State Street restaurant shoots for weekend opening

Posted on Nov 14, 2011

STEVE SINOVIC, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Published on August 3, 2011

It seemed like a cast of thousands Tuesday was putting the finishing touches on the new Casa Blanca Restaurant & Cantina, clearly one of Santa Barbara’s newest buzz-worthy restaurants, as evidenced by the sounds of whirring saws, concrete mixers and the pounding of hammers.

As construction crews race the clock, hoping to meet the goal of the owners to open the new business this week, the corner resembles a major construction site. In addition to wrapping up work on Casa Blanca, which will feature Mexican cuisine, construction on a new REI store is under way in the same complex.

The folks hired for the estimated $1.5 million Casa Blanca remodeling project are grateful for the work.

“It’s been a herculean effort,” smiled Adam White, one of the owners of the new restaurant at the corner of Gutierrez and State streets, the site of the former One World Imports, a furniture store that closed last year.

“I can’t believe how fast they have moved, considering that they started less than six months ago,” added Mr. White, referring to crews hired by Skyeline Construction, the general contractor for the project.

“We’re going to have to sell a lot of tacos and tequila” to justify the investment, laughed Mr. White, whose family’s last name provided the inspiration for the new restaurant’s name — in Spanish, of course.

“There have literally been hundreds of people on site,” said Skye McGinnes, president of the construction outfit. “Tile setters, carpenters, electricians, plumbers … each trade was represented here,” he said. “Everyone shows up happy and puts forth a great effort.”

Mr. McGinnes said the project has also meant major infrastructure improvements to the sewer and electrical transmission lines connecting to the property at 330 State St.

The materials were purchased locally, which was another boost to area business owners, he said.

Architect Jeff Shelton lauded owners Tom and Adam White for making the extra effort to create a quality project, which enabled him to create a unique look for the interiors.

“They could have come in with some drywall and slapped some paint on it,” said Mr. Shelton. Instead, the Whites kept coming in with ideas “on how to make the space memorable,” such as the use of tile and ironwork, in keeping with the architectural heritage of the former Andalucia Building.

“They didn’t want to cut corners,” said Mr. Shelton. “They are investing heavily in this enterprise in the middle of a sluggish economy because they believe in the (business) potential of State Street.”

During a sneak preview provided to the News-Press by the energetic and outgoing Adam White, newly hired staff members were hoisting hand-blown glass fixtures, stocking the bar with hundreds of bottles of tequila and doing a run-through in the kitchen to familiarize the cooks and wait staff with the dishes on the menu.

The newly remodeled 7,000-square-foot space was packed as some of the 110 new employees hired to launch the restaurant and cantina — servers, bussers, bartenders and kitchen staff — were getting their marching orders.

The kitchen crew was cooking up a storm and sampling the authentic Mexican cuisine to some of the lucky new staff members with a menu prepared by Chef Julio Zavaleta, who used to work for the Whites at one of their other restaurants, The Boathouse.

Options include a variety of burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas and fajitas, said Mr. Zavaleta, clearly enjoying the expansive and well-stocked kitchen at his new post and guiding his charges on how to prepare the signature dishes.

Mr. White said the bar will be stocked with “the coldest beer in town at 32 degrees” and numerous brands of tequilas, which they will mix into margaritas.

“This will be the biggest tequila bar in town,” said Mr. White, sweeping an arm over a bar that was fashioned from wood salvaged from an acacia tree that blew down on Mr. Shelton’s property.

For the Whites, who are well known for their expertise in serving up seafood dishes, Casa Blanca is clearly setting sail on a new culinary course.

After starting three restaurants — Santa Barbara Shellfish Co., The Santa Barbara FisHouse and the Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach — the fourth restaurant will be the father-son team’s first foray into the State Street retail corridor.

Like the other eateries, the Whites hope to profit by attracting both locals and visitors. Being close to the new REI store also puts the business in the path of hungry and thirsty patrons.

And what better timing than launching a Mexican restaurant during Fiesta week? It’s almost like opening a Cajun restaurant in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, declared Mr. White.

Tentative plans call for a “very soft opening” this weekend, as soon as the establishment passes inspection with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Matt Olufs, whose firm Compass First provides a number of services to area restaurant and bar owners, helped manage the permit approval for Casa Blanca through the ABC.

“We are excited to see successful operators planting their stake on lower State Street,” said Mr. Olufs. “Casa Blanca will be the gateway to the 400 block, drawing tourists up from the beach and signaling a reinvigoration of the area.”

In terms of price points, Mr. White said the menu will include both low- and moderately-priced dishes at lunch and dinner. The most expensive entree on the menu will be priced $15.95.

The Whites are hoping that patrons, tired of frugality fatigue brought on by the recession, will seek the place out.

“It’s a little less scary out there now with the economy … but restaurateurs of all kinds have to really compete for the expendable income” of diners, both locals and visitors, said Adam White, who sounds up to the challenge.

“Fingers crossed,” he said optimistically.