A Better Dejeuner
If you thought that Soif was simply a brilliantly-stocked wine store and glamorous boite, then think again. Soif not only serves enlightened, affordable lunches but now - gasp! - it is offering Salad Lyonnaise ($9) for lunch. A complete euro-meal in a single dish, the...
The Wrestler: Pulp Friction
Randy "The Ram" Robinson is a broken-down hack, prolonging his former pro circuit glory days with the help of drugs, booze, pain-killers, and sheer grit. As embodied by former wunderkind Mickey Rourke, The Ram is a born loser who knows how to do just one thing —...
Heartful O’ Pinot
Once upon a time a great American filmmaker named Alfred Hitchcock owned a 19th century estate on acres high above Scotts Valley. Today that same rugged land is home to Heart O'The Mountain winery, where Bob Brassfield, and his son Brandon, craft some mighty examples...
Lunch at O’mei – First Impressions!
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...
Pinot Paradise Plug
Tasting wines is rugged, grueling work. But I don't mind. Especially when it involves dozens of the Santa Cruz Mountains increasingly notable pinot noirs, and especially in the company of the winemakers themselves. (Jim Schultze of Windy Oaks considers the second...
Inside the Flame
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.