Bay Area restaurants celebrating Julia Child Centennial with special dinners

Posted on August 11, 2012 by admin

The Hyatt Carmel Highlands is the site of one of several Bay Area events celebrating Julia Child’s 100th birthday

It would have been the fabulous Julia Child’s 100th birthday on August 15, 2012, and many Bay Area restaurants, from Carmel to San Francisco and beyond, are celebrating this Julia child Centennial with special dinners.

Julia Child is basically the godmother of televised cooking shows; her television career lasted more than thirty years and drew legions of fans long before “food TV” was as prolific as it is today. Child, a native of Pasadena, California, was a major influence on chefs in the US – introducing Americans to French cuisine – and on people across the world. Her first cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” was published in 1961. Julia Child passed away in 2004.

Below are some Bay Area highlights for Julia Child-inspired celebrations. Other events outside the Bay Area include Pasadena restaurants hosting cocktail parties, a look-alike contest, and costume parties, and restaurant chefs across the country paying tribute to Ms. Child with Julia Child Restaurant Week from August 7-15.

Carmel
Hyatt Carmel Highlands
The AIWF (American Institute of Wine & Food) of Monterey Bay is hosting “Julia’s 100th Birthday party” on August 26 at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands. Tickets are $175 for AIWF members and $225 for others. RSVP’s are required by August 18. Call (831) 624-0830 or email mchamberlin1@earthlink.net for more information. The event is black-tie optional and begins at 5:30p.m. The AIWF is a non-profit organization founded by Julia Child, Robert Mondavi, Richard Graff and others in 1981 to “advance the understanding, appreciation and quality of what we eat and drink.”

For Julia’s birthday party, food will be prepared by:

Matt Bolton, Executive Chef, Hyatt Carmel Highlands
Jeff Jake, Executive Chef, Silverado Resort, Napa
Peter Armellino, Michelin Star Chef, Plumed Horse, Saratoga
Mark Ayers, Corporate Executive Chef, Coastal Luxury Management
Gina Scalla, Pastry Chef, Hyatt Carmel Highlands

Location: Hyatt Carmel Highlands, 4 miles south of Carmel on Highway 1 at Highlands Drive

Berkeley
Chez Panisse
Chez Panisse has both a downstairs restaurant and an upstairs café. The venue is serving Julia Child-inspired dinners during the week of August 13. For restaurant reservations call (510) 548-5525 Monday through Saturday, between 9 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. For café reservations call (510) 548-5049 Monday through Saturday, between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Location: 1517 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley

San Francisco
Jardiniere
Traci Des Jardins’ Jardiniere will serve a prix fixe menu on Monday, August 13 in honor of Julia Child. The dinner is $49 and the menu follows; it includes wine pairings. Call (415) 861-5555 for reservations. Jardiniere actually serves a $49 prix fixe menu every Monday night. It usually includes wine, although last week’s August 6th dinner was themed “Artisinal Beer” — so each course was paired with a beer hand selected by bar manager Greg Stone.

Julia’s Bibb Lettuce Salad,
Bacon Avocado, Chioggia Beets and Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette
Beckman, Sauvignon Blanc, Sta. Ynez Valley, California 2011
••••••••
Coq au Vin,
Braised Bacon, Wild Mushroom and New Potato
Betrand Amboise, Bourgogne Rouge, Burgundy, France 2009
••••••••
Chocolate Mousse,
Crème Anglaise and Candied Almonds
M. Chapoutier, Banyuls, France 2007

Location: 300 Grove Street, San Francisco

Oakland
Camino
The restaurant Camino is serving a four-course prix fixe dinner on August 15. The meal at Camino costs $55 and includes bourride (seafood stew), steak au poivre (pepper steak), and clafoutis (a baked French dessert that features cherries). Call (510) 547-5035 for reservations.

