Quieres Comer?

As published in Ojai Quarterly magazine, Winter 2012.

Authentic homemade tomatillo salsa always takes me right back to my teenage years, to my hometown of Borrego Springs, where half of my graduating class of 25 was Hispanic. After geometry class, my girlfriend and I would go to her house to study. Walking through the front door, I would always smell a pot of beans simmering on the stove and homemade flour tortillas toasting on a hot pan.

I can still hear her mother, “Mija, quieres comer?” Before I could answer, a plate would appear. Homework would have to wait.

Back then, the gringa in me could only handle a drop or two of salsa. Now, a spoonful provides just enough heat, while allowing me to savor whatever enticing flavors await underneath. I had developed a bad habit of visiting our local taco shops and bringing home extra salsa cups filled with my favorite – the beautiful and bright green salsa made with tomatillos, jalapeños, cilantro and garlic – hoarding enough to last the rest of the week so I could slather it on my scrambled eggs in the morning, my steak in the evening and maybe even my mashed potatoes. My husband, Bill, who does all the cooking, could no longer stand it, and began a quest to create the perfect Casa de Snider version. The trick, he insists, is to roast the jalapeños on the grill until they get a nice char. Gone are the salsa cups, but always present is my craving for authentic Mexican food, which thank God, is plentiful here in the Ojai Valley, but you have to be willing to look for it.

Red Barn Liquor

11558 N. Ventura Avenue

646-5137

A smoldering barbecue out in front of Red Barn Liquor, about half-way up the 33 between the 101 and Ojai in Miramonte, caused me to hit the brakes one day years ago and pull over. I ventured inside, past the pork rinds and bottles of Jose Cuervo, to find a “deli,” which isn’t so much a deli as it is a hole-in-the-wall taco stand all the way at the back of the liquor store. There I found a carnivore’s delight – they call it barbacoa – of tri-tip, chicken, lamb, and authentic Mexican specialties like pork carnitas, borrego (lamb) and birria (goat). Order by the pound, as a plata with tacos, as a burrito or as a torta (a Mexican sandwich with salsa, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, jalapeno and red onion). Mini chile rellenos, rice, beans, a complete gourmet salsa bar and soup specials, like menudo or pozole, are also offered. The prices are cheap; the food is authentic and soul stirring.

Productos La Flor De Michoacan

702 W El Roblar Drive
640-8189

Next to a laundromat in Meiners Oaks sits a hidden gem. A Mexican market selling groceries, sundries, belts, wallets, piñatas, Mexican pastries and cheeses (the queso fresco is wonderful), Mexican sodas made with natural cane sugar (no corn syrup) and fresh cuts of meat from the butcher counter (including tri tip, carne asada and pigs feet, too). The highlight of the experience is the taco stand, which shares space with the butcher counter, where tacos, burritos, tortas and more are served up with a smile for curious visitors. I always have the pork carnitas, fried until crisp on the outside, succulent and moist on the inside, and served with warm corn tortillas, cilantro, onions, rice and beans. If you stay a while, you will swear you are in the heart of Mexico (the central western part, to be exact, as that is where Michoacan is).

La Herradura

107 E. El Roblar Drive

646-1066

A couple blocks over from La Flor is Ojai’s newest Mexican eatery, La Herradura. This is a bit of a departure from a taco stand, with more of a restaurant feeling because the focus is squarely on the food (you still order at the counter). Here you will find many regional specialties from Jalisco, including the papas picosas burrito (stuffed with spicy potatoes), chicken mole, tacos al pastor (minced barbecued pork) and ceviche. My favorite dish is the chicken enchiladas, served with arguably the best green sauce in town (don’t tell my husband). The best part of the meal ends with a fresh hot cinnamon churro pastry filled with dulce de leche caramel.

Los Caporales Restaurant and Tequila Bar

307 E. Ojai Avenue, Suite 105

646-5452

Having grown beyond my teenage palate, not only do I crave more spice, I crave a good margarita, which always brings me to Los Caporales, a sit-down restaurant located in the middle of downtown Ojai right across from the arcade. Serving up traditional family recipes from Zacatecas, the menu is extensive, as is the list of tequilas (more than 60 in all). Specialties of the house include pollo pibil (chicken cooked in achiote spice), chile relleno con carne de abuelita (a pasilla pepper stuffed with ground beef and grandmother’s almond sauce), and my favorite – the one that makes me remember the dish that caused me to put off my homework – nectar de los dioses (nectar of the gods). The owner tells the story of making “pot beans” – pinto beans topped with cilantro, tomatoes and Mexican crema – and serving it to her husband with warm tortillas. A customer saw this, but didn’t see it listed on the menu. He convinced the owner to let him order the dish and when he tasted it, he declared it the nectar of the gods. It’s been on the menu ever since. Best served with a house margarita, it is, indeed, nothing short of spiritual.

And so, I ask you, dear reader, with so many authentic Mexican eateries in Ojai, quieres comer?

The Hunter and the Cook

As published in Ojai Quarterly magazine, Fall 2011.

Blackberry filet mignon with rosemary-roasted Yukon Gold potatoes, pesto-encrusted halibut with grilled corn and roasted red pepper relish, honey-thyme Alaskan salmon with green-tea rice – these are among the typical meals that come out of my husband’s kitchen on any given night.

Except in October.

The non-existent pre-nup I allegedly “signed” 18 years ago says that Bill will go to parts unknown that month with a gun, a slumberjack and his father and brothers, and I will fend for myself. This year he left me with a homemade macaroni and cheese casserole, but when that runs out, I suppose I will attempt to make a meal out of ice cubes, chocolate syrup and Cheerios.

October brings with it the most gorgeous golden light and brilliant blue skies that make Ojai’s mountains look like I could trace their ridges with my fingertip. But I hate October. Not just because I am dining like a caveman, but because I know for sure that summer is so far gone I can’t even see it in the rearview mirror. Another summer gone. Football, fall sales and back-to-school chatter make me pine for my flip-flops and the smell of chlorine. And to top it off, I just had another birthday. Another year gone. The days are shorter. Leave in the dark, come home in the dark. Another day gone.

The chill of the past two mornings reminds me that I will soon be wrestling with that infernal furnace, which comes on whenever it damn well pleases. There will be lists to make, Christmas presents to shop for, turkeys to cook. Winter will drag on. I’ll wear socks to bed. It’s October and I am alone with my thoughts.

Toby is confused. He cries and stares at the door each evening, hoping his master will appear. I look at him and say, “What are you complaining about? Your diet hasn’t changed a bit.”

My vegetarian friend says things like, “Well, I’m sort of hoping Bill doesn’t get anything.” Of course, she says this while zipping up a swanky pair of Italian leather boots. I don’t bother with telling her about family traditions, conservationism or knowing where your food (or footwear for that matter) comes from. I also don’t tell her that I actually hope he shoots the first thing he sees, so he can come home and fix the heater.

I never used to defend him. Our first year in Ojai, he brought his antlers home and I found them in the front yard. I shrieked and reminded him that we were living among the most violent of hippies, who would not hesitate to mount our heads. He looked out the window in shock and disbelief, then ran out to find that a coyote had swiped his trophy from the side of the house and gnawed it to the nubs in the front yard.

It’s taken me a while to understand Bill’s annual hunting trip. I see a peace come over him that fulfills him like nothing else all year long. He’s told me about the respect he has for the animal he kills, and the lack of celebration after taking its life. The men quietly congratulate one another, but there are no hoots and hollers. For him, the moment he stands on a hillside looking upon vistas of a thousand miles of nothingness gives him a contentedness that is unmatched. His story about a marmot that sat near him on a log says it all; they just stared at each other for hours.

While I wait - for winter, for Bill - I think I’ll drag my sweaters out of their hiding places. I’ll even put that chocolate syrup to good use and make hot cocoa. Maybe I’ll even spike it with cinnamon. I’ll throw on a sweater, grab my mug and sit with Toby on my deck to watch, maybe even enjoy, an early slow-burning auburn sunset. And I’ll close one eye, point my finger at the sky, and begin tracing the Topa Topa Mountains.

Ortiz Taco Time: Best Place to Eat a Whole Fish (Eyeballs and All)

As published in the VC Reporter, August 2010.

Working close to the Avenue in Ventura, I’ve tried a lot of taco shops, but my hands-down favorite is Ortiz Taco Time. When they burned down in March of last year, I kicked myself for not having tried the mojarra frita, pictured above the cash register. The photo of a whole fish was intriguing and intimidating all at once, but I stuck with the tried and true tacos, gorditas and sopes that they do so well. When I heard that Ortiz was back, I made a beeline for the new spot they found just a few doors down from the old.

Owner Bulmaro Ortiz, originally from Zacatecas, Mexico, cooked for many years at the Four Season Biltmore in Santa Barbara before he finally stepped out on his own to open Taco Time. Most of the menu is what you would expect of a typical taco shop, but there are many stand-outs, particularly the seafood. The shrimp cocktail and the tostada ceviche are excellent, but you won’t find fish tacos here. What you will find is mojarra frita - a whole tilapia, seasoned, scored and fried, then served up with fresh lemon wedges, beans, rice, pico de gallo, tortillas chips, smoky salsa and four corn tortillas.

When the plate came out, I knew I was in for an eating adventure. It was staring at me, gape-mouthed, with fins poking out, and was so big it was hanging over the side of the plate. I took off my jacket, rolled up my sleeves, pulled my hair back and started plucking the chunks of fish from the bones. It was crispy on the outside, but moist, tender and mild on the inside. I filled up two tortillas, then flipped Nemo over and had at the other side. I washed it down with a pineapple Jarritos soda, plopped a ten dollar bill on the table, and didn’t eat again until the next day!

If you are ready for an authentic foodie adventure, head on over to Ortiz Taco Time. I didn’t have the nerve to eat the eyeballs, but maybe you will!

Ortiz Taco Time

371 N. Ventura Avenue, Ventura

(805) 648-5003

Over the Top Fascinators: Best local hair-do thingie

As published in the VC Reporter's Best Of, September 2009.

The ladies of the VC are flipping their lids over the latest fashion trend. Margaret Winter's fascinators are turning heads, but few have even heard the term.

“If you ever watched a Hugh Grant movie, there are feathers on everyone’s heads!” says Winter, who describes the fascinator as a simple hair adornment, or more specifically, a small hat that fits on the side of the head with a flower, “some sort of bling,” fabric, veil netting and/or feather coming off (“something that wafts in the breeze”), which is held on with a comb securely tucked into the hair.

Winter started her business, Over the Top Fascinators, at the first of the year, something that came about when she helped a friend.

“I had seen them in Europe and I was asked by a friend of mine who had gone to school in Europe to make one for her wedding.”

After that, an avalanche of referrals had her designing fascinators full time. Although the bulk of her business is bridal, these beautiful hair accessories are certainly not just for brides or wedding attendees. Fascinators are all the rage on the club scene says Winter, adding, “The pin-up and rockabilly girls are really into this...my daughter rarely goes out without one.”

Winter does a lot of custom work, consulting with clients (and even their hairdressers) to incorporate keepsakes like vintage buttons and rhinestones into the designs. She also hand tints fabric flowers to match bridesmaids dresses or other outfits. Prices start at $20 for a simple ready-made casual headband. Custom bridal designs usually run $75 on up to $125.

Winter works out of her home in Ventura and sells most of her fascinators through her Web site. She also keeps a handful of designs at Alayna’s Bridal in Camarillo and Le Monde and Cara Mia in downtown Ventura.

Over the Top Fascinators

(805) 217-3299

www.overthetopfascinators.com

Eat Like an Italian in the VC

As published in the VC Reporter Dining Guide, April 2010.

I am planning my third trip to Italy, and as is usually the case, my itinerary revolves around the meals and not the sights. The trip is several months from now and my voracious appetite simply cannot wait, but I find that right here in Ventura County, we have everything an Italian foodie could possibly want. We have the wine, we have the gelato, we have the osterias and the pizzerias, we even have the climate, so why not take a trip to Italy right here, right now?

                                                           

In Italy, a proper restaurant with crisp, white tablecloths, dim lighting, multiple courses and professional service can be found on every corner. Here, we really have to look for it, but despair not, it can be found! While their menu at Osteria Monte Grappa takes mostly from Northern Italy, they also draw local inspiration from the farmers markets and by hiking the backcountry where they forage for wild mushrooms. Porcinis or chanterelles find themselves on the specials list, tossed with pasta or polenta and topped with a drizzle of truffle oil and shaved grana padano – a poor man’s parmesan. Molto delizioso!

Osteria Monte Grappa, 205 N. Signal Street, Ojai, 640-6767

Pizzerias and tavola caldas (Italy’s version of fast food) are plentiful in Italy for casual everyday dining. While the VC has pizzerias galore, few are authentic. The southern end of the boot is well represented by Sicily by Gino in downtown Ventura, where hand-rolled pizzas with fresh ingredients and well-sauced lasagnas keep the customers coming back for more.

Sicily by Gino, 563 E. Main Street, Ventura, 641-2220

I will never forget my delight at experiencing the self-serve Enomatic machines in a wine bar in Chianti. I was even more delighted when The Cave at Ventura Wine Company opened with the same machines offering 16 red wines and eight chilled white wines poured as one-to-five-ounce tastes (from 65 cents to $3.00 or more). With the swipe of a pre-paid card and the push of a button, this is truly the candy store for oenophiles.

The Cave, 4435 McGrath Street #301, Ventura, 642-9449

Every day, Italians enjoy a copetta (a small cup) of gelato on their way home from work. Gelato is a richer, denser version of our ice cream with more intense flavor. Beautiful displays of homemade gelato can be seen from shop windows throughout Italy, making a daily copetta hard for anyone – tourist or local - to resist. Palermo in downtown Ventura offers a daily selection of irresistible flavors including dark chocolate, local honey lavender and a blackberry cabernet sorbetto. Magnifico!

Palermo, 321 E. Main Street, 643-3070

So, don’t worry about the plane ticket, just look around the corner and taste what the VC has to offer. Buon appetito!

Osteria Monte Grappa

As published in the VC Reporter, December 2009.

Just what is it about an evening of great Italian food and impossibly good (and difficult to pronounce) red wine that make me swoon? Is it the handsome affable waiter with the Italian accent? Or could it be the dim lighting and the accordion music being piped in? I went to Italy last fall to find out, and discovered only after returning home that the answer lies in what isn’t there: impatience, frenzy, cell phones, complicated over-priced menus and indifferent service. When Osteria Monte Grappa opened their doors in October, I also learned that I could be transported right back to an idyllic Italian village restaurant without having to endure the 14 hours of flight time by simply staying right here in Ojai.

About a year ago, I wrote on these very pages about World Flavor Café, the restaurant that formerly occupied the space Osteria Monte Grappa has now taken over. Stefano and Tammi Bernardi, who have served as long-time co-owners of Via Vai and Pane e Vino in Montecito, bought the business and redesigned the layout to allow for a few more inside tables in what remains a remarkably small space. Their rustic northern Italian menu takes from a region in northeastern Italy between Venice and Verona, where the Bernardi family is from.

Despite only having a tiny unassuming chalkboard sign near the street, Osteria will be easy to find. A spacious patio with an olive tree and umbrellas for shade offers comfortable alfresco dining. The indoor space, however, can be a bit cramped and hot and the sloped floor an odd curiosity (our beverages tilted precariously in our neighbor’s direction). Umber walls, glowing sconces and a painting of the village of Monte Grappa are really the only stand-outs in what is an understated, yet tasteful, interior.

The menu is reasonably priced with countless offerings, including a daily selection of specials influenced by Tammi’s fresh organic finds at the local farmers’ markets and Stefano’s wild mushroom foraging. There are several antipasti (appetizers), insalate (salads), pizze, primi (pastas) and secondi (entrees). There are plenty of vegetarian options and the bambinos also have their own menu. During lunch, a half dozen different panini (sandwiches) are offered.

Fresh warm bread - crusty outside and chewy inside – is served upon seating with a delicious spicy olive oil, along with a splash of reduced balsamic vinegar, a nice sweet and tangy surprise. Much like you would find in an Italian village restaurant, there are no bread plates and crumbs are happy to scatter themselves all over the tablecloth. Wine comes next, and what I love most about Italian dining is that the food wants wine and the wine wants food. We chose glasses of food-friendly Barbera, Chianti and Valpolicella red Italian wines, which were poured generously.

Among the dishes sampled during two separate visits were the insalata valcavasia (fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil on a bed of mixed greens), which was large enough to share, and the insalata chiozotta (a gorgeous organic beet and radicchio salad with feta). Our pasta dishes were each perfectly portioned; we had the penne alla padernota (penne with mushrooms in a tomato cream sauce) and the fusilli al pesto di basilico con pollo (fusilli with basil and grilled chicken). Our entrée choices were signature standouts: the frutti di mare con brodetto al pesto (a green cioppino) and the bistecca tagliata alpino (organic New York steak sliced over arugula and topped with a drizzle of truffle oil and shaved grana padano – a poor man’s parmesan). We also found it hard to resist a last-minute temptation thanks to Stefano’s successful porcini harvest that morning, sautéed and served over grilled polenta, topped with shaved grana padano, and drizzled with truffle oil. The earthy pungent flavors were absolutely decadent. For dessert, we enjoyed the pear tart and the panna cotta (similar to flan, but with gelatin).

Flavors and freshness are abundant at Osteria. Particularly noteworthy are the expertly paired contrasting flavors, especially pronounced in the daily specials (Tammi recently found dandelion greens, which were tossed with linguini and pancetta – a perfect marriage of salty buttery bitterness). Menu surprises don’t end there; one night a wild boar pasta special created quite a buzz.

The least expensive item on the affordable menu is the soup ($4.50) and the most expensive (by far, as most items are around $12.00) is the steak or the lamb chops ($23.75). Service is friendly, professional and expedient, and although our pasta was a bit slow to come out on the one night, we were never left wanting for attention.

Having now dined at Osteria more than a dozen times over the last couple of months, I find it refreshing to see experienced restaurateurs at the helm. Their savvy is evident at every turn, from the menu offerings with a focus on simple, fresh ingredients, to the well-informed service and right down to the carefully chosen wine list.

Osteria Monte Grappa’s authentic cuisine and come-as-you-are casual neighborhood vibe will make you feel like you’ve been to Italy…without the jet lag!

Osteria Monte Grappa

205 N. Signal Street
Ojai
640-6767

www.omgojai.com

$4.50-$23.95

Open Daily for Lunch and Dinner

Is Syrah the VC’s signature grape?

As published in the VC Reporter's Dining Guide, April 2009.

When I first started drinking red wine (after a regretful phase with Kendall Jackson Chardonnay), like most in our region, I was drawn to Pinot Noirs. Some years later, the Sideways phenomenon hit, and my favorite wine was exploited like a single mom giving birth to octuplets. I soon graduated to a smoky, inky, bolder varietal: Syrah.

Syrah (not to be confused with Petite Sirah, a very different grape) is best known as a Rhone varietal, having developed a solid reputation as a quality red-wine grape in one of France’s best-known wine regions. For Australians, who call it Shiraz, it’s their most widely-planted grape. Syrah first appeared in California in the seventies, and over the past decade, it has been steadily gaining in popularity right here in Ventura County, thanks to some very talented and resourceful local winemakers.

When renowned wine critic Robert Parker gave Manfred Krankl’s Sine Qua Non Syrah a perfect score of 100 points, Ventura County got noticed in a big way. But at upwards of $400.00 per bottle (if you’re lucky enough to actually find it), Venturans are finding more affordable (and less elusive) pours to slake their thirst for Syrah.

Though most of our local winemakers are sourcing their grapes from outside the county (Krankl’s “perfect” Syrah grapes came from the Santa Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County), they work their magic right here in our own backyard to turn out award-winning products, from Ojai to Moorpark.

One of my favorites is Herzog Wine Cellar’s Special Reserve Syrah ($36.00). With grapes sourced from the Edna Valley, this wine is bursting with blue fruits and hints of pepper. Have a sip at Herzog’s gorgeous tasting room in Oxnard if you don’t believe me. Winemaker Joe Hurliman, by the way, was the one who told me that Syrah would be Ventura County’s signature grape, and I think he may be right.

Another tasty Syrah comes from the Old Creek Ranch Winery in Ojai ($28.00). Made with grapes grown in Santa Barbara County, this lovely red boasts flavors of ripe blackberries, tobacco and spice that will leave you wanting a second pour and a seat on their tasting room porch overlooking their ranch in order to fully appreciate it.

Also worth mentioning are the Syrahs from Cantara Cellars and Rancho Ventavo Cellars. Cantara Cellars pours their Syrah ($29.00) in Camarillo with grapes sourced from Lodi. Rancho Ventavo Cellars of Moorpark (soon to be pouring in Oxnard’s Heritage Square) makes their Syrah ($26.00) from grapes grown in Paso Robles.

Syrahs are very drinkable upon purchase, but they mature beautifully should you decide to cellar your bottles for a while (but you would be more patient than I). Though wonderful in winter months with beef, lamb and pork chops, Syrahs are a hit in warmer weather, too, so fire up the barbecue now to pair this versatile red with grilled meats or Portobello mushrooms.

For more information on these wonderful local Syrahs, visit www.venturawinetrail.com.