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 […]
Food
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
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
Tourist Trap
Hipsters, pack your bags. Eureka might be too mainstream for you now. The July-August issue of the American Automobile Association’s Via magazine features seven highlights from the “vibrant Northern California seaport, famed for teeming fisheries and towering redwood forests.” Carson Mansion, the Hikshari’ Trail, Samoa Cookhouse, Sequoia Park Zoo, Living the Dream Ice Cream, Humboldt […]
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 […]
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 […]
Raise Your Glass
The National Brewers Association, having finally sobered up from trying all the craft beer in the land, has released its top 50 craft breweries in the country. Lost Coast Brewery made 37. (Pause for moment of local pride and hearty belch.) Check out the full list on the Huffington Post.
DDD in Humboldt: Creole Edition
Sweet Mama Janisse of Bless My Soul is already kind of a big deal (have you had her Voodoo pudding?), but tonight you can see her work some Creole kitchen magic on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives at 10 p.m. on the Food Network. The episode will feature shrimp and crawfish étouffée and jerk chicken leg […]
Sandwich Porn
When you name something the “XXX Adults Only Grilled Cheese Sandwich,” you’re making a statement. A reader sent in an email tip about her favorite order at Lost Coast Café and Bakery (468 Main St., Ferndale), and her flustered description of the sandwich read a bit like vintage Penthouse Forum. The first time I ordered […]
