Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, December 11, 2021

Mountain View News Saturday, December 11, 2021 

The Chef Knows By Peter Dills 
CHRISTMAS ROAD TRIP AKA 
DAY TRIPPIN’ 

There is a popular adage "if it was easy, everyone 
would be doing it", so my visit to Lucky’s 
a white table cloth restaurant in Montecito 
seemed a simple enough task. Lucky’s is clear in 
their mission: steaks, chops, and seafood. Located 
on Coast Village Road in Montecito, the 
space has seen its fair share of businesses since it 
was built in 1926. Not all were restaurants - this 
writer wasn’t present for the Pink Squirrel in the 50’s (and is still not convinced that the owner actually 
had a pink squirrel, but that is for another day), Irelands in the 60’s, and a few others after that. By the 
late 90’s the building had seen better days and area residents thought the location had just plain run 
out of luck. As luck would have it, however, a few Montecito residents gave the building a makeover, 
and Lucky’s was born as Montecito’s clubhouse - a home away from home complete with a patio, bar 
and dining area. I have often thought that fine dining is a dying breed, but Lucky’s has restored my 
faith. 


The menu lists wonderful aged prime steaks featuring a 24-ounce porterhouse steak and 18 oz bone-in 
rib chop - for me, the meat closest to the bone is my favorite. A closer look at the nightly specials reveals 
comfort food that you will appreciate as much I do, like Thursday's Market Street Meatloaf, created 
and introduced to Lucky’s by GM and Chef Leonard Schwartz. Mr. Schwartz has been at Lucky’s 
for eight years, with 22 years in the restaurant business prior to that, and has brilliantly brought some 
of his favorite dishes to Montecito. Besides the meatloaf, consider the chili with just the right amount 
of beans for texture (I suggest having the cheese and onions on the side). 

On my last visit, I sat at the bar , and had the calamari appetizer with a burger. I don’t eat burgers 
that often, but when I do I want something special, and Lucky's offers an eight-ounce burger made 
with meats from the kitchen, and the fries are all house-made (if you follow my column, you know 
I'm a stickler for fresh French fries!). Of course, there are many popular salads on the menu including 
the house favorite "Lucky's Salad", and an iceberg wedge that is almost a meal in itself. The 
wine list has many California offerings, including wines from Santa Barbara, Paso Robles and Napa 

- with more than 25 wines by the glass, there's something for every taste. With so many items on the 
menu, my suggestion is to come with a friend and share. Lucky’s 1279 Coast Village Rd. Montecito 
(805)565-7540 
Peter Dills hosts a local radio show every Sunday 5 PM KLAA Angels Radio AM 830 

