A reader emailed a hot tip that sent us to Pachanga (1802 Fifth St., Eureka) for jalapeño poppers ($9.50). Aren’t they all kind of the same? Push away all those unhappy memories of TGI Friday’s and its frozen and fried heartburn bullets. Pachanga’s arrive four-to-a-plate and looking like stunted corn dogs. The thick cornmeal batter […]
What’s Good
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Ringside
Some people can’t even look at food after Thanksgiving. But you’re better than that. There is a lot to distract you at Shamus T Bones (1911 Truesdale St., Eureka), what with the sparking Tesla coil, the judgmental taxidermy and the controversially boiled ribs. Take the advice of another Journal tipster and focus your attention instead […]
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Truck-stop Truck
Toni’s Thai truck is no more. Its cook has returned to Thailand, leaving us bereft of green curry and jasmine rice on wheels. The shiny red truck has been transformed into the Redwood Local, parked at Seventh and I Street in Arcata. Embrace the change and the meta-weirdness of truck stop fare from a truck. […]
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France, Italy, Texas
Nothing ever got worse because somebody spooned mascarpone cheese on it. It’s like the missing link between whipped cream and cream cheese. Thanks, Italy. Case in point: the French toast at Benbow Inn ($14; 445 Lake Benbow Drive, Garberville). If the weather’s nice, order it on the veranda overlooking the bridge. Just nibble at the […]
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One Piece Won’t Kill You
Ramone’s is icing these Dexter-esque desserts for the season. It’s the house chocolate layer cake with seasonal gore. Related Stories
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Slow Mocha
Is that rain? Quick, run into Café Mokka (495 J St., Arcata), slide into a window seat and watch the back garden get all misty. We can’t afford to waste wet days anymore, so make your mocha a double ($3.10). There is no pit crew of headset-wearing baristas, and you are not going to slug […]
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Cremini!
Real cream of mushroom soup has been so thoroughly overshadowed by the Warhol-esque army of cans at the market that we no longer remember the original. Instead, we recall the sound of the congealed stuff, its vacuum suck and plop into the pot. Not that we don’t love Aunt Martha’s green bean casserole when it […]
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Frittered Away
In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love the apple fritter at Happy Donuts ($2.75). Jane Austen would forgive me. After all, is this not the Mr. Darcy of doughnuts — Crusty and intimidating, a […]
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Fo Schnitzel
Now that the US has been punted from the World Cup finals by Belgium, we could use a little comfort food. How about German? Too soon? Off to Stuf’t Potato (if you haven’t been, don’t worry — it’s not nearly as food-court as the name suggests) for German and Austrian soul food (3200 South Broadway, […]
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Little Devils
You know that deviled egg recipe your aunt is so stingy with? Nobody wants it anymore. Instead we’ll be trying to recreate the ones at Humboldt Smokehouse (310 Fifth St., Eureka), topped with house-smoked bacon or pork belly, barbecue sauce and green onions ($1, $1.50). They have the tiniest bits of tart pickle to balance […]
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Shell Shock
It was a rough room. At both ends of the long table in the window at Mazzotti’s on the Arcata Plaza, judges were bemoaning an entry with over-seasoned and undercooked bread and wondering aloud who would plate up closed clams for a competition. The annual competition for best raw and cooked oyster, as well as […]
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Grown-ass Cookie
Down on the bottom shelf of the cookie case at Ramone’s are the kiddie treats — animal cut-outs sprinkled with sparkly sugar and such. Up top is where they keep the chocolate drop cookie sprinkled with sea salt ($1). It’s dark, brownie-soft, lumpy with chocolate chips and falls apart a bit. Don’t try to dunk […]