Page 34 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

CA.CUISINE
TASTE THE GOOD LIFE from Sonoma
County, famous for wine, organic farms,
artisan cheese and fresh produce, right;
Melissa Halme Redell, co-owner of The
Solvang Bakery, offers her luscious
Danish pastries, below.
toast of the table, sharing intimate din-
ners with artisanal cheeses and flirty
purees. The California food scene was
irrevocably transformed.
The “fresh and local” idea has grown up,
to the point where many notable chefs are
growing or sourcing their food just min-
utes from their gourmet kitchens.
Asparagus culled from the garden in
Yountville’s French Laundry is trans-
formed into an “OMG” experience, thanks
to founding chef Thomas Keller’s obses-
sion with detail—he’ll serve it only during
the three or four weeks in spring when it’s
at its peak. Legendary for its innovative
use of ingredients (salad of Dungeness
crab, apple gelée and fines herbes, ripe figs
atop sweet onion flan), The French
Laundry has delivered superlative food
since it opened in 1978, earning three stars
from Michelin and was pronounced “best
restaurant in the world, period” by
Anthony Bourdain.
32 2014 T R AV E L G U I D E T O C A L I F O R N I A
The rich soil of the Santa Cruz Mountains
grows many of the fruits and vegetables that
inspire the menu at Los Gatos restaurant
Manresa. Founder David Kinch uses fresh
ingredients from Love Apple Farms in Ben
Lomond. All restaurant compost goes back to
Love Apple Farms, creating a “closed circle”
between farm, restaurant guests and kitchen.
The food is dynamic, and dessert can even
sound like a late summer evening: exotic
citrus with honey and spices featuring granité
of oroblanco pomelo beneath spearmint ice
cream and a crown of orange tuile.
Luckily for those in California, how-
ever, remarkable food can be found almost
anywhere, reservations not required.
Meals on Wheels
California’s love affair with cool cars and
the open road resulted in the drive-thrus
often romanticized in classic movies. In-N-
Out claims to have built the first drive-thru
restaurant, complete with intercom and
carhop, in Baldwin Park, California (near
LA) in 1948. Close on their buns came Jack
in the Box, Carl’s Jr. and Big Boy.
Nowadays, if the patron can’t drive to
the diner, the diner will drive to the
patron. With offerings such as Kobe beef
sliders, double cream Brie grilled cheese
sandwich, or creampuffs filled with
bourbon vanilla cream and topped with
chocolate glaze, food trucks serve up a
mouthwatering array of offerings, and the
trend that experts say began in 2008 shows
no sign of slowing down.
Baby’s Badass Burgers, a hot pink truck
that prowls the LA streets, is a sort of Hooters
on wheels whose tank top-sportin’ servers
dish up suggestively-named burgers: She’s
Smokin!, or The Cougar. Eco-minded The
Melt serves up grilled cheese sandwiches
from repurposed yellow school buses, a
wink at the nostalgia associated with
scarfing grilled cheese as a kid. The Melt
offers all-natural foods: “Driver carries no
Velveeta,” the side of one bus reads.
Chances are, no matter how small the town,
a food truck has rolled in and is parked
close by, ready to wow the locals with tooth-
some goodies. They also love a good party,
and many are readily available to cater
private events.
Look for the Cop Cars
Experienced chow hounds (in diner lingo
they’re never called “foodies”) know there
are three things to look for when seeking a
bona fide diner: pickups or law enforcement
vehicles parked out front; a missing neon
light or letter from the restaurant’s sign; and
a screen door or linoleum floor. When
nothing will do but roll-up-your-sleeves
fare, Californians don’t need to go very far.
Every town has a neighborhood diner that
fuels hungry patrons with generous por-
tions and a special timeworn comfort.
Places like It’s Tops Coffee Shop in San
Francisco, serving burgers with honest
fixings like mayo, lettuce, tomato and
grilled onions, don’t try to impress and
don’t need to. The Original Red Hut Waffle
JEREMY BALL/SOLVANGUSA.COM; SONOMA COUNTY WINEGRAPE COMMISSION. OPPOSITE: FREDA BANKS. TOP: GILROY WELCOME CENTER