In the most important use of social media since the Arab Spring, a reader informed us that Cherry Blossom Bakery (2940 F St., Eureka) has had croissant doughnuts for months ($2.25). I called ahead to put a hold on the last two of the day (not a bad idea, since they run out quickly). Totally different doughnut. Instead […]
Visitor’s Guide
Posted inEat + Drink
Doughnut Evolution
Last year, New York City was brought to its knees by the Cronut, a doughnut made from croissant pastry. Let that sink in. It’s taken this long for the flaky phenomenon to make it to Humboldt (not a huge surprise, given the lingering mullets around town), and it’s shown up in the most unlikely place: Safeway. […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Humboldt’s Hidden Treasures
Over an after-work round of brews, healthcare worker Jessica Davis pipes up, “Well, I’m a treasure hunter,” she says, “I look for GPS locations with hidden treasure caches.” She slips out of the room and proudly returns moments later with two jewelry box-sized treasure chests. One contains a miniature mountain lion, smooth chunks of colored […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Bar None
It’s dismaying to hear how many people have not had a steak at the AA. Maybe you’re new in town. Maybe you’re coming out of a no-red-meat phase. Maybe you’re just a little skittish about eating right across from the jail in a dark bar with the letters “AA” over the sign. Understandable. But eating […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
A Home in a Redwood
Maybe you’re feeling low, a little too close to the ground. You want a place of retreat to elevate, inspire and get you floating again. For Humboldt County resident Crystal Miller, a longtime lover of great trees, that meant a treehouse in a redwood in her backyard. Miller and her fiancé Arif Malik bought their […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Brunch for Lunch
T’s Café has taken over the old Crosswinds location in Arcata (860 10th St.), whispering the three words we all love to hear: breakfast all day. And breakfast, as tipsters promised, is indeed the thing to do. Manhole-cover pancakes (banana pecan, apple cinnamon) went by as we waited for the Green Omelet ($9.50) and biscuit […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Out of Hibernation
Ok, Humboldt. It’s time to get over it. Enough whining about the frost, your shivering and your wool socks. It’s not that cold out. You know what they call crisp air, blue skies and frosty mornings in most parts of this country? Fall. Most of us don’t even own a real winter coat or a […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Puffery
Let’s talk about your last chicken pot pie. Was it frozen? Be honest. It’s not your fault — those Stouffer’s commercials make their sandy-crusted flying saucers seem like a homecoming, with the family around the table, the rising steam … They never show the lonely person peering into the oven window or the tragic tongue-burn […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
On the Right Tract
The confetti of fallen leaves and needles littering the old logging road dampened our footsteps as we walked parallel to Bob Hill Gulch toward Ryan Creek. The canopy of alder and young conifers filtered the sun. I found it difficult to believe that just a short distance to the west were Cutten’s homes, schools and […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Tri-tip Tumult
Many mourn the closure of Porter Street Barbecue in Arcata. The anger stage of our collective grief focused on the local attorney who has become the Voldemort of Humboldt County. Are we ready to celebrate the remaining Eureka branch of Porter Street (605 Broadway)? Blind Justice can still smell the smoke funneling up from the […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Go Pig or Go Home
The Kahlua Pig Fries at Banana Hut are not an appetizer unless you dine with a small regiment ($8.99). The platter of french fries smothered in pulled slow-roasted pork with gravy, melted cheese and green onions is the sort of dish that could only come from a culture that once worshipped volcanoes. You will need […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Down for the Count
Normal people look forward to the holidays as a time to indulge in creature comforts that take a back seat the rest of the year. Birders, seldom mistaken for normal people, anticipate the three weeks around Christmas and New Year’s as an endurance test of predawn-to-dusk forays into the outdoors, whatever the weather, in search […]