2022
LOS ANGELES COUNTY REPORTS ADDITIONAL CASE OF 
THE OMICRON VARIANT AS A POSSIBLE RESULT OF LOCAL 
TRANSMISSION 
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has received confirmation 
of a fourth case of COVID-19 with mutations consistent with the new Omicron 
variant (B.1.1.529). This latest case is a possible result of local transmission. 
The individual is fully vaccinated and received a booster. The individual had mild symptoms 
and had multiple close contacts who have since tested positive and are self-isolating. 
Several of the close contacts are fully vaccinated, while the vaccination status of some is still 
being determined. 
Public Health is working to determine if these additional cases are of the Omicron variant. 
“The identification of a case of Omicron attributed to community spread is a reminder 
that we all need to take necessary precautions to prevent transmission of COVID-19,” Barbara 
Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Celebrating with those we love 
this holiday season requires layering on the protections that are now available to us: vaccinations, 
boosters, masking up, and testing. This is how we slow the spread of Delta and 
Omicron.” 
Public Health would also like to remind residents that getting vaccinated 
or boosted remains critical as holiday traveling and gatherings 
begin. 
Additionally, all residents across LA County should continue: 
Getting tested to help reduce the spread, especially if you traveled for the holidays, have had 
a possible exposure or have symptoms 
Adhering to masking requirements when indoors or at large outdoor mega events, regardless 
of vaccination status 
Residents are also reminded that they are legally required to be isolated if they have a positive 
COVID test result and that vaccinated close contacts with symptoms and unvaccinated 
close contacts need to be quarantined.
Los Angeles County 
WITH UNVACCINATED 12-17 YEAR OLD’S NINE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO 
GET COVID-19 THAN VACCINATED 12-17 YEAR OLD’S, PARENTS ENCOURAGED 
TO VACCINATE THEIR CHILDREN AHEAD OF THE HOLIDAY 
SEASON 
As residents prepare to gather for holidays, the Los Angeles County Department of Public 
Health (Public Health) encourages parents to protect their children and prevent the transmission 
of COVID-19 by getting everyone in their family who is eligible vaccinated or 
boosted. 
COVID-19 is now one of the top 10 causes of death among children nationwide. The COVID-
19 vaccine is the best way to protect your child from getting sick, being hospitalized, 
or developing long-term symptoms. Most importantly, vaccinating your child also helps 
protect family members, including siblings who are not eligible for vaccination and those 
who may be at high risk for getting very sick if infected. 
In L.A. County, COVID-19 cases among school-aged children decreased by 30% between 
late September and late November. Over a two-week interval at the end of November, unvaccinated 
12-17-year old’s were nine times more likely to be infected than those who had 
been vaccinated. During this same interval, two children aged 5 to 11 and eight children 
aged 12 to 17 were hospitalized, all of them unvaccinated. There were 6 confirmed MIS-C 
cases in L.A. County in October 2021 and 4 confirmed cases in November 2021. Pediatric 
trends mirror adult trends: over the same interval, unvaccinated L.A. County residents over 
18 were infected and hospitalized at rates 3 and 14 times higher than vaccinated adults, 
respectively. 
Public Health continues to see very low numbers of school cases given the 1.55 million 
students enrolled countywide. During the week ending December 4th, 1,311 cases and 3 
outbreaks were identified, and test positivity was 0.28%. 
If you’d like to get your child vaccinated, please check www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) 
or www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish) to find a site near you, you can also check 
with your child’s healthcare provider to find out if they offer COVID vaccines. 
“I send my heartfelt condolences to everyone mourning the loss of a loved one to COVID-
19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “Although several 
parts of the country are seeing large waves of pediatric infections and hospitalizations, 
our experience in L.A. County has been different, with transmission decreasing here over 
the past two months and relatively low numbers of pediatric hospitalizations. What we are 
continuing to see is that unvaccinated children are the ones getting severely ill with COVID 
infections and ending up in the hospital. Meanwhile, county schools remain a very safe 
place – and in fact, we think it’s because of the outstanding preventive work our school 
partners are doing that we are seeing so little severe illness in children. As we’re headed into 
the winter holidays and children spend more time intermingling without schools’ protective 
layers of consistent mask wearing and other control strategies, their risk of infection 
is going to increase. The best way to get children ready for the holidays is to get them vaccinated 
as soon as possible.” 
PLEASE GET VACCINATED! 
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and are recommended for everyone 5 years old 
and older to help protect against COVID-19. Vaccinations are always free and open to eligible 
residents and workers regardless of immigration status. Appointments are not needed 
at all Public Health vaccination sites and many community sites where first, second, and 
third doses are available. 
To find a vaccination site near you, or to make an appointment, please visit: 
www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) or www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish). 
If you need assistance you can also call 1-833-540-0473 for help. 
COVID 19 ONE YEAR LATER: 
WHERE WE ARE NOW 12/10/21 VERSUS (THEN-12/11/20) 
Cases/Deaths are still occuring especially among the unvaccinated. 
Location Cases 2021 (2020) Deaths 
LA County 1,530,526 (501,635) 27,208 (8,199) 
LA COUNTY VACCINATIONS AS OF 12/10/2021Adults 82.2% Seniors 96.2% 
Cases Deaths Fully VaccinatedArcadia 3,589 (985) 149 ( 40) 84.5% 
Altadena 4,254 (1278) 81 (22) 81.2% 
Bradbury 42 ( 30) 0 ( 0) 66.8% 
Duarte 2,866 (957) 102 (37) 78.6% 
Monrovia 4,211 (1189) 87 (41) 75.9% 
Pasadena 14,009 (4536) 368 (138) 80.1% 
Sierra Madre 701 ( 141) 13 ( 5) 84.7% 
So.Pasadena 1810 (516) 49 ( 28) 88.8% 

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