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SB Restaurant Start-ups
updated: Sep 19, 2012, 2:08 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

Judging by the last restaurant question, it seems that Edhat readers have a lot of opinions about running a restaurant. So, what is SB looking for in a restaurant? What is lacking and what does SB like? What would you like to see in a new restaurant? Casual? Fine dining? Ethnic? Southern? What about service? Not looking for a list of popular restaurants, but actual examples of what you'd like to see (or like to NOT see) in yet another new restaurant.

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 321878	2012-09-19 02:22 PM
I'm looking for a good NY style pizza place. Once you have had good NY or even Boston pies, nothing compares. Even though Deanno's isn't that style of pie, IMO it was the best around here. I miss it.
COMMENT 321879	2012-09-19 02:23 PM
Soup and salad bar!
COMMENT 321880	2012-09-19 02:27 PM
There isn't a mexican restaurant on my block. I have to drive my hummer 4 blocks to get to the nearest two. It would be great to have one on my block except for all that noise coming from the bowl.
COMMENT 321881	2012-09-19 02:28 PM
German style Biergarten (beer garden) with sausage, saurkraut, pretzels, etc and, of course, mugs of beer. Unfortunately, not many outdoor venues for this type of idea which is sad, because our beautiful climate makes this area ideal for such a thing.
COMMENT 321882	2012-09-19 02:31 PM
A place that serves burger on hot dog buns.
COMMENT 321885	2012-09-19 02:35 PM
Southern home cooking and good Texas-style butcher paper barbecue without pretensions of fine dining and prices to match.
COMMENT 321887	2012-09-19 02:39 PM
As some folks said in an earlier thread, I really miss Skandi Buffet and the Copper Coffee Pot! A decent buffet--reasonably priced with quality food-- would be great!
COMMENT 321889	2012-09-19 02:51 PM
Someplace exactly like Jimmy's!
COMMENT 321890	2012-09-19 02:53 PM
Second that for a buffet and salad bar.
EDHATBARBARA	2012-09-19 02:53 PM
Why does SB not have a Jewish deli? I can't believe it!
COMMENT 321893	2012-09-19 02:54 PM
321879 has my vote, cause Sizzler is gross & dirty, need an alternate. Also any high quality pizzeria. I don't care if it's NY or italian styles, as long as the flavors are there. I'm always willing to pay a premium for a good pizza. Best place ever is Barones down in LA county
COMMENT 321894	2012-09-19 02:56 PM
I second 885. Too many "high concept" and "designer" places keep opening with those pretensions of fine dining and prices to match. More eating and gorging places like the Hitching Post in Buellton and even Woody's BBQ would be welcome.
COMMENT 321898	2012-09-19 03:09 PM
Pepe's in Goleta is the best Mexican restaurant, The Habit is the best burger place. There are enough good places to choose from.
COMMENT 321899	2012-09-19 03:09 PM
I'd love to see a traditional Mexican restaurant. Old school; none of that Tex Mex crap with the black beans and corn in the watered down salsa. We don't need a Chilis! We need a great Mexican restaurant with a full bar downtown. Like the old Casa Blanca, but dialed up a notch.
COMMENT 321901	2012-09-19 03:14 PM
We need a Hooter's.
GREG	2012-09-19 03:20 PM
A reasonably priced Greek restaurant with good food would be a welcome addition locally.
COMMENT 321908	2012-09-19 03:22 PM
The last thing we need is a Jewish Deli...my two cents.
COMMENT 321911	2012-09-19 03:26 PM
I remember years ago Ken Boxer soliciting feedback on his restaurant name Go Fish from readers of Nipper's website. I responded that it sounded really dated and made some good suggestions. He went with his name and we all know what happened. I will never give marketing feedback again for free. The way this question is phrased reminded me of that and what a patronizing empty gesture it was. Actionable market research costs money.
COMMENT 321912	2012-09-19 03:27 PM
Why would the last thing we need be something we don't have even one of, 908?
