Christina Waters

The name “Easter” honors the Anglo Saxon goddess of dawn, whose favorite animal companion was the hare. Now hares, like rabbits, aren’t exactly known for celibacy (to whit, the high school expression, to “bang like a bunny”), hence they make the perfect symbol of the season. After the hard times of winter, spring—by any name—was worth celebrating (and here we’d do well to recall that baby chicks, little bunnies, lambs and other adorable barnyard entities are actually born in the spring). The egg motif, again symbolic of birth, predates Christianity, and was used by ancient Egyptians and Greeks in their fertility cults. It would be cynical to point out that each spring, hens just tend to lay a lot of eggs, and somebody had to invent something to do with this ovoid glut. Nature was essentially the biological metaphor for Christ’s return from the dead—and vice versa. It was a good fit, and the early Christian marketing geniuses knew it.

So did later Christian marketing geniuses, guys with names like Macy and Wanamaker. Easter - the most exploited excuse for spending since (you got it) Christmas, moved from a religious ritual to a retail rite of spring, thanks to the Victorian mania for interior decoration. (more…)

Having eaten more than my fair share of these sensational salads, I figured I’d better confess: I have a serious thing for the Heirloom Spinach Salad at Avanti. You would too if you could see just how perfectly loaded with that mineraly fresh spinach flavor (Popeye was right!) this lightly dressed creation is. Setting off the spinach intensity (thanks to Windmill Farms) is a hard-boiled egg, which is barely hard so that the yolk retains an unctuous appeal, plus two finger-sized francese toasts wrapped with pancetta. Long, slender ribbons of Manchego cheese spill all over this edible ode to spring. Jocelyn and I exerted our Nietzschean appetites upon one of these last week, and before you could say mi piace, the spinach was gone!

Orin Martin knows roses. Big time. Martin is the manager of UCSC’s Alan Chadwick Garden, and he’s been growing astonishing heirloom roses in Santa Cruz for decades. Author of A Rose Primer: An Organic Approach to Rose Selection and Care, Orin Martin will share his techniques for choosing and growing roses organically at a free workshop on Saturday, March 31, from 10 am to 12 noon at The Garden Company on Mission Street in Santa Cruz. If you value your roses, you gotta be there — Martin can clearly demystify even the most intricate fine points of horticulture, and will provide tips on year-round tasks involved in maintaining outstanding roses. (more…)

Here’s a tasty idea that Westside gourmet grazers can get behind.

It’s the new Bistro Al Mar, the fresh new re-incarnation of the corner cafe in the Almar shopping area (Almar, off Mission). Gone is the ambidextrous noodle shop, and in is a tapas-intensive neighborhood bistro that is already making local culturati very very happy. The brainchild of O’Mei proprietors, the new Euro-Med bistro offers pastas, tapas, and small plates — which are brought around on trays to your table, so that everything stays fresh and gets to hungry patrons pdq. Open Tuesday through Sunday for dinner, 5-9pm, Bistro Al Mar offers chalkboard specials, a nice listing of local and California wines, plus a tantalizing menu, including Sicilian caponata, panzanella, spicy composed salads, lots of cazuelas and earthy provençal stews. Prices look great — entrees $14-$18 tops. What’s not to like?

Think of them as wines that re-invigorate the whole idea of the world’s second oldest profession.

Now that I have your attention, I owe it to all of you who call yourselves wine-drinkers to remind you about the next opportunity to tour, sample and schmooze with winemakers - that would be the April 21 Passport Day. Three major events occur on April 21. The Queen’s birthday (her real one), my mother’s birthday and the SCMWA Passport Day. There may be other important events occuring on April 21, but I doubt it. This is a great way to discover more new wines and enjoy the why-we-live-here beauty of the Santa Cruz mountains. At over 30 wineries, 11am-5pm, $30/person.
Also, plan now to enjoy in-depth tasting, tours, finger foods, and winemaker talks at the June Vintner’s Festival 2007. Every winery on both sides of the hill will be represented, the east side of the mountains — June 2-3; the west side is featured the following weekend, June 9-10. Call 831/685-WINE for tickets, or check the website, www.scmwa.com.

