Bonny Doon tasting room to move to Davenport, Pinot Paradise summit returns.
Articles by Christina Waters
New Leaf’s Spring Cooking Classes
New Leaf cooking classes focus on cleansing foods, gluten-free brunch and paleo diets.
Top Picks From Santa Cruz’s Dining Scene
A menu walk through local restaurants’ current top offerings.
Artisan Santa Cruz: Pizza
It’s practically an embarrassment of riches, this delicious wave of artisanal pizza that has swept over our community. Yet the craze for this ancient culinary design of flatbread topped with variations on the theme of tomato, cheese, peppers, meat and herbs just keeps growing. And no one in Santa Cruz is complaining.
David Kinch’s Manresa Gets High Marks
According to Bon Appetit magazine, we have even more reason than ever to be culinarily smug. Santa Cruz resident David Kinch’s Manresa in Los Gatos, which has collected two Michelin stars, has now also been named among the twenty “Most Important” restaurants in the country. In fact, it was ranked # 5 (even above the hallowed Le Bernardin in New York). The editorial staff of the magazine chose these restaurants as defining how we eat out. “They’re the fearless spots that drive chefs to innovate, restaurateurs to imitate, and the rest of us to line up.”
Lavish Lunches at Tramonti
New and lively, Tramonti has already won the tastebuds of Seabright locals with its large portions, delicious pizzas and can-do service. When Rita and I had lunch at Tramonti last week, we found all of the above—and more. Yes, Tramonti is open for lunch Monday through Saturday, noon to 2:30pm. Pizzas are quite tasty here, she assured me—again, big is the game plan. Generous portions served by very well-trained, friendly staffers.
Plastic Wine Plugs from Zork Cork
We discovered a bottle of delightful Sauvignon Blanc 2010 from a Sonoma estate named for an old adobe, Leese-Fitch. We found the wine itself light, crisp, lemon grassy and utterly easy to drink. The $10 price tag didn’t hurt, either. But what was most intriguing about this bottle of wine was its closure. Not a cork, nor the infamous Stelvin screw cap. It was something much, much different.
Renee Shepherd Turns Heirloom Seeds Into Global Business
When UCSC alumna Renee Shepherd opted out of an academic future and into the rarified world of heirloom growing, it was early days in the world of regional gardening. That was 25 years ago, and whether or not her PhD in History of Consciousness had anything to do with it, Shepherd struck up a friendship with a Dutch seed broker who basically planted the seed (so to speak) of her now-global heirloom seed business. The only thing that doesn’t grow on Shepherd is moss.
Mr. Toots’ Tasty Coffee, Big Cookies
Even on a chilly winter morning, the sunny balcony of Mr. Toots—overlooking the Capitola Beach and estuary—invites coffee lovers to linger, soak up some sun (assuming it isn’t raining, of course) and nurse that double latté for a while. Amazingly, when Lisa and I met for our monthly literary reconnoiter last week at the upstairs coffeehouse, Mr. Toots seemed exactly as I had left it. Church pews, couches, cafe tables and plenty of free wi-fi make Mr. Toots a pleasant place to park that laptop and surf the web.
Ambrosia’s Impressive Lunch Buffet
We’ve been fans of the plush and well-seasoned Indian cookery at Ambrosia India Bistro in Aptos since it opened. On the site of the former Bleu Spoon (and before that a locally beloved pancake house), Ambrosia offers a long list of tandoori classics, a wide range of naans and plenty of curries—vegan and vegetarian as well as lamb, chicken and beef.