COMMENT 321914	2012-09-19 03:29 PM
Article: Google: Modern nomad rides into San Luis Obispo
COMMENT 321915P	2012-09-19 03:30 PM
For years I've wondered why there wasn't a fine delicatessen here. Pastrami is pretty good at Frescos; elsewhere there's nothing excellent to my taste buds. With pumpernickel or rye bread, tasty cole slaw or potato salad. The best gift a visitor from LA could bring me is a top quality pastrami sandwich.
AQUAHOLIC	2012-09-19 03:32 PM
Yes, would LOVE a real Jewish Deli AND a real Greek Gyro stand like they have on every corner in Athens...seriously, a food truck or a cart making gyros would do very well here in SB, IMO. I actually considered doing this as a business, researched the vertical oven/roaster needed to make them authentic...it's not rocket science, and man, are they delicious!
COMMENT 321917	2012-09-19 03:32 PM
A restaurant which serves good wholesome FRESH tasting food that is eatable, not covered with hot red sauces and drowned in garlic. More restaurants like Brophy's is now and French cuisine the is really French, like Napoleon's and Mousse Odile who used to be here. Not dishes the the cook thinks he should improve on by adding stuff. I was once served a French dip sandwich smothered with green chili peppers on a bun, and it was AWFUL! Anyone visited Phillipe's in Los Angeles? It's great. Good flavours and unpretentious. The Belgian Cafe in Solvang serves simple items that taste delicious. Their waffles are unbeatable.
COMMENT 321919	2012-09-19 03:37 PM
I miss Bibim Bap, and I hope that new Korean joint opening on Upper State will have it . . . in a sizzling stone bowl, no less. Runny fried egg. I'm salivating just thinking about it. (second the Jewish Deli need, though, sure. And maybe a straight-up French place -- not a typical bistro/steak fritte place, but a place with cassoulet and sauces and a dress code) But in general I think SB is doing great in restaurant breadth and depth and choice. When I was growing up here the choices were far, far more limited.
COMMENT 321920	2012-09-19 03:38 PM
Big sports bar with good salads, burgers, steaks. Also lots of tv's and parking!
AQUAHOLIC	2012-09-19 03:39 PM
The biggest obstacle to any new restaurant in SB is the sheer glut of mediocre ones. To be truly successful, IMO, you have to have superior quality, amazing food, at reasonable prices. An excellent example of an amazingly good Greek restaurant is in Fullerton, Ca...I know, it's Fullerton, but the restaurant 'Kentro' has the recipe you need to succeed these days. If you're ever in that part of the world..TRY IT!
COMMENT 321926	2012-09-19 03:46 PM
Even if it's a gorge-ous place, I think it's really nice to have a vegan option that's not just a salad. It's not too hard to make such a thing. I love delivery. A lot of places won't deliver to my house. I also think it would be cool if places in SB could pull off a take-out where customers get a discount if they bring their own container. Or even sit-in places like La Super Rica could give a discount for those who are going to eat there but don't want to use disposable everything. I think most people in SB are smart enough to know what works in this situation.
COMMENT 321928	2012-09-19 03:46 PM
When a restaurant spends massive bucks up front and inordinate time remodeling for a "look", I immediately think they are selling the sizzle and not the food. I have no interest in even trying. Compare Couchez, Petros and Maggie's to Julienne and Renauds who were local success stories starting out modest and winning over with quality and word of mouth. Case closed. LA and Orange County - stay where you are. We ain't buying. Or even trying. Same thing for this SB Market thing going in on West Victoria - full of itself and non-local. This is not how we spend money in Santa Barbara.
COMMENT 321929	2012-09-19 03:46 PM
Aquaholic - YES! The meat cones that they shave into a pita and fill with all sorts of stuff! I think they call them "Doner kebabs" or something.
COMMENT 321930	2012-09-19 03:48 PM
I would love an Ethiopian restaurant in Santa Barbara.
