Joze Goes Persian – March 27
Persian New Year comes to India Joze restaurant on Sunday, March 27, 2011 from 4-8 PM with a special evening of Persian food, poetry, and dance. If you think chef Joseph Schultz does Thai and Indonesian cuisine brilliantlyl (and he does, oh he does), then you're in...
Pasta La Posta
Once again proving that some pastas ARE better than others, the kitchen at La Posta wow'd us last night with this plate of succulent pappardelle verde laced with housemade sausage and braised wild nettles. Tangy, buttery, utterly delicious, it had the four of us vying...
Molesky Show @ Winfield Gallery
Starting today, new oil paintings by David Molesky will be on view at Carmel's chic Winfield Gallery — strategically located smack dab in the fashionable center of everybody's favorite tourist town-by-the-sea. Dolores between Ocean & 7th - Mon-Sat, 11-5 and Sundays...
Pinots and more pinots!
Just in case you think that wine tasting is a piece of cake, check out this sea of stemware—and this is only partial snapshot—up at the historic Burrell Schoolhouse, yesterday, where a few dozen of us worked through four flights of Santa Cruz Mountain pinot noirs...
Cellar Door
Here is something rococo—and delicious—we sampled last week from the hand of Cellar Door chef Jarod Ottley. A froth of tender local squid, accompanied by pink grapefruit and pea sprouts dotted a long mound of quinoa. Brilliant crimson beet puree accompanied and...
Red Oil Dumplings
My current favorite, guilt-free, dining addiction. And here's my appetizer order, minus the three dumplings I inhaled within moments of their arrival.@ O'mei.
My Oscar Pix – the morning after
Best Actress - Annette Bening (okay, even sacrificing a chicken couldn't stop Natalie Portman from taking the Oscar for Best Performance by eyebrows and collarbones) Best Actor - Colin Firth (duh) (he was great in the film, but his acceptance speech will go down in...
Terrorist exposé: Saul Landau’s new film – March 2
Longtime policy analyst, filmmaker and historian of the Latin American revolutionary scene, Saul Landau comes to town next week for a screening - March 2 at 7pm - of his new documentary film Will the Real Terrorist Please Stand Up? Sifting through the knotted entrails...
Best Dress
Definitely a winner
First Friday @ Sesnon Gallery, March 4
Before it closes, come up to the UCSC campus — Friday evening, March 4 — to take in the show of intaglio masterworks by the late Geoff Morten. Remarks and conversation, led by painter Frank Galuszka, will begin at 4pm. You know where the Sesnon Gallery is - Porter...
Cabrillo Does Chowder
Congratulations to Cabrillo culinary students and to Mike Wille, instructor at Cabrillo College's Advanced Culinary Arts program. Wille's inventive chefs-in-progress made a brilliant showing at this year's Clam Chowder Festival - taking First Place in the "Best...
The Fighter – TKO
By now you all know the story. Two brothers, one a crackhead, the other a straight-arrow. Both are fighters, one on the way down, the other on the way up. Domineering mom, dysfunctional but loving family. Barmaid with a heart of gold. Co-producer Darron (The Wrestler)...
Staff of Life
Most of Santa Cruz swooped down on Staff of Life's humongous new digs last week, to check it out and to start getting familiar with their new neighborhood natural foods emporium. I spotted two more reasons to head over to Staff - fresh duck breast and fresh spot...
Top Dish: O’mei
Too tired to rustle up something decent for dinner? Me too, which is why I find myself running over to O'mei, and either dining in the restaurant or picking up a few favorite dishes to take home. Here's our go-to dinner: Rosemary Chicken with Mushrooms (pictured...
Meat ‘n’ Greet
El Salchichero - handcrafted charcuterie - opening weekend. Gorgeous sausages, chops, steaks, ground meats. And any minute now, the cured salame will hit the display case. Congratulations to Chris LaVeque and his hard-working family for bringing these artisanal...
Justin Severino Update
You remember the guy who gave us that sensational charcuterie a few years back? Justin Severino from Severino's who sold terrific artisanal meats at the farmers markets here in Santa Cruz? Justin just emailed to tell me that his highly-regarded culinary style at...
Red Velvet Valentines
Music department manager Thomas Pistole sure knows how to pamper his UCSC faculty & staff. Cupcake Diva Pistole uses any holiday as an excuse to break out his trusty cupcake carrier and fill it with colorfully-decorated, to-die-for pastries. These are his latest - red...
Price Check
Remember that tremendous deal on the 2006 Bordeaux blend - Skyline - from Thomas Fogarty I told you about a few weeks ago? Here's a few fascinating factoids. You can pick up this beautiful creation for $11.99 @ Shoppers Corner. Or, for $12.99 at New Leaf. Or $15.99...
Coincidence? or just Retail Hardball?
Under the "all's fair in love and business" category - the gloves are off just in time for the impending opening of the colossal, eco award-winning, all-new improved Staff of Life, scheduled for this coming Tuesday February 15. Several competitors have begun...
@ Avanti
Some seafood dishes stand out, even in an ocean of great flavors. From the kitchen of Avanti chef Ben Sims came this lovely evening special of roasted sea bass, cannellini beans, softly braised greens and broccollini all spiked with a lemon zesty tapenade. An entree...
Sleight of Hand: Geoff Morten Show – thru March 4
Painter, poet, surfer, magician — Geoff Morten died two years ago. An artist of uncommon daring, he left all of us who knew him both thrilled that he'd entered our lives, and angry that he left so soon. A prodigious intaglio artist, painter and innovator of mixed...
King’s English to trump Western grit
Jeff Bridges is so good he makes it look easy. Jeff Bridges is better in True Grit than he's ever been, Liebowski included. But.....Jeff Bridges won the Oscar last year. Ergo - the impeccable Colin Firth — perfection as the stammering and reluctant King — will win...
Designer Meat
El Salchichero - now open!