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Sacred Sensation

Photo by Robert Scheer

No Flash in the Pan: Pat Prainor lights up savvy diners' palettes at Tom King's ever-evolving Seabright shrine, Papa's Church, which recently has undergone some taste-tempting changes and enhancements.

Papa's Church chef Tom King expands his horizons and fine-tunes his bistro ambiance

By Christina Waters

As office Christmas parties go, the one shared by 20 Metro Santa Cruz staffers at Papa's Church last month was delightfully memorable--and for all the right reasons. Nobody embarrassed himself too much, everybody loved the wonderful wines from Roudon-Smith Winery and, mostly, the food was to die for (every now and then, we're allowed to use the TDF phrase).

We had the cozy, candlelit restaurant all to ourselves and chef/owner Tom King cooked up a storm, starting with a table-full of boldly flavored appetizers like Scamorza--mozzarella broiled with tomatoes, pinenuts and ouzo and then sprinkled with oregano. Yes, it was as good as it sounds, and it's on the Papa's Church nightly menu. We feasted on slices of the house specialty "coques," flatbread slices liberally frosted with intense tapenade, pungent anchovy, sweet caramelized onion and roast garlic. There was also an unusual appetizer of melon with fiery Tunisian chili paste, and giant platters of steamed mussels with sweet Belgian ale--concept thanks to Hugh Weiler, formerly of Live Soup, who now officiates in Papa's dining room several nights each week.

We all loved our plates of pasta, our picture-perfect Caesar salads--20 individual Caesars, all superb!--and slabs of rosemary-perfumed roasted chicken. But, then, so can you. Now--here's the newsy part--Papa's Church (located at 415 Seabright, in the Cafe DePalma) is open every night of the week, except Tuesday, 6-10pm. Make reservations to join the fun-loving bon vivants who've made this unpretentious dining room their favorite bistro by calling the new phone number, 458-0507.

King, ever the hard-working tinkerer, says that this time of year he's refreshing both dining room and kitchen, "doing a little remodeling and hopefully adding a grill so we can do lots of grilled meats, seafood and vegetables very soon." In addition to the celebrated, not-for-wimps Mediterranean menu, Papa's might be adding a few new Latin ideas in the next few months. "Some of the guys in my kitchen have been with me for two years, and they like to get creative," King says, "so I think I'll turn them loose on some starters and small plates."

Almost as good as a visit to Papa's Church will be an upcoming chance to see how King does what he does. On Feb. 12, he'll give a "Risotto Stews" class at Gayle's Cooking School. King will demonstrate how to create two vegetable risottos--one with leeks, the other with butternut squash--and then he'll use these to make stews with lamb, shrimp, prosciutto and sun-dried tomatoes.

King's risotto class, which costs $40 and runs 6-9pm, is part of a Monday-night series of classes featuring Santa Cruz chefs. On Jan. 29, Bob Montague of Cafe Sparrow and the Ostrich Grill guest teaches, and Feb. 5 is Cafe Bittersweet owner Tom Vinolus' night as instructor. For details on the full program of winter offerings, contact Gayle's at 504 Bay Ave., Capitola (462-1200).

Two Tasty Tidbits

Of course you can meet our winemakers out in the field at their scenic Santa Cruz Mountains wineries. But now you also can see them in a more intimate setting of wine and food at the Ultimate Winemaker Dinner on Jan. 30, when 42 of our area vintners will get dressed up and take over the entire Shadowbrook Restaurant for an evening devoted to wine sampling, wine tall tales and winespeak. Essentially, this is a chance to have appetizers with Dexter Ahlgren, talk chardonnays with Cheryl Devlin, schmooze with any number of Bargettos, discuss the latest petite sirah with Pamela and Steve Storrs, and have dessert with Cheryl Byington. The price for the entire evening of wine sampling is $20, plus the cost of your selections from the excellent Shadowbrook menu. Mark Jan. 30 on your calendar and then call the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association (479-9463) to reserve a spot. ... Staff of Life is forging ahead with expansion plans. The natural foods market is in the process of a "face lift" that will see the opening of a juice bar, salad bar, coffee bar and--maybe--a meat/poultry/seafood section "before summer."

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