SHOREBIRD	2012-09-19 03:49 PM
Good fish and chips take-out in Goleta.
COMMENT 321937	2012-09-19 03:51 PM
A good salad, sandwich, soup place where you walk up and pay. Intermezzo Cafe in Berkeley was hugely popular before it burned down (RIP) and it wasn't just students that went there. Huge, yummy salad was $6.50, I miss that place.
COMMENT 321939	2012-09-19 03:51 PM
I second a southern style place. Good real bbq, greens and corn bread and sweet tea. And GREAT customer service. Not snobby over priced yuppy crap! Real food made by REAL people! A family spot.
COMMENT 321940	2012-09-19 03:52 PM
We need more nonchain family (i.e. moderately priced) restaurants.
COMMENT 321944	2012-09-19 03:56 PM
Upper State Street Accessible Area Great food, social atmosphere, nice wines and fun drinks, televisions with sports on, OK. Like the Ruth's Chris bar area, fun, classy, yummy and social. Outdoor seating a plus with lots of windows so you know you are in SB. Don't want to go DOWNTOWN, Mesa OK Please!
COMMENT 321945	2012-09-19 03:56 PM
@321898 Pepe's the best Mexican in SB? WOW! Pepe's is an ok family restaurant, but IMO it's 1 tier above Taco Bell. My family used to go there when i was a kid because it was cheap.
COMMENT 321948P	2012-09-19 03:58 PM
Daphne's is a So. Cal. chain of Greek fast food restaurants; there's one in Ventura. Food is good and very reasonably priced. If there were one like Daphne's here, am fairly certain it would be successful. And if you have the chance to savor the Greek dessert Galatobouriko - it's delicious and no one would think it's made with farina or Cream of Wheat. Yiassou!
COMMENT 321949P	2012-09-19 04:00 PM
The Korean / Mexican restaurant in IV has tasty food - would love to have one closer to SB.
AQUAHOLIC	2012-09-19 04:01 PM
928 nailed it, I recently had lunch with my 87 year old father at Cielito for the first time. I fear for their future. The food was just okay, the service was inexperienced and awkward...my father hated his tacos adobado, dripping with orange grease and full of gristle. I know, that's a taco adobado, but I've had so much better at any taqueria in town. My mexican chopped salad had a balsamic vinaigrette that is de rigueur at every restaurant in the world..yawn. I really expected so much more, and I certainly didn't expect to be told they were out of Negra Modelo on tap...really?, at a mexican restaurant?
COMMENT 321951	2012-09-19 04:01 PM
321929 - Ummmmm...most people call them gyros. And you can get them almost anywhere.
AQUAHOLIC	2012-09-19 04:06 PM
Very sorry, this is my fourth post on this forum...but I just needed to add that a stellar seafood restaurant would be just amazing, for a town next to the ocean we ain't doing so good! Hungry Cat is a transplant from L.A. but it's the best thing we got at the moment...c'mon people, someone open up a good seafood place, even if its baja style fish tacos...pullleeeze!
COMMENT 321954	2012-09-19 04:07 PM
Ruth & Roger's home-cooked food. Excellent homemade desserts. Lots of veggie offerings (for us non-meat eaters). Booths. People love booths. Remember Whole Earth? (When it was on Canon Perdido?) I would love to see Skandi Buffet/Copper Coffee Pot type place, too. It is so nice to be able to see and smell your food, before you make your choices. Any new place would have to be one that caters to the locals. That's what will keep it going through the lean times, when it's rainy and tourists stay away.
COMMENT 321955P	2012-09-19 04:07 PM
Talk Btrent's Deli - they are in Westlake and Northridge - into opening up here in Santa Barbara. They are amazing. Great service and great food.
COMMENT 321957	2012-09-19 04:10 PM
951 - name one place where you can have freshly shaved lamb off a vertical cone of meat. Yeah, you can get "gyros" at a couple places if you want re-heated slices of meat and some onions and yogurt sauce. That's one thing. A Doner is quite different - look it up.
