tanabutler

If your friend likes wine, there is a great place on Cannery Row in Monterey, very near the aquarium. (Monterey Bay Aquarium is a Must See on my list.) It's called A Taste of Monterey, and the view is spectacular. (I linked to a 196K panorama that shows the scope of the room.) In the tasting room, you pay a small fee to taste six different wines (all white/all red/mix) from Monterey county. It's a very pleasant way to spend a while on Cannery Row—highly recommended. In the peaceful and beautiful town of Pacific Grove, nearby, our favorite place to eat is Peppers. South-of-the-border meets Californian cuisine—generous portions, great wine and beer list, and delicious food. Carmel is kind of fancy, but it has great restaurants. My foodie friend recently ate at Tarpy's Roadhouse and raved and raved and raved.

GirlChow, the big big big SF farmer's market runs on Saturday, so the place will be swarmed. You could make a fantastic picnic basket and take it to Golden Gate Park (or the marina, or lots of places). Get strawberries and tomatoes from Ella Bella Farm, and peaches from Frog Hollow. Get Hog Island oysters and bread, and whatever else you see—you will be in paradise. Do it up! And by all means, get at least one perfect Zee Lady peach from Farmer Al at Frog Hollow. Zey are Zee Best!

The Red Hawk cheese? It just won "Best in Show" at a competition of over 600 cheese. LA Times coverage yesterday "When the winner was announced, a gasp went up. It was Red Hawk, a triple-cream, Epoisse-style made in Marin County by the Cowgirl Creamery. The cheese maker was Sue Conley, a conference organizer. "Tongues will wag. But as one of 22 judges, I can say this was not Bush winning in Florida. There were no hanging chads. The cheese won for exceptional aroma, the richness of its milk, the mildness of the red mold on the skin, for sheer deliciousness." By the way, my friend and I decided that the best way to consume the cheese was to tear off a chunk of bread, then tear it open (like a hotdog bun) and insert the cheese and close up the bread again. The cheese is pungent, and a little goes a long way, or it will overwhelm the bread. Mmmmmm, it's good.

Another recommendation is to swing by the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market building and go inside. Grab some Red Hawk cheese from Cowgirl Creamery, and a long sourdough bagette at the Acme Bread stall next door. The McEvoy olive oil is fantastic—it's got a hint of wheatgrass flavor in it. Maybe get some of that, too. (You'll take most of it home.) Then get some of the little 5 gram chocolate bars (bittersweet is my favorite, much better than semisweet) from Scharffen Berger. Stop at Peet's and get an iced jasmine tea, and if you got olive oil, ask for an extra paper cup. Stroll outside, find a bench, and tear off a hunk of bread. Slather it with the soft Red Hawk cheese. Tear the top half of the paper cup off and pour in a little olive oil. Bread/cheese, bread/oil until the bread is gone. Sip tea. Watch boats. Nibble chocolate. Life is good. Seriously, go see the building, if nothing else. It's a true foodie's mecca, and is done on an awesome scale. The food-inspired mosaics that adorn each pillar are lovely—olives, grapes, cows, crabs, etc.

A man I'd trust with my very tongue and tastebuds, who lives in San Francisco, says this: "Are you kidding? A dozen good restaurants within a short walk, some right there. And the food concessions are varied and great at the park itself. I love South Park Cafe, three blocks away. "Then there's Momo's, the Paragon, Infusion. A few blocks away is Bacar, one of the coolest spots n town. Fringle. Bizou. Delancey Street. Towns End. The Slanted Door. Palomino. How's that?" Let me say of this man that he has traveled the world, owned his own vineyards in Napa, and he cooks dinner every single night. And does all the shopping. He lives in San Francisco, and he knows good. I'm doing everything in my power to lure him here. So yes, technically these are second-hand recommendations but again—I consider him to have perfect taste. I do hope that helps. I hope I'm going to use this information when I go to the Braves game in a couple of weeks.

