Autumn Vinaigrette
Ginger & Garlic Vinaigrette: Perfect with arugula. Three parts minced ginger to one part minced garlic. That's how it begins. Then whisk in your best olive oil and sherry vinegar in 3 to 1 proportions. Add sea salt to taste. Toss with arugula. Killer. (You'll...
Spice Islands
Those would be the feisty, spice-laden ginger mollies at Beckmann's. Moist, dense squares of unspeakably tasty gingerbread, compressed into a 3x3 inch treat able to lift tall buildings in a single bite. Under a dollar. Addictive. Carpe diem. You'll find them at the...
Cutting Edge Loss
The crowds were restless this weekend, sensing that this was the last Saturday Farmers Market for Severino's Family Butcher. Justin Severino and his wife/partner Hilary Prescott did a sell-out business with the astonishing charcuterie Santa Cruzans have come to adore....
Halloween Sushi
You haven't lived until you've seen a sushi bar decorated for Halloween. Mobo did a fine, if restrained job of tossing a few pumpkins and spiders and cobwebs here and there on October 31. But I was there for one thing - my favorite guilty pleasure lunch. Sushi. More...
Avanti, with Inmates in Charge
Any holiday at Ristorante Avanti can be juicy. Especially Halloween, which brings out the outrageous costume consciousness in the normally sedate staff of servers. To be candid, any excuse to dress up and act out is welcomed by this hard-working, hard-playing group,...
Inside the Flame
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.