Sure, you could dumb down your choices – save pennies, clip coupons, consume something that makes you hate yourself in the morning. Or you could have a meal that stimulates all your senses. That makes you feel glad about spring, living at the ocean, being alive.
Dungeness crab with shaved fennel, baby cress and organic arugula, studded with a few Gigante beans, Meyer lemon aioli and a lavish, intense pool of squid ink vinaigrette.
I don’t know – it sells itself.
Gabriella.
Lofty ceilings, rivers of sunlight, polished earth-toned floors — New Leaf unveiled its newest store on the Westside this morning to the obvious delight of a full house of discerning consumers. Glittering displays of fruit, seafood, and pastries joined an entire alcove of wines, islands of nutriceuticals, cafe seating, a refrigerated flower chamber — and the sleek shelves were still being stocked on opening morning.
I was so happy to see my favorite deli gals — here’s sandwich princess Lauren Ward (r.) and colleague — that I ordered a mammoth tuna sandwich to go as I made my inaugural tour of the amazing and quite beautiful new store. If it feels a bit like one of the Whole Foods emporia, that’s because 
interior architect Steven Crocker, of C/D/M Construction, spent ten years designing for Whole Foods.
More to see, more to buy, and more to just plain be happy about — the Westside can be proud, and kudos to Scott Roseman and Rex Stewart. New Leaf actually lives up to the “bigger and better” hypola. The parking lot is not only huge, but it conveniently adjoins Bonny Doon Vineyard winery and its new gala tasting room. Go check out the very chic, industrial moderne structure at the corner of Ingalls & Fair.
Back when most people grew their own crops and made their own sauces, pies and jams, some gifted artisan with a slow hand and an open heart might have made this jam. (Shown here on my breakfast table already half-consumed along with coffee, eggs, toast and butter.)
Damson plums — organic ones — and sugar. That’s all Heidi Schlecht used to stir up this deeply rewarding preserve of late harvest fruit, more tart than sweet, whose flavors go all the way into a new dimension. For $10 or so you can obtain a 9.8oz jarful of last summer, spread it on some toast and pretend its the 19th century when flavor trumped convenience and quality ruled.
I get mine at the Westside Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. But you can find these handmade organic jams at Schlecht’s River Cafe & Cheese Shop too.
Update: Kinch Won!
Sizzling Saucepans! Chef David Kinch of Manresa battles chef Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America. Tune in on Sunday, March 15 to see if Kinch’s two Michelin stars can take the heat!
Chef/surfer Kinch of Manresa, Los Gatos, will challenge celebrity chef Flay on the popular Food Network cooking competition TV show. You know how it works. Based on a secret theme ingredient, each show features a challenger chef competing against a resident Iron Chef for an action-packed hour of intense, competitive cooking that will hopefully impress a panel of discerning food critic judges. Kinch will be joined in Kitchen Stadium by his talented chef de cuisine John Paul Carmona, and his former chef de cuisine James Syhabout. David Kinch cooks adventurous new contemporary cuisine at his Michelin-starred restaurant Manresa, while Bobby Flay is best known for his Southwestern style of cooking and his flair with a barbeque grill. Which chef has the chops to rule? Tune in to the premiere of the Flay vs. Kinch episode on Sunday, March 15. The episode repeats at various times during the week. Check listings for local show times.
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 tried it on Day 2 and came away full and happy. The meal began with a small plate of al dente broccoli in a bracing soy-sesame-garlic dressing ($2), while sipping hot green tea served in a bistro tumbler and a mega-glass of tart-sweet hibiscus cooler. Then came lunch. (more…)
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 the staff take care of you.
If you don’t get over there soon, you will literally be the last on your block!
Oswald – 121 Soquel Ave – 831.423.7427.
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.