BlogaBarbara

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Thursday, October 12, 2006

No More Hangover Breakfasts at Esau's

I've been getting a couple of random emails recently from readers with a central theme related to the changing face of Santa Barbara. Lower State Street especially continues to slowly change...and one has to wonder whether the owners at the corner of Cota and Gutierrez have other plans for the property. First, Tad's Liquor went out of business awhile back and remains empty. On Sunday, Esau's will be closing its' doors after 30 years of hangover breakfasts and word is that the landlord was unwilling to renegotiate a new lease. They will still be in Carpinteria....but if you want to sit in their vinyl booths one last time, do so this weekend. Is the Adult Book Store next? Maybe that's a good thing.

The Acapulco closed quietly this week and reportedly had a sign on the door that said "Sorry for the Incontinence". Is that true? Prabably a pun on the forwarded email I got...No more Margarita Mondays...the email I received said that the employees and managers came in to locked doors on Monday as all the locks had been changed. I guess Pascucci's is moving in but I am unclear how their already poor service could improve at this location -- great food though and at least it's local. One more closure was reported in the Bay Cafe on Anacapa.

Another reader sent me a rant about a decidely non-sexy but important topic -- parking spaces. They asked what the deal was with our Planning Department and their heavy miscalculations on parking flow at Trader Joe's (with the Surgical Center right there); and, Peet's Coffee (with Tremblay Financial in the same space). Makes you wonder when the St. Francis Project didn't event go through the Traffic and Circulation Committee at the city -- what will happen with traffic and parking there?

19 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rumor has it that the State and De La Vina corner is going to be closed to vehicles. Don't think it can happen?

Look at the narrowing of Shoreline Drive and Chapala Streets.

Keep an eye on lower Chapala as well, more obsticles (Traffic Calming Devices) are planned.

10/13/2006 8:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

that whole esau's lower state street area is slated to sit empty for an undetermined time as its owned by the two brothers at tony's towing...they're both in their 70s and inherited a long list of sb property from their dad...anyway, the older one apparently doesnt like the younger one's 'girlfriend' or that the younger one can get a girlfirend or whatever,anyway to keep his younger brother from getting revenue off the properties to pay for girlfriends and stuff the older brother just keeps the properties empty...the younger brother can't sell to get money and he cant stop his brother from keeping the properties empty...sometimes family is just great huh...good luck to the city planning commission if they try to chat with the older brother about his intentions...the older brother looks like he's good for another 20 years...viva la sb!!! bye-bye esaus!

10/13/2006 8:33 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Santa Barbara would be so much better with that series of local businesses (Tad's Liquors, Adult Book [and novelties] Store, Easu's restaurant) converted into more tourist-serving clones, such as Starbucks, Jamba Juice, and Banana Republic.

After all, why should Santa Barbara be any different from Newport Beach or La Jolla? Tourists, of course, want all southern California beach towns to have all the same stores and look.

As for Acapulco, no cultural or culinary loss there. Pascucci's would be good there with that much bigger space, but what would move into the former Pascucci's restaurant space? A Red Lobster or Applebee's?

10/13/2006 8:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The "State and De La Vina corner"?

Where is the "corner" of State St. and De la Vina St.?

Perhaps the rest of that comment is just as accurate and sensible as that non-parallel geography?

10/13/2006 9:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Guess folks have to spell things out for you. Where State Branches going straight or to DLV. Up just before Long's.

10/13/2006 10:19 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You could open at least five Starbucks in the Pascucci space.

10/13/2006 10:59 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

(Valerio), you can consult any map and see that State and DLV *do* intersect, not far south of Las Positas.

10/13/2006 11:01 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Not a "corner" but more of a fork in the State Street there in Uptown.

Still, why would anyone really think that the road intersection where De La Vina St. spins off State St. would be closed? Because they also believe that traffic calming devices do not calm, when they do?

10/13/2006 12:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How about six story buildings going in on Upper State Street? I've heard about this plan this before, even though we have a City ordinance limiting buildings to 4 stories (thank you Pearl Chase). Word has it that's one of the subjects on the agenda for tomorrow's meeting about the "vision" for that area. The Upper State Street Study Workshop is tomorrow morning, Oct. 14 at 9:00 at Hope School Multi-purpose roo,. 3970 La Colina Road. (A second meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.Thursday, Oct. 19th at the same location.) If citizens still have a voice, this is the time to speak out.

10/13/2006 2:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Looking at the first post, it occurs to me there are a few places in town that should probably follow Esau's and Acapulco. My first nomination: State & A. Why is this place still open? The food is horrible and the service is terrible. I've been twice in the last 10 years and each time I swear I'll never go back. Ugh. (But, yeah, I did once; never again.) It's too bad, too, because the location's great and the patio's cool. A complete mystery to me.

10/14/2006 9:28 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The vision for upper state street should have a cap on building heights and a halt on increased density. City Council, please listen:
"SANTA BARBARA IS DONE!!! WE DON'T NEED TO INCREASE CAPACITY. MANAGE WHAT WE HAVE, REBUILD WHEN NECESSARY, BUT NO MORE CROWDING!!!"

PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Das, you always have something to say. Speak up, dude, and tell us that you understand that we should NOT overdevelop Santa Barbara

10/15/2006 10:45 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

From recent news, looks like SB is going to be filled with brand-new hospital buildings and luxury chain stores, upscale resturants for tourists and never-ending mixed-use developments. Nowhere for the middle class to work, eat or shop anymore--and when we get sick, will we be paying for quality health care or all those fancy buildings?

10/15/2006 11:20 AM  
Blogger SantaBarbarian said...

What's happening up near the corner of State and Anapamu? Copelands is going out (both spaces), that Sandwich shop across from Victoria court has been empty for sometime. Alpha Thrift was forced out. The little chain Mexican restaurant is gone. As Seen on TV space is empty. A HUGE "For Rent" sign is posted at the entry of Kim3 furniture store. Now, the Acapulco is "missing".

Any "pools" going on how long these properties are going to remain empty?

10/15/2006 11:39 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good catch, cookie -- they won't be empty for long -- but can we keep the anywhere USA chains out?????

I propose we tax the bageezus out of companies that aren't local.

City Council members, are you listening?

10/15/2006 12:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

With a population of 300,000,000 on the horizon, we better start building and converting those empty spaces to workforce housing. NOW!

10/15/2006 12:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree, let's not support American businesses. Look at what they've done to the environment.

10/15/2006 7:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

While I hope the employees of Acapulco are not suffering from the closure of the business, I am actually glad to see the chain restaurant leave. Part of the charm of SB is the local businesses with their own personalities and style. Not cookie-cutter representations of corporate America that are duplicated town after town after town.

10/16/2006 2:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You mean like Jimmy's and Esau's?

10/16/2006 3:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How about like Frimple's or Little Audrey's?

10/16/2006 6:42 PM  

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