UPDATE: In sad salsa-related news, Paco’s Tacos, the Eureka Mexican restaurant that briefly dazzled us with its array of salsas, has closed. When contacted by the Journal, the owners responded that the partnership “didn’t work out,” but they are hopeful that they’ll be able to open elsewhere down the road. PREVIOUSLY: The revolving door spot […]
Eat + Drink
Posted inEat + Drink
Say Skol to Norseman Mead
Somewhere during the Neolithic period, or likely in a few somewheres across the globe, people figured out how to make mead. Traces of the simple fermented honey drink are found in pottery from all over the ancient world. But the mead you might sample from the fellow with braided hair, Renaissance fair vibes and leather […]
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Shutting Down the Ritz
After a short run of less than eight months, the latest incarnation of the Ritz in Old Town is closing. Owners Concha Alvarado, José Licona and Fernando Licona, formerly of Calico’s in Garberville, opened the Mexican-Italian-burger restaurant in the storied corner location Feb. 28, and they plan to close their doors today or Saturday, and sell […]
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BYO Takeout Container
Over three years of pandemic-era takeout, we’ve reused the plastic containers from curries and quesabirria tacos to share leftovers, distribute cookies and trap the occasional errant spider. But we needn’t have accumulated quite so many of them. In July of 2019, Assembly Bill 619 passed, updating California Retail Food Code to allow businesses to fill […]
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What’s Good
Carriage House readies to open Over the phone, chef Rochelle Burgess says she wasn’t looking for a restaurant gig after the abrupt closure of her former post, the Angelina Inn, in Fernbridge. Her work as a personal chef was going well enough and she wasn’t eager to work for someone else again. But after a […]
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Carriage House to Open in Arcata
Over the phone, chef Rochelle Burgess says she wasn’t looking for a restaurant gig after the abrupt closure of her former post, the Angelina Inn, in Fernbridge. Her work as a personal chef was going well enough and she wasn’t eager to work for someone else again. But after a friend tipped her off to […]
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Snapshot in a Glass
How in the world can something so divine, ancient, romantic, soul-soothing and downright delicious not be good for you? Wine hangovers and headaches, seem a cruel joke in the universe’s long, convoluted comedy set. But lately many wine lovers are considering “natural” wine the answer to their prayers, and it’s hit the market in recent […]
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What’s Good
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 […]
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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 […]