by Christina Waters | Nov 3, 2007 | Home |
The crowds were restless this weekend, sensing that this was the last Saturday Farmers Market for Severino’s Family Butcher. Justin Severino and his wife/partner Hilary Prescott did a sell-out business with the astonishing charcuterie Santa Cruzans have come to adore. But it’s true. This talented duo is packing up for Pittsburgh PA, where a large extended family is looking forward to their arrival.
Culinary wunderkind Severino plans to start off by cheffing at Eleven, one of the area’s leading edge dining rooms, while keeping his eyes peeled for his own restaurant opportunity.
When you’re back East after the new year, remember to stop by Pittsburgh.
by Christina Waters | Nov 1, 2007 | Food, Holidays, Home |
You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a sushi bar decorated for Halloween. Mobo did a fine, if restrained job of tossing a few pumpkins and spiders and cobwebs here and there on October 31.
But I was there for one thing – my favorite guilty pleasure lunch. Sushi. More specifically, tekka maki (maguro rolled into tight little rolls) with shiso (that peppery leaf that tastes uniquely like itself and nothing else). And since it was a holiday, I decided to splurge and have one order of hamachi nigiri. Add a tall glass of green tea, and you’ve got All Hallow’s Eve heaven on a plate. $13, not counting tip. Pure luxury, soaked in wasabi and soy. Arigato.
Mobo Sushi, 105 S. River St., SC 425-1700
by Christina Waters | Nov 1, 2007 | Holidays, Home |
Any holiday at Ristorante Avanti can be juicy. Especially Halloween, which brings out the outrageous costume consciousness in the normally sedate staff of servers. To be candid, any excuse to dress up and act out is welcomed by this hard-working, hard-playing group, and so it was even more fun than usual having dinner at the Mission Street landmark on All Hallows’ Eve.
We were shown to our table by Willy Nelson, our order was taken by the Queen of England herself, bread was brought by a young man whose daring disguise was as smart as it was obvious. He was dressed as himself! A charming pirate of the Caribbean made sure we had enough bread and a witch with pink hair swirled through the patrons.
Even better was the food. We started with a shared sauté of wild, fresh porcini mushrooms — sweet and earthy — on a bed of frisée. Jack then proceeded to dive into his Avanti standard, the exceptional meatballs with housemade pappardalle. I ordered a special of Liberty duck breast, done rare and smothered in more sautéed porcinis – yum – on a bed of ragout of various green and yellow beans and infant white turnips.
An appropriately wicked dinner, served by a skilled band of pranksters.
