Top Dish: O’mei
Too tired to rustle up something decent for dinner? Me too, which is why I find myself running over to O'mei, and either dining in the restaurant or picking up a few favorite dishes to take home. Here's our go-to dinner: Rosemary Chicken with Mushrooms (pictured...
Justin Severino Update
You remember the guy who gave us that sensational charcuterie a few years back? Justin Severino from Severino's who sold terrific artisanal meats at the farmers markets here in Santa Cruz? Justin just emailed to tell me that his highly-regarded culinary style at...
Red Velvet Valentines
Music department manager Thomas Pistole sure knows how to pamper his UCSC faculty & staff. Cupcake Diva Pistole uses any holiday as an excuse to break out his trusty cupcake carrier and fill it with colorfully-decorated, to-die-for pastries. These are his latest - red...
Cabrillo Wine Dinner
The lovely Pino Alto dining room at Cabrillo's historic Sesnon House, formed a graceful backdrop for some cool jazz and exciting food and wine pairings last Wednesday evening.The highlights for me were the elegant sounds of Hot Club Pacific trio (who also hold down...
TLC No More
For six years the source of astounding eggs, pastured pork and an organic paradise for happily and humanely-raised livestock, TLC Ranch has become a casualty of the economy. Jim Dunlop and Rebecca Thistlethwaite, TLC owners, explained in a long newsletter narrative...
New Leaf Celebrates 25 Years
Whoa! Where did the time go? Back in the late 70s Scott Roseman was your basic UCSC student. Then he got involved in the Food Co-op located on the Westside of Santa Cruz. Next thing you know, there's the Westside Community Market which in turn morphed into the mighty...
What You Need to Know
Report from the Vineyards: Yes, it's true that wild man winemaker Richard Alfaro has cut his locks — "I donated a 15-inch pony tail to Locks of Love," he revealed a few days ago. (You can see why I didn't pry any further.) Alfaro also says he's experiencing a...
Harvest Festival on the Farm – 9/26
Harvest Festival at the UCSC Farm - this Sunday 11 AM to 5PM. Don't miss this rewarding, old-fashioned "back to the garden" afternoon. It's the biggest "open house" of the year up at UCSC's atmospheric farm. Live music, food, apple tasting, an apple pie bake-off,...
Pizza La Posta
Somebody once said that one picture was worth a thousand sips of sangiovese. Like this one.
Late Summer on a Plate
Our house. Last week. Dressed with Meyer lemon, olive oil and infant shiso leaves. Perfectly ripe.
Lunch @ Greens
The place was Fort Mason. The day was perfect — a blend of fog and brilliant sunlight playing tag with the Golden Gate bridge in the distance. The excuse was the American Craft Council design show and a chance to learn some tricks of the trade from my designer buddy...
Get Down on the Farm!
UC Santa Cruz offers a Fall Gardening Workshop on Saturday, August 28, from 10am until 1pm. Planting a late-summer garden is a great way to save money on your fall and winter grocery bills, so come get some tips on growing a great fall and winter vegetable garden....
Main Street Garden Cafe
A bit more of what chef Brad Briske is up to in his new kitchen at Main Street Garden Cafe in Soquel. Cured with ginger, liqueurs, orange peel, smoked salts and other exotic, experimental ingredients, Briske's house-made salames, coppacola, prosciutto arrived served...
Dessert to Die For
The reigning dessert of summer—a deconstructed bread pudding, ultra-rich, joined by succulent ripe peaches and blackberries, and encircled by lavender-scented crème Anglaise. The light perfume of the lavender propelled all the elements into culinary orbit. Kudos to...
Gabriella evolves
An appetizer of beets, throngs of beautiful beets on a field of greens.
Summer Sushi
The lively fish, wasabi and ginger creations at Sushi Totoro just get better and better. Here was a recent dinner of saba nigiri (center, with micro dice of lemon and scallion), tekka maki with shiso leaf and an ethereal trio of hamachi nigiri. (I used my iPhone for...
Avanti Romances the Salmon
Local King Salmon, from Half Moon Bay to be exact, receives some expert handling at Avanti. This lovely entree I enjoyed a few days ago showcased a very moist piece of pan-roasted salmon presented atop a risotto laced with spring peas, favas and micro-diced zucchini....
Alfaro @ Ma Maison – Thursday June 2
A charming idea, this First Thursday Brown Bag Wine Dinner concept. Especially the appealing price tag. You can enjoy the authentic French cuisine of chef Lionel le Morvan, some pours of new Alfaro wines, plus the pleasure of a conversation with winemaker Richard...
Wine & Cheese Fusion – every Wed in May
It happens @ Vinocruz, after hours. Farmgirls School of Food & Wine. And it is the vivacious brainchild of wine czarina Amanda Rehn and fromagista Tabitha Stroup. The plan is simple and appealing. The duo will work you through the history, nuances, terroirist...
Gabriella Alumnus # 407
Sean Baker, former chef at Gabriella and now in charge of Berkeley's Gather, is featured in the current issue of Sunset Magazine (photo:Drew Kelly). Reminds us of just how creative and fertile that kitchen on Cedar St. really is. Chefs who have paid their dues at Paul...
Destination Food Accessory: Tomatillo Salsa @ Coldwater
It's hard to make green food look appetizing in reproduction, otherwise you would see a gleaming pool of tomatillo salsa illustrated here. It is the tomatillo salsa from Coldwater (formerly Hawgs) on Mission Street. My favorite appetizer with a cocktail at this...
La Posta
Somehow this neighborhood dining room continues to disarm us. Last night four of us enjoyed a flawless series of plates, from a pizza bianca with crust as thin as a fashion model's thigh to a sensational emerald appetizer of wild nettle sformato custard smothered with...
30 Years of Kelly’s
Thank you Kelly Porter Sanchez for deciding three decades ago to do exactly what you wanted to do, and to do it your way. No compromises, no complaints. Congratulations! You've made a lot of people so happy that they barely realized how much went into their favorite...
Telos Delosil @ Gabriella
The chef with the intriguing name has moved into the top slot at Gabriella, after a year getting to know the kitchen and clientele. We sampled some of Delosil's beautifully presented plates last night and came away smiling. Gorgeous beets, gemlike Dungeness crab...
Joze Goes Persian – March 27
Persian New Year comes to India Joze restaurant on Sunday, March 27, 2011 from 4-8 PM with a special evening of Persian food, poetry, and dance. If you think chef Joseph Schultz does Thai and Indonesian cuisine brilliantlyl (and he does, oh he does), then you're in...