This charming piece of urban apochrypha comes from an anonymous source, by way of Santa Cruz native Donna Blakemore. La Donna, currently Vice President for Development at San Francisco State University, should know better. (The views contained in this press release do not necessarily reflect the views of this blog.)

“Mattel recently announced the release of limited-edition Barbie Dolls for Santa Cruz County:

Aptos Barbie
She comes with an assortment of Kate Spade Handbags, a Lexus SUV, a long-haired foreign dog named Honey and a million dollar home. Available with or without tummy tuck and face lift. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with the augmented version.

Soquel Barbie
The modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Ford Wind star Minivan and matching gym outfit. She gets lost easily and has no full-time occupation. Traffic jamming cell phone sold separately.

Lompico Barbie
This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, a Ray Lewis knife, a Chevy with dark tinted windows, and a Meth Lab Kit. This model is only available after dark and must be paid for in cash (preferably small, untraceable bills) unless you are a cop, then we don’t know what you are talking about.

Pasatiempo Barbie
This yuppie Barbie comes with your choice of BMW convertible or Hummer H2. Included are her personal Starbucks cup, credit card and country club membership. Also available for this set are Shallow Ken and Private School Skipper. You won’t be able to afford any of them.

Boulder Creek Barbie
This pale model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans two sizes too small, a NASCAR t-shirt and tweety bird tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of Bud light and a Hank Williams Jr. CD set. This Barbie can spit over 5 feet and kick mullet-haired Ken’s butt when she is drunk. Purchase her pickup truck separately and get a confederate flag bumper sticker absolutely free.

Capitola Barbie
This collagen injected, rhino plastic Barbie wears a leopard print outfit and drinks Cosmopolitans while entertaining friends. A Percocet prescription is available as well as newly built condo.

Felton Barbie
This tobacco-chewing, brassy-haired Barbie has a pair of her own high-heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased beer-gutted Ken out of Lompico Barbie’s house. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans, fake fingernails, and a see-through halter-top. Comes with a mobile home.

Santa Cruz Barbie
This doll is made of actual tofu. She has long straight brown hair, arch-less feet, hairy armpits, no makeup and Birkenstocks with white socks. She prefers that you call her Willow. She does not want or need a Ken doll, but if you purchase two Barbie’s and the optional Subaru wagon, you get a rainbow flag bumper sticker for free.

Watsonville Barbie
This Barbie now comes with a stroller and 2 infant dolls. Optional accessories include a GED and bus pass. White boy Gangsta Ken and his 1979 Caddy were available, but are now very difficult to find since the addition of the infant.

Scotts Valley Barbie
She’s perfect in every way. We have no idea where Ken is; he’s probably still at work in Silicon Valley.

Lunch at Gabriella with Gayle Ortiz — of Gayle’s Bakery & Rosticceria — satisfied my on-going cravings for loads of local gossip, plus fresh, seasonal culinartistry by chef/earth goddess Rebecca King. How was I to know that I’d find the best burger I’ve had in a decade? Take a look at this image! If you think it looks good, I gotta tell you it tasted ever better. Elegant and intensely satisfying. That is a super juicy, medium-rare grilled Kobe beef burger on fresh focaccia, topped with melted mozzarella, caramelized onions and mustard aioli. (The photo only shows my half of the burger.) Served with a small salad of deluxe greens, it was a bargain for $14. Gayle is nothing if not an adventurous diner — she confesses that she’ll eat anything! - so we began our lunch at Gabriella with a split Dungeness crab salad, before sharing the burger. The salad was very pretty with pale green avocado and pink and red beets, on a bed of spicy watercress. But it proved a bit dry in the eating. The burger was terrific — it kissed up to all those burger cravings at once, and without any of the guilt. We called for ketchup and then stopped talking for entire minutes as we feasted on what has to be one of the best burgers in town. Any town.

Gabriella, still hosted by Paul Cocking and still a downtown dining must, is located at 910 Cedar Street in Santa Cruz (call 831/457-1677 for reservations).

