Winner of the Best Neighborhood Bar Award from the Independent since 2019. Mon - Wed. 4:30 - 11pm; Th - Sat 4:30pm - 1 am
Happy Hour 4:30 - 6 pm Mon-Fri. Kitchen Opens @ 5:00
(Santa Barbara, CA/10.4.13) Father and son, Bob & Clay Lovejoy have been working for nearly a year on revamping and conserving the legacy of one of Santa Barbara’s classic cocktail lounges which they open officially on Satu
rday, October 5 christened as the “Pickle Room.” Next door is their Three Pickles Deli + Sub, which the men have had great success with, so pickles had to be in the name. It’s fitting a family should open a new business there as well – it was once the legendary “Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens” - a family owned and operated restaurant and lounge from 1947 until July 29, 2006 under the guidance of the Chung family. Today it’s the Lovejoy family carrying on the tradition. That’s why when you walk into the bar and look at the windows with the Chinese symbols of “double happiness” one can imagine the building and family are giving the new owners a nod of approval. It’s a family thing. Getting the building is a real dream come true for Bob Lovejoy, who moved to Santa Barbara from Burbank in late 1975 and two years later opened Lovejoy Design. For 37 years, he presided over the marble, tile and glass brick installation/contracting business. He said, “Jimmy’s is where I would come after working to relax and enjoy the company of the patrons and my dear friend, Willy Gilbert the bartender who over the years has become one of my closet friends. Willy was also rather famous for his jazz collection which was the soundtrack for the bar.” Inspired by the memory of the mood-setting music, Bob stated, “Sonos Sound is designing a great sound system for the bar that will further identify the kind of atmosphere we want to have in our new room.”
Sitting in the heart of what was once the bustling Chinatown and Japan-town it is one of the few original buildings left in the area. The Lovejoy family – Bob, Clay, Martha - has made a sizeable donation to the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation to fund an Asian Museum, set to debut in 2014, in the most unusual setting you’re likely to come across – a museum inside a cocktail lounge. The historical facts will focus on the impact the Chinese and Japanese people made in the area with a spotlight the Chung family. “We want to honor our neighborhood’s heritage especially those who worked here in this building so they aren’t forgotten for their important contributions to this community,” said Clay Lovejoy. “Think of it as a great conversation starter,” he winked. Building on this legacy, they have restored the vibrant red bar to its original length fitting perfectly under the pagoda-styled roof, as it was when it opened 66 years ago. Bob has “a reverence for what’s old and Californian” having come from a family whose business was American antiques. His sensibilities in design play out in every square inch of the lounge. “I want this place to evoke memories of a 1940s cocktail lounge.” Red, black and gold – traditional Chinese décor - are the colors used throughout. Vintage pin-up posters of Asian women that adorned the bar previously are back on the walls. There are lots of little touches you’ll notice which honor the Chinese roots here and of course the one big bow is the original sign that hung outside Jimmy’s now dominates the back wall of the bar. Tommy Chung, who took over the reins from his dad Jimmy in the 1970s, gave the Lovejoy’s his permission to use the sign. Not only is the building making a great comeback, longtime favorite bartender, Willy Gilbert who worked at Jimmy’s for 25+ years – comes back to his old stomping grounds to manage the bar and work three nights. “I will be juggling my time between the Pickle Room and another venerable restaurant where I have been for six plus years, and am very fortunate and excited to be working in both establishments,” he said with a smile. Lovejoy’s & Willy have designed a great cocktail menu with classic drinks alongside the new handcrafted cocktails now so in vogue using house made simple syrup. House special drinks made with tequila, rum, whiskey, gin and vodka all get their signature drinks: Willy’s Hornitas Margarita; Tommy's Mai Tai; Old Fashioned; Singapore Sling; and Moscow Mule. Three of the ten bottled beers will be Asian, including Tsing-Tao Chinese rice beer. Bob added, “We’ll have four wines available by the glass: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and a house red. Plus, I have my personal favorite Pinot Noir wines which will I’m going to make available to purchase by the bottle.”
Chef Weston Richards, whose work at Julian and Wine Cask was heralded, helped to design the menu and will be executive chef in the kitchen a few nights of the week. Clay’s face really lights up when you start talking food – his background in the meat business comes into play here and at the deli next door. He poured out, “We’re going to grind our own meats for the burgers making them extra juicy." Also on the menu will be a Pastrami Dip, deep fried pickles and in a polite nod to the Chinese legacy, Chinese Chicken Salad and Combination Fried Rice – plus a hybrid we’ve just created the Reuben Eggroll, using Russian dressing as the dipping sauce.”
There are lots of ‘regulars’ who are looking forward to seeing the place re-open. One of those is longtime Santa Barbara resident and artist Gary Chafe. His painting of the old Jimmy’s is also the t-shirt for the new room, available for purchase. Additionally, Lovejoy’s will be able to offer Three Pickles Deli as a new location for small, private events or parties. Bob explained, “We’ll close the deli at 3:30 and be able to offer event planners an alternative space for after work options starting around 5pm.”
The Pickle Room is located at 126 E. Canon Perdido St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Phone: (805 )965-1015. Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express
www.ThreePickles.com
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