Belly Up to the Salsa Bar The revolving-door that is the spot on Eureka’s Fifth Street that formerly housed Los Sinaloenses and its marvelous white menudo occupied has flipped again. Alfa Torres and her husband Bosacio Villagrana have opened their first restaurant, Paco’s Tacos Taqueria (1134 Fifth St., Eureka) there, bringing big flavor in the […]
On the Table
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Fermentation Tales of Koji and Miso
“You may be interested in trying this,” Richard Wagner told me one Saturday morning in April while I was looking at the produce he had brought to the Arcata Plaza farmers market. He and his wife Lauren run Palmer Creek Farm, a biodiverse farm in Fortuna. “I’m always interested in trying something new,” I answered. […]
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Gluten for Punishment
The night before the fair officially opens, the food stalls are up, signs ablaze with corn dogs and funnel cakes, but none of the fryers are going. Tonight, the treats are inside Belotti Hall, where, behind a flank of hanging quilts, felted wool bear sculptures and jars of jam, some 140 entries await judging in […]
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Carrying the Fire
Patrick and Audrey Ramer were planning to get a water truck, not a food truck. They would sell their home in Sacramento and return to Humboldt to work fire seasons from Hoopa, where Audrey was born and raised on the Hoopa Valley Reservation. But when Patrick, who grew up in Eureka, went ahead to start […]
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What’s Good: Burgers and Arepas
A Cherry Burger You can’t miss the shiny black Cap’s Food Shack truck, partly because it’s covered in neon-style icons that make it look like a rolling bar. It’s also been everywhere, scenting the air at block parties and outdoor markets with hot burgers and fries. Owner Michael Campusano has been showing up to back-to-back […]
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A Simple Carrot Salad
On a recent evening, while grating a carrot for my usual salad (“Take Time for Salad,” March 23, 2023), I thought how much I like them. And it shows: A quick survey of the dishes whose recipe I have shared on this column brings up several that showcase the sweet root vegetable, including Indonesian orak […]
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Pineapple Express Goes North
Codi Nishimoto could not cook — and not in the “I can’t get the perfect crust on my scallops” way. When she left Oahu to study forestry at Humboldt State University in 2007, she got work as a restaurant server but didn’t venture into the kitchen. “I couldn’t even cook box mac and cheese at […]
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Fungi for All Seasons
Here on California’s Far North Coast, we’re inundated with moisture, even during drought years. Having our foggy little corner at the bottom of the greater Pacific Northwest keeps us in an abundance of forest riches and changing menus as wild mushrooms stagger their seasons throughout the year. Finding these fungal forest treasures is thrilling — […]
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Free Meals and Skills for Kids at the J Café
At one end of the J Café, a little girl in a pink skirt perches on the arm of an overstuffed chair and scrapes her teeth on the skin of a green apple. At the other end, a couple of kids are using tongs to add fresh black cherries and watermelon wedges on their paper […]
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Fifth Street Shuffle
After years of papered over windows, the spot at 621 Fifth St. in Eureka where the former Banana Hut’s palm fans once waved from the ceiling is open again. Once inside, look up and you’ll see the namesake vintage stove hood — roughly the size of a pickup truck bed — suspended over the host […]
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Orick Looks to Hail a Food Truck
If you live in Orick or are planning to pass through the area to visit Redwood National Park this summer, chances are you will have a hard time finding a fresh, hot meal. This is something the Orick Chamber of Commerce is trying to remedy, as the town has long suffered from a food scarcity […]
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A Second Amateur Win at Oyster Fest
It was like old times on the plaza during the June 10 Arcata Bay Oyster Festival: friends hugging and balancing topped up beers, lines for the food vendors lining the sidewalks and bands playing the main stage for an audience of dancers and picnickers in the grass. The official head count isn’t in yet but, […]