Take a close look at all the food in these photos from my meal at Puesto in Santa Clara.
We’re talking a creamy horchata, a tall glass of hefeweizen, tortilla chips with spicy salsa, three sizeable chicken flautas, and six bountiful tacos.
That spread — enough to completely stuff myself and my husband, plus have enough leftovers for one lunch the next day — was $98 before tip.
But I got it all for $58.38.
How?
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Along the lines of Elaine in that classic “Seinfeld” episode, “The Big Salad,” a friend once queried a restaurant server with the immortal words: “Are your salads of size?”
Yes, it was a male friend. And nope, he’s never lived it down.
Now, if he ever set eyes on “A Cobb Salad For Sharing,” he’d never have to wonder about that.
That’s because this Cobb salad generously fills an entire sheet pan, making it large enough to easily serve four. With its components arranged just so, it makes for an enticing presentation that draws your eye as well as your appetite.
The recipe is from “The Curated Board” (Abrams), of which I received a review copy.
If you’ve found yourself mesmerized by all those beautifully arrayed platters and boards of food that are popping up all over social media these days, this book will show you how to make your own.
It was written by Bebe Black Carminito, a San Francisco food stylist, recipe developer, and professional makeup artist whose Instagram handle is @champagneandcookies.
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Am I the only one who as a kid turned breadsticks into chopsticks?
I bet not.
These days, though, I prefer just happily crunching down on them — wrapped in prosciutto, dunked into a creamy dip or just on their own.
If you’ve never tried making your own, you ought to give “Herbes de Provence Grissini” a whirl.
It’s a simple recipe that provides the pleasure of hand-rolling skinny logs of dough with your hands just like you did as a tot with Play-Doh.
The recipe is from “The Curated Board” (Abrams), of which I received a review copy. It’s by Bebe Black Carminito, a San Francisco food stylist, recipe developer, and professional makeup artist whose Instagram handle is the delightful @champagneandcookies.
Board food is having a big moment, thanks in part to how beautifully they photograph for Instagram likes.
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After opening in 2011 on Union Street in San Francisco, The Brixton slowly but surely began to evolve into more of a drinking establishment.
But last week, after a revamp, the restaurant, named for an iconic rock and roll venue in London, reopened as a modern gastropub, with as much emphasis placed on the food as the drink.
To redesign and expand the menu, owner Hugo Gamboa brought in long-time Bay Area chef Joey Altman of San Francisco’s Hazie’s as a consultant.
Last week, I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant to try a sampling of the new menu the night before it opened to the public. It’s an eclectic mix with everything from deviled eggs topped with bourbon bacon ($14) and Korean barbecue ribs ($24) to a spicy tuna roll ($21), a Brixton Prime Rib burger ($25), and shrimp scampi and linquine ($28).
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Wisconsin-born and a teacher by profession, Debra Mathy shared a passion for wine with her father. So much so, that the two of them spent years looking at wineries around the world in hopes of one day buying one.
Sadly, just three months before she would buy Dutcher Crossing Winery in Geyserville in 2007, her father was diagnosed with melanoma cancer and passed away.
She pressed on, though, intent on fulfilling their dream. Indeed, she became the first single woman to own a winery in Sonoma. When she purchased Dutcher Crossing, it made five wines and consisted of 35 acres. Today, it produces more than 30 wines across 75 acres.
I had a chance to sample a bottle of the 2023 Dutcher Crossing Winemakers’ Grenache Rosé ($40) from the Dry Creek Valley. The pale salmon-hued wine is full of the lively flavors of strawberries and raspberries. Tangy and refreshing, it spent four months in neutral French oak barrels, giving it a tad more body.
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