Brian Rounds at Eloise Smith
Linda Pope, curator at the Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery, is a woman with an aesthetic mission, and a great eye. Witness her current choice of UCSC alum Brian Rounds, who has attracted a cult following for his haunting and authentic plein air paintings. Rounds'...
New Bites
The salsa stains had barely been cleaned up from the late, unlamented Baja Fresh, when the infrastructure for a new east Indian eatery called Sitar moved in. It's no mystery why a taco chain failed in a landscape blessed with a huge array of authentic Mexican...
Gourmet Quickie
I accidentally struck gold the other evening when I had no time to cook, but refused to jump in the car and head for KFC. So I picked up a package of Santa Cruz’ own Pasta Mike’s fresh Three Cheese and Spinach Raviolis ($4.89 for a two-meal package). How could I...
Split Decision
Last week I told you that the restless, talented chef Giovanni Di Maio (formerly of the splendid Bella Napoli) was now cooking at Il Pirata in Capitola. He is. I went there for my birthday dinner. Dean Martin crooning "Ritorn'a me" and a very amiable waitress greeting...
Cry Me a River Street
Is it just me, or is the River Street Sign still the ugliest thing in Christendom? (How’s that for a politically incorrect phrase?) – Nah, I know for sure that it ain’t just me. It’s been too long since we all collectively kvetched and vented concerning this...
Inside the Flame
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.