Welcome to Lily Belli on Food, a weekly food-focused newsletter from Lookout’s food and drink correspondent, Lily Belli. Keep reading for the latest local food news for Santa Cruz County – plus a few fun odds and ends from my own life and around the web.
… Mane Kitchen & Cocktails, opened in late October by industry veterans Desmond Schneider and Julianna Mireles, brings polished service, standout cocktails and a bistro-style menu to a prime downtown Santa Cruz location.
Schneider creates boisterous bistro fare with elegant touches that keep the familiar menu of steaks, salads, pasta and seafood fresh and interesting. His version of classic cacio e pepe pasta ($22) is made with tender homemade flat noodles and topped with an airy sabayon, imbued with aged Parmesan and cracked pepper, that melted into a creamy sauce. (He did a similar version for the clam pasta with udon at Pete’s and it was a standout dish there, too.) For his French onion soup ($18), Schneider replaces the traditional crouton and cheese lid with a dunkable, full-size grilled cheese sandwich.
The food and hospitality are already dialed in, but the renovated space has room to evolve into the lounge-like destination the owners envision, with a speakeasy-style VIP room on the way. Read the review here.
… A former Santa Cruz chef is leading Chez Panisse’s new sister restaurant in Berkeley. Bar Panisse, a 50-seat, no-reservation cocktail bar, opened next door to the iconic farm-to-table restaurant on Dec. 11 with Amelia Telc at the helm.
From 2021 to 2023, Telc operated the pop-up Brutta in Santa Cruz, with exquisite seasonal Italian-inspired fare. After leaving the area, she ran Half Hitch, which popped up at a number of places in Marin and Sonoma, including a tavern in Bodega. I visited it in September, and her food – including an agrodulce kabocha squash with ricotta – was even better than I remembered. I’m looking forward to taking a trip to the East Bay to see what Telc is cooking up.
… The rhythmic rattling of cocktail shakers beat above the cheers of fans four deep along the bar at Venus Spirits’ Westside Santa Cruz tasting room last week as bartenders from across the county mixed and muddled through a holiday-themed bartending competition.
More than a dozen representatives from bars and restaurants sought to impress a panel of judges across three rounds of skill-based challenges. Bragging rights, cash prizes and bottles of Venus’ tequila-like agave spirit were on the line, but the competition’s main purpose was to give key players in the hospitality industry a chance to show off their skills and celebrate cocktail culture in Santa Cruz County. Read the story here.
… January is Crab-uary. The Dungeness crab season — one of Santa Cruz County’s most important commercial fisheries — will open on the Central Coast on Jan. 5 with restrictions, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced in a news release Friday.
Fishers in Santa Cruz County – and as far north as Mendocino County – will be allowed to use only 60% of their crab fishing gear. That represents an increase over the past two years, when fishers were permitted to use only half of their equipment.
State officials and environmental groups say the restrictions balance fishers’ economic needs with wildlife protection as entanglements have declined. Here’s what you need to know.
NOTED
There is no Eaters Digest newsletter on Friday this week or next due to the holidays.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
Traditionally, my family always ate Dungeness crab on Christmas Eve, but with the opening of the commercial season pushed back until January, we’ve had to revise our holiday feast. This year, my husband, Michael, and I are hosting our immediate family for a Feast of the Seven Fishes-inspired cocktail party.
The goal: make a seafood-focused holiday meal with heavy appetizers so I don’t have to serve anyone and can enjoy the evening with a martini in hand.
The menu: Sweetwater oysters from Hog Island Oyster Company, shrimp cocktail, blinis with Tsar Nicoulai caviar, crab dip with pork rinds, fried smelts – inspired by the famous “fries with eyes” at Duarte’s Tavern in Pescadero – a smoked salmon platter and Caesar salad with anchovy dressing. For dessert, I’m making my favorite gingerbread cake that, surprisingly, lurks in the pages of Marion Cunningham’s “The Breakfast Book” – and chocolate chip cookies, I guess, because my son, Marco, wants to make them for Santa Claus.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ Economic pressures are encouraging a five-finger discount at self-checkout stations at grocery stores. More than 1 in 4 shoppers admit they’ve deliberately skipped scanning items as rising food costs fuel increased theft and financial strain. (Food & Wine)
➤ The Central Coast – including Santa Cruz County – played a critical role in the transformation of Brussels sprouts from universally mocked, bitter holiday fodder to a sweet-tasting, chef-favored staple. This brief history describes the breeding and culinary reinvention that helped transform this maligned vegetable’s reputation and popularity. (SFGate)