Location: 3917 Grand Ave, Oakland

On Twitter? Follow me @santacruzfoodie

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Soquel cooking school Let’s Cook! hosts celebration party including chef demos & wine tasting

Posted on August 9, 2012 by admin

Chocolate treats created in a Let’s Cook! class

Soquel cooking school Let’s Cook! is celebrating being open for 7 months with a party on Saturday, August 11th. The party will include chef demos, food, beer and wine tastings, and a raffle.

The free event is from 2-4p.m. Guests will also have the opportunity to meet some of the farmers that provide ingredients to the school.

Let’s Cook! offers lots of classes throughout the year. The average cost is $65 for a 3-hour class and that includes tasting the resulting dishes that you create. For a more thorough overview of the school, read my article from May 2012, which I wrote after taking a fun Indian Cuisine course there.

On Twitter? Follow me @santacruzfoodie

Location: 2880 Research Park Ste 200 (nearest major cross streets are 41st Ave and Soquel)
(831) 419-2747

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Santa Cruz’s Soif has 10th anniversary party with waiters race, food, and music

Posted on August 4, 2012 by admin

Soif chef Santos Majano at the weekly Wednesday downtown Santa Cruz farmers’ market

Santa Cruz’s Soif, a great restaurant and wine bar, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a party from 1:30 – 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 5th.

The party commences outside Soif with a special “waiters race.” Live music by Hot Club Pacific (the band plays gypsy jazz) will begin after the race is over, and delicious food from Soif – cooked by talented chef Santos Majano – will be available for purchase (details below). The Penny Ice Creamery is going to have a cart at the event, and wine will also be available.

You may wonder what a Waiters Race is. Here is an overview: eight teams, each representing a different restaurant, are competing. Team entry fees (a $100 gift certificate from each restaurant) will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank for auction at their September fundraiser.

There will be several races, each with two teams battling each other to start. The winning team will need to win three races to become champion. The teams will have to perform tasks including traversing an obstacle course and balancing full glasses of water without spilling them. There are three judges, and I am honored to say that I have been selected as one of them. Teams will be judged on elements including speed, technical skills (posture, grace carrying tray, etc.), personal skills (communication with spectators, etc.), and uniform/grooming. The grand prize is a 5 Liter bottle of 2006 Baron de Ley Rioja Reserva. There will also be prizes for one runner-up team and “People’s Choice Team.”

Soif food available for purchase during 8/5 party:

1 – Ancho chili barbecue baby back ribs, summer corn, cherry tomato-cabbage salad with cilantro-lime vinaigrette
2 – Honey-ginger glazed chicken wings, butter lettuce & grilled summer vegetable salad
3 – Bread Pudding w/ vanilla whipped cream & berries

Numbers 1 & 2 are $10 each, and number 3 is $5.

On Twitter? Follow me @santacruzfoodie

Location:
105 Walnut Ave, Santa Cruz
(831) 423-2020

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Annieglass hosts summer food and wine series in Watsonville

Posted on August 4, 2012 by admin

Beautiful pieces from Annieglass

The Annieglass Watsonville studio has been hosting a Saturday summer food and wine series, which has occurred on most – but not all – Saturdays this season. You have just a few more opportunities to enjoy it (the series began in May and ends August 25).

The events take place from 12-4 p.m. at 310 Harvest Drive. Each one focuses on a different artisan food vendor and/or a different winery. The August highlights are below. Also note that every weekend, from Friday through Sunday, Annieglass in Watsonville now offers “Pours & Tours.” The free 20-minute studio tours are at 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Wine tasting of Santa Cruz and Monterey County wines is available from 12:00-4:30 p.m. each day. The cost is $5 for 3 wine tastings or $8 for 6; if you buy a bottle the tasting fee is waived.

Call (831) 761-2041 for more information.

FOOD & WINE SERIES

August 4
Enjoy tastings of Pacific Crest Apiaries honey and wildflower bee pollen. Pacific Crest will be featuring some of their raw, hand-processed honey around and a selection of hand-crafted pure beeswax candles.

