Authentic red velvet cupcakes – tender, moist and topped with an exuberant amount of butter-cream frosting, plus some colorful sugar ornaments. This really hit the spot last week, and for $2.25 a pop, might be one of the last culinary bargains in the known world. Those green Christmas tree cookies don’t look bad either….
Gayle’s.
The window of Annieglass, full of seasonal shimmer.
A pitch-perfect cinnamon bread pudding, served with warm stewed huckleberries and rosemary ice cream absolutely blew us away last Sunday night.
At The Cellar Door. Thank you Charlie Parker — saints have been canonized for less.
Winemaker Sal Godinez, of Vine Hill Winery, makes no boring wines. The proof is in the pouring, and the best way to discover some of these full-bodied Santa Cruz Mountains wines is to visit the beautiful winery high above the fog line. The tasting room is surrounded by some of the most history-drenched vineyard land in California. Open for the next three weekends, at 2300 Jarvis Rd (off Vine Hill/Branciforte) – 831/427-0436.
Ceramic artist Jenny Morten makes porcelain objects so appealing, to the eye and the hand, that they manage to shape-shift across the border between sculpture and functionality.
Ablaze with subtle hues of the ocean and shore, her bowls, vases and gleaming hand-thrown items make sensational gifts. You will want to claim some for your very own, too. These pieces are extremely seductive — I own several pieces myself, and intend to own even more.
Original hand-crafted artwork. Yes, this is exactly the sort of thing that enlightened Santas like to deal with.
Jenny Morten’s Mar Monte Studio is open on Saturdays 2pm – 5pm, through December 19th.
168 Mar Monte Avenue, La Selva Beach – 831/688-5173
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.