Lily Belli on Food: New café The Grove coming to Felton; goodbye to Chill Out Café and Golden City Chinese
This week, chef Jessica Yarr dishes on The Grove, her upcoming café in downtown Felton, and we say goodbye to two long-standing restaurants.
Chef Jessica Yarr to open new café in Felton
Chef Jessica Yarr of Chicken Foot and the Brunch Shift is working on opening The Grove, her first brick-and-mortar café, in Felton, her hometown. The menu will focus on “healthy stuff with some indulgences with a lot of plant-based food,” including a veggie burger, dairy-free soft-serve ice cream with seasonal flavors and a menu of baked goods using whole-grain flour. Read the story here.
Chill Out Café, Golden City Chinese close after more than 20 years
After 25 years and 22 years, respectively, Pleasure Point burrito shack Chill Out Café and family-owned Golden City Chinese in Santa Cruz have closed. Read the story here.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
In Friday’s Eaters Digest, I looked back at some of the best things I ate and drank in 2022, including thick slices of Detroit-style pan pizza at Bookie’s, flaky vegan pastries by Sweet Bean Bakery and smoky, glazed yakitori skewers from Yakitori Toriman. Now, onward to 2023 – where and what should I eat and drink this year? Send your suggestions via text or email me at lily@lookoutlocal.com.
NOTED
“We know a lot of people are going to party and several people [may] use substances, and we just wanted people to have access to this life-saving tool.” — Erix Celis, co-owner of the Slough Brewing Collective in Watsonville. The SafeRX project aims to distribute Narcan to six local bars in Santa Cruz County and so far has partnered successfully with just one, the Slough. Read the story by Lookout intern Kate Hull.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
I’m interviewing Perelmen next week for a story for Lookout and will be speaking with her on stage during her visit later this month (the event is sold out). What would you like me to ask her? Text me or email me at lily@lookoutlocal.com.
This week, I’m cooking from cookbook author Deb Perelman’s new book, “Smitten Kitchen Keepers,” in advance of her visit to Santa Cruz on January 23. Bookshop Santa Cruz asked me to host Perelman’s speaking event at Hotel Paradox, and I couldn’t be more excited to finally meet her. I’ve been a big fan of the Smitten Kitchen blogger for more than a decade, and many of her fail-proof recipes have found their way into my personal recipe library. Last night, I made the slow-roasted chicken with schmaltzy croutons from her new book, which involved roasting a whole chicken rubbed with lemon zest and thyme over thick slices of bread dotted with garlic cloves. A bronze, aromatic bird emerged from the oven a couple of hours later, along with the most incredible croutons. Served with a zippy salad of green olives, fennel and escarole, it filled a dreary Monday night with warmth and comfort. I can’t wait to repurpose the leftovers as a panzanella salad tonight.
THIS WEEK, I’M LISTENING …
… to the Dec. 23 episode of ‘The Daily’ with New York Times’ restaurant critic Pete Wells. The famed critic, whose job it was to review some of the most expensive restaurants in New York City, discusses how the pandemic changed everything about his job. The haute, multi-hundred-dollar meals that used to be his bread and butter suddenly didn’t exist, and he describes how he found himself biking around the city eating at pop-ups, food trucks and sidewalk café. “I wanted to write about them, but it didn’t make sense to review them the way I review, and it definitely didn’t make sense to give stars,” says Well. Listen to discover how he approached this new food scene.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ Two Bay Area fishermen push low-tech redesign of crab pot to protect whales – and revitalize a threatened industry (The Mercury News)
➤ Think those bags are recyclable? California says think again (Los Angeles Times)
➤ Beloved S.F. bar manager dies in fall at 33 (San Francisco Chronicle)
And with that, let’s roll into 2023.
