Earlier this month, the 2024 National Championship competitions for the U.S. Barista, U.S. Brewers Cup and U.S. Cup Tasters were held March 15 – 17 at Klatch Coffee’s new warehouse facility in Rancho Cucamonga.
Competitors from around the country showed off major skills in craft, presentation and taste. Frank La of Be Bright Coffee, with its brick-and-mortar location on Melrose Avenue, was crowned the 2024 U.S. Barista Champion. La wowed the judges with presentations on espresso, milk and a signature beverage-making.
Weihong Zhang of Houston’s Blendin Coffee Club won the U.S. Brewers Cup title showcasing his skills in compulsory and open service in the art of manual brewing.
Mehmet Sogan from Memli Coffee Lab in San Diego earned the title of U.S. Cup Taster Champion. Testing their senses, the competitors were asked to discern differences in a “triangulation.”
From USCC: “Tasters receive 6 sets of three cups where two cups are identical and one is different. Competitors are challenged to taste, smell, recall, and choose the unique cup in each triangulation. The Competitor will have 8 minutes to taste and identify the odd cups in 8 triangulations! The person with the most correct answers in the shortest amount of time wins!”
It’s time to indulge in special menus and dishes offered by some of Santa Clarita’s best eateries, during SCV Restaurant Week, from Jan. 26 – Feb. 2. It’s a great excuse to try new restaurants or dishes for a good cause, too. (More on that later.)
More than two dozen restaurants are participating in the week, and some of the more tempting menus include the $25 three-course dinner at D&D FireArt Chinese Cuisine. Choose from kung pao chicken, beef with scallions and shimp and eggplant with a chicken salad as a starter, and fried cheesecake for dessert.
Maginn’s Irish Pub has an awesome three-course meal ($35) that includes a Maginn’s old-fashioned to start, and a choice of beef and Guinness stew or a cottage pie as the entree.
El Cubano’s lunch deal ($15.99) includes a choice from several Cuban specialities, including a quarter garlic chicken and ropa vieja, plus sides of rice, black beans and plantains with a soda. Their dinner deal ($25.99) includes an empanada as well.
The volunteer-led event is presented by the local nonprofit feedSCV. With a mission to provide Santa Clarita families access to healthy meals at home, feedSCV’s most popular program delivers food weekly to more than 160 local housing-insecure elementary school students who otherwise would not have readily available weekend meals.
During Santa Clarita Restaurant Week, participating restaurants are donating 10% of sales (up to $200 per restaurant) from their special menus and offerings to feedSCV.
The salad and sandwich eatery Mendocino Farms opens its 23rd location in L.A. County on Jan. 23 — right here in the SCV. Located at 24250 Valencia Blvd. in the Valencia Crossroads shopping center, Mendo (as its referred to by fans) takes over the space left vacant by Pei Wei Asian Kitchen.
The fast-casual concept is dedicated to sourcing ingredients from local farms, food artisans and vendors when possible, leaving out added hormones, artificial sweeteners, food dyes or artificial flavors from their foods.
The introduction of Mendocino Farms gives us another option close to home for elevated sandwiches (such as their Chicken Pesto Caprese, the Pork Belly (or Vegan) Banh Mi, the Sweet Heat Crispy Thai Chicken) and salads (Thai Mango Salad, Pink Lady Beets & Goat Cheese Salad and the Avocado & Quinoa Superfood Ensalada). The menu also makes for great summertime picnic fare for the Hollywood Bowl and concerts in Central Park.
As a gift for those of us in the SCV, if you sign up for a My Mendo account by midnight on Jan. 22, and select Los Angeles-Valencia as your favorite location, you’ll get a free entree with any purchase in your account when the eatery opens on Jan. 23. The offer expires on Feb. 6.
If you already have a My Mendo account, update your favorite location to Valencia to get the same offer.
Philz CoffeeJacob’s Wonderland with medium cream (almost finished)Philz used to be an old SbuxPhilz’s menuHow to order at Philz
If you haven’t heard, there’s a new coffee purveyor in town, Philz Coffee, located in the Valencia Crossroads marketplace at the corner of Valencia and McBean.
Philz has been around since 2003, launching in the San Francisco area before expanding further in California and Chicago. Now it’s come to Valencia, which gives local java-holics another option. But before you head to Philz, here’s a quick primer if you’ve never been before.