COMMENT 321958	2012-09-19 04:13 PM
I agree with good BBQ, good salad bar (miss Fresh Choice!!!) and NY pizza place
COMMENT 321959	2012-09-19 04:17 PM
321957 - Look it up...a doner kabob and a gyro are the same exact thing. And frankly, the thought of of eating pre-processed meat ground into a pulp then compressed into a cone shape then allowed to sit around spinning for days makes me ill. The only thing worse is a Chicken McNugget.
COMMENT 321960	2012-09-19 04:23 PM
Some funny suggestions here. It appears that most people want what we already have but that they (for some reason) don’t try or patronize. What I really dont understand is why the city doesnt allow the food trucks to park down at Shoreline park once or twice a week. With the picnic tables and a BYOB situation - its the perfect place to host what most cities already host... not only is it fun, its family friendly and good for the city. Also, we really need to close down State St to traffic in the summer and open the street to cafes and food stands. I have no idea why, with our perfect weather, that this doesnt happen - it would be a boon to the city, give small vendors a chance and would be fantastic for the citizens. We have some of the best weather in the world yet we have VERY few patios and outdoor venues… not at all like the real Rivera.
COMMENT 321961	2012-09-19 04:26 PM
AQUAHOLIC - Nikka Fish & Grill just opened up on Calle Real in Goleta (next to Coldstone). Talked to a couple last night who ate there. They had salmon and halibut and they said both were great, and that both entrees were under $14 each.
COMMENT 321962	2012-09-19 04:28 PM
You can thank the late Fess Parker for a lot of that -- The hotel that lines Cabrillo is all - car focused. Actually I don't know about BYOB -- I think there might be a law against having alcohol on the beach or even in parks. People get away with doing it on the sly though.
COMMENT 321965	2012-09-19 04:35 PM
I agree with the Soup and Salad bar suggestions, especially if there's fresh healthy stuff on the salad bar, like tofu (that's been marinated and baked). A potato bar would be great too!
COMMENT 321967	2012-09-19 04:38 PM
There's a soup and salad bar at Lazy Acres and it includes stuff like tofu!
COMMENT 321971	2012-09-19 04:49 PM
There are some types I'd like to see but what is most important to me is that the restaurant offers only freshly cooked food prepared with fresh ingredients. Don't try to pass off frozen/canned stuff on your menus. Whatever you offer make it ALL fresh. Price it as reasonably as you can. Don't sweat the decor. Don't do service if it will increase the cost beyond reasonable (use self-service or at most minimal service). Make sure your place is spotless both in public and in private areas. Place your restaurant outside of downtown. Make sure there is easy parking nearby. Consider offering delivery service or at least take-out. And, yes, like other suggested, maybe offer a discount if when you order take-out customers bring their own containers. Have a good simple website that lists your dishes, the ingredients, the prices, and so on. Don't try to "sell" me; just do the best you can do and word will get around quickly.
COMMENT 321974P	2012-09-19 05:03 PM
We definitely need a first class vegetarian/vegan restaurant in the SB area. There are many amazing ones in Chicago & NYC. Yes, those cities are way larger, but those restaurants are becoming more popular by the month.
COMMENT 321975	2012-09-19 05:03 PM
Discounts for bringing your own togo? What's that save a restaurant, $0.05 per container?
COMMENT 321978	2012-09-19 05:07 PM
ANY casual dining that has LOTS of outdoor seating-Beer, finger food, salads, and a great breakfast (which does NOT mean $14.00 waffles (Tupolo Junction) or $12.00 pancakes... Just because we are in SB, doesn't mean locals will support BS prices.
COMMENT 321981	2012-09-19 05:09 PM
I would love if Santa Barbara had a Fresh Choice again or another all-you-can-eat salad bar option. That was my favorite restaurant before it closed.
