December Dining: Cantinetta Luca
Last week we were all over the map - Luca in Carmel, Soif for appetizers, and Au Midi for dinner. All wonderful stuff in general, with scallops, root veggies and wintry natural meat dishes showing off nicely. Across Dolores Street from Winfield Gallery, Luca sits...
Time Trip Across the Universe
The exact youthful energy, yearning innocence and reckless abandon that Baby Boomers brought to the world-altering '60s is packed into Across the Universe, Julie (Frida, The Lion King) Taymor's deceptively complex romp through the dawning of the age of...
Winter Light
Beach Blanket Exposé
Just when you thought it was safe to invite a few close friends over for a holiday gift exchange, some individuals simply go gonzo. Normally polite women, like the attractive, usually restrained Elaine (to protect her clients I am omitting her full name), can —...
Mood Image
To get you into the mood, here's a shot of one eentsy slice of dioramic enchantment available at the gift shop in The Garden Company.
Malabar Teas
Hot and spicy — perfect for chilly winter afternoons — are the pungently-scented tea creations from Malabar Trading Company. The Santa Cruz-based company specializes in exotic tea blends and kits, such as the handsomely packaged "Traditional Malabar Chai." Armed...
Bonne Année!
Already enjoying a cult following among local winemakers, Au Midi in Aptos has planned a splendid New Year's Dinner menu. Chef Muriel Loubiere will begin with Champagne and oysters, followed by seared foie gras and peaches. Then comes a first course of organic chicken...
Cooking the Books
The Farm & Garden folks have come up with another one of those mouth-watering cookbooks — Fresh from the Farm & Garden: Volume 2 — just in time for holiday gift giving. (You think they planned that?) Available at Capitola Book Cafe, at Bookshop Santa Cruz, and...
Xtina’s Xtreme Xmas
Some people go shopping, I get baking. Immediately after Thanksgiving I lay in a supply of pastry flour, candied citron, pecans, walnuts, almonds, cranberries, oatmeal, raisins, oranges and spices — oh, and butter and eggs. And then I retrieve my vanilla-stained...
Why I Love My Work
Here are two of Rebecca King's week-old lambs, happily lounging with their moms on the panoramic Watsonville pastures of Deep Roots Ranch. Seriously adorable bits of life. (See my profile on King and her fledgling artisanal sheep cheese biz in next week's Metro Santa...
Dining on the Hill
Before he was the Executive Chef of the University Center's dining room, Terra Fresca, Jamie Smith was chef at Sestri, where he won a following for his stylish and delicious variations on Mediterranean and New California cuisine. At the upstairs dining room in the...
Love Apple News
Cynthia Sandberg, whose Love Apple Farm is the biodynamic kitchen garden for Manresa (two Michelin stars, David Kinch chef), emailed to show off her new mouth-watering eNewsletter/blog - Grow Better Veggies. It's loaded with wonderful ideas, recipes, growing...
Oswald Update, etc.
First off, there are changes on Water Street. Il Trullo is changing hands - and soon to become something called Limoncello. The word on the street is that Giovanni di Maiao, chef of the original Cafe Bella Napoli, might be coming back to the kitchen. Mangiamo, and...
Organic Eyeful
Photographer Tana Butler has just released a 2008 calendar loaded with her juicy images of farmers market bounty. A certified organic groupie, Butler just can't stay away from open-air farmers markets. Collecting some of her choicest images of freshly-harvested...
La Rondine
A little-known opera by Puccini provided the vehicle for Romanian superstar Angela Gheorghiu's San Francisco Opera debut last week. The opera, La Rondine, a Viennese cream-puff wrapped in Italian histrionics deserves to remain obscure — especially with the cloying...
Artisan in Paso Robles
Bay Area chef Chris Kobayashi and his brothers have joined the new transformation of downtown Paso Robles into a food and wine destination. Their smart dining room - Artisan - offers a wine list of local all-stars and serious, accomplished local, organic foods to...
Condiment of the Week
That would be the "Original California-Style" hot pepper sauce known as (ta-da!) The Pepper Plant. We discovered this zippy hot sauce at Margie's Diner in Paso Robles on the way back from the Mojave last week. Made in Gilroy, this all-natural product is saucy and...
Ridge @ Gabriella
Chef Sean Baker took on the robust wines of Ridge Vineyards last night and came up with a flawless walk through contemporary, field-fresh, hand-made cuisine. Six courses - including one surprise - and at least as many matching vintages from what many consider the apex...
Bean There
Rummaging around the seductive shelves at River Cafe & Cheese Shop, I was looking for a substantial lunch. Something to go with that fabulous bbq pulled pork and slaw sandwich. Hmmm, what's this? A platter filled with gemlike gigante beans, green olives, yellow...
When in La Jolla
You owe it to yourself to stop at Nine-Ten, smartly tucked into the landmark Grande Colonial Hotel on Prospect Street. Here you can taste what California cuisine has transformed itself into, thanks to the feisty imagination of chef Jason Knibb. The chef brings a...
Sandwich Queen of New Leaf
Sandwiches with a smile, that's one of many specialties of Deli Manager Carie Anne MacAlpine, who runs a bountiful ship over at the Mission Street store. I've been stopping by at lunch time for the past year, filling out the handy order form for my custom-made...
Autumn Vinaigrette
Ginger & Garlic Vinaigrette: Perfect with arugula. Three parts minced ginger to one part minced garlic. That's how it begins. Then whisk in your best olive oil and sherry vinegar in 3 to 1 proportions. Add sea salt to taste. Toss with arugula. Killer. (You'll...
Spice Islands
Those would be the feisty, spice-laden ginger mollies at Beckmann's. Moist, dense squares of unspeakably tasty gingerbread, compressed into a 3x3 inch treat able to lift tall buildings in a single bite. Under a dollar. Addictive. Carpe diem. You'll find them at the...
Cutting Edge Loss
The crowds were restless this weekend, sensing that this was the last Saturday Farmers Market for Severino's Family Butcher. Justin Severino and his wife/partner Hilary Prescott did a sell-out business with the astonishing charcuterie Santa Cruzans have come to adore....