers alike. It will be greatly missed. 😔
Tri-County Produce closing announcement is a sad loss of a community gem. Some of the best produce and local baked goods, and love their fresh squeezed orange juice!
Tri-County Produce’s closing will be such a great loss to this community. It is unique in its offerings as an independent market, its amazing service to customers, its presentation of local goods. Yes, it was the very best place to shop during COVID, and still is. I pray someone takes over the reins from John DIxon to allow TCP to continue to be the best loacl market in SB!
Yetz’s bagels are the real deal. Boiled and baked just like New York. The owner, Daniel, is not only a good chef (can’t wait to try the new deli items) but a real asset to the Santa Barbara community. For years he has donated food for homeless people once a month and, boy, do they appreciate his cooking and generosity!
I will really miss Tri County Produce when it goes away. I wonder if it could operate as a worker owned co-op if enough people were willing to fund such a venture, especially with the expansion of the space when the housing development is completed. I’m thinking of Rainbow Grocery in SF but on a smaller scale.
I imagine there grocery space will be nothing like the old warehouse Tri County is currently in. Lease rate will be high and passed on to consumers.
Maybe Dudley can take over tri county produce. Probably thinks he can do it better than Dixon.
R.
Well, gosh. I was really excited about Takashi Ramen, too. They had an extensive menu at DoorDash, so I ordered through them.
Always hoping a new restaurant can find its groove, and maybe they need another month or two to dial things in, but it was a very disappointing, poor-tasting, mediocre meal.
The 24 hr Tonkotsu ramen (seemingly their flagship?) had half-cooked noodles and an awful broth. Big letdown since that was the main thing I wanted on a cold rainy night. The Salmon Ikura Bowl was dry and bland, with overcooked pieces of salmon. I love salmon and hate wasting food, but I had to throw both of these dishes away after trying to get a few bites down.
The Homemade Gyoza was expensive, but OK, and the Fried Shrimp Bowl was good. 3 Crisp and hot prawns with a nice batter.
But it’s not a great sign when you order undercooked, bad-tasting ramen from a place with “ramen” in its name.
I wish them well, and maybe they’ll have things tasting better in another month or two, or maybe they’re still figuring out delivery, but this was an expensive meal with less than half of it worth eating.
I wanted (at least) a 50% refund, but DoorDash wasn’t up for it.