Bistro Laurent – on the road in Paso Robles
A perfect entree of crab risotto cake topped with prawns, in a crab bisque with chives. Typical of Bistro Laurent in Paso Robles, where we had dinner—we always have dinner here—on our way to the Mojave.
Dear Hillary – a modest proposal
Girl, get with a make-over program. And pronto! No one's going to elect a refrigerator for President. If you don't have the discipline to shape up and set an example, then you don't have the discipline to be Commander in Chief!
Edible Eye Candy: Part II @ Laili
A recent lunch at this splendid dining room offered not only a large-scale kebab threaded with plump, utterly moist wedges of grilled chicken, but this jewel-like little mezze platter. All of your favorite Mediterranean food groups are here in this pliant quartet of...
Rita Bottoms, the bilingual edition
Some authors have a book signing. Others have a book signing in Venice. Such a one is Rita Bottoms, fresh from her gala reception at Bookshop Damocle on Calle del Perdon, Venezia. Bottoms was celebrated in Italy last month for the new edition of her delightful Riffs &...
Wine of the Week: Guenoc Pinot Grigio
Yes it's pinot grigio. Get over it. It's also a sprightly bottle of delicious white wine for—wait for it—$7.99. An appealling 2012 vintage, this aromatic—light yet not austere—warm weather elixir offers a drinker-friendly 12.5% alcohol. AND it won a double...
Edible Eye Candy: Part I – Soif
During its kitchen transition, Soif's staff doesn't miss a step. Here's an example from last week's appetizer menu. A gorgeous plate of house-cured local king salmon, with paper-thin pickles, peppery sprouts and a swoosh of creme fraiche.
Only Lovers Left Alive
A sanguinous love letter to post-industrial ennui, Jim Jarmusch's visually enthralling Only Lovers Left Alive is, essentially, a soundtrack with a film attached.
Barolo Tasting @ Soif
Does your mother love big, energetic gorgeous Italians? (wines that is). Well then take her on over to Soif this Saturday, May 10, where from 2-4pm Marco Parusso will be pouring no fewer than six of his estate Barolo wines. $20 per guest (buy one get one free) - and...
Zooburbia Booksigning – BSSC – May 13
Tai Moses brings the backstories from her new book Zooburbia to Bookshop Santa Cruz, Tuesday May 13 @ 7pm. Come listen, get your copy (a mere $14.95), and welcome the longtime Santa Cruz editor back to town! The book offers lyrical and sassy tales of urban wildlife,...
Theory of the Week: Diets don’t work because…..
Strictly anecdotal, based on my own personal experience - but....I'm convinced that food overloading is really an attempt to correct a bad mood. Let me go further. People eat more than they actually need to, or even want to, in an effort to stave off depression. But...
Memorable Easter dinner
Our friends the Hoys set a mean table. I mean with all the trimmings, from an opening salvo of Veuve Clicquot to dessert of strawberries with freshly whipped cream. And once again our host outdid himself with an expertly grilled rack of lamb so tender it put butter to...
Mother’s Day Art @ 17th Avenue Studios
17th Avenue Studios in Santa Cruz is hosting a Spring Art Show May 10th and 11th (Mother’s Day weekend). The first of four collective 2014 exhibitions by the group'sdiverse artists. 40+ studios will be open from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM Saturday and Sunday. You'll see...
Pacific Cookie on Telegraph Ave!
Last Sunday, before the Mark Morris Dance Co. performance at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, I cruised around Telegraph and spotted the new Pacific Cookie Company store. Talk about location! The inviting new home of cookies and ice cream resides at the top of Telegraph...
Outstanding Achievement in a Pinot Noir
From Muns Vineyard comes a spectacular example of Santa Cruz Mountains terroir. Muns' 2009 Estate Pinot Noir is everything you could want in a brilliantly balanced wine. From the nose of white pepper, roses, and licorice, straight into an expanding heart of tangerine,...
Lou Harrison’s “La Koro Sutra” @ UCSC – Sat. March 8
Led by choir director Nathaniel Berman, UCSC's Concert Choir and Percussion Ensemble will join forces in a rare performance of modernist master Lou Harrison's La Koro Sutro. Considered Harrison's choral masterwork, this unusual music involves an Esperanto...
Tom Maderos – First Friday @ Iveta – March 7
Prolific plein air painter Tom Maderos is expanding his gaze to include the figure in great Diebenkornesque gestures evoking the introspective after-hours of 21st century life. Specifically coastal California after-hours. Some of Maderos' explorations of the figure...
Oscar Post Mortem
The collaborative selfie (thanks to über hunk Bradley Cooper) was a delightful moment amongst rather predictable turns on the stage. Harrison Ford will probably not be asked back. Nor will poor Kim Novak. Alfonso Cuaron was an elegant recipient of the Best Director...
Hearts @ Hallcrest – Valentine’s Tastefest
Valentine's at Hallcrest Winery Friday, February 14 through Sunday, February 16, 1 – 5pm Celebrate Valentine’s Day at historic Hallcrest Winery with a candlelit tasting of exceptional Pinot Noirs along with cheese, homemade chocolate desserts and beautiful music....
The Unbearable Lightness of ….
Gravity is just a theory, one of those soundbytes physicists like to brandish in order to explain the properties of energy and matter. It's also the title of a web of visual sorcery woven by director Alfonso Cuarón, whose two-person space odyssey Gravity took me...
the Unbearable Nothingness of …
Having finished my popcorn, I had no more excuse for staying in my seat. So I walked out after about 50 minutes of this exercise in conceptual vacuity. "Unwatchable" comes to mind as I ponder what aberration of judgment caused the Motion Picture Academy to nominate...
Sones Zinfandel 2010
You're about to launch into a plate of luscious pasta, with Italian sausage and marinara. So you crave the exact right red wine, and you crave it now! Winemaker Michael Sones has made the wine you need. Sones Zinfandel Central Coast 2010 is everything a zin should be....
The critics and I do not agree…
It's lewd, it's crude, and it alternately glamorizes and villifies one of the dirtiest demimondes of capitalism. It's also outrageously entertaining, vibrantly directed, and loaded with memorable performanes. The Wolf of Wall Street will literally split the viewing...
American Hustle, Cinema Scam
A couple of Hollywood makeup artists and costume designers sat around late one night, drinking and smoking and suddenly the idea hits them. The late 70s! Disco, John Travolta, wide lapels, polyester, and big hair. Let's pile all those things into a movie. And throw in...
American Hustle, the short review
Even if you loved Silver Linings Playbook, you'll find yourself squirming with a mix of boredom and irritation over the mashup of ad-libbed dialogue, recycled urban tropes, and manic plot "development" that inhabit the loosely-organized center of American Hustle....