Heartful O’ Pinot
Once upon a time a great American filmmaker named Alfred Hitchcock owned a 19th century estate on acres high above Scotts Valley. Today that same rugged land is home to Heart O'The Mountain winery, where Bob Brassfield, and his son Brandon, craft some mighty examples...
Lunch at O’mei – First Impressions!
Terrific news for Westside lunchers — O’mei is open for lunch, Tues-Sun 11:30-2pm. But wait, there's more! The “O’mei Express Menu" is priced for the real world, starting at $5.95 and topping out at $7.95. And how is it? Inventive, tasty, quick and cheap. We...
Pinot Paradise Plug
Tasting wines is rugged, grueling work. But I don't mind. Especially when it involves dozens of the Santa Cruz Mountains increasingly notable pinot noirs, and especially in the company of the winemakers themselves. (Jim Schultze of Windy Oaks considers the second...
CSI: a loveletter
Who knows why I came so late to this juicy forensic party. But I'm definitely in the game now. Was it the intensely focused, true grit face of Gary Sinise that sucked me in? Partly. Was it the collage of digitized blood cells cross-cut with two or three up close and...
Oswald Opens for Lunch
That's right. Now the area's newest dining room — located at the corner of Soquel and Front Streets at the edge of downtown Santa Cruz — serves lunch from 11:30 - 2pm, Tuesday through Friday. A few things jump out at me. A pork tenderloin sandwich with fries &...
Soif Does Pinot Noir
Actually, John Locke — the uncommonly erudite raconteur du vin — is doing the honors with this duo of wine intensives at Soif Wine Bar spotlighting the noble grape of Burgundy (ta dah!), Pinot Noir. John has scheduled two wine classes focused exclusively on the...
Storrs Scores @ SF Chronicle Wine Competition
No fewer than six top awards at the 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition went to wines made by Pamela and Steve Storrs. Gold medals went to the Santa Cruz winery's 2005 Zinfandel Santa Clara County Lion Oaks, its 2006 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains, and two...
Valentines @ Vine Hill
Join wine-loving lovers for a day of romance, wine and chocolate up at the newest winery located on one of the oldest vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Vine Hill makes stunning pinot noirs and syrahs that you'll be able to taste along with desserts from top area...
La Dolcetto Vida
Fragrant with violets, redwood and berries, the all-biodynamic 2006 Dolcetto from Ca'del Solo Vineyard in Monterey County is a beautiful wine. It takes nicely to food, especially omega-laden seafoods, pasta dishes and lamb. But it's sumptuous all by itself. On day...
and another thing about Oswald
The red trout, sautéed crispy and served on a bed of green beans and roasted sunchokes, is a sensuous way to celebrate a chilly winter evening. You need only walk into the warm brasserie ambience of Oswald (corner of Front & Soquel, in downtown Santa Cruz) and let...
Poetic Pinot
From Sonnet winemaker Tony Craig, comes this supple profusion of raspberries and licorice. The 2006 Russian River Valley, Amber Ridge Vineyard, Pinot Noir opens into a fragrant center of cassis supported by a foundation of sassafras and forest bark. It is a killer...
No Doubt About It
Yes it stars the Diva of Drama, Meryl Streep. Yes it also stars the highly praised Philip Seymour Hoffman. But no that won’t keep you from regretting that you sacrificed $7 and two hours of your life on this bow-wow! Doubt is a soporific study in the vanity of one...
New Chef @ Gabriella
Bradford Briske is the new chef at Gabriella Cafe. I found out from Paul Cocking, the owner of downtown's chic dining room, that former chef Sean Baker is no longer with the restaurant. Cocking is looking forward to a menu focused more intimately on local, farmers...
Intense Food, Joze-Style – Feb.1
Learn to Wok the Wok, India Joze-style at an upcoming cooking series, called Introduction to Wok World, a Short Course in Intense Food Happening on two more Sunday afternoons — February 1,8, from 1-5PM @ Louden Nelson Center, the multi-culinary class starts with...
Red Velvet Cupcakes!
My contribution to this year's Boxing Day ex-pat soirée was a tray of mini-cupcakes that were outrageous (if I do say so myself). Lifted shamelessly from one of those McCormick ads in Sunset - and then tweaked for more flavor intensity - this recipe made dozens of...
Oswald’s Opulent Opening
It was almost as if it had never closed. The crowd, the smooth flow of service from exhibition kitchen to full bar to packed dining room — Oswald was back and on Day Two was producing flawless meals to a packed house of overjoyed fans. A modest opening menu, long on...
More on Oswald
Desserts were all excellent, including a textbook crème brulée, a sexy molten chocolate torte and a superb almond cake (seen here) topped with vanilla ice cream. And since the new Oswald has a full bar, we were able to enjoy adult digestifs like Fernet Branca with...
Varner’s Excellent Adventure
Now here’s chardonnay intriguing enough to appeal even to diehard red wine lovers like me. It's the mighty Varner Santa Cruz Mountains, Spring Ridge Vineyard - Home Block - Chardonnay 2006. Yes it is a long name for a wine, but since winemakers Bob and Jim Varner...
Abstract Expressionism @ Winfield Gallery
Big, bold, loaded with expressionistic energy, the paintings of Arthur Osver are currently on exhibit at Winfield Gallery in Carmel. Janus Red – 80†x 54†(shown here) and The Return, 67†x 52†(see below) are two prime examples of this painter’s mastery...
Winfield Gallery
Arthur Osver's The Return - on exhibit at Winfield Gallery.
Last-Minute Santas?
Here are a few suggestions. 1) A bottle of fine wine will please anyone with tastebuds. Try something local and premium from Vinocruz, or something French and luxurious from Soif. Comb the aisles of Shoppers. A great gift. 2) Give an exhilirating experience to someone...
The New Improved Capitola Book Cafe
Over at Capitola Book Cafe it's a whole new world of cafe culture consciousness. Of course you knew about the lovely pastries and serious espresso drinks, perfect to linger with over the London Financial Times. But now the lunch and light dinner menu has expanded. And...
Paul in Paris
Nope. Not Jean Genet. It's restaurateur Paul Cocking (Gabriella Cafe) eating his way through Paris last month, one eponymous restaurant at a time. Blown away by what he tasted, Cocking and his traveling companion Jeannine Bonstelle sampled freely along the Left Bank,...
Sean Does Salumi
Here's an example of the Sean Baker all-star line-up of handmade salumi, available to adventurous diners at Gabriella Cafe and at the new Le Cigare Volant cafe at Bonny Doon tasting room on Ingalls Street. These gorgeous paper-thin specialties taste even better than...