After a year off, local king salmon is back! Prowling around our top food places looking for the freshest catch at a good price, I (naturally) headed to Staff of Life, where the fish counter ice fields were laden with exceptional, caught-that-morning king salmon. Yes, for $20 a pound, it is headed into filet mignon price territory. But it’s worth it. The salmon is a noble creature—and we murmured our thanks and respect as we enjoyed a dinner last week of roasted salmon filet, sautéed kale and roast fingerling potatoes. All organic, all the time at our house. Pinot noir is the logical oeno-partner for what is always our favorite dinner of this season. Who knows how long the salmon will be wild, but if we continue to fish this intrepid animal sustainably, it might outlive us all.
CASABLANCA NEWS Job Carder has cooked at Healdsburg’s Manzanita, and more recently at Dish Bistro in old town Pasadena. I’m telling you this because he is coming to town. Our town. Carder has been tapped to head up the kitchen at the Casablanca Bistro & Inn, which should be opening right around Memorial Day, if new Casablanca owner Whitney Belvin has her way. Belvin contacted me last week to confirm that she and her Tyrolean Inn partner of 12 years just purchased the beachfront landmark. “We weren’t looking, but thanks to a friend of a friend, it just came up,” she says. The plan calls for a northern Mediterranean/California culinary spin, with tapas served at the downstairs bar. Lunch is also in the works. “We really are ambitious, aren’t we?” Belvin chuckled. Have no fear: the rock-solid Tyrolean Inn beer and brats ambiance will remain. “No way could we ever change the Tyrolean Inn,” Belvin admitted. We’ll be checking in with chef Carder after he’s had time to get acclimated. Stay tuned.
COFFEE TABLE DUARTE’S Thanks to author Tess Black and loquacious fourth-generation Duartes, this 200-page history, photo and recipe-filled tome is now in print. Duarte’s Tavern: Where friends meet since 1894 tells the story of intrepid Portuguese pioneers who helped build a Wild West roadhouse into a landmark. Loaded with colorful details and amazing vintage photographs, it even includes the coveted cioppino recipe. From Music & Birds Press, $50.
HOT PLATE This week’s lip-smackin’ thumbs-up goes to the sensuous prawns with garlic, tomatoes and basil at O’mei. Classic ingredients of Italian cookery meet their Eastern match in this dish, which keeps the shellfish toothsome in texture while bathed in tomatoes, basil and gobs of garlic. These flavors just don’t quit!
Send tips about food, wine and new dining discoveries to Christina Waters at xtina@cruzio.com. Read her blog at http://christinawaters.com.
