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After 20 years under the Blue Agave banner, the restaurant and bar at 20 E. Cota St. in Santa Barbara is preparing to become a new concept called Nectar come October.
The neighborhood staple closed and then reopened earlier this week for the beginning of interior renovations and plans to close again early next week — possibly Sunday through Wednesday — before hosting a soft opening as Nectar on Oct. 4, according to Brad Sherman, who bought the eatery from its original owners two years ago.
Sherman’s new wife, Aparna, is the brains behind the new concept, where she hopes to emphasize the restaurant’s dining and food experience, with quality cocktails and local wine and beer as a supplement — not necessarily as the main event.
“We chose the name Nectar because we want this place to be not only beautiful to look at,” she said. “We want people to come in and have a multi-sensory experience.”
The menu will be eclectic, sharable and fused with international flavors, with pot stickers, kabobs (inspired by India, where Aparna is from), seafood and ceviche tacos — a dish adhering to Blue Agave’s previous focus on Mexican food paired with its tequila bar.
Martini and margarita flights will be added, along with a late-night menu served after 10 p.m. and a to-go food option.
The new full menu will be offered to the public Oct. 5.
Brad Sherman, who also owns Aldo’s Italian Restaurant and managed the Sojourner Café for more than 20 years, said he’s grateful for his loyal patrons and for their patience during the exciting transformation.
805 Boba Coming to Paseo Nuevo
805 Boba is set to go into Paseo Nuevo in downtown Santa Barbara, although an opening date for the smoothie shop hasn’t yet been set.
Construction was still going on this week at the new space close to Pizza Rev and the new Pressed Juicery, according to managers of the mall.
Towbes Group Partners With Uber
Santa Barbara’s Towbes Group has just signed partnerships with some popular technology services like Uber to offer deals to new residents of the firm’s developments.
Uber will offer users who are new Towbes residents a $25 credit and grant a special low rate flat fare for transportation between Goleta communities and downtown Santa Barbara. The deals don’t apply to existing residents.
New residents will also receive a free annual membership to Santa Barbara Axxess and Ventura Axxess discount cards.
The Towbes Group portfolio contains approximately 2,400 residential units.
Seeker Launches New App
Seeker has launched a new online shopping app that can deliver high-quality, value-driven deals to customers in Santa Barbara.
The local company is partnering with area shops, restaurants, grocery stores, wineries and other businesses to highlight existing deals and exclusive promotions encouraging customers to shop local.
Vendors are able to customize and upload deals individually, or work directly with a Seeker Deal Runner to create exclusive deals and promotions to market on the Seeker platform.
Since launching three weeks ago, more than 300 deals are already cycling on Seeker with 70 participating vendors.
A vendor dashboard offering instant visibility into various metrics like deal completions, social shares, likes and more will also be available in late 2015.
Epicure.sb Kicks Off in October
To kick off Santa Barbara’s 7th annual epicure.sb festivities next month, the Santa Barbara Public Market is teaming up with Visit Santa Barbara for a signature event with celebrity chef Cat Cora.
The star of Food Network’s Iron Chef America will make an appearance in The Kitchen at the public market hosting “Quickfire Cooking Challenge with Cat Cora” on Thursday, Oct. 8 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Guests will watch three notable names in social media face off to re-create signature dishes from public market purveyors.
Tickets are $95 and are limited. They can be reserved by calling 805.770.7702.
Santa Barbara’s epicure.sb is a celebration of the city’s culinary scene, showcasing its food, libations and culture through exclusive offers and events.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.