August 11
If you’re unfamiliar with Garden Variety Cheese, you’re in for a new and wonderful treat. Rebecca King runs a sheep ranch and only feeds the animals organically raised, irrigated pasture and organic brewer’s grain from Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing. The result is great-tasting milk and then, delectable cheese.

August 18
Scotts Valley-based Bruzzone Family Vineyards specializes in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

August 25
Jen Ashby is an amazing Aptos-based chocolatier; you’ll love the goodies she creates with seasonal ingredients for Ashby Confections.

On Twitter? Follow me @santacruzfoodie

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Santa Cruz restaurant news: Nuevo closed, new Avanti open, and other changes in town

Posted on July 30, 2012 by admin

The new Ristorante Avanti has a very comfortable enclosed patio for dining.

Here is some news about selected restaurants in the Santa Cruz area that recently opened, closed, or had significant changes.

Now Closed:
Nuevo Southwest Grill
The well-loved upscale Mexican restaurant, located on Eastcliff near 15th, closed about three weeks ago. I’m disappointed I didn’t get to have one last meal there before the closure; I really liked the food at Nuevo.

Now Open:
Ristorante Avanti opened at its bigger location – just up the street from the original location – a week ago, on July 23. This new location (former site of Hawg’s) has a full bar; the old Avanti did not. There is a nice enclosed patio, too. I went for lunch on Friday and the food was fantastic, as usual. I had pan-fried padron peppers with manchego as an appetizer and Italian sausage as my entrée. The old location, in the same plaza as Coffeetopia on Mission, is undergoing renovations and will be open in the future with a focus on pizza. Location: 1917 Mission St., (831)-427-0135

The chain L&L Hawaiian Barbecue now has a franchise at the corner of 7th Avenue & Eaton/Murray in Santa Cruz (former spot of Fandango’s). Location: 460 7th Avenue, (831) 475-8898

Suda opened on June 20 in the Pleasure Point area of Santa Cruz, where Rock of the Sea used to be. It serves breakfast and lunch plus it has a full bar that is open during the evening. The co-owner is Dan Voskoboynikov who also co-owns popular Harbor Café on 7th Avenue near Eaton/Murray. The chef is former Chaminade food/beverage director Anthony Dias. Location: 3910 Portola Drive, (831) 600-7068

Changes:
Clouds in downtown Santa Cruz is no longer open. It’s undergoing renovations, and is going to re-open with the same owner but a different name and menu: Louie’s Cajun Kitchen and Bourbon Bar Restaurant. Location: 110 Church Street, (831) 429-2000

On Twitter? Follow me @santacruzfoodie

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Homeless Garden Project in Santa Cruz offers organic, farm-to-table benefit dinner with wine pairings

Posted on July 26, 2012 by admin

Attendees enjoying a previous “Sustain” dinner at HGP’s Westside Santa Cruz farm. Photo credit: Dana Forsberg

Santa Cruz’s Homeless Garden Project (HGP) is holding an organic benefit dinner at its farm on Saturday, July 28, the latest in its “Sustain” series.

“Sustain” is a seasonal gourmet dinner series featuring organic produce from the farm, wine pairings, and guest speakers discussing sustainable topics. The admission fee, $55, benefits Homeless Garden Project – so you can have a great feast and enjoy good company while helping sustain HGP. Purchase tickets here (if you’d like a vegetarian meal, please specify that online). Read below for the menu.

This Saturday’s event is from 4-7 p.m. The family-style 3-course farm dinner will be prepared by Monterey Bay private chef Alyssa Twelker. Wine pairings, included in the $55 admission, are being provided by Hobo Wines. There will also be live classical guitar music performed by Carl Atilano. The guest speaker is Brendan Miele, Director of California Farming Operations at Jacobs Farm who will be talking about ‘Translating Sustainability Into Practice.’ For more information call 831.426.3609.

