Cellar Door Delivers the Goods
Everybody has a fall-back position, restaurant-wise. A reliably accessible dining spot that offers enough range to please both the pickiest vegetarian and the unapologetic carnivore. Prices that don't induce psycho-motor epilepsy, flavors that amaze, and hopefully...
Mozart’s Requiem @ UCSC
Nicole Paiement conducts the UCSC Orchestra and Choir in three performances of the Baroque masterwork by Mozart. The Requiem will be performed in the Recital Hall, Friday Nov. 20 at 7:30 pm, Saturday Nov 21 at 7:30 pm and Sunday Nov 22 at 2:00 pm. $24 general, $20...
NYTimes Does Grahm
Check out the review of Randall Grahm's wonderful Been Doon So Long in yesterday's New York Times (I've just given you the link to the specific article.)
Pastured Lamb for the Holidays
Artisanal cheesemaker and rancher Rebecca King (who was also former chef at Gabriella) emailed to remind me about the chance to purchase freshly dressed, organically-raised young lamb in time for holiday special dinners. The lamb is raised at Monkeyflower Ranch, and...
California Bordeaux: Ridge
Ridge Vineyards continues to own the New World incarnation of Bordeaux blends, and this beautiful 2005 marriage of Cabernet Sauvignon ((58%) and Merlot (42%) knocked us out the other night, paired with a choice bit grass-fed rib-eye steak. We don't eat a lot of beef,...
Food & Wine Gossip
Come join former Lick Observatory director-turned-winemaker Joe Miller & company, for the Grand Opening of Hillcrest Terrace Winery on November 14 from 12:30-6:00 pm, when there will be an opportunity to taste the wines, grab some food, and watch Mayor Cynthia Mathews...
Rio Lounge Unveils
The Backstage Lounge – the latest exciting idea in dining entertainment from David Jackman, is open for dinner 5-10pm nightly serving Asian-inspired dishes, with beer on tap and a few good wines. The opening menu features wraps, rolls, potstickers, pork ribs and...
Post Open Studios: Sara Friedlander
Two of my favorite artists' visits in October happened 600 miles apart. The new, enigmatic Blurred Landscapes large-scale photo montages by Sara Friedlander — created, cunningly manipulated, and ultimately altered by painted overlays, lingered long in my...
Post Open Studios: Mary Austin Klein
And the potent desert miniatures by Los Angeles/Mojave oil painter Mary Austin Klein, provided indelible visuals of a landscape that is my second home. As small as the portable altars that accompanied wealthy Renaissance nobles on their travels, Klein's intricate...
Mathematics at the Very Edge
or...."Bolts from the Blue" - a series of startling and provocative insights from ur-mathematician Ralph Abraham, shaped into a free, public talk this coming Wednesday, November 4, @ 7pm at the UCSC Music Recital Hall. Abraham — a pioneer of chaos theory research,...
Love/Death Orgy @ SF Opera
It must have been tough living in the shadow of Richard Wagner, but that's just what powered the career of Richard Strauss, who like his contemporary Gustav Mahler, spent many a sleepless night wondering just how to channel Wagner's mojo. Just after the turn of the...
Tasty Tips & The Rhythm Rangellers
The best pork chop in living memory was had by me last week at Ristorante Avanti. The pastured pork from Marin Sun Farms was tender and wildly delicious. The plump chop was embraced by a pool of creamy polenta, green beans with toasted almonds and several roasted crab...
Soif – Good Reason to Dine #46
As if the stupendous selection of fine wines wasn't enough, now Soif is continuing its prix fixe menu through the entire month of November. To raise awareness about breast cancer — and to help the work of WomenCARE, in Santa Cruz, Soif has created a smart menu of...
Flavor-free Anti-Product of the Week
We've all done it. Run into Trader Joe's, desperate for a few last-minute staple items. There it was - eye-catching, under $5 (rare these days) and allegedly loaded with fiber. I bought it. We tasted it. We rejected it. Why? No flavor. None. Zero. Zip. I've tasted...
Morton Marcus – Hasta la vista, baby!
What a pleasure it was to know Morton, a one-man poetry festival, charismatic raconteur and major mensch. I have been enjoying reading his wonderful memoir, full of so much lore about California bohemia and the vivacious arts and letters scene in Santa Cruz of the...
Carrillo Gallery Dedication
An Open House at Baskin Arts honored founding member of Oakes College and beloved UCSC art professor Eduardo Carrillo. The gallery that bears his name was dedicated and the life of this extraordinary painter celebrated, by friends, colleagues and students. The...
Austere, with a touch of spritz
That would be Grangia. My new favorite house white is a bone-dry, mineral-laced bit of ever-so-slight effervescence from Piedmontese Favorita grapes, a version of Vermentino, made by the house of Elvio Tintero. Here’s the amazing part - $8 per bottle. I picked up a...
For all of us who were young together . . .
As I sit here I am still overcome by emotions so bittersweet, that the only way I can sort through them is to write it out. Saturday morning I was driving home after a workout. It was one of those fresh autumn mornings that sparkle with possibility. I drove up Laurel,...
Restaurant Week was a Big Hit
That's what my informants are telling me, many of whom had fun visiting places they'd never been to before. Ah, the allure of the prix fixe meal. Maybe it should become a fixture on menus from now on. At any rate, I heard great things about so many restaurants....
Seattle’s Union
At the very strategic corner of First Avenue & Union, next door to the Seattle Art Museum and hanging over Pike Place market, Union is a very smart island of low-key sophistication. Chef Ethan Stowell, whose sibling restaurants include the popular Tavolata and How to...
Kelly’s October Dinner Market – Oct. 24
You wanted it - you got it. The vibrant and popular block party that made the Westside hum last summer, is back again. Here's a sneak peek.... Carried Away quinoa salad with mango Bonny Doon Cellar Door pulled pork sandwich with romesco sauce O’mei Hunan Smoked Ribs...
Sandwich Sizzle
You know me. Ultra organic, ultra healthy - no unnecessary fats, nothing fried (except maybe well...). But there I was a few Sundays ago, staring at the most beautiful, hot, freshly-grilled sandwich in creation. One bite and I melted - sort of like the Swiss cheese...
Autumn Fieldwork
Once artichokes, now pumpkins laze in the fields we walk each weekend. Pumpkins are another thing I love about this planet.
Are We Borg?
Dining as Social Construction Since the deep pockets at Oakland’s hot Camino restaurant won’t be fazed by any criticisms I make — the place was packed last Friday night — I’m going to remove the gloves. A box, even a box with a high, pressed-tin ceiling, a...