I really like Ristorante Avanti and had forgotten about Golden Buddha. There are few Chinese restaurants in town other than good old blue-collar working class ones, which are nevertheless respectable. Tam's (west side on Mission), King Chwan (Ocean Street) and Chinese Village (very unassuming place just off 41st Avenue in Capitola) are all fine for that purpose. Golden Buddha has more atmosphere than the others, but the food is pretty much the same standard—though good—Chinese food. Omei stands out as being Chinese fusion, I'd say, and looks the least like a typical Chinese restaurant inside. It's very nice. I don't eat at Ristorante Italiano, but for no good reason. Just never got in the loop after one visit. The Crepe Place used to be somewhere I ate, ten+ years ago but I haven't been impressed on the last few visits. It's been a long time since I've been out on the wharf, too. Okay, we just came back from sushi at Shogun downtown and I am here to say it's the best place in town for sushi. It's the most attractive by far—clean, bright and lovely decor. They're a tight machine. We ordered spider rolls (soft-shelled crab), Hawaiian rolls (eel with macadamia nuts, avocado and cucumber), and hamachi. The hamachi was so...pink. It looked like baby flesh, and was perfect. And this tiny detail: the sliced ginger is the best I've ever had anywhere, and I've been eating sushi up and down the left coast since 1983. But the quality of that ginger reflects their commitment to good food. So add to the list with Mobo Sushi and Pink Godzilla this one: Takara. One behind the Capitola mall and one on Soquel Avenue in Santa Cruz. It's got decent sushi, too. Now, Italiano! My personal favorites are Bella Napoli (Water Street, near Ocean Street in Santa Cruz), Il Pirata on the Esplanade in Capitola, and Star Bené on Portola near Twin Lakes. The staff at Bella Napoli are all Italian, and I would have their babies if I could. They are committed to real Italian food, and if you've been to Italy, you know what that means. Happily, Santa Cruz is Olive Garden free! I first ate at Il Pirata two weeks after I came back from Italy—my one and only trip there. I had the Italian epiphany when I was there—where the blinders fall off about what we grew up thinking was Italian. I loved it. I have been many times, but the last time it wasn't perfect. Not sure why. I'll go back and see what I can find out. I forgot to mention Clouds Downtown—good menu, great bar, and one of the best designed spots downtown. As close as Santa Cruz comes to being "trendy." (The bar is featured, as opposed to Oswald, which is pure bistro.) Lastly, Santa Cruz has more coffeehouses per capita than Nashville has Baptist churches. They're all just dandy, but since I do not ingest coffee, I will leave the reviews to those who do. They are ubiquitous, and all have their own special following. In Soquel, where I live, it's The Ugly Mug—poorly named but well-lit and accessible. Lulu Carpenter's, at the upper end of the Pacific Garden Mall, is lovely. For shopping pleasure, Shopper's Corner has been on the same spot since 1938. Nice store but really overpriced for wines and stuff. REALLY. The absolute best wine store in the county is K Wines and Liquors behind Gayle's Bakery. Bar none. The DeLuxe Foods in Aptos (Rio Del Mar exit in the same place as Bittersweet Bistro) is pretty damn good for shopping—pricey but the variety is awesome. They have an entire cooler of authentic Italian gelato that will make your knees quake. And all hail Trader Joe's. I personally have financed each of their remodels. There are many places in town I've not been to, and many I have. Sorry if I've missed some. Lissome, how old is your friend? And is he a foodie like the people here? If he has any specific questions, have him e-mail me. I have recommendations about places to avoid, but probably I shouldn't be terribly public about those.

You just made my mouth flood.

Slurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp. David is the guest chef for a farm dinner in September at the same apple orchard where he cooked last year. He's one of the most fascinating people I've met, in four years of farm dinners. Of course, maybe he was just slap happy from basting a pig since two in the morning with a rosemary branch. He says he's going to get very fancy this year—last year was earthy and primitive, but I think he plans to pull out the stops this year. I cannot wait.

Whoops, how could I forget my favorite, Italian? Santa Cruz is full of Italians who've opened restaurants, and are saving their money to return home. I'll do a list and post it later. Promise! P.S., Hi, Gifted, I'm a Marietta girl!

