A dessert by Le Cigare Volant pastry chef Yoomi Shelton riffed on the theme of Live Earth Farms rhubarb.
From left—panna cotta topped with rhubarb coulis. In the center a rhubarb crisp topped with ginger foam! and on the right, jasmine ice cream on a brilliant bouquet of rhubarb gelée. Beautiful and delicious. Something I’m coming to expect from this exciting kitchen.
Lunches daily at Le Cigare Volant— starting May 21st!
How good does this salad of radicchio, arugula and fava beans look? Almost as good as it tasted last night.
Add a few slices of beet to continue the brilliant magenta colors of the radicchio, and then top it with a trio of sardines and an egg from those contented chickens outside the kitchen door.
Another reason why La Posta has become our most reliable dining destination.
It was a town/gown Who’s Who last Monday at Le Cigare Volant, as the UCSC Arts division celebrated the launch of a student-designed label for a Banana Slug Roussanne 2010, made by Bonny Doon Vineyards.
Art major Louise Leong‘s crisp, colorful label design won the top award—and appears on the custom-bottled white wine now available at the Tasting Room on Ingalls Street.
Proceeds from sales of the $16 wine will support student scholarships for UCSC Arts students.
The label is a knock-out and the wine is intriguing. This elegant wine should be the graduation gift souvenir of the season.
[shown here: Leong, winemaker Randall Grahm, dean of the Arts David Yager.photo:J.Rogge]
Anybody who wants to learn more about wines, winemaking and especially meet those who are most inside the process—winemakers themselves—should take advantage of the always-exciting wine tastings offered by Soif. Generous pours, cheese, bread and Marcona almonds, lots of insider growing and tasting notes—that’s a lot of value for $20.
Last week Mateo and I enjoyed a sampling of some of the best wines made in California, by Peay Vineyards winemaker Vanessa Wong.
Winery co-owner Andy Peay walked us through a few of the celebrated Pinot Noirs from this estate, plus two big surprise wines—a mineral-laced 2001 Cep Sauvignon Blanc, and a rosé, really a blush wine with a slight frizzante and a refreshing, salty finish.
It’s a treat to find out how grapes respond in different regions, and learn more about how the alchemistry of winemaking challenges even the most experienced artisans.
Like all agriculturalists, winemakers are essentially at the mercy of weather.
An exciting new chef, a logical new name—just when you thought the dust had actually settled over at the section of the galaxy ruled by Bonny Doon Vineyard…..think again.
A new terroir-driven wine list—soon to be unveiled—will shake up your tired old criticisms of the biodynamic tasting room and restaurant on Ingalls Street.
Seriously. You are not expecting this.
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.