Business / Economy
Friday, September 1, 2023
Belly Up to the Salsa Bar
Posted By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill on Fri, Sep 1, 2023 at 4:56 PM
Salsa aficionados, your moment has arrived. Lift the stainless steel lid of the salsa bar and reveal a dozen options from dark and oily to bright and creamy. On a recent visit, they included: freshly made chipotle, verde, habanero, pico de gallo, chile de aceite, roja, chile de arbol and guacamole salsas, fresh lime and habanero slices, sliced pepperoncini and pickled jalapeño. Somewhere in that field is the tang and heat you have been looking for, the oily chile de aceite — spiked with chile japones and chile de arbol — and the habanero being closest to the top of the Scoville chart.
Friday, March 31, 2023
Dumplings and Tea at the Carwash
Posted By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill on Fri, Mar 31, 2023 at 11:58 AM
Co-owner Michael Evenson is part owner of Auto Spa, too, hence the deal and the permanent parking spot. But his wife, Xuanli “Shirley” Hao, is the one rolling thick, homemade wrappers and stuffing the juicy pork dumplings. She’s tight-lipped about the filling, but it’s a simple, straightforward pork mixture with mushroom-y earthiness, wrapped, sealed and pan fried to toasty brown on the bottom. Splashed with an unfussy soy dipping sauce, they’ll steam up your car nicely while you shelter from the rain.
Thursday, March 30, 2023
Arrivederci, La Trattoria
Posted By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill on Thu, Mar 30, 2023 at 12:57 PM
“We've been doing this for 21 years," says Becker over the phone. In that time, La Trattoria has built a loyal following with its traditional, seasonal Italian fare in the incongruous Sunny Brae strip mall location. Throughout, it's been a tight operation, with Cambianica as chef and line cook, creating the menu and cooking everything that comes out of the kitchen. Becker, who formerly handled both prep and front of house labor with a pair of servers, was down to one server and finally on his own recently.
Monday, December 5, 2022
Bob's Footlong's Comeback
Posted By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill on Mon, Dec 5, 2022 at 2:03 PM
In 1949, Bob Broome and Lula Mclure opened Bob’s Footlong as a mobile business selling hot dogs at the Humboldt County Fair and later by the Fortuna movie theater on Main Street. Eventually it moved into the brick-and-mortar location at 505 12th St., where it throve under owners Ozzie and Joanne Smith. They passed the business down to their son and daughter-in-law Mike and Karen Smith, who kept the tradition going before selling to Jose and Tanya Moreno. The Miliches, who’ve purchased the business and will rent the space, which is still owned by Mike and Karen Smith. The Miliches plan to stick to the storied shop’s style, as evidenced by the familiar orange-striped logo with its sly Dachshund on the building and online, where they are accepting applications.
Thursday, December 1, 2022
Oberon Plans its Final Weeks
Posted By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill on Thu, Dec 1, 2022 at 11:08 AM
A number of factors played into the decision, according to Kohl, including the continuing impacts of COVID, rising energy costs and a disappointing summer recovery that fell short of hopes. “I had to start evaluating after our second mechanical failure that was in October.” Before the disruptions and supply issues brought on by the pandemic, he says, repairing the restaurant's stove hood would have taken a couple hours to repair. Instead, work was held up a week waiting for a part. He estimates the two closures cost $20,000 including lost revenue, labor, inventory and continuing overhead.
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Patino's Quesabirria Slam Dunk
Posted By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill on Tue, Nov 15, 2022 at 10:31 AM
According to Gabriela Patino, who works with her mother, Beatriz Cruz, and father, Rodrigo Patino, in Patino’s Mexican Food truck (4050 Broadway, Eureka), Cruz starts by marinating the beef over night before slowly simmering it with spices over low heat for three to four hours. That process takes around 14 hours before she’s tossed a single corn tortilla on the grill. Once the tortillas are cooking, they get a splash of the rich, fatty broth from cooking the beef, which lends the tacos a bubbly, crispy texture. Then Cruz adds Monterey jack cheese, a scoop of the shredded beef, and a sprinkling of cilantro and chopped white onion before flipping the tacos closed.
An order of quesabirria comes with four of the tacos, oozing with melted cheese, edges browned on the grill, with improbably tender meat inside. A plunge in the consommé (possibly scooping up a glistening morsel of fat) adds to the juiciness and stewy flavor, and a squeeze of lime cuts the richness and sharpens the flavors from the marinade.
Saturday, November 5, 2022
Fries to Flan at Humboldt Bay Burgers
Posted By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill on Sat, Nov 5, 2022 at 10:00 AM
Rivera, who owns the business with partner Juventino Cabrera, offers some breakfast items and salads, but mostly burgers and sandwiches, including a hefty list of grilled cheese offerings. It’s what he knows best after years of cranking out orders at diners and chains like Denny’s and IHOP. Originally from the city of Zacatecas in Central Mexico, he says he came to Humboldt for work in 1995, starting out as a dishwasher before moving into the kitchen. “I never worked in a Mexican restaurant — I don’t know how to make Mexican food,” he says with a laugh.
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Annie's Cambodian Cuisine Starts Fresh in Henderson
Posted By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill on Wed, Oct 26, 2022 at 11:23 AM
“We were slammed. We’ve been pretty blessed,” says Laura Chau-Yang of the Oct. 17 grand opening. Though some of that blessing was in heavy disguise back in March, when her family was first hunting for another location. “Being forced to relocate kind of gave us a clean slate,” she says. Chau-Yang, who took on co-ownership with her mother Annie Chau in January, says local interior designer Aubrey Ritter helped create a welcoming and transportive space that feels like Cambodia to them. So far, the 56-seat dining room — roughly twice the size of the old place — has been filling up.
Sunday, October 9, 2022
Tavern 1888 Opens in Eagle House
Posted By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill on Sun, Oct 9, 2022 at 8:25 AM
The restaurant takes its name from the year the historic building went up but the menu is more new American than old California. Executive Chef John Ruddick cooked in Hawaii for seven years before coming to Humboldt, where he also served as executive chef at the Red Lion. Metz says the Georgia roots of sous chef Jason Whitley have brought Southern and Cajun flavor to the kitchen with a family recipe for shrimp and grits and a "pasta-laya" take on jambalaya.
Friday, September 16, 2022
El Fogón Costeño's Bright Ideas, Big Flavors
Posted By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill on Fri, Sep 16, 2022 at 11:10 AM
The Cubana, Buenrostro's take on the classic kitchen-sink sandwich, stacks grilled hot dog, ham and pork grilled to a browned patty with pinto beans and chorizo, as well as lettuce, tomato, pickled jalapeño, American cheese and mozzarella, all bravely held together by a soft roll. The crisped patty is a nice touch and adds some interest even in a sandwich with so much going on.