I've lived in Santa Cruz for fifteen years now, and I will no longer go to Bittersweet Bistro after a good friend of mine worked there. I used to love it, but the horror stories about staff treatment are just rampant. As a former waitress, I couldn't patronize them any more. Oswald is fantastic—they cannot do anything wrong. I would eat a napkin if Damani Thomas cooked it. I love Gabriella Café (so much that I did their website for trade). Jim Denevan just returned after a hiatus, and dear God, that man can cook. (They have a nice brunch, too.) Gayle's Bakery is justifiably legendary. And Joe and Gayle are two of the nicest people in the world and I hope they have more money than God and Oprah because they know what to do with it. On the west side, Ristorante Avanti's Brian Curry (the guest chef at the most recent Outstanding in the Field "farm dinner," for which I also do the website) is doing amazing things, with consistently good reviews. Omei is there, too, and is tasty Chinese, especially the basil eggplant. Everyone seems to like Walnut Street Café but I am always vaguely dissatisfied when I leave there. Across the street is a new place called Soif (French for "thirst") that is getting a lot of notice for its wine list. (They are a bistro and wine store.) It's pricey (for Santa Cruz) and it's beautiful inside. On the walls, like the heads of moose or deer, are giant trunks of old grapevines. On Tuesday night, you can hear a great piano player, Art Alm (happy birthday, Art!), and sometimes Lori Rivera will sing with him. (These two are local treasures.) Casablanca used to be a favorite—haven't been there in a long time, but it's got a great location and it's kind of chi-chi fancy. It overlooks the Boardwalk, the pier, and the ocean. It's one of the fanciest, traditional restaurants in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has great sushi: Shogun and Mobo are downtown. Pink Godzilla (unless they've got party animals in the little tatami rooms) on 41st Avenue in Capitola is good. Really really good barbeque can be found at a chain, Armadillo Willy's at the 41st Avenue exit off Highway One. I'm not kidding, either—I'm from the Deep South, and I know good BBQ. It's fine. Mexican food? Downtown at El Palomar is very good, and most people are crazy about it. Authentic Mexican food lovers squabble about which is better—Tacqueria Vallarta or Tacos Moreno, but my husband and I don't see what the fuss is about on the latter. Vallarta serves burritos as big as a baby's leg! (They are next to Shopper's Corner near downtown, and near the end of 41st Avenue in Capitola.) For quick, downhome American food, including fantastic burgers and fries and a salad bar, try Carpo's. They're both on the far west side on Mission, and in Soquel at the Bay/Porter exit. (If you're headed south on Highway 1, turn left under the bridge. They're just up on the right, at the second quick light, just after the bridge.) Also downtown, next to Bookshop Santa Cruz, is Chocolate. David Jackman has lived in Italy for about a dozen years, and he makes really really good food that tastes like it's been touched with love. Thumbs up. The Wednesday and Saturday farmer's markets feature Bill the Oysterman, whose icy cold oysters run a mere $10/dozen. You can also find Gabriella Café's focaccia (to die for), and a zillion other things you want like Donnelly's Chocolates. World class markets. Saturday is out at Cabrillo College in Aptos at the Park Boulevard exit from Highway One. If you have any more questions about specifics in Santa Cruz, please give a holler. I love love love playing tour guide.

Also, about Napa...do yourselves a favor and start on the Silverado Trail, which runs north/south parallel to the main drag. The traffic is much less dense. My don't miss wineries include only two: S. Anderson (fantastic sparkling wines) Niebaum-Coppola (on the main drag—Francis Ford did it right. You can see a Tucker automobile upstairs, the desk from "The Godfather," costumes from Bram Stoker's "Dracula," and tons of other film memorabilia. I also love Robert Sinskey on the Silverado Trail—it's near the bottom of the road up, on the right. Beautiful building, beautiful stonework and a beautiful tasting room.

What a great idea! I highly recommend Oakville Grocery! The condiments are from ceiling to floor along the perimeter of the walls, and a deli is in the middle. You cannot go wrong with anything you buy: they're the best food joint around. I came home with some maple-chipotle grill sauce and Vidalia-fig sauce and a bunch of cheeses when I was there last. Mmmmm, condiments. For lunch near Fisherman's Wharf, I'd recommend the consistently good and varied McCormick and Kuleto's. While it is in Ghiradelli Square, don't hold that against it. Ignore the tourists and march right in. I've only had good meals there (probably at least a dozen since they opened), and the view is fantastic: right out on the Marina and the Golden Gate Bridge. Their menu is different every single day—based on seafood, and it's enormous. The clam chowder in a sourdough bowl is great. Wines very reasonable by the glass. Very nice decor, but you can be dressed up or down to enjoy it. If they are serving Hog Island oysters, don't hesitate. Sample lunch menu (yes, that is how long the menu is) You're coming at such a beautiful time of year!

It's too perishing hot to cook jams and jellies—and the Frog Hollow peach conserves are only $5 (a little goes a long, long way in the oral pleasure department). I think maybe I can muster a cobbler in the morning if it's cooler. Russ, you must be even hotter than we are here. But you're probably used to it. Off to find a fan.

Hi, BadThings (it feels funny to type that to someone being friendly to me) -- I know the dinners aren't cheap. I took a good friend to the last one—the whole time she was saying how much it cost. "How can they charge so much?!" By the time she sat down to the first course, and saw the set-up, the large staff, the linens and china and everything, she said to my husband, "I don't know how they do it for so little!" No one is getting rich. For me, it's a labor of love. And it really is kind of a once-in-a-lifetime thing. And on the subject of Frog Hollow peaches, those I brought home are in varying states of being ripe. I slurped up a couple of the ones that were perfect—I love Russ's "melting ice cream" phrase, because crisp peaches, mealy peaches, and cottony peaches are not what I want to eat. Others are firmer, some nearly hard, but I am thinking to make cobbler with those too firm to eat right now. And maybe tonight would be a good night for the grilled peaches I've been reading about elsethread. I bought both marscapone and crème fraîche to attempt the peach gelato, so I could compare. It's hot as blazes here in Santa Cruz, even for summer. It might be too hot to cook.

