by Christina Waters | Oct 24, 2007 | Food, Home, Travel |
After the performance, I roamed the broad sidewalks outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion along with most of the Mark Morris Dance Group audience — we were trying to come back to earth. Across the street in the gleaming Disney Hall is Joachim Splichal’s flagship Patina, one of the icons of California cuisine. I had wisely made an on-line reservation for an early dinner there – in time to unwind, have something clever to eat, and still get back to LAX for the flight through the burning hills, and home.
Pretentiousness reigns at Patina, where the woman at the front desk is wearing BCBG and two guys show you to the bathrooms. One points, the other opens the door. The head waiter/sommelier has a French accent — which might be genuine. Or not. I decide that ordering well is the best revenge, and begin with a glass of Tempranillo. A Viñas del Cenit Tempranillo 2003 ($14) to be precise — lots of fruit and bold tannin. Another waiter brings around a tray laden with bread possibilities — I choose something with enormous whole grains and several tiny rounds of sourdough that are fabulous. An amuse is presented by waiter person number 3 – it is a 
morsel of lobster hiding under a transparent disk of daikon, sauced with something too sweet containing perhaps grapefruit. It is very pretty – and almost flavorful enough to be called delicious. (more…)
by Christina Waters | Oct 23, 2007 | Home, Wine |
From waaay down under — New Zealand — comes my new favorite, crisp inexpensive easy-sippin’ Sauvignon Blanc. Villa Maria 2006, “Private Bin,” is a fun companion for tapas and seafoods, or just for unwinding after a hard day at the keyboard. Full of citrus and granite, this baby opens up – not a whole lot, but enough – into a delicate olive grove finish. It offers a respectable, but restrained 13.5% alcohol.
The best part? The $7 price tag.
At Cost Plus World Market.
Go get some.
by Christina Waters | Oct 18, 2007 | Home, Movies |
Can you say “perfect film?” An existential tale of corporate corruption that plays like Greek tragedy crossed with Kafka. That’s Michael Clayton, the latest George Clooney cinematic encounter produced by a handful of gifted directors, written/directed by Tony Gilroy (who wrote all the “Bourne” films) and flawlessly cast.
Given Clooney’s remarkable presence, you enter the theater expecting slick, glamor and extreme urban style. What you get, thanks to the gritty intelligence of the entire filmic package, is a dreamlike membrane of loss, grit and greed whose central Everyman is an emotionally bruised company fixer for a New York corporate law firm.
Clooney is our era’s Marilyn Monroe. The camera adores him. It is impossible not to be drawn to his screen image, his brooding beauty — which is now tinged by enough middle-aged seediness to be haunting. The loss of Michael Clayton’s personal center echoes the threadbare quality of the northeast itself, and while never showy, the camerawork of Robert Elswit etches the disintegration just under the surface of humans, landscape and social networks gathered into this vivid film. (more…)
by Christina Waters | Oct 17, 2007 | Food |
The subject is lettuce mix. I guess I’ve just had enough. Yesterday, as I once again picked over the wilted, tired lettuces in the mix at New Leaf – searching for a handful of greens that still looked as though they still retained some lifeforce, I realized it had been like this for the past year. Maybe more. Oh in the spring, the greens here look and taste great. But once summer hits, the downhill slide begins. I’m begging New Leaf to respect itself and its customers enough to either: a) find new purveyors of lettuce mix or, b) stop putting it out in the produce section altogether, until they can get a grip on the situation.
The deal is that there is good, fresh, vibrant baby lettuce available. I see it every time I visit the farmers market. If the Everett Family Farmers can package gorgeous bouncy appealing greens, then I know it’s possible.
Would you put this wilted stuff on your own dinner table? Would you serve this to your own family or friends? Then why are you asking your community to buy it?
New Leaf – I’ve been shopping at your stores since the day you opened. But enough! Your lettuce mix is a joke. Please fix it!
by Christina Waters | Oct 17, 2007 | Food, Home |
Michel Loubiere, whose wife Muriel is a talented chef, emailed to tell me that the couple will unveil their new restaurant, Au Midi, this weekend. The French dining spot is located in Aptos, in the tiny center behind the Aptos Cinema, at 7960 Soquel Drive. I’m looking forward to trying out this welcome addition to our restaurant landscape.
