White Wine Words to Remember
1) Cumbre – Santa Cruz Mountains, “Stu’s Best” – 2007
2) Chardonnay
3) Graceful – minerals – low oak – slate and orange zest
4) $17.99
5) Affordable elegance
6) Shoppers Corner
Tuesday + Soif = Tapas
This intricate plate involved a gossamer tempura treatment of very long, very delicious green beans, cradling two puffs of equally gossamer tempura’d cippolini onions. All of this atop a lagoon of aioli punctuated with brilliant red pickled cabbage. Quite lovely. But even more astonishing—the $3 pricetag.
I added a glass of Nero d’Avola ($8ish) and turned it into a small personal feast.
Soif on Tuesdays offers quite a long list of these $3 tapas plates. The line should be outside the door @ 5pm.
the ultimate stocking stuffer
This year give the gift of chocolate so decadent it should be illegal.
My friend Rita, now my official chocolate procuress, gave me a few of these beautiful, red-cellophane wrapped chocolates last week. One bite and my hair stood on end.
From the Italian house of Venchi comes something you knew probably existed, but you didn’t dare hope.
Cuba Rhum is the name of the bon bon, a dark chocolate shell enclosing a chocolate truffle interior infused with high-wattage, high-proof rum. It is so good you will not believe it.
The best news is that you can get them right here at La Sirena Antiques – they’re at the front counter of Kim Kempke’s eclectic boutique, filling a giant glass jar. And for a mere buck fifty a pop you can leave earth’s atmosphere for a few long, slow, delicious moments.
Seriously. The Cuba Rhum is to absolutely die for. It is chocolate candy the way Santa intended.
Get a handful. Eat one in the parking lot and then parcel the rest out to the people you really care about.
Lisa’s New Bracelet
Made by jewelry artist Faye Augustine, the new bracelet sports the title of Lisa Jensen’s forthcoming book, Alias Hook. It adorns her wrist right next to the bracelet commemorating her last book, Sea Witch.
Ah authors and their jewelry…..
Pizza worth its weight in gluten!
That would be the succulent, hearty, beautifully-executed pizzas at Pizzeria Avanti, such as this beauty topped with fresh mozzarella, fresh heirloom tomato sauce, basil and housemade Italian sausage.
$12 for the pie + $4 for the sausage.
What’s not to like?
Inside the Flame
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.