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Coming up: Places to get your CRAVE on
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008
Aug. 16: Mama Rita's Authentic Mexican Cantina grand opening in Newbury Park.
Aug. 17: Beylik Family Farms open house in Fillmore.
Aug. 20: Ventura Limoncello dinner in Ventura.
Aug. 20: Tercero wine dinner in Oxnard.
Aug. 24: Summerland Winery dinner at Mastro's Steakhouse in Thousand Oaks.
Full story »Raw or cooked, tomatoes are now at height of their seasonal powers
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008
Don't ask Santa Paulan Dave Pommer to describe the flavors of the Persimmon, Green Zebra, Sudduth's Brandywine and other heirloom tomatoes he grows for sale at farmers markets in Ventura County. He doesn't eat them. Not raw, anyway. Pommer is strictly a cooked-tomato kind of guy — an approach that is catching on via tomatofest-themed dinners at restaurants and private homes. Full story »
The Fun Five: Where to catch dinner and a show
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008
In New York, catching "dinner and a show" might translate into spending a few hundred bucks on Broadway tickets and a couple hundred more on dinner at a swank restaurant. But in Ventura County, we tend to take a more inclusive (and less expensive) approach. Organic pizza and an outdoor concert, anyone? Or how about lunch and a viewing of the "Nancy Reagan: A First Lady's Style" exhibit (pictured above) in Simi Valley? Full story »
In review: Wolfgang Puck L.A. Bistro in Westlake Village
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008
Celebrity chef and entrepreneur Wolfgang Puck has developed such a vast complex of good food projects that it was only a matter of time before he set his sights on Ventura County. Well, not quite: Serving smoked salmon pizzas and Chinois salads, his newly opened Wolfgang Puck L.A. Bistro actually is in Westlake Village, just beyond the county line. Full story »
Let the cooking games begin
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008
In honor of the Summer Olympics already underway in Beijing, China, Crave's cookbook giveaway this month is "Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China," by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (Artisan, $40). Read on, too, for news of two recipe contests. Full story »
Making make-do pies
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008
Desperate times call for desperate-measure pies. According to food historians, the West and more than a few stomachs were won with the aid of a potent mix of Vinegar Pies, Bean Pies and Hoosier Pies, all of which were made with what folks had on hand. We unearth the stories of (and recipes for) some of these once-common concoctions. Full story »
The Local at Home: Summer corn, peaches and tomatoes so good they 'cook" themselves
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008
Summer produce, and the cookin' is easy. Now that our county-fair fling with deep-fried foods is over for another year, it's time to dig into good-for-you meals that feature in-season peaches, corn, watermelon and heirloom tomatoes. In this month's The Local at Home column, chef Tim Kilcoyne of The SideCar Restaurant in Ventura offers easy, recipe-free ideas for making several market-fresh dishes. They take little to no time to create because the ingredients are so full of flavor, he says. Full story »
The Local at Home: Making the most of ingredients you already have
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Time and ingredients are money. So in this month's The Local at Home column, chef Tim Kilcoyne of The SideCar Restaurant in Ventura tackles readers' questions about quick, budget-friendly ways to cook with the fresh herbs, half-used tubs of sour cream and jars of vacation-souvenir jams they already have in their kitchens. "The start to a great meal is probably sitting in your fridge or pantry," says Kilcoyne. "Remember, that $5 bottle of something called for in a recipe could instead go toward buying a gallon of gas."
Full story »Local cooking contests heat up
Thursday, July 10, 2008
If you can't stand the heat of the kitchen, you might find yourself left out of the chance to win prizes ranging from T-shirts to $150 cash at the Oxnard Salsa Festival. Also coming up: the best-lemon-dessert contest at the Santa Paula Citrus Festival, followed by the Ventura County Fair and its assortment of bake-offs and food-judging entry days. Full story »
The Fun Five: Where to go for sweet, heat-beating treats
Thursday, July 10, 2008
With its sleek silver-and-blue decor, Shave It in Thousand Oaks certainly LOOKS cool. (And if you don't believe us, check out the photo, above.) Its Hawaiian-style shave ice tastes pretty cool, too, earning Shave It a slot on our guide to locally made sweet treats that will help you beat the summer heat. Gelato, ice cream, soft-serve yogurt and limoncello are also on the list. Full story »
Coming up: Places to get your CRAVE on
Thursday, July 10, 2008
July 11: Cask beertasting at JJ Brewsky's in Camarillo.
July 12: Cooking class at Cafe Firenze in Moorpark.
July 13: Benefit tasting at WineStyles in Thousand Oaks.
July 16: Heirloom tomato dinner at The SideCar in Ventura.
July 28: Tamai Family Farm dinner at Tierra Sur in Oxnard.
July 31: Zaca Mesa Winery dinner at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village.
Full story »Regional tastes — for free!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Gas prices being what they are, you may be re-thinking that summer-vacation road trip. And flying? Fuggedaboutit! But thanks to a slew of new regional-cuisine cookbooks, you can still "get away" to — and taste the foods of — such travel magnets as the Rockies, New England and North Carolina's Barrier Islands. Even better, you can win some of those cookbooks by entering a drawing just for readers of Crave. Full story »
In review: El Rey Cantina in downtown Ventura
Thursday, July 10, 2008
There's no peanut butter and banana sandwich on the menu, but El Rey Cantina in downtown Ventura has the funky feel of a place that wants to commemorate The King, aka El Rey. The Elvis-on-black-velvet paintings are part of the fun. Full story »
Turning lemons into limoncello, a drink best served cold
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Not so long ago, you had to be Italian to know about limoncello. But thanks to Ventura County's status as prime lemon-growing country and to the efforts of a local couple to bottle their family recipe commercially, we now have something a lot of more local: Ventura Limoncello Originale. Discover how the lemon liqueur has gone from after-dinner drink to sought-after ingredient for cocktails, entrées and desserts. Full story »
The Local at Home: Summer fruits star in peach-ginger BBQ sauce, apricot crumble
Friday, June 13, 2008
June is prime time for making Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Ginger-Peach BBQ Sauce, Apricot-Blueberry Crumble and, in a nod to the veggies, Balsamic Grilled Long Beans. In this month's The Local at Home column, chef Tim Kilcoyne of The SideCar Restaurant in Ventura shares these recipes inspired by his visits to the farmers market and asks: What's in YOUR fridge? Full story »
