L.A. Times - Food & Dining

Bright Beginning -- the cherry season's upon us

Wed, 12 May 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Here's a 2004 article that offers recipes for quick preserves and thumbprint cookies as well as a classic clafouti.

Life is, as they say, a bowl of cherries.

Farmers markets, the next generation

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

As farmers age and retire, markets need new blood. A new generation of growers is appearing: idealistic newcomers, immigrants and family following in their parents' footsteps.

THERE'S been a changing of the guard at the Coleman Family Farm stand at the Santa Monica Farmers Market on Wednesday mornings. Ask Bill Coleman a question and he's likely to answer, "Ask Romey."

Meals inspired by the farmers market

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Don't have a menu for tonight? Just stroll through any farmers market for inspiration and ingredients.

IN SOUTHERN California, where we enjoy lively, vibrant farmers markets year-round, on every day of the week, in almost every neighborhood, deciding what's for dinner can, perhaps even should, be less about careful planning than serendipity. Maybe epiphany.

Malibu's backyard vintners

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Acreage is scarce, the climate s tricky and water is an issue. So why not make wine?

CALLUSED palms and bandaged fingers; broken fingernails stained black with dirt -- Hollywood actor and director Emilio Estevez proudly shows off his vineyard worker hands as he walks the vine rows.

Michael's on Naples Ristorante in Long Beach

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Chef Marco Cavuoto offers classic Italian cooking at his sleek, contemporary-designed restaurant in Long Beach's Naples area.

THE restaurant's name -- Michael's on Naples Ristorante --sounds dubious, like the kind of place you might see showing up on British chef Gordon Ramsay's hit television series "Kitchen Nightmares." In fact, Ramsay did take in hand an Italian restaurant called Peter's on Long Island in one episode I saw (and he spent much of the show trying to get the principles of running a restaurant -- no eating in front of the clients, no spending thousands on an Armani suit when the kitchen badly needs a stove -- through Peter's thick head).

Two Wolfgangs jockey for steakhouse turf

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

WHAT'S in a name? Plenty, if your name is Wolfgang. And if you happen to own a steakhouse in Beverly Hills.

Before farmers markets, there were farm stands

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Farm stands selling local produce used to be everywhere. Could they be making a comeback?

OUT WHERE Ventura Boulevard is just a country road, near Central Avenue in Camarillo, Phil McGrath farms 40 acres of Ventura County land his family has owned for generations. He sells his organic produce to restaurants and at farmers markets, but here beside the road he also has a farm stand -- a sophisticated, modern farm stand with a sturdy gable roof and handsome landscaping.

For the buffet table

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Captiva Deep Bowl, Crate & Barrel

Ultimate buffet bowl

Heirloom vines rising, arugula s wild ride

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Heirloom tomato plants, wild arugula and grape tomatoes are fresh at the market this week.

Peaking

Review: 2005 Opine Cellars 'The Offering' Central Coast Red

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

At $23, that's a stunning value for a wine of this caliber.

Curt Schalchlin made only 450 cases of "The Offering," his lush, Rhône-style blend of 70% Syrah with 30% Grenache, all sourced from named Central Coast vineyards. He apprenticed at Barrel 27 Wine Co. in Santa Maria, and as wine prices continue to soar, he keeps it real at $23, which means, with due diligence, you might be able turn up a bottle for a couple of dollars less. That's a stunning value for a wine of this caliber. Not a bit jammy, 2005's "The Offering" packs the taste of blueberries and blackberries into the glass, but has the chiseled minerality to keep your interest sip after sip.