AQUAHOLIC	2012-09-19 05:33 PM
http://delicious-cooks.com/photos/gyros/07/ FYI, This is what a Gyro spit should look like...with actual chunks/slices of meat, chicken or pork on a vertical spit.
COMMENT 321985	2012-09-19 05:35 PM
We need a casual Ethiopian restaurant (don't want a foo-foo fancy one).
COMMENT 321987P	2012-09-19 05:38 PM
Nikka's Fish and Grill on Calle Real is excellent--fresh fish, pleasant people. I've loved everything I've gotten there. But I'm rarely in Goleta. I'd like a good reasonable fish restaurant downtown or near the beach. Brophy's food is great, but it's too small and always noisy. Anyone remember Castagnola's? First on Cabrillo, with lines out the door, and then a smaller place somewhere near the beach on Anacapa or something. Lite Eater's Plate: a fresh piece of fish and a salad. What else do you need?
COMMENT 321993	2012-09-19 06:17 PM
I would vote for a healthy, reasonable-priced, family-style restaurant like the former Good Earth restaurant in Goleta. Also, something along the lines of Souplantation/Fresh Choice would be nice. A fondue restaurant would do well downtown, I think. How about a good hot dog/Italian Beef Sandwich place like Portillo's? That would do great around IV/Goleta.
COMMENT 321997	2012-09-19 06:41 PM
Only thing we're missing is high-end Asian fusion. Otherwise I'm a happy camper/eater. For the size of our town, we have an amazing array of good options.
COMMENT 321998	2012-09-19 06:43 PM
MacKenzie Market makes a good gyro. They used to have the meat on a stick that they shaved, but the health dept made them remove it. The way the meat cooks on the outside, the inside wasn't warm enough to meet code. To heat the inside to code, the outside would be jerky. They still use the same meat. It's just in a baking dish now. (I don't have anything to do with this place, but had a talk with the owner about it one day, while reminiscing about the corner gyro stands in Greece.)
COMMENT 322001	2012-09-19 07:06 PM
Barbecue & hot wings - no frills take-out. Sides of slaw, garlic bread? Lotsa sauce OR a rub that makes sauce less neccessary. Oh Gosh, I'm HONGRY!
COMMENT 322007	2012-09-19 07:33 PM
Soup and salad bar AND an Olive Garden with their own parking lots!!!
COMMENT 322014	2012-09-19 08:30 PM
Doner kebab, all over the place in southern Spain.
COMMENT 322016P	2012-09-19 08:39 PM
993 - Good ideas, but fondue = FAT! There used to be one in downtown SLO and it was nicknamed the "Pork Palace" by the Cal Poly students.
COMMENT 322037P	2012-09-20 07:05 AM
It would be a good idea when considering new restaurants to include a more quiet atmosphere along with the menu. Not every one is interested in loud music, loud partying people at the next table who have no consideration that others might actually enjoy eating and talking with their table mates. The management sets the tone, and noise serves the purpose of quick table turnover, but for locals, dining out should be a pleasure. And, I am not an old fuddy duddy. I am a local who enjoys good food, nice atmosphere, and having a conversation with my table mates.
COMMENT 322039P	2012-09-20 07:11 AM
PIE
COMMENT 322043	2012-09-20 07:18 AM
I'd love to see a real Vietnamese (With bakery) or Nepalese restaurant. There are VN restaurants here, but they aren't very good.
COMMENT 322046	2012-09-20 07:23 AM
I have been hoping for years that SB would get an Indonesian restaurant that serves a "rice table". The type of food and the social nature of the dining experience would be perfect for SB.
COMMENT 322049P	2012-09-20 07:35 AM
For dinner places, agree with poster who wanted fewer high-concept/high-priced restaurants and other poster who voted for a quiet environment that allows speech at normal levels - so somewhere with an actual ceiling and industrial grade carpeting would work. Booths are nice and provide privacy; otherwise, please avoid placing tables so you end up sharing elbow room and conversation with the folks at the next table. And please ask the waitstaff not to barge loudly into a conversation when they have a question - we understand when they just approach the table that they need to ask us something. Thanks for asking and reading.
VALERIO	2012-09-20 07:43 AM
A Moroccan restaurant. I really miss Chef Karim's!
COMMENT 322053	2012-09-20 07:46 AM
Better acoustics so I don't have to hear loud music and everyone else's conversations and I can talk to my dinner companion without shouting. Real Asian food, (Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Chinese regional.) Authentic stuff. Dim sum from carts on weekends. Food trucks.
COMMENT 322062P	2012-09-20 08:02 AM
SB needs a restaurant w/ fresh , good food, good ambience and good pricing - many restaurants in town have one or two - bout it would be great to have a "go to" place with all three.
COMMENT 322063P	2012-09-20 08:03 AM
just more soul. ethnic and soul....from New Orleans, sorry, just no soul...
COMMENT 322064	2012-09-20 08:03 AM
Large portions and low prices.
COMMENT 322065	2012-09-20 08:05 AM
I go with a Jewish deli! Matzo ball soup!
COMMENT 322068P	2012-09-20 08:17 AM
Better acoustics would win my patronage. If I can't hear over the noise, I don't go back. I recently enjoyed dining at several great restaurants in Seattle that had artistically designed acoustic ceilings.
COMMENT 322070	2012-09-20 08:22 AM
Salad and fresh cuisine, not over sauced or over priced. A salad bar that is not sizzler and not Lazy Acres or Whole Food please. and I am laughing about the Hooters!
COMMENT 322076	2012-09-20 08:28 AM
Like all those posters before me, I want a restaurant much like other restaurants here but without any class ("pretense") and cheaper than what the cost of living in SB requires, but I don't want them to go out of business even though marketing research says they would never make it.
COMMENT 322080	2012-09-20 08:37 AM
Seattle has great restaurants. The International District (I.D.) is full of authentic Asian markets and restaurants. I used to live. Uijamaya is a huge Japanes market / food stands / Japanese book store / kitchen gear supermarket in the ID and downtown Seattle is walking distance away. A good NYC style deli would be welcomed by many. I would like a good dim sum place.
COMMENT 322081	2012-09-20 08:37 AM
Second the idea for real dim sum like in Chinatown in LA... or even real chinese food!
COMMENT 322086	2012-09-20 08:49 AM
Visit Portland, Oregon's Hawthorne and Belmont Districts....This city is loaded with excellent food....
COMMENT 322089	2012-09-20 09:01 AM
I can't eat wheat and feel better if I completely avoid dairy. Would love to find sandwich places like south coast deli offering sammies on gluten free bread!!!
COMMENT 322092	2012-09-20 09:09 AM
An Arby's...with a drive-thru.
IMABOO	2012-09-20 09:11 AM
Would love to see an authentic full service Greek restaurant open up. Yanni's at Mackenzie Market is good, but the menu is limited and it doesn't have a nice 'ambiance'.
COMMENT 322094	2012-09-20 09:11 AM
Remembering a really good soup/salad restaurant in San Francisco, Salmagundi's, that was a nicely done, cafeteria style place. You would take your tray and head down the line toward at least 6 great soup choices, gathering salad and your pick of several nice breads along the way. If you wanted seconds you just brought your cup or bowl and joined the line again, no charge. But, usually the first round was so satisfying that you didn't. Of course, this memory is tinged with nostalgia for special trips to the city with mom when I was a kid in the 70's.
COMMENT 322095	2012-09-20 09:19 AM
Since the commenters are all clamoring for something different, how 'bout one of those giant all-nite east coast "diners" that have a menu the size of a novel and serve anything and everything that anyone could desire. Wow! Imagine the inventory cost...
COMMENT 322105	2012-09-20 09:37 AM
My friends and I love The Big Sky Cafe in San Luis Obispo. Wish there was one here.
COMMENT 322118P	2012-09-20 09:49 AM
I'd like to not be packed in where I have enough breathing room to be able to talk and be heard.
COMMENT 322125	2012-09-20 09:56 AM
For full service Greek try Petros on State across from the Arlington.
COMMENT 322129	2012-09-20 10:00 AM
I'd love a fresh Greek place, and anything where the owner is in house with all food made in house, and no MSG. How bout organic veggies used in all the dishes? More ethnic food please, and truly we have enough Mexican restaurants already. I second the poster who requests less red sauce and garlic- yuck. Fresh ingredients simply prepared in keeping with traditional ethnic foods would be fabulous! How bout an Israeli hummus bar with homemade pita bread?- the best!! I'd love more restaurants with outdoor seating in gardens, not on sidewalks! I notice there are not many places to go where prices are reasonable that serve fresh food. Wonder what the magic combination is to pull that off?
COMMENT 322148	2012-09-20 10:20 AM
Would love a restaurant that just focuses on local seafood, and that does not look to just cater to tourists. So much of the seafood served in Santa Barbara is not local, and is poorly prepared/served. We are right next to the ocean, yet our seafood restaurants in SB are terrible.
COMMENT 322149	2012-09-20 10:21 AM
WOW! 882: good one 928 so true so true, 937,971 - except for the croissants everything at the Goodland Market in Old Town is fresh, either made in house w as local as they can get ingredients..or purchased from outstanding vendors within 100 miles of Old Town... 971 - pulled pork sandwiches w coleslaw on Tuesdays at the Goodland too...house made sauce, nieman ranch pork.....served in a tin pie plate, at outside picnic tables..
COMMENT 322166	2012-09-20 10:39 AM
2nd for Hooters Also somewhere that serves steelhead. They could charge $15 per fish and put that money toward preserving the steelhead population.
COMMENT 322170	2012-09-20 10:49 AM
I miss the Copper Coffee Pot and Skandi. How about a Clifton's. Since we are only dreaming.
COMMENT 322175	2012-09-20 10:55 AM
Any thing with good efficient service by someone who knows that they are actually on-duty. A non-smoking outdoor sitting area would be nice.
COMMENT 322184	2012-09-20 11:10 AM
i wish freebird's (IV burrito place) would open in SB!
COMMENT 322207	2012-09-20 12:12 PM
My vote is for a Kosher Deli...Rare roast beef on a kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato and Russian dressing YUMMM. Something on the style of Canter's on Fairfax in LA
COMMENT 322243	2012-09-20 01:07 PM
it would be nice to have servers who have armpits covered and hair out of the plate of food being served. Unappetizing is teaspoons of food layered with a fancy name and a drizzle of sauce on top and down the side of plate with a high price tag. It would be great to have restaurants in town who would offer hot or mild sauces-chile- with the dinner, on the side instead of watered down tomato something. There are no true Mexican Restaurants in Santa Barbara that cater to the ethnic population. It would be nice to have a Greek Deli that serves those wonderful Gyros, an Italian Deli that serves those wonderful Italian Sandwiches like the Italian Mkt..the owner is older and the sandwiches are not up to par as in years gone by.... What happened to Russian Dressing for salads?
COMMENT 322264	2012-09-20 01:30 PM
I think many folks here sum up what I call the "level of effort" problem with most SB restaurants: --Food is mediocre and uninspired at best. --If a restaurant has great, inspired food, it immediately jacks it's prices up to be out of reach of most folks (Juleinne is one example of this). --Servers are college students without any formal service training or concern to do a great job. The major issue is the problem of exorbitantly high rents charged to restaurants in SB. In most cities, restaurants are charged less rent than say clothing stores, as building owners are aware good restaurants draw people to their buildings, who then spend money on the other retail businesses. This is done at the very least for the first few years of a restaurant's existence, until it's fully-established. SB landlords just don't have the foresight to understand this concept.
YIN YANG	2012-09-20 02:09 PM
Jewish/NY deli food! Diner food; simple and good. Like a diner that appears on D,D &D. Now to read the thread.