Annieglass always knocks me out. The sensory thrill is total at this temple of artful glass tableware, accessories and jewelry. Just looking in the window makes me feel good. Well Ann Morhauser not only makes art, she supports the arts. For many years now she’s been hosting visiting musicians each season who come to play in the Cabrillo Festival. In fact Morhauser likes the summer celebration of fine contemporary music so much that she’s throwing a party at the Annieglass store, 110 Cooper Street in Santa Cruz, next Saturday March 31 from 10am - 5pm. It’s free and will offer a chance to inspect two new patterns of tableware, like the ultramarine glass “boats” pictured here, as well as all those unbelievable earrings. Ten percent of the store proceeds that day will go to the Cabrillo Fest — so this is the day to snap up some of the beautiful gift items you’ve been drooling over.

Every time I visit my great friend Laurel, we stop for a mid-day feast at the Parkhouse Eatery, always buzzing with action and sensationally intense flavors. Eccentric and colorful, like the bohemian University Heights neighborhood itself, Parkhouse occupies a funky vintage building (formerly a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store) and specializes in large creations involving oodles of fresh salads, no-holds-barred burgers and fries, and exotic variations on every great food idea southern California can hold.

The breakfasts are legendary, but last week it was lunch that called us. We managed to work our way through some, but not all, of a juicy, pink lamb burger, slathered with gorgonzola, olive tapenade and tomatos, with home-made ketchup. This arrived with a flotilla of fries and a large lemonade. I sampled a cup of the famous grilled shrimp and potato chowder. It was melt-in-your-mind good, as if someone’s mother had whipped it up from scratch — lots of butter, herbs, ribbons of leek, creamy potatoes and yes, grilled shrimps.

I also attempted to do partial justice (sounds like the theme for our current federal administration…) to a mammoth crab cake sandwich, but I failed. So Laurel took half of it home for dinner.

Oh yeah. We also worked our way through a single “Everything But the Kitchen Sink Brownie.” Served in a warm bowl, this is the ultimate, multi-layer, nut-encrusted, granola-enhanced, chocolate-studded brownie, topped with vanilla ice cream and more chocolate. The excellent Parkhouse coffee helped us make inroads on the decadent dessert. Like a trip to an x-rated chocolate bathhouse . . . . So next time you’re in the Balboa Park/University Heights region of San Diego, don’t miss Parkhouse. You could spend some quality time in the nearby art and antiques places too. So that’s Parkhouse Eatery, serving breakfast, lunch AND dinner daily at 4574 Park Blvd.(619/295-7275).

I love beautiful Balboa Park — you can always separate the great cities from the wannabees, by their parks. The Spanish Baroque “leftovers” from the 1915 Panama-California International Exposition, fill Balboa Park with graceful buildings and tropical gardens inviting leisurely strolling and picnicking. But the place is also filled with serious cultural diversions, from the Mingei Museum of international crafts, and the legendary Zoo, to the Aerospace Museum and the ornate Museum building, surrounded by gardens, fountains and even an old-fashioned organ pavilion, always well-used by lavish Mexican wedding parties.

My mom and I checked out the much-hyped Annie Liebovitz show, loaded with celebrity photos and intimate family vacation portraits. I found out more than I needed to know about every single hotel room in Venice that Liebovitz and her partner, the late Susan Sontag, had shared. And in all, it seemed more pop-star voyeurism trumped up as “art” than anything genuinely revealing about the human animal. A notable exception was a poignant photograph of Johnny Cash, not long before his death, looking at his wife, June Carter as she played the autoharp on their rambling front porch. His life was rolled into that single look of love and regret. Would that more of Liebovitz’ images on display had held as much.

There’s nothing like a line-up of Vanity Fair covers to work up an appetite, so we next hit the user-friendly Tea Pavilion dining patio, and swilled down udon noodles and teriyaki tofu rice bowls, washed down with green tea. This little al fresco spot, wedged conveniently between the main museum and the rose-filled Japanese Friendship Garden, offers friendly staff, fresh Japanese foods and low prices.