I gotta say, I haven't watched the show because I am still having waitressing nightmares from twenty years ago—five fun-filled years at TGI Friday's did me in for life, I think. I'm afraid to watch...but I guess I should see just one show, huh?

Potato bread sandwich with roasted turkey breast, cheddar and Romaine with mayonnaise. I'm with John Thorne—I love a savory breakfast.

Ack, Raynickben, you just opened a memory that was better repressed. This won't top Katherine's little shop of horrors, but it is the worst meal of my life, and my mother gave birth to it one day after she dreamed it the night before. Into a pan with pork chops, she added apples, sauerkraut, carrots and, I think, brown sugar or something. The sauerkraut alone was bad enough to warrant a phone call to CPS, but the entire meal was an abomination of such disastrous proportions that all four of us girls sat at the table, mournfully poking the ghastly mess with our forks. Plaintive voices: "Are you sure we have to eat this?" "But Moh-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-hm. It's gross." She got madder and madder, and the littlest sister fell into tears because she knew there was strawberry shortcake for dessert, and no chance of getting any unless she ingested the putrid concoction. I stand on record as being the only child to choke it down—my sisters were not brave or willing, and I think they felt I betrayed them in breaking ranks and finishing my dinner. I was only motivated by the shortcake. Of course, now it's a family joke, at least to the four daughters that lived through that meal. My mother still insists we were just too coarse to appreciate the subtleties of her cooking, but we insist it was a load of barf. God, I might need therapy.

(I edited out this first paragraph. I might cross paths one day and that would be awkward.) One little thing I noted: in the books she recommends, she says of Lilek's Gallery of Regrettable Food (actually the book, made from the website): "This book is so fabulously snarky it would be easy to write it off as a one-gag wonder: retro recipes can be pretty scary." I believe, if you look up "snarky" in the dictionary, you will find a photograph of Ms. Schrambling herself. I think Lilek's refusal to be mean-spirited precludes the use of that word. Hilarious, he is. But it isn't as if he's actually pointing out the deficiencies of living people in his encapsulation of Things That Went Very Very Wrong at Mealtime. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think so.

A good, trustworthy, responsible builder is worth his weight in emeralds. I know, I'm married to one. I've heard so many horror stories of job's he's had to clean up after, and I cannot believe how some people do business. Bob is so meticulous in his work (I wish he were that meticulous at home!) that he's taught me things about being a professional. He says over and over, "They pay me the money to do the worrying for them." Anticipating how sub-contractors will perform, making his crews understand the importance of pristine work habits (draping furniture, cleaning up everything at the end of a day's work), and so on, is just part of the responsibility. Unfortunately so many builders are slapdash. Rozrapp, yours is a great post with so many important little details.

My husband is a building contractor, and he has said many times that a bad kitchen remodel can break up a marriage.

I hadn't heard of Fifth Floor until I got to eGullet, among my community of friends in the Bay area or in SF itself. It sounds amazing, from what I've read here.

I told them they should have little peach bibs at the farm dinner, like lobster bibs. Careful you don't short out your keyboard, Hest88. (Where in the Bay area are you?)

Justine Miner (RNM) was the guest chef for one of the farm dinners I'm involved with...I've been to over a dozen and I can tell you truly that not only was her food flawless, gorgeous and fantastic, but that she herself is one of the most modest people I've ever met. My husband, who meets all the chefs, thought she was just a helper. She seemingly has no ego. And she's beautiful. When I was researching her work, I found that no less a personage than Patricia Unterman wrote, "Right now I would drive across town just to sit in front of Miner's calm kitchen and work my way through the menu." That is some high praise. She also included RNM in the San Francisco Chronicle's Simply the Best column (scroll down to Miner's Daughter). I'm very much looking forward to eating at RNM.

Russ Parsons, I hold you personally responsible for the ten pounds of Zee Lady peaches (well, slightly less than that now) that are sitting on my dining room table, all comfy and cozy in their little box. Did I say little? Ten pounds of peaches is a LOT of peaches. It's a big bloody box of peaches. You can come here right now and get busy with the knife. I can wipe my own chin, though. (Farmer Al was absolutely delighted when I told him about your peach story—what a nice smile he's got.] Who wants in?

"It tastes like feet!" -- Ross Geller, describing Rachel's dessert (half a recipe for English trifle, coupled with half a recipe for shepherd's pie with beef, mashed potatoes and peas)