If you want an almond latte or double espresso, get it elsewhere. Philz doesn’t serve espresso-based drinks or blended drinks like lattes, cappuccinos and mochas.
At Philz, it’s all about single-cup pour-over coffee: either black, with cream and/or sweetener.
The shop specializes in coffee blends: Dark & Bold, Medium & Balanced and Light & Bright, with several flavor options in each category.
A recommended option for first-timers is the original medium Tesora with notes of chocolate, caramel and nuts.
At our first visit to our local Philz (located next to Corner Bakery) on Sunday morning, the lines were long since they just opened the Friday before. We opted for a dark favorite, Jacob’s Wonderbar, with hints of dark chocolate, berry and smoke with medium cream. No sugar.
The flavors were terrific, but it took about 15-20 minutes for our coffee and the small cup set us back $4.50+ a tip, which is more than other drip coffees but comparable to other pour-overs.
The addition of Philz livens up our coffee scene, and the choice to spend or not to spend is yours—just don’t ask for a gingerbread latte.
The new Southern biscuit conceptPa’s Biscuitisserie pops up for six days in August at Coucou in Venice beginning tomorrow, Sunday, Aug. 6.
Nick Westbook cooks up Georgia-style “drop biscuits” made using specific soft winter wheat from Kentucky. He’s spent years trying to perfect his grandfather’s (Pa’s) biscuit recipe, in which there’s minimal mixing of the batter, which is then dropped on the pan to cook.
Westbrook honors his Southern roots through the biscuits, and we get a chance to taste them right out of the oven. At the pop-up, the biscuits are the main attraction and are served up three ways: sandwich style, gravy style and sweet style. Items include:
Fried Chicken Biscuit Sandwich (buttermilk brined with lemon pickled cabbage and remoulade);
We’re huge fans of Café Ficelle in Ventura, and we went back last week and wanted to try something new. We spied a brick of bread in the case — pain du matin (roughly pronounced pan doo matan) — which translates to “morning bread.”
Ficelle’s bread is closer to a brioche, slightly sweet, made even sweeter by a drizzle of a sugar glaze on top. It’s around $7, but it’s perfect for sharing. Add a cappuccino, some fruit, et voilà — a simple but tasty breakfast.
Netflix Bites is a limited-time pop-up restaurant in Los Angeles that brings chefs’ dishes and foods from the small screen to our stomachs. Now open at the Short Stories Hotel (which used to be the Farmer’s Daughter Hotel near The Original Farmers Market on Fairfax), guests can taste dishes created by several Netflix chefs, including Curtis Stone, Ming Tsai, Dominique Crenn and Andrew Zimmern.
We had the good fortune of attending Netflix Bites’ preview night last week, indulging in hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and a sit-down dinner that showcased a sampling of dishes from each of the chefs. Despite the varied cuisines and flavors, the meal’s components worked well all together.
We sampled a number of passed small bites from the menu, including Zimmern’s Japanese fried chicken, Tsai’s hamachi sashimi, Crenn’s roasted cauliflower and Stone’s wood fired lamb ribs with leek ash yogurt. We enjoyed the sashimi, but honestly, we can’t remember the ribs as we were a bit distracted when Stone himself came up to us offering samples off a tray. Though we don’t generally eat lamb, when such a charming restaurateur offers, all we could do was say, “Yes, chef!”
The cocktail hour offered options created by Netflix’s Drink Masters — including Frankie Solarik, Julie Reiner, LP O’Brien and Kate Gerwin. We opted for Reiner’s tasty Cornbread Old-Fashioned, which features Calle 23 Resposado Tequila, Elijah Crain Bourbon, Nixta Licor Elote, Lustau Los Arcos Amontillado Sherry, and a number of varied bitters.
The preview dinner featured these dishes:
First Course
Stone’s dungeness crab curry, finger limes, crispy shallots and garlic (as featured in Iron Chef).
Tsai’s smoked black cod, grilled KoshiHikari Onigiri and soy-yuza syrup.
Zimmern’s My Grandmother’s Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, beef gravy.
Third course
Scott’s pulled whole hog with collards and ribs (as featured on Chef’s Table BBQ).
Dessert
Jacