Mix and match six packs or taste with a cheese plate as you browse!
Russian River Brewing Co.: A Must Visit in Santa Rosa for Beer Lover’s!
Pliny the Elder Double IPA (8.0% ABV), need we say more? Russian River Brewery is one of the finest breweries in the country. We stopped in at the Russian River Brewing Co., a larger bustling pub in downtown Santa Rosa, CA (about 1/2 hour from Napa) on a Friday evening for happy hour (M-F, 4-6:30pm). We had numerous pints of Pliny, one of our all time favorites (the “hop-head’s” dream). We also had their large beer sampler, which consisted of everything they had that day, as their taps change often due to their limited supply. The sour ales (Temptation & Salvation) were really interesting and definitely a taste you either love or hate. We loved the sour ales because of their uniqueness. They taste somewhat like a carbonated wine/beer combo with a very sour bite.
We’ve made this LA Times Al Pastor recipe twice, once for camping and once for a party. The great thing about it is you can make it in advance and heat it up later! You can even cook it up in the oven and then shred it and put it in your crock-pot to keep it warm for a long partying night. The crock-pot is the secret to having the taco bar open and ready for the guests all night long!
This is an adapted recipe from Raúl Morales for the oven by the LA Times. I used a variety of dried chilies from a Mexican market (or Whole Foods).
Al Pastor Recipe
(Party-Size Recipe Serving for 20-30 people) Click to continue »
Pink Godzilla is a great place to go with a group of people for a birthday celebration or get together with friends. You can call ahead and reserve one of their little rooms (they seem to have three little rooms – 6 guests per table, comfortably depending on the size of each person). The little rooms have platforms that surround the tables and you take your shoes off when you enter. There is not a set fee for the rooms but you do have to spend at least $30 an hour on food/drinks which is easy to do with that many people. About six people can fit at each table comfortably but you can reserve two rooms and they will take out the middle wall section to allow the room to have two tables inside.
An acquaintance operates this SF Bay Area food blog specializing in Russian food.
We asked her what her favorite Russian restaurant was in the Bay Area and she told us to check out Russian Family in San Bruno, CA. The editor gave this restaurant 5 stars and suggested trying: syrniki, kotletki and cabbage pirozhki.
Russian Family Restaurant
719 Camino Plaza
San Bruno CA 94066
Phone: (650)588-2950 Fax:(650)588-2515
* Thanks to guest photographer, Jeremy Ehly with his new fisheye lens!
At the Santa Cruz Downtown Wednesday Farmer’s Market and the Santa Cruz Westside Saturday Farmer’s Market, Farmhouse Culture sells contemporary krauts and new special kraut juice shots ($1) and bottles of kraut juice ($5)!
I’m not sure if kraut juice is a hangover cure, an anti-oxident, pro-biotic, daily vitamin option or what but it’s a tasty pickle juice alternative! However, unlike pickling techniques Farmhouse Culture’s sauerkraut is not created from vinegar. Check out their website to read about their lacto-fermentation process and the difference between sauerkraut and pickles.
Their kraut is great too. We made a kraut and sausage pizza that was a real hit! We warmed the kraut and added it to the baked pizza crust as to not make the crust soggy!
This is a hearty meal for a vegetarian dish. The greens are crunchy and add a nice texture to the warm, smooth Arborio rice. This recipe offers a great Green’s Recipe alternative.
From the Food Box:
Greens & Meyer Lemon Risotto Recipe Click to continue »
This cake was moist and delicious. It was sort of a cross between pound cake and angel food cake. We loved it and served it with a Santa Cruz classic Marianne’s Ice Cream (bittersweet chocolate ice cream) for Mother’s Day.
Portuguese Orange-Olive Oil Cake Recipe
by David Leite
from The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe’s Western Coast Cookbook
(Clarkson Potter, 2009)
Serves 10 to 12