The setting is outdoors (the farm is located off Shaffer Road near the entrance to Seymour Center), so be sure to dress comfortably and bring a jacket. If you can’t make this Saturday’s event — or even if you can! — plan ahead for the next ones which are August 18th and September 15th (both from 4-7 p.m.).

MENU

First Course
Arugula, summer squash confit, cherry tomatoes, grilled corn, goat cheese and herb vinaigrette

Second Course
Fresh herb and edible flower crusted white fish with lemon-buttermilk mashed potatoes, braised greens and saffron cream
Vegetarian option: Grilled summer squash and torpedo onions with toasted bread crumbs and fresh herbs

Third Course
Zucchini lemon pound cake with strawberries and fresh whipped cream

Founded in 1990, HGP provides job training and transitional employment to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Some of the programs take place in its 2.5-acre organic farm, where trainees plant, grow and harvest. HGP also provides volunteer and educational opportunities for community members who want to learn about and practice sustainable agriculture and social justice, and operates a year-round gift shop.

On Twitter? Follow me @santacruzfoodie

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Top Chef Masters begins new season which includes San Francisco chef Chris Cosentino

Posted on July 25, 2012 by admin

Gnocchi with red corn and popcorn shoots at Incanto, Chris Cosentino’s SF restaurant (July 2012 via Twitter)

As Top Chef fans know, July 25 is the premiere of the new season of Top Chef Masters; 12 chefs are competing including San Francisco’s Chris Cosentino.

Cosentino is quite a well-known celebrity chef these days. He has appeared on “The Next Iron Chef,” “Iron Chef America,” and “Chefs vs. City,” and he has two San Francisco food venues. The first is restaurant Incanto, the second Boccalone. The latter is a fabulous meat shop in the Ferry Building with more than 20 handmade cured meats to choose from, as well as panini. Cosentino’s other ventures include a new cookbook, “Beginnings: My Way to Start a Meal,” and a comic book.

The grand prize winner of Top Chef Masters is awarded $100,000 that goes to the charity of his or her choice. In addition, during each episode the winner of the Quickfire Challenge wins $5,000 and the Elimination Challenge winner gets $10,000 – all for charity. Cosentino is competing for the Michael J. Fox Foundation; his uncle died of Parkinson’s disease.

Another competitor of note this season is Art Smith, a veteran of the series and a two-time James Beard Award recipient. Smith’s restaurants include LYFE Kitchen in Palo Alto. Chef Smith competed in Season 1 but didn’t win. After seeing himself in an overweight state on TV and being diagnosed with diabetes, Smith lost 100 pounds. He has a very endearing TV presence and is a talented chef; I look forward to watching him this season.

The series airs on Bravo on Wednesdays at 10pm/9pm Central. The host is Curtis Stone; judges include popular author and former Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl.

On Twitter? Follow me @santacruzfoodie

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Special cooking lesson and feast at Santa Cruz’s MAH with India Joze chef

Posted on July 25, 2012 by admin

Chef Jozseph Schultz prepares his culinary creations.

Talented and unique chef Jozseph Schultz, from Santa Cruz restaurant India Joze, is offering a cooking lesson and feast at Santa Cruz’s Museum of Art & History on Wednesday, July 25.

The event is from 5:30-9 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring $10 and a “favorite veggie or meat from the Wednesday Farmers’ Market or from home.” The chef will create a feast from everyone’s culinary treasures, also utilizing some of his delectable sauces and tools that he will bring from the restaurant. Guests will have the opportunity to help prep the food, too. The event includes appetizers and dessert.

If you can’t make it this week, Chef Schultz does this innovative “cooking demo / cooking lesson / improvised feast” every Wednesday evening from 5-7:30 p.m. at his restaurant (418 Front Street, 831-325-3633).

To keep up to date with all of the Joze events – AND get discounts from time to time – make sure you regularly check the restaurant’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/IndiaJoze.

