Sue De Lapa

Esau's on Chapala.

Surfer Chow: The smiling blondes were crowded into a booth, a minister and his wife were finishing up breakfast at a corner table by the window, and some cops arrived for a meal, heading for the patio with a hearty welcome from Esau’s Café owner Scott Stanley.

Stanley was happily presiding over a full house at his newly reopened eatery in the 700 block of Chapala. Stanley, who bought Esau’s 30 years ago from Tom and Ruth Esau, proudly pointed to a photo of him surfing big waves in Baja last year. “I swim every day,” he said.

Stanley invested $600,000 in his new location, after having landlord troubles at Esau’s original location on lower State, next to the porn shop. Leaving that space was “the best thing that ever happened,” Stanley said. Judging from the full tables, his old customers have found the place, which still highlights buttermilk pancakes using Tom Esau’s secret recipe. The menu brags, “Since 1939,” which is a bit of a stretch. Tom Esau was a young Midwesterner cooking at a tent at the 1939 San Francisco World’s Fair when he was lured to Santa Barbara. After working at various restaurants around town, he and his wife, Ruth, opened their own in January 1961.

There’s still very much of a surfer feel to the place, from the boards hanging from the ceiling to the vintage photos and local artwork on the walls. I said hi to the young cops, few if any of them born when I started covering the police and sheriff’s departments back in 1961. Sue and I dug into the special of the day, a Mediterranean omelet, with wheat toast and hash browns on the side for $9. (Pancakes another day.) Esau’s, which is open for dinner now (Black & Blue Pasta an early fave) as well as breakfast and lunch, also has a sister restaurant in Carpinteria, where the Stanleys live.

Esau’s was also handy to Woody’s auto detailing farther down Chapala, where our red Honda Fit was having first aid on a scratch from a careless bike rider.

El Encanto: Bruno Brunner, new general manager of the hilltop El Encanto hotel, tells me that the storied resort will reopen in November 2009 after its major redevelopment, now in progress, is finished. The Orient-Express people are sinking millions into the place.

Downtown Treats: Jeannine’s has opened a new eatery at La Arcada Court, in the place where a coffee shop used to be, and the joint is jammed at noon. With the windows wide open in good weather and tables outside, it’s a joy, even if you have to line up to order. Get there early to score a table.

Ever since discovering the newish Trattoria Vittoria Italian restaurant, on Victoria Street, I’ve been there often. Fellini on the tube, a wonderful menu and wine list, and good service. A maitre d’ who greets you with “Buena sera.” After one glass you might imagine you’re in Rome. The bar is lively so the place can get a bit noisy if you’re looking for intimate chat.

We’ve been exploring San Roque’s local eateries ever since moving back to that neighborhood. One night we tried Jade on Upper State. It boasts a creative Asian-flavored menu and good wine list, and is a darn popular place, we found. The kalua pork takes time to prepare but the dish was wonderful and made the wait worthwhile.

One of the biggest hits of the season is the Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach-Arroyo Burro Beach Park, where Tom and Chris White have rebuilt the old Brown Pelican in fine style. Our family had a magical evening there one recent sunset.

After Friday night’s delightful concert at the Marjorie Luke Theatre by Max Raabe and his Berlin-based Palast Orchester, Sue and I hunted far and wide downtown for a late bite. Most doors had closed, but we ended up at Epiphany for our favorite snack there: mac and cheese, hot, affordable, and lots of it. Saturday night, after an early movie, the emotion-packed The Secret Life of Bees, at the Riviera, we again headed downtown, to find every restaurant jammed. Couldn’t get in. What recession? We headed back to good old Epiphany for, yes, mac and cheese. Proprietor Michelle Mastrangelo tipped me off that a new fall menu is in the offing, so we’ll try again.

Pistol Packing Penelope: Don’t be surprised if fireworks, if only cinematic, erupt at next January’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival. After all, tempestuous actress Penelope Cruz, the gun-toting ex-wife in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, will be in town. She’ll be receiving the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award. Cruz also did outstanding work in the current Elegy, according to festival Executive Director Roger Durling.

Walking for Cancer: In memory of my late mother-in-law, Vivian De Lapa, and in honor of those fighting the disease, I did the Cancer Center benefit walk-run Sunday (I walked) with daughter Frances. Hundreds of young and old made the 5-K run-walk or 10-K run, as mist turned to sunshine. And sunny thanks to the Four Seasons Biltmore for providing the splendid buffet.

Empty Bowls: With the economy the way it is, the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County says it needs all the help it can get in feeding the needy. One of its key fundraisers is the Empty Bowls Lunch, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 2. Cost: $25. For tickets call the Foodbank at 967-5741 x104. I’ll be ladling out soup.

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