Santa Barbara’s Culinary Scene Continues to Grow by Leaps and Bounds

A new look up north

There’s a spiffy new restaurant up in Santa Barbara to know about. It’s called Smithy Kitchen + Bar, and the place is helmed by chef Lauren Herman. She comes the Lucques Group, and is now up north doing brunch, lunch, and dinner at 7 E. Anapamu Street, right next door to the Granada Theatre. Expect a big olive tree-lined patio, casual interior seating, and a real working fireplace.

Courtesy Smithy, Santa Barbara

Grabbagreen grows

There’s a new quick-fix healthy option happening in Orange County, as Grabbagreen opens at Orange Town & Country Retail Center. The place is near Disneyland, and dishes out things like salads, bowls, and wraps.

Colonial Kitchen retires

The family behind San Marino mainstay Colonial Kitchen is retiring, and they’d like to turn the place over to someone who can continue to give it some love. To that end, the property has been placed up on Loopnet for a cool $3.7 million, so anyone with that kind of cash and a heart in the right place is encouraged to put in a bid.

Glou Glou for Christmas

Jennifer Green of new local wine magazine Glou Glou is hosting a barbecue and drinking pop-up at Vinovore in Silver Lake this Sunday. The party runs $15 and will include some drink as well as pork ribs from Ol’ Skool BBQ.

A gorgeous remodel

LA Magazine has details on one of Downtown’s most stunning Art Deco buildings, and the planned remodel that could remake the entire property. The Trust Building is an 11-story beast, and is being outfitted with co-working spaces and a ground-floor restaurant thanks to Rising Realty Partners.

Haute chefs at ROW

There’s a new temporary dining situation at the ROW DTLA project, called The Spot. The Monday to Saturday event runs 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the next two weeks, and is being helmed by the Haute Chefs catering team. The menu is below.