Renaud’s Patisserie & Bistro opens

BY JOHN DICKSON
Loretto Plaza has a new tenant by the name of Renaud Gonthier and Santa Barbaran’s will most certainly be glad he’s here. Renaud's Patisserie & Bistro has opened at 3315 State Street.

Their web site offers the following description:
“Renaud's is a bakery specializing in French pastries and French style cakes. We offer an extensive menu inspired from the Provence region of France, and Renaud's personal favorites. Our retail selection includes imported delicacies, homemade candies, and fresh fruit preserves. Visit us for breakfast or lunch and take home one of our elegant cakes or pastries. Chef Renaud Gonthier has brought his French pastry skills and culinary background to Santa Barbara. His creations include: Croissants, Entremets. Eclair, Mille Feuilles, Small Pies, Classical or Whimsical Custom Made Cakes, Brioche, Macaroons, Brownies and Cookies, Homemade Chocolates and so much more...”
Their hours are Mon-Sat 7am-6pm and Sun 7am-3pm. Call 757-2822 or visit RenaudsBakery.com.

SPEAKING OF BAKERIES: There is another bakery coming to town, this time to 1324 State Street. Bella Dolce Bakery will be opening in about four months in the Arlington Plaza next to Carlito's Mexican restaurant. Bella Dolce's catering kitchen has been run by pastry chef Eileen Randall Cook since 1997 and this will be her first retail store. The bakery will feature her selection of favorite Bella Dolce sweets, cupcakes, cookies, chocolate and wedding cakes. For more information call 962-2253 or visit BellaDolce.com.

SIZZLING CELEBRATION: Sizzler Restaurant, represented locally at 5555 Hollister Ave, is celebrating their 50th anniversary today (January 22nd) with a special deal: They are going back to their first 50's-era promotion - buy an 8 oz. steak at the regular price, and you'll get the second 8 oz. steak for just one cent. Call 964-6769 or visit Sizzler.com. Thank you to Daily Sound columnist Karen Lee Stevens (page 3 of today's paper) for that tip!

BOATHOUSE: Reader Jonathan alerted me to a new sign posted at the former location of the Brown Pelican. It reads: “Coming in Spring 2008... The Boathouse at Arroyo Burro Beach. Santa Barbara County Parks has selected a new operator for the restaurant concession here at Arroyo Burro Beach. The White family currently operates two restaurants on the Santa Barbara waterfront — The Fishouse and the Santa Barbara Shellfish Co. Several months will be needed to renovate this space, but we expect the new venture here to be equally excellent and successful. For further information, please contact the agency's Business Manager Mike Gibson at 805-568-2477. Thanks for your patience. — Santa Barbara County Parks”

THE CHEESE SHOP: The Cheese Shop, based in Carmel-by-the-sea, was rumored to be coming to Paseo Nuevo (near Nordstrom's) last December, but that never happened. I stopped in and spoke to the construction guys and they told me that February 1st is the target date for opening. They said they are also building a wine display room in the back.

KAHUNA DOWNTOWN: I spoke with a person at Kahuna Grill of Goleta and they said they hope to open the new Kahuna Grill in Paseo Nuevo in March. KG will be filling the location vacated by Tiramisu.

DOMINO’S AT UCSB: The Paterno restaurant at the University Center has closed and has been replaced by a Domino's Pizza. The hours are Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat-Sun 11am-7pm. I saw a “breakfast pizza” on the menu which proves that students will try anything! Call 685-7992.

CARL’S JR. FOUNDER DIES: The founder of Carpinteria-based Carl's Jr. has died. Carl Karcher who started a hot dog cart in Los Angeles in 1941 and turned it into a nationwide chain of a 1000 restaurants, died at the age of 90. Two years after the 1941 launch, Karcher & his wife had three carts. They added hamburgers to the menu and in 1945 opened a restaurant, Carl's Drive-In Barbecue. In 1956, the couple opened two smaller versions of the restaurant, calling them “Carl's Jr.”
Karcher's brother Donald served as manager. The smaller restaurants were notable for an innovation that became an industry standard: Customers paid for food when their order was placed, not after the food was delivered.
There are two Carl's Jr. restaurants in Santa Barbara, a location in Goleta and one will soon be built in Carpinteria. The ambitious and controversial business man is survived by 11 children, 55 grandchildren and 45 great-grandchildren. His wife of 66 years passed away in 2006.

OLIVE STREET TABLE: I recently became aware of a local company named Olive Street Table, located at 817 N. Milpas St. They are a gourmet manufacturer of frozen entrées, appetizers and hors d’oeuvres and their products are sold locally, regionally and in selected locations nationally.
Their Southern California distributor is Santa Barbara-based Jordano's Inc. The hors d’oeuvres and crisp products are par-baked and fresh frozen. They go from freezer to oven to serving in 4 to 10 minutes. The potpies and galettes are not precooked so require slow cooking, about 45 minutes. For more information call 966-1630 or see their products on the web at OliveStreetTable.com.

SESTO SENSO: Last week I enjoyed another wonderful mixer with the Santa Barbara Young Professionals Club. The event was hosted by Sesto Senso and sponsored by CIO Solutions.
Opened by the owners of Epiphany Restaurant & Bar, Sesto Senso, a wine and carpaccio bar, is located at 1026 Coast Village Rd next to Vons in Montecito. The ambience was terrific and it was one of the best meetings we have had. Sesto Senso provided a variety of culinary treats (created by Chef Daniel Douglas) including Ahi Tuna Sashimi Cubes (Soy - Yuzo Vinaigrette, Creme Fraiche Siracha Foam), Wild Mushroom Risotto (truffle butter), Maylaysian Crab (sweet chili sauce & scallions) and Hamachi Tarter (taro chips & avocado).
In addition to the great food, Sesto Senso raffled off a 6-course tasting for two with wines paired, a trio of Champagne, Cava and Prosseco for 2, and a bottle of something special from their cellars. Contact Sesto Senso at 565-1956.

John Dickson’s column appears every Tuesday in the Daily Sound. E-mail your restaurant news tips to info@SantaBarbara.com.