Randall Grahm
Bonny Doon Vineyard's New Tasting Room—The Prequel: Pace yourselves. No need to rush. I know that craving for all things Doon is driving you crazy but winemaker Randall Grahm has revealed that things are moving, well, at a bit of an adagio as these things do when permits are involved. Things are well underway, but lift-off is a month away. Plan to drive up to Davenport in late August and very likely the new Bonny Doon Winery Tasting Room will be open in the little white building that formerly held the Davenport Gallery. Meanwhile, stay thirsty my friends.
Waiters Race Recap: Santa Cruz Fire Chief Jeff Trapp, Pim (of Chez Pim) and I joined a hundred spectators and the entire combined cast and crew of Soif and La Posta for an afternoon of high stakes silliness on Bastille Day. Benefiting the Second Harvest food bank, the Waiters Race—apparently a celebratory tradition in France—is designed as a relay contest among teams of professional servers, who carry filled wine glasses, pick up napkins, roll napkins, and negotiate a slalom course littered with cafe tables. The point is to do all of the above swiftly, then pass the tray (so to speak) to the next member of your team, who will then do all of the above while carrying two filled glasses. The third round involves three filled glasses. We, the judges, judged. And the crowd went wild over the skill, attitude, thrills and spills (yes, there were a few) and the poise of these terrific staffers from seven area restaurants—MacKenzie Bar & Grill, Hollins House, El Palomar, La Posta, 99 Bottles, Soif, Bantam.
We expected one more restaurant team, but when they didn't show up, MC John Locke of Soif hit on a brilliant plan. He called for volunteers from the crowd. Enter “the Civilians.“ Three complete strangers with little or no serving experience provided a rogue element, and lots of funs, during the two rounds they completed. Ultimately they were eliminated by the professionals, but they brought a rare brand of chutzpah to this year’s race. Ultimately it was neck and neck between the black-clad pros from Soif and the rad-clad boys of Bantam. I was charmed by the attitude, style and playfulness of the expert Bantam team—let me just say that I would have been happy to call it a draw. But in the end, Soif won fair and square. Lots of fun—thanks to Patrice, John and Soif fashionistas Alyssa Twelker and Julie Tesar who tied for top Marie Antoinette Look-Alike honors. Only in Santa Cruz….
New Age of Aquarius: The new chef at Aquarius, in the Dream Inn, is Craig Mattox, a Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, NY, grad who has cheffed all over Las Vegas, at the Hollywood Roosevelt in LA, ACE Hotel in Palm Springs and now here. You can sample his handiwork at Aquarius’ Steak & Jazz Thursdays. Live jazz from 6:30-9:30pm in that lounge-with-a-view is sweet indeed. . . .Got an email from Center Street Grill reminding me that this cozy restaurant in the landmark Art Center building has a few hot ideas going on. For example, Wednesday night is Girls Night Out involving a free Champagne cocktail with any entree, which sounds like instant fun to me. The Eggs Benedict on weekends are developing a cult following. And every Tuesday you can feast on a choice 1/3 lb. Angus Burger and a brew for $6. Can you say “deal”? That's Center Street Grill at 1001 Center St. (hence the name).
