Fresh produce at UCSC Market Cart, small plates at Motiv, and brand-new tasting room for Venus Spirits
Just started up this week is the always tempting Market Cart at the foot of the UCSC campus. Open for the summer—noon to 6 p.m., every Tuesday and Friday—the outdoor mini-market features freshly harvested, organic produce and gorgeous flowers grown at the UCSC Farm & Garden. The Market Cart is located at the corner of Bay and High streets. Opening day shoppers will find a spring selection of colorful crops, including organically grown strawberries, blueberries, salad mix and romaine, along with bok choy, arugula and Meyer lemons. Much more will be available as the season progresses—through October (weather permitting).
Motiv-ated by Bar Apps
Any minute now the newly expanded Soif will be re-opened to show off owner Patrice Boyle’s new bar and retail renovations. But there’s another exciting chapter to the changes happening downtown. Some of the cooks from Soif began cooking up an all-new short menu of plates to enjoy while sipping cocktails at Motiv. Enterprising Motiv owner Mike Pitt (who also owns Suda on Portola Drive and has pumped new life into one of Pleasure Point’s oldest neighborhood haunts, Castaways) is happy to have the new menu in place. “There’s no wait staff,” says Boyle. “You order, get a buzzer, and when it buzzes, you pick up your food.” Thanks to a collaboration between Soif chefs and the kitchen at Motiv, you can enjoy an Upstairs Burger ($13) topped with bacon-onion jam, sharp cheddar and roasted garlic aioli, or Pork Belly Banh Mi ($12) garnished with pickled carrots and daikon, hoisin, and of course, sriracha aioli. I liked the looks of an ornate creation, “of Canadian origin” Boyle assures me, called Wagyu Poutine ($10), involving fries, with wagyu beef-cheek gravy and cheese curds. Sounds fabulous, Canadian or not. There’s more, but you need to run upstairs to Motiv’s atmospheric wood-lined room and find out for yourself. You can enjoy Motiv’s new food menu starting at 4 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, and 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Wine of the Week: Night Owl Red 2012
Last weekend up at the popular Windy Oaks tasting room—an atmospheric oasis of sophistication overlooking ripples of emerald vineyards—I sampled something a little bit different, created by the restless imagination of winemaker Jim Schultze of Monterey’s Meador Vineyard. An appealing blend of Rhône reds, including Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache, playfully labeled Night Owl caught my eye. It’s quite a departure from Pinot Noir. We tried it out with some pasta and marinara sauce and found it more than ready to partner red sauce. By itself, it offers a rounded palate of red fruits and forest aromas. Spices and red currants fuel the lofty center of this lovely creation that glides to a long finish of deep plum. Terrifically versatile, and a delicious bargain at $21. Drive up to Windy Oaks tasting room, just up the redwood-lined road from Corralitos, and pick up a few bottles.
Venus Spirits Tasting Room Ready to Launch
Venus Spirits is working on the finishing touches of its unprecedented new tasting room on the Westside, which may be open as soon as the second weekend in June. Designed by the crafty Stripe Design Group, you’ll be able to actually sample the artisanal, organic, locally sourced gins, aquavit, rye, and tequila made by Sean Venus. Next week we’ll walk you through the new tasting room, and give you some feedback on the spirits, including the newly released Wayward Rye. Look for Farmer Freed’s exotic and tangy culinary salts, now at Staff of Life—come sample them at the 46th anniversary party on June 13. Will there be a new Verve Coffee Roasters next door to Bantam? When queried, the folks at the SoCal office will only say “fall of 2015.”
PHOTO: Rainbow Swiss chard growing at UCSC’s Farm and Garden. CHIP SCHEUER
