Why is it that films based upon "true stories" seem to stir up to much public approval? Do the actual events that form the scenario make the resulting film any more affecting or fulfilling? Whatever the case, Philomena seems to have captured everyone's hearts. And...

Open daily from 11:30 — generous and spice-laden lunch buffet @ $11.95. Terrific curries! The perfect antidote for turkey and mashed potatoes.

A vibrant creation from Muns Vineyard is this full-throated Pinot Noir 2011, loaded with black cherries and spice notes, strung along a 14.1% alc base like lights on a Christmas tree. Once open, this textbook Santa Cruz Mountains appellation pinot suggests loam and...

Lisa Jensen's new book, Alias Hook, currently available online in its English edition—and soon to be available (May 14) through St. Martin's Press—is a delicious reimagining of the world of Peter Pan. (I'm telling you this so that you can order the book in time...

A recent meeting with colleagues over at the West End Tap & Kitchen gave us an excuse to sample the house cheese board along with some indigenous IPA. We made quick work of this, and a few other libations. In the wildly popular Ingalls St. complex, next to a long line...

Mystery and Wonder fills the UCSC Recital Hall this coming Saturday as the Concert Choir performs a cappella motets from the Renaissance to the 21st century. Included in this program of mystically-inflected music are avant garde 20th century chants and antiphonies...

Or not. But by any name the delicate, luscious Muscat Canelli from Birichino is an enlightened way to end a meal, holiday or any day.Think honeysuckle, clementines, and perhaps a hint of apricot. Mostly a captivating dessert wine that far exceeds that description....

Third generation winemaker Andre Beauregard has hit his stride with a new 2012 bottling called Monarch. A blend of grenache, syrah, and cabernet sauvignon, the appealing medium-body red wine weighs in at an easy access 13.9% alcohol, and a very appealing $14.99...

How might it look and feel to have lost all personal freedom? To be completely at the mercy, and whim, of another human being? This question forms the cinematic subject of 12 Years a Slave. The answer is not pretty. It's not even bearable. British art film director...

In the title role of Captain Phillips,Tom Hanks has one of his finest parts in many years. Intense and gripping, the film poses all the questions that matter about the imploding globalization of the 21st century. In 2009 a cargo ship called the Maersk Alabama set out...

Designer/artist Louise Leong unveils her first show as part of the Printmakers at the Tannery group - in Tannery Studio 107, this Friday, Nov. 1 - reception 6-8:30pm.

Perhaps this was the  "there" that Gertrude Stein claimed was missing from the "other" city by the Bay.  Haven is the sister Oakland dining room to Daniel Patterson's celebrated Plum. Smart, vibrant and pulsing with exhibition kitchen vibes, Haven offers...

From Bantam comes this very satisfying creation in which fat chunks of crispy Fogline pork belly share the plate with roasted grapes and a luscious lentil and grape vinegar reduction. Intense flavor in every bite. This dish was the absolute star of my recent dinner at...

In this case, it is a white wine from the Spanish district of Bizkaiko Txakolina (this last is pronounced "chocolina"), from the house of Berroia. At 12.5% alcohol it is a mineral dream, with a nose of kumquat and rose, pushed back with chalk and silvery minerals. The...

Life's too short not to savor the Santa Cruz Mountains terroir as exemplified in this appealing 2009 Pinot Noir from Clos Tita. Highly approachable, the lovely creation weaves the essence of the redwood forest—along with notes of mint, nutmeg and plums—onto its...

I've written many remembrances of beloved friends over the years, but none has been harder than this one. Words can't reach the passionate heart and brilliant intellect of Saul Landau, a man who made the world a more vibrant place every single minute that he breathed....

September might just be the most splendid month for travel - and the past three weeks on the Jersey Shore lived up to our expectations, and then some. We hit Mud City Crab Shack in Manahawkin (yes, one of the many parts of the Jersey shore and marshlands that were...

I'm telling you about this wildly intriguing show — completely colonized by artwork in a 12 x 12 " format—because in a burst of chutzpah I entered four (4) of my 12 x 12" portraits.  The infamous 30 minute portraits. Swing by and see my work - rarely will you...

I'm crazy about the gluten-free, nut-intensive little pastries sitting temptingly in a jewelbox case at the front of Lulu's - both the Octagon and "old" Lulu's. Sensuous, fresh-baked, these artisanal gems offer delicious ways of enjoying some elegant bite of pastry...