On Twitter? Follow me @santacruzfoodie

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Eat pizza and drink beer to benefit Shakespeare Santa Cruz

Posted on July 14, 2012 by admin

Shakespeare Santa Cruz’s mascot hanging out at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing. Photo credit: Sandor Nagyszalanczy.

There are two upcoming occasions to eat pizza and drink beer to benefit Shakespeare Santa Cruz (SSC), a professional repertory theater company located at UC Santa Cruz.

On Monday, July 16, Woodstock’s Pizza is donating a percentage of its dinner sales (good for dine-in AND to-go) between 5-9 p.m. to SSC – but ONLY for the customers that bring in a special flyer. (click here to download)

Spread the word, because depending on how much money SSC fans spend at Woodstock’s that night, SSC – such a worthy non-profit! – will receive between 15% and 25% of these sales.

On Thursday, July 19, Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing is donating $1 from every pint sold to SSC as part of its Thank You Thursday program that benefits local community organizations. Every Thursday, the organic microbrewery contributes $1 of every pint sold during business hours (noon -10 p.m.). Seven flagship brews are always available, plus seasonal and specialty brews and hard cider. Non-alcoholic options include kombucha and draft root beer.

Interested in going to a SSC play? The main 2012 SSC season starts July 24 and lasts until August 26. This year’s plays are Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” and “Henry IV, Part Two” plus “The Man in the Iron Mask” by Scott Wentworth. There is also a show that features SSC’s acting interns, always referred to as “The Fringe Show.” This year, they’re performing “The Mandrake” by Niccolo Machiavelli on August 21-22. All performances are on UCSC’s campus at the Mainstage Theatre and Festival Glen.
For more information or tickets visit shakespearesantacruz.org or call (831) 459-2159.

On Twitter? Follow me @santacruzfoodie


The Details:
Woodstock’s Pizza, 740 Front St., Santa Cruz 95060 (831) 427-4444
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, 402 Ingalls Street (in Swift Street Courtyard), Santa Cruz, (831) 425-4900

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Wine and dine in Santa Cruz with 12 restaurants & wineries at outdoor benefit

Posted on July 14, 2012 by admin

Wine from Surf City Vintners

Surf City Vintners is joining with Second Harvest Food Bank and a dozen local restaurants and food vendors for a party in Westside Santa Cruz on Saturday night. The second annual “Sunset at Surf City Vintners/Food & Wine Faire” benefits Second Harvest Food Bank. The goal is to raise enough funds for 9,600 meals for kids in Santa Cruz County who aren’t getting enough regular meals while they are out of school this summer.

It’s actually a two-night event: the first Food & Wine Faire is Saturday July 14 and the second one is being held August 18. Both are from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the parking lot near Copious Winery & Equinox at 427 Swift Street. Organizers refer to the event as a “dinner market…urban picnic…and community banquet.” See surfcityvintners.com for more information.

The wineries of Surf City Vintners (see list below) will be selling wine, and restaurants/food vendors will each sell their own dishes. There is no separate entry fee; you just pay for the specific foods and/or drinks you select. Choose food from sellers like Stagnaro’s, Uncle Ro’s Pizza, Café Iveta, Akira Sushi, Conscious Creations, Bruno’s BBQ and True Olive Connection. There will also be an oyster bar from H&H Fresh Fish (read more on H&H in my article). The restaurant Thai Orchid will participate on August 18, but not July 14.

Attendees are encouraged to “go sustainable” and bring their own plates, utensils, and wine glasses. The Cabrillo Jazz All Stars are providing live music.

Surf City Wineries
Bonny Doon Vineyard
Copious
Equinox Champagne
MJA
Odonata
Rexford (formerly Hillcrest Terrace)
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard/Quinta Cruz
Silver Mountain
Sones Cellars
Storrs
Trout Gulch
Vino Tabi

On Twitter? Follow me @santacruzfoodie

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