COMMENT 322292	2012-09-20 02:11 PM
A REAL Jewish DELI!!!!!!!!
COMMENT 322306	2012-09-20 02:33 PM
Just curious - what is the difference between a "jewish" deli and a plain old deli?
LILAC	2012-09-20 03:02 PM
I have never understood why we have never had a truly excellent Chinese restaurant, when San Francisco has dozens and dozens, many just tiny holes in the wall. I also second the need for being in a space where it is possible to have conversations--that, and the food is why I go to a restaurant in the first place.
COMMENT 322339	2012-09-20 03:22 PM
322306 - Answer: Nothing. NY Jews don't make bread or the cold cuts that go on your sandwich, they just make the sandwich. It's just that 99% of the delis in NY are owned by Hasidic Jews, hence the term Jewish Deli. Kinda like a good Italian pizzaria or Mexican tacqueria. A deli is a deli. Period.
COMMENT 322378	2012-09-20 04:25 PM
I agree with 2243 about servers and food. Paying an obscene amount for a teaspoon of food and a small green sprig of ??? is not my style. I want fresh wholesome food at a reasonable price that does not leave me starving and broke. Scant amounts of canned food do not appeal to me at all.
COMMENT 322484P	2012-09-20 09:35 PM
Maybe non-Jewish delis don't tend to make matzoh ball soup, knishes or superb chicken liver "pate" and fresh-pickled dills. And kugel, lox, smoked white fish. I'd like to have those dishes, and more, in my "deli," be it labelled a Los Angeles, New York, Santa Barbara, Ukranian or whatever deli. Conversely, I'd love to be able to buy a fresh hand-made head cheese.
COMMENT 322541	2012-09-21 08:49 AM
A soup/salad place like Fresh Choice, or a good buffet (NOT Sizzler - yuck). A healthy food place like Good Earth - I miss them both.
COMMENT 322724	2012-09-21 12:58 PM
I would love to see a gay owned restaurant in town. One that actually is proud to say they are!
DANCING SHADOW	2012-09-21 03:52 PM
Wish we had LYFE (great healthy restaurant in Palo Alto) or another whole food vegan restaurant. I'd like more fat-free plant strong choices in Santa Barbara.
COMMENT 322832	2012-09-21 05:44 PM
I would love to see a restaurant start a trend for Hard of Hearing persons by closing off a room for the hard of hearing so they can have good wholesome conversation without all the background noise. No music please! Also, less food, less cost. We don't need lots of food and high costs. But eating out is a social thing besides being hungry so a nice quiet setting is so important to me!
SBARTS	2012-09-22 03:50 AM
Happy Hour a la Acapulco!
COMMENT 322897	2012-09-22 06:49 AM
MAMA - So what I am envisioning is a room full of "hard-of-hearing" people talking very loudly to each other, you know, because they are all hard-of-hearing. Sounds kind-of Catch-22ish to me.
COMMENT 322899	2012-09-22 06:50 AM
SBARTS - I'll second the happy hour a la Acapulco, but without the crappy food, a la Acapulco.
COMMENT 322919P	2012-09-22 08:14 AM
484P: "Head cheese? My brother makes really good head cheese." Movie quote. On a serious note, yes, an Ethiopian restaurant would be great. I also miss the funky Japanese noodle shop that used to be across from the then-Alpha Beta (now Ralphs) on upper DLV.
COMMENT 323139	2012-09-22 06:11 PM
a frites place with many sauces and belgium brews dim sum carts cajun lowcountry soul food or a po boy shop ethiopian/african a raw food restaurant a full of life flatbread co a vegan chinese place a yanagi sushi a falafel street joint an east coast diner that is open 24/7 + serves cheese smothered gravy fries and dolmas and broccoli swiss cheese omlets
COMMENT 323505	2012-09-24 06:49 AM
Family friendly on upper state with tasty, reasonably priced food. Seems like a no-brainier to me.

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