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.
by Christina Waters | Oct 31, 2007 | Home, Wine |
Exploring local, Santa Cruz Mountains white wines is always a garden of forking paths. One sample leads to another and it’s easy to get lost in a malolactic maze.
To demystify, here are two terrific ideas in the category of substantial white wine — wine with enough distinction and identity to partner whatever your holiday table plans to hold.
The Ahlgren Semillon 2002 Рas fine a semillon as this legendary house has made, and full of the perfume of lilacs and jalape̱o. $16.99 at most enlightened wine and food shops.
Windy Oaks Estate Chardonnay 2005 One-Acre –
lighter than California-style, but freighted with enough pear and caramel center to thrill the palate – this beautiful white wine shows off the intellectual and very light touch of winemaker Jim Schultze. Available from the winery or on-line, for $35.
by Christina Waters | Oct 31, 2007 | Home, Wine |
Thinking locally is a delight for Santa Cruz wine lovers. Drinking locally. After all, we don’t live in Dayton. Here’s an example of what I mean – the bodacious, multi award-winning Hallcrest Pinot Noir 2004 Belle Farms. Showing elegance as well as the exuberance of new world Pacific Rim terroir, this gorgeous garnet-hued wine is laden with allspice and raspberry. At least to start with. It opens into a supple encounter with leather, lemon grass and black cherries before finishing up with pure plum. The structure holds nicely all the way through.
Winemaker John Schumacher loves discovering foods that heighten the varietal potential of his wines. And I have to thank him for this stupendous wine and food pairing — tamales (chicken with red sauce), hot salsa colorado and Hallcrest Belle Farms Pinot Noir.
A serious partnership — the earthy sweetness of the masa, the pungent bite of the red chiles and the berryish wine. Sounds like holiday party food to me.
