by Christina Waters | Jun 16, 2008 | Food, Home |
More will be written – by me among others – about Range, a slender slice of culinary chic at 842 Valencia in the Mission District. But for now let me just give you the short description of our two desserts.
One was a thin, thin wedge of fresh rhubarb tart. The thin slices of rhubarb had been woven into a beautiful chevron mosaic, glazed with (probably) strawberry jam and then baked on the finest pastry crust known to woman. On the side was a single scoop of (be still my heart) pink peppercorn ice cream.
Okay.
The second dessert was a classic – only better than classic – strawberry shortcake with geranium-infused whipped cream. Somewhere in there was a whisper of Meyer lemon.
This is part of why Range has a Michelin star to call its own.
by Christina Waters | Jun 13, 2008 | Home |
As if Gabriella chef Sean Baker weren’t busy enough – the word is that he’s the culinary wunderkind putting together the menu for a new winery cafe. . . . Meanwhile, we’re told, Jessica Yarr (formerly of Theo’s and Gabriella) has taken her pastry expertise to the fabulous River Cafe, where desserts already set incredibly high standards. Yarr emailed to tell me that she will be returning to Theo’s this summer to finesse even more pastry pyrotechnics, so now would be a great time to make a reservation at the Soquel landmark restaurant.
Rumors exist to be confirmed, so email me if you’ve got any supporting data, when you’re not busy watching the fires and floods on TV.
by Christina Waters | Jun 13, 2008 | Food, Home, Travel |
A decent bottle of red wine. And real glasses, stemware — we got ours at the St. Vincent de Paul store in Paso Robles. $1 each. Wrap them in a tea towel, throw in a bottle opener and a bag of pistachio nuts, and voila! instant happy hour. This sort of emergency travel gear can liven up even the most flourescent Travelodge room. . . . And for the actual driving part, we always stock bottled water, travel cups of hot coffee, plus a large stash of high quality trail mix.
My current favorite is the organic blend of nuts and dried fruits from our very own Pajaro company, Sunridge Farms. Easy to eat, concentrated fuel, organic ingredients and delicious. This beats stopping for fast food any day of the week/year/decade.
by Christina Waters | Jun 12, 2008 | Food, Home, Travel |
On the way to the Mojave — a stunningly beautiful and difficult expanse of geological wildness — we always stop for the night in Paso Robles. Once simply a cow town next to a mission, now a cow town with wraparound vineyards, fine restaurants and a charming grid of 19th century Western architecture, Paso Robles is worth a look.
Artisan and Bistro Laurent are our favorite dining spots. Always top quality, with excellent listings of local wines. At Bistro Laurent we sampled an updated French classic of stewed rabbit with mashed potato cake, and another entree of seared scallops topped with a crispy risotto frittata. Both exceptional, as were the Liberty School Cab and the Eberle Syrah that accompanied.
On the way back from the desert, we dined at Artisan — louder than professional basketball, but excellent. I always order the appetizer of seared ahi, with crisp green tomato fritters. An entree of wild boar with oricchiette and English peas was amazing. 
Moving on the next morning, we took a break (along with everyone on the way to LA) at the Hwy 46 exit just before the massive I-5. Here at the friendly, over-the-top candy, gasoline & pee stop that is Pilot, we found something so horrifyingly silly that we were stopped in our tracks. So THIS is how America gets so fat, we thought, as we considered a display of “BigAz” Fiesta Biscuits the size of a BarcaLounger. (more…)
by Christina Waters | Jun 11, 2008 | Food, Home |
Now is the best time to dine out at your favorite restaurants. Am I crazy? Nope.
Restaurants are in deep fiscal misery, feeling the pinch due to rising fuel costs, lowering dollar and grains being used up for ethanol or shipped halfway around the world. That means that chefs and bakers and restaurateurs are getting more creative than ever in hopes of tempting customers. The value — the bang for the buck — in dining out has never been better, as chefs get smart with seasonings, innovative flavor and texture combinations, more slow-cooked dishes, stir-fries just all-around smarter use of every ingredient.
The diner wins here, and that means that you should be making reservations right now!
