••• Alma Fonda Fina will introduce a new, more casual menu—and possibly a name change—sometime next month. (Here’s hoping the suadero taco, above, makes the cut.) There will still be table service, though.
••• My understanding is that the plan for Skyfield, at the southwest corner of Anacapa Street and Ortega Street, no longer includes a restaurant. But that’s all I’ve heard.
••• If you’d like a sneak peek at The Grand on State (1218 State Street), it’s having a New Year’s Eve party; tickets are $75 per person and include music and hors d’oeuvres (but the party is BYOB).
••• Jamie Slone Wines has opened a sparkling wine bar, Santa Barbara Bubbly Lounge, at 23 E. De La Guerra Street. (Enter via Jamie Slone Wines or the Street in Spain paseo.) And both venues have hot mulled wine.
••• The inaugural Coffee Culture Fest—”where caffeine meets creativity”—will be March 28 at the Marjorie Luke Theatre and Santa Barbara Junior High School…