Christina Waters

Thanks to Dee Vogel for sending me this very (very) interesting link—a huge flow-chart tracking the mega-corporate owners of all those “natural” food labels you love.

You’ll be amazed - and possibly uncomfortable.

After an arduous morning of soaking up Netherlands’ finest painters and printmakers—including several matchless Rembrandts, the peerless Carl Fabritius, and of course the beautiful if over-hyped Vermeer “Girl with the Pearl Earring,” we needed some food.

The deYoung’s outstanding restaurant obliged with a textbook double espresso, fresh-baked walnut and carrot cake, and centerpiece of Dutch-inspired lunch plate complete with three kinds of cured fish, smoked salmon, deviled eggs, gherkins, potato salad, rye bread and pickled onions. It tasted as good as it looks!

This show is loaded with some of the finest exemples of the 17th century Dutch Golden Age—the Rembrandt etchings alone are worth the scenic drive up the coast. It runs through June 2. Be there.

From one prurient, salacious, gossipy bonfire of the vanities to another—Jodi Arias, for example—we seem to be devolving into a “culture” of media-addicted ambulence chasers. While details unfold about the latest heartland atrocity, no details are unfolding about Benghazi, or Fukushima, or Syria.

Besides, it’s so much easier for Mr. and Mrs. Front Porch to understand crimes of passion than to demand answers about political decisions — CIA, Department of Justice—these require actually digging for facts and being able to understand implications.

Our refusal to think is going to pound that last nail into the sinking ship that is our collective culture.

But that’s just me.

Seriously. If you persist in thinking that you cannot afford to stop by a favorite cafe or restaurant, then consider acquiring a new Tuesday habit: tapas at Soif.

For $3 I had a sensation that was positively Roman in its voluptuousness. Quail egg, adorned with choice crisp pancetta, atop a yellow plinth of polenta. Slick of unctuous basil purée on the side.

A minerally Sancerre did the rest. Roughly $10 for a consciousness-raising bit of gourmet retail therapy.

Soif. Tuesdays. Tapas. Three dollars each.

Jim Denevan gave us a tasty gift ten years ago, when the idea of outdoor dining on farms and incomparable natural settings was but a gleam in his eye.

But as you know, Outstanding in the Field has gone viral in the most delicious possible way. In fact adventurous diners will want to quick pounce on some of the available places at the Secret Sea Cove dinner on July 5.

Here’s why.  H&H seafoods, fresher than a just-baked croissant, will form the centerpiece of the dinner. The ocean, surf, sand, and sheltering cliffs will form an unforgettable background. And, in a rare return to Santa Cruz, Justin Severino will bring his eye for detail and gift for culinary glory More…

What a catchy brand slogan! And indeed the 7th annual Greek Food Faire — May 17, 18, and 19—bids you do just that. Who can resist purchasing moussaka, spanakopita, grilled lamb souvlaki and incomparable handmade pastries, crisp and dusted with honey or powdered sugar? Oh and how about a touch of authentic Greek spirits such as metaxa or retsina? Shades of Zorba!

This vibrant Mediterranean block party benefits the Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox church, and rocks the corner of Center & Church St, Friday from 5-10pm, Sat. 11am - 10pm, and Sun noon - 8pm. This wonderful event is FREE, loaded with live Greek music—yes, you WILL get up and dance—everybody is welcome (except for pets).

Cappuccino perfetto!

Is it just me? or do you find it irritatingly smarmy when salesfolk at local import stores greet you at the door, shove a basket into your hands and invite you to “Enjoy!”  Do I look like a Kardasian? Shopping is probably an adventure sport for some, but I just wanted to come in and see if the store had any more of those square dinner plates I love.  “Enjoy?”

The takeaway for me was that I was being aggressively nudged into spending money. No one today—well maybe with the exception of Richard Brandson or Gwyneth Paltrow— “enjoys” parting with their money.

Okay, if you can’t relate to that, try this:
Last month I had a wonderful, accomplished, More…

The glistening tension of cascading diminished fifths, augmented fourths, and other ways of saying “tritone” will fill two halls this weekend as the combined vocal expertise of four choral groups takes on Benjamin Britten’s challenging War Requiem.

Rarely performed, this ambitious collaboration of the Monterey Chamber Orchestra, the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus, Cantiamo!, Cabrillo Chorale, and the Cabrillo Youth Chorus—one hundred+ voices—performs a piece Britten composed to honor the re-dedication of England’s Coventry Cathedral.  Heavily bombed during WWII, the cathedral became a symbol of spiritual hope against all odds. Britten, one of the masters of modern symphonic composition, used poems by World War I pacifist Wilfred Owen set to key moments of the traditional requiem mass.
In this masterwork, war and peace drive the words and music of loss, despair, hope, and ultimately consolation.

It is a thundering, whispering, utterly difficult and gorgeous piece of music—and under the guiding genius of Cabrillo’s Cheryl Anderson, the choirs are up to the challenge.  All you have to do is show up and be moved to tears. Tenor Jake Williams and soprano Tanya Harris are among the soloists sure to create lasting impressions.

The War Requiem by Benjamin Britten - under the direction of John Anderson - Saturday April 27 8pm at the Sunset Center in Carmel; Sunday April 28 7pm at the Crocker Theater, Cabrillo College in Aptos.

Cabrillo College Box Office — 831.479-6154.

Mt. Lassen trout on a bean ragout—even better than it looks.

Avanti for lunch. A delicious idea.