Co-owner Ken Evans announced yesterday on the restaurant’s Facebook page that Banana Hut will be closing Aug. 31. “Unless a buyer magically appears.” The restaurant shifted to takeout and delivery for its Hawaiian barbecue and Spam musubi with the start of shelter in place, with Evans and his wife Fatima covering the kitchen and register on their […]
barbecue
Posted inEat + Drink
The Pots Smell Good
In Christiana, the rural town in Jamaica’s Manchester Parish where his grandmother lived, Dell Bryan learned to cook from her. His wife of 35 years, Joanne Kerr, explains they were both born in the capital city of Kingston, but “he would live with his mom in Kingston for six months, then she would send him […]
Posted inEat + Drink
A Boozy Flavortown Meat Party
For the second year in a row, I ventured beneath the grandstands at the Ferndale Fairgrounds to check in at the “Judges Only” bar. Eighteen of us — mostly strangers who all clearly love meat — gathered to judge Guy Fieri’s sixth annual Surf and Turf BBQ Competition at the Humboldt County Fair. Lined up […]
Posted inEat + Drink
A Life in Brisket
If you smell smoke in Blue Lake this week, stay calm. Barbecue guru and James Beard and Julia Child award winner Steven Raichlen will be over at the Sapphire Room at Blue Lake Casino and Hotel for a PBS North Coast fundraiser on Thursday, May 30 (see Calendar). He’ll be hosting a feast and sharing […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Trucking from Fortuna
Fortuna has been enjoying the fruits of the Humboldt Fresh truck for roughly five months at its 2059 Main St. parking spot in front of Fortuna Fabrics. But now it’s pulling up in Eureka Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in the lot by Les Schwab Tire Center (2440 Broadway). Fear not, Fortunans: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays […]
Posted inEat + Drink
No Sauce Required
In 1989, a young John Chaffin, fresh out of the Marine Corps, had a life-changing beef roast made by his father — nothing fancy, just cooked low and slow. He’s been chasing that deep, meaty flavor in the kitchen, the grill and the smoker ever since. If you’ve ever snagged the coveted job of carving […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Jerk Chicken on the Plaza
There are those who hit the Arcata Farmers Market as the first pop-up tents are snapping into place, stuffing their canvas bags with the week’s produce and heading home to, I don’t know, cook ahead for the week or whatever it is efficient people do. The rest of us arrive late and linger, circling the […]
Posted inEat + Drink
A Mess of Ribs
If fighting over politics isn’t intense enough for you, may I suggest ribs? Even within the guidelines of competition judging, our personal and regional aesthetics make the whole business like drawing from a deck of wild cards. Still, the pros will generally tell you that for competition ribs, the meat should cling lightly to the […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Summer Checklist
We need a term for the sudden panic at the start of August when we realize summer is finite and we have not yet had all the fun. It was this wave of recreational anxiety that led us to Lighthouse Plaza (180 Lupin Drive, Arcata) for mini golf in the shadow of a Bunyon-esque lumberjack. […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Hot Tip
There are dark moments when American food appears to be slouching into strip-mall homogeneity, forcibly cheered on by the shrill strains of waitstaff marching a birthday dessert to a table at TGI Friday’s. This dystopian malaise can be shaken off a number of ways. You can hit up a mom-and-pop joint, revel in the cuisine […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Fair Competition
Entering the west gate at the 120th annual Humboldt County Fair on Wednesday afternoon, I was drawn to the tantalizing smell from the third annual Surf & Turf Barbecue Contest. A large crowd was at the racetrack grandstands sampling the free seafood, pork, beef and poultry. The offerings were quite a contrast in taste and […]
Posted inArts + Scene
To the Buzzer
The 94th annual Fortuna Rodeo rode into the sunset on Sunday, July 19. Horses, firetrucks, bands and floats made their way down Main Street for the parade, and kids of all ages chanced the games and clanging rides at the carnival, while riders and ropers took on bulls and broncos in the rodeo arena in […]