BiteClubEats: November 2008 Archives

Thanksgiving 2008 ideas

Blazing Saddles is that kind of BBQ joint. The type you don't stumble upon but go out of your way to find. Red and white checkered tablecloths, burnt-wood art and cowboy knick-knacks at the hind-end of an industrial mini-mall. Unsaddled by ambiance. Full of potential.

On a recent BiteClub blog about the woes at COPIA, a reader reported that Julia's Kitchen had been closed rather unceremoniously. BiteClub called the restaurant to find out what was up and got a recorded message that says the restaurant...

Patisserie Angelica

Channel your inner czarina at the new Vodika Lounge in Petaluma, NorCal's first 28-degree premium vodka tasting room. As in it's actually 28 degrees inside (four degrees below freezing).

How does a restaurant last two decades? And not just last, but thrive. What keeps people coming back year after year, Friday night after Friday night, season after season? What brings in families, couples and seniors in equal number?

So, the news is in...COPIA will likely be selling off its 12-acre property which is struggling with a staggering amount of debt and move operations into San Francisco. Word is that the food/arts center may try to lease back part...

Heir apparent to the troubled Club Seven Ultra-lounge (liquor-free until mid-December) is Santa Rosa's newest entrant into the nightclub scene, Casbar. As in bar. Not the Clash song.

The second of two downtown Santa Rosa restaurants slated to open before the end of the year is looking for a chef. GG's Earth and Surf, located in the former Worth Our Weight Space, has put out a call for a chef/kitchen manager to help with opening menus for their anticipated Dec. 2008 launch.

If you've been to Cyrus, you've no doubt tried Scott Beattie's amazing cocktails - painstakingly-made drinks that include everything from dried lotus root to jasmine blossoms and egg foam with names like Hot Indian Date, Rhubarbarella and Huck Yu. With a popular new book, Artisanal Cocktails: Drinks inspired by the seasons from the bar at Cyrus, you might think Beattie would be on top of the world. And he is. Just not at Cyrus.

Best bets for BBQ in the North Bay

With Lynn's delicate touch in the kitchen and constant-presence in the dining room, it's a welcome relief to have another reasonably priced go-to Thai in town. Call it your appetite stimulus plan.

What happens when hundreds of chefs, culinary professionals and journalists descend on Napa's Culinary Institute for three days of intense discussion, demonstrations, food-trend forecasting and eating? You've got the annual World's of Flavor Conference. This year focuses on the Mediterranean cooking -- Italy, Spain, Greece and the fascinating flavors of the Middle East. I'll be blogging throughout the day today (Friday) and Saturday. See what the food world is talking about.

Railroad Square's Wine Spectrum Wine Bar has closed its kitchens. The revamped space will now focus only on wine tasting and sales. The wine bar closed for several days and re-opens Nov. 4, 2008. Hours are: Tuesday-Saturday 11am-7pm.

I'll be spending Friday and Saturday at Greystone, checking out what's next on the world culinary stage during their annual Worlds of Flavor conference. This year's theme is Mediterranean Flavor, featuring Italy, Spain, the South of France, Greece, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, ancient Persia, and the other food cultures of the Silk Road that connected the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East with Asia.

First off, BiteClub is about the least political person on the planet. Except when it comes to basic human decency toward others---and the food I eat.I'll keep my philosophies to myself on Prop 8, but I think that all Biteclubbers...

Who reigns supreme in 2008? Vote for your favorite Wine Country chef in Top Chef Wine Country 2008.