Congratulations to Quinn Cormier and her co-owner/chef Geoff Hargrave, whose hard work—and lots of creative contracting—has paid off handsomely. West End Tap & Kitchen, the giant new palace of two dozen beers on tap and local food whipped up into tempting small plates is officially open. Definitely spruced up, yet retaining the vibrant footprint of its former life as Le Cigare Volant and Bonny Doon Vineyard tasting room, the inviting new eatery is making itself welcome by serving daily and continuously from 11:30am. Check out the new menu for yourself, but I'm liking the looks of Salchichero pastrami bites with red cabbage puree and rye crisp. Or a flatbread appetizer with peaches, fromage blanc and basil. Entrees range from stout braised Angus short ribs and wild salmon to the house ground burger done with a variety of cheeses. “Yes” is a good response to the new West End Tap & Kitchen dining possibilities. Right next door to the delightful Vino Tabi winery and tasting room, in the fun-filled Ingalls & Swift complex of extreme tasting.
Bonny Doon Among Best: The ever-articulate Randall Grahm shoots out another of his priceless newsletters into the ether today. And while the lights are not yet on in the new Davenport tasting room, there is much action afoot chez Bonny Doon Vineyard. We learn that the Mourvèdre harvest is looking smartly, “crop size seems normal to bountiful, if not quite the Biblical level that it was last year,” says Randall. And there are oodles of charming nerdocentric details that needn’t be repeated here. While the winemaker shows no false modesty (and when did he ever?) about urging us to re-visit the current releases of his much-renowned handiwork, he needn’t have bothered. Why, just last week the SF Chronicle's Jon Bonné included Bonny Doon Vineyard's 2010 Clos de Gilroy Central Coast Grenache (which I’ve already told you is one of my reigning house reds) in his list of top 100 Best of the West.
Farm Fresh News: UCSC Farm & Garden Cart features succulent strawberries, tender young kale and ultra-slender filet beans of all colors. We like to steam the tiny new green beans, then douse them with white balsamic vinegar, garlic, sea salt and a splash of olive oil. Once all these flavors come together, the beans make a sexy topping for a salad of tossed greens and the early crop of dry-farmed tomatoes. I’m thinkin’ you can’t do much better than Joe Schirmer’s Dirty Girl pomodori. But once the Farm & Garden tomatoes are ready, don’t miss ‘em! . . . Rush on down to the Downtown Farmer's Market today (Aug. 14) and check out Basil Bonanza, the 4th FoodShed Project edu-tasting event that will fill your mind and mouth with the heady perfume of basil, as well as amazing flavor experiences like basil-yogurt sorbet and raspberry-lemon basil popsicles. It all kicks off at 3pm with Jeff Larkey spinning farm yarns about the local growing empire. Jeff grew basil especially for this event, and chef Kevin Koebel will be spinning flavor gold out of the six varieties grown at Route 1 Farms. Kids will also love this chance to try their hands at making seasonal smoothies with bicycle-powered blenders. Plus there will be basil-inspired art, live music and all the voluptuous sensory bombardment of the only-in-Santa Cruz farmers market scene. Don't miss it. The peaches, nectarines and early dry-farmed heirlooms are out in dazzling shades of pink, orange, yellow and red. . . .Don't miss the warm squid salad with transparent fried eggplant, micro mustard flowers and heirloom tomatoes @ Soif. TDF!
