O'mei's menu continues to re-invent itself, producing sudden new spices and fresh seasonal responses to this or that bit of culinary influence. For example this new small plate offering. Bearing a trans-metaphysical resemblance to empanadas, Cornish pasties, and a...

Don't miss the chance to visit small wineries, sample new releases, chat with vintners and find out what makes the Santa Cruz Mountains winegrowing district utterly unique and distinctive. So - to do that - you need to get some tickets ($40 per) for the 24th Annual...

After an arduous morning of soaking up Netherlands' finest painters and printmakers—including several matchless Rembrandts, the peerless Carl Fabritius, and of course the beautiful if over-hyped Vermeer "Girl with the Pearl Earring," we needed some food. The...

Seriously. If you persist in thinking that you cannot afford to stop by a favorite cafe or restaurant, then consider acquiring a new Tuesday habit: tapas at Soif. For $3 I had a sensation that was positively Roman in its voluptuousness. Quail egg, adorned with choice...

Jim Denevan gave us a tasty gift ten years ago, when the idea of outdoor dining on farms and incomparable natural settings was but a gleam in his eye. But as you know, Outstanding in the Field has gone viral in the most delicious possible way. In fact adventurous...

What a catchy brand slogan! And indeed the 7th annual Greek Food Faire — May 17, 18, and 19—bids you do just that. Who can resist purchasing moussaka, spanakopita, grilled lamb souvlaki and incomparable handmade pastries, crisp and dusted with honey or powdered...

Cappuccino perfetto!

The glistening tension of cascading diminished fifths, augmented fourths, and other ways of saying "tritone" will fill two halls this weekend as the combined vocal expertise of four choral groups takes on Benjamin Britten's challenging War Requiem. Rarely performed,...

Mt. Lassen trout on a bean ragout—even better than it looks. Avanti for lunch. A delicious idea.

 Valdo Prosecco - two words worth remembering. A dry, fragrant bubbly that Rita Bottoms first tasted in Venice, fell in love with, and asked her wine merchant at Shoppers Corner to stock. Having done this, Bottoms provided the sparkling beverage at the book soirée...

Especially if it's a tower of citrus chiffon cake with buttermilk gelato, as shown here during a celebratory lunch with my soul sister Rita @ Ristorante Avanti. Feast your eyes.....

The inviting pastry display at Kelly's includes enough eye candy to help you channel your inner 5-year-old.  Or simply bring your own youngster to the Ingalls Street landmark and watch her smile.

Santa Clara's Triton Museum of Art has much to recommend itself, and a current show of Old Masters-style work by Southern California's Domenic Cretara is a prime example. Painting for many decades in the extreme chiaro scuro style of Baroque maestro Caravaggio,...

One picture is worth a thousand words! Soif does small plates on Tuesdays. This little number ran me $3. Serrano ham, half a soft/hard boiled egg, a thin slice of cheese, a thin crostini, and a slick of mustard. With an Italian red! (for a few $$ more).

Just to review: yes, Randall Grahm has decided to move his Bonny Doon Vineyards tasting room to a new location in Davenport.  The old-fashioned white clapboard structure on Highway One (next door to the Roadhouse) that has been home to Davenport Gallery for the last...

No foodie with a pulse could fail to be seduced by the smart menu created by Soif Chef Santos Majano to accompany a roster of wines made by Windy Oaks Estate winemaker Jim Schultze. Next Wednesday, March 13 at 6pm, those devoted to great food, nuanced wine and...

My favorite Oscar moment? When Shirley Bassey stepped out of the past and belted out "Goldfinger"—who wasn't singing along with her?

While it isn't exactly a conspiracy theory, it should be pretty obvious that a lot of the loud buzz about Argo has to do with catering to—and hence attracting—the youth market, the 20somethings who are busy avoiding movie theaters and texting their way to...

It's that time again - time to pretend you don't care about the Oscars and then sit for hours glued to your screen. Who can resist the fawning hypola of the Red Carpet? Stars dressed to the nines in borrowed gowns, borrowed jewels, and borrowed hair extensions....