by Christina Waters | Aug 20, 2008 | Food, Home |
The talented Nicci Tripp, whose sophisticated orchestrations of fine, seasonal ingredients helped reinforce Theo’s culinary reputation for the past seven years, has left the Soquel landmark to become General Manager and Executive Chef at Vida, located at 1222 Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz. According to Vida’s publicist, Tripp has completely revamped the kitchen, and brought in his own staff to help interpret the all-new menu.
Commenting on the changes, Theo’s owner Roger Romano told me (more…)
by Christina Waters | Aug 20, 2008 | Home |
An alfresco dinner prepared by chef Nicci Tripp (see post above!), and matched by wines from downtown Santa Cruz’ enoteca VinoCruz will include a farm tour guided by organic growers Rich and Laura Everett. The wine pairings to accompany each of six courses, will be presented by VinoCruz’ glamorous and very knowledgeable oenophiles, J-P Correa and Jeffery Kongslie. Author of Fields That Dream, a Journey to the Roots of Our Food, Jenny Kurzweil, will be among the guests, at the farm located at 2111 Old San Jose Road (831/566-0472).
Organized by 50 Mile Radius, the event celebrates our celebrated local bounty and some of its top producers. More than simply a designer dinner, this event promises to be a close encounter with brilliantly-prepared foods, enjoyed on the very spot that produces it. The time of year is perfect for a long, leisurely, alfresco meal.
Tickets, priced at $165, are available at the 50 Mile Radius website. For more information and reservations call 831/621-3794.
by Christina Waters | Aug 19, 2008 | Food, Home |
The subtext behind complaints about multi-cuisine restaurants (see my mini-rant below) is not only that it’s incredibly difficult to get one culinary genre right, much less two or three. But that calling a place, e.g. an “Asian Restaurant” implies that there is such a thing as “Asian” food. And that implies the devolution of specific ethnic cuisines and traditions into a glob of fused, homogenous cookery that merely nods in the general direction of its various influences.
How much of so-called “Asian” cuisine, for example, is Japanese? And how much is Thai? or Cambodian? or Mandarin, Szechuan, Vietnamese? You see where I’m going.
If I drove by a restaurant that billed its specialty as “American cooking,” I would not only be confused, but I’d wonder what happened to, e.g. Cajun, or Chesapeake, or Texas-style, or California, or Southern. What I mourn in this postmodern, globalized environment is the details of specificity – in wine it’s called terroir. Those unique flavors, styles, histories, influences, ingredients, which distinguish this place from that, one climate from another.
When you globalize cuisine, you cheat every one of those powerful, unique and honorable influences. You neutralize them in the name of convenience, i.e. $$$.
by Christina Waters | Aug 13, 2008 | Art |
Santa Cruz-based, mixed media artist Victoria May creates exquisite, hand-wrought creations. Her uncanny blends of richly-worked fabric and photoemulsion tend to push viewers to the edge of their art vocabularies. And that’s exactly what solid artwork should do.
So get up to The City and stretch your senses at May’s opening reception, this Saturday, August 16 from 3-5pm. The show, entitled Residuum, continues through September 27 – at the Don Soker Contemporary Art Gallery, 29 Geary in San Francisco. 415/291-0966.
by Christina Waters | Aug 8, 2008 | Food, Home, Wine |
The irrepressible Randall Grahm, winemaker of Bonny Doon Vineyard will lead gastronomes through a memorable evening of wine and cuisine at Manresa, in Los Gatos, on September 7. Chef David Kinch will prepare a four-course dinner at his Michelin-starred landmark, inspired by the wines of Bonny Doon, and the unique terroir of our Central Coast. Think “ultimate wine dinner.” Long famed as an innovator, Grahm is easily one of the most brilliant eno-raconteurs available. He’s the mind behind such coveted Rhône-style wines as Le Cigare Volant, Le Cigare Blanc and Vin Gris de Cigare, as well as the biodynamic estate wines of Ca’ del Solo Albariño and Ca’ del Solo Muscat.
Both David Kinch and Randall Grahm are tireless fanatics about biodynamic farming practices in our growing region. Their culinary collaboration at this event should be sweet, to say the least. Join Randall Grahm at Manresa on Sunday, September 7 — wine reception at 5:00 p.m. and dinner at 5:45 p.m. The cost is $250 per person, (tax and gratuity not included). Reservations are available only at 408.354.4330. Pick up the phone. Now!
(photo:Alex Kraus)
