Winter Lunch @ Gabriella
Consider the prospect of succulent Mexican bay scallops, with tender local squid atop a pool of gigante and ceci beans. You know you want this dish. You'll find it in the soothingly cozy dining room of Gabriella Cafe.
New Year’s @ La Posta
New Year's Eve dinner at chic La Posta, 538 Seabright (831.457-2782, involves this terrific $50 prix fixe menu. Antipasti - Santa Cruz foraged mushrooms in cartoccio or Sformato of cauliflower with bagna cauda or Calamari ripieni Primi - Windmill Farms Butternut...
Santa Does Gayle’s
Authentic red velvet cupcakes - tender, moist and topped with an exuberant amount of butter-cream frosting, plus some colorful sugar ornaments. This really hit the spot last week, and for $2.25 a pop, might be one of the last culinary bargains in the known world....
Happy Girl Heirloom Tomatoes
Richly flavored and colorful, the large (16oz) jars of Happy Girl Kitchen heirloom tomatoes called out to me last Saturday as I strolled the Westside Farmers Market. I plunked down $10 and took home a jar. Later that evening, half the jar of crimson and orange...
Pastured Lamb for the Holidays
Artisanal cheesemaker and rancher Rebecca King (who was also former chef at Gabriella) emailed to remind me about the chance to purchase freshly dressed, organically-raised young lamb in time for holiday special dinners. The lamb is raised at Monkeyflower Ranch, and...
Food & Wine Gossip
Come join former Lick Observatory director-turned-winemaker Joe Miller & company, for the Grand Opening of Hillcrest Terrace Winery on November 14 from 12:30-6:00 pm, when there will be an opportunity to taste the wines, grab some food, and watch Mayor Cynthia Mathews...
Rio Lounge Unveils
The Backstage Lounge – the latest exciting idea in dining entertainment from David Jackman, is open for dinner 5-10pm nightly serving Asian-inspired dishes, with beer on tap and a few good wines. The opening menu features wraps, rolls, potstickers, pork ribs and...
Soif – Good Reason to Dine #46
As if the stupendous selection of fine wines wasn't enough, now Soif is continuing its prix fixe menu through the entire month of November. To raise awareness about breast cancer — and to help the work of WomenCARE, in Santa Cruz, Soif has created a smart menu of...
Flavor-free Anti-Product of the Week
We've all done it. Run into Trader Joe's, desperate for a few last-minute staple items. There it was - eye-catching, under $5 (rare these days) and allegedly loaded with fiber. I bought it. We tasted it. We rejected it. Why? No flavor. None. Zero. Zip. I've tasted...
Seattle’s Union
At the very strategic corner of First Avenue & Union, next door to the Seattle Art Museum and hanging over Pike Place market, Union is a very smart island of low-key sophistication. Chef Ethan Stowell, whose sibling restaurants include the popular Tavolata and How to...
Kelly’s October Dinner Market – Oct. 24
You wanted it - you got it. The vibrant and popular block party that made the Westside hum last summer, is back again. Here's a sneak peek.... Carried Away quinoa salad with mango Bonny Doon Cellar Door pulled pork sandwich with romesco sauce O’mei Hunan Smoked Ribs...
Sandwich Sizzle
You know me. Ultra organic, ultra healthy - no unnecessary fats, nothing fried (except maybe well...). But there I was a few Sundays ago, staring at the most beautiful, hot, freshly-grilled sandwich in creation. One bite and I melted - sort of like the Swiss cheese...
Kelly’s Harvest Block Party – Oct. 24, 4-7pm
Back by popular demand - the Westside's largest block party will happen once again in the parking lot of Kelly's (Swift & Ingalls). You know the deal. Local restaurants, farmers and purveyors will set up food stations. You bring all of your plates, stemware and table...
Kawabunga!
Kawa Sushi - two words that spell instant oral gratification. Spacious interior, pristine, high-quality sushi and sashimi, friendly service, and a user-friendly sake happy hour for those who like to dine early and often. Here's our dinner last Tuesday - including our...
Tapas @ Mundaka
No longer just a gorgeous place in Spain, Mundaka is also the name of a hot new tapas restaurant in the center of Carmel. Gabe Georis and his partners have worked interior design miracles with burnished, distressed and time-worn recycled materials, all of which give a...
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.