Jack’s Goes Beyond the Bagel

Patrons wandering into Jack’s on upper State Street (3891 La Cumbre Rd., 563-2524, bagelnet.com) of late have to have noticed the change-the tables are new, there are actual plates, and the menu offers much more, now that a convection cook-top has been installed. Indeed, it has joined its sister establishments on Milpas Street and in Carpinteria to officially become a Jack’s Bistro. “We still have people who don’t realize we sell other food, we are so connected to bagels,” owner Doralee Jacobson claimed. “We’ve changed into bistro fare as we want to take our business where it needs to go. People like to eat this way-fresh, healthy California cuisine with a little surprise-like our chipotle dressing, a tangy taste.” In addition to their best-seller B-eggls (yep, bagel-and-egg sandwiches), there are homemade soups and paninis. The kitchen fixed up a terrific Philly cheesesteak meets Santa Maria tri-tip panini on a recent visit: the peppers a zippy Ortega chile, the beef really tasting of meat. As Jacobson said, “Being a Jewish deli person, I like a sandwich that’s a sandwich.” So while you can still get the Montecito bagel-wich with its amazing, locally smoked Cambridge House lox, you can think beyond the bagel hole, too.