Last year’s California Beer Festival proved it has become the feel-good hit of the summer.
Well, August 10 actually. That's the Saturday the ginormous California Beer Festival rolls into atmospheric Aptos Village Park and answers the prayers of brewski aficionados all over the central coast.
Imagine yourself soaking up some mid-summer rays, rockin’ to the beat of blues, soul and a big band tribute to Michael Jackson (a.k.a. Foreverland), enjoying a diverse array of BBQ specialties while sampling your way through (some of the) 70 craft brews you'll be tempted by at this mother lode of summer outdoor beer halls. Zameen, Mission Hill Creamery, Red Restaurant, Sid's Smokehouse, 99 Bottles—you get the idea. Here's the deal: You do not want to miss this event. You haven’t really had a summer if you haven’t stopped by the California Beer Festival in Aptos, from 12:30–5pm on Sat. Aug. 10. General admission $45; designated drivers $25. This baby will sell out fast, so check CaliforniaBeerFestival.com for tix.
News From My Informants: Gluten-free beer that tastes like beer—at least that’s the word about Omission beer, available at New Leaf markets. Just sayin’…. Wine-wise, Beauregard Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay Metallique rewards the palate for a mere $14.99 (at Shoppers Corner). Yes, the name does say it all: Finished without oak, aged instead in stainless steel. Lovely varietal flavors and a long mineral finish. Hurry!… And Germaine Akin of the Red emails me to admit that things have moved, ahem, slowly with her new Wharf project. But movement is occurring. Maybe early fall? Stay tuned.
The Evolution of Gabriella: Always charming, Gabriella Cafe continues to fine-tune, consider, reconsider and then fine-tune some more as far as its kitchen philosophy goes. A national pioneer in searching out local seasonal ingredients, Paul Cocking’s popular and stylishly laid back establishment has hit a vibrant summertime stride. Dishes stress well-prepared signature ingredients—sensuous pastas, textbook seafoods, inventive salads and now the hippest focaccia in town, made from locally grown organic low-gluten wheat (no kidding!) from the maverick hand of entrepreneur Ryan Roseman.
We started with a shared plate of rich and crunchy roasted Brussels sprouts tossed with hazelnuts and then moved on to splendid salads of beautiful pink and green butter lettuces, splashed lightly with honey-lemon vinaigrette and dotted with walnuts, chèvre and Fog Skin melon. Salad the way a locavore god intended. A pasta interlude of nettle tagliatelle arrived perfumed with flavors at once delicate and full-throated. Strewn with delicacies from the sea—tender calamari, sea bass, mussels in their shells—the not-exactly-al-dente noodles were laced with deep green ribbons of poblano pepper and tiny orange cherry tomatoes, all bathed in the juices of the ingredients. An entree of tasty seared duck breast arrived so rare that only a few pieces were retrievable (the extreme slices we took home to heat up to the perfect point of doneness for lunch the next day). An accompanying succotash of sour cherries, crisp veggies and farro made a textural statement. Dessert was gorgeous—pale green basil panna cotta, with sliced strawberries, toasted pistachios and nectarine sauce. The flavor in the panna cotta remained sotto voce. The noise level had hit five bells halfway through the meal—one of the only drawbacks to dining here on a Friday night. Our wines—a glass of lively Verdelho 2010 Quinta Cruz and cherry-red Grenache 2011 from Birichino—worked beautifully with the dinner, and the warm summer night.
Early Notice on Redwood Wine: It's not too early to be thinking about an al fresco wine event coming soon—August 25—marking an atmospheric collaboration between the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association (SCMWA) and Roaring Camp Railroads. Imagine dozens of wines, paired with French-theme cuisine, live music and the rustic surroundings of redwood-drenched Roaring Camp. The event—Wines of the Mountains—is a fundraiser auction, and affords an opportunity to sample the special fun of taking a train ride through the redwoods prior to the wine event. Trains depart at 12:30pm and return at 1;45pm. Just in time for the 2-5pm fundraiser event. Winetasting (over two dozen participating wineries), small plates and entertainment, $55adv/$65door; $15 for children under 12. For reservations visit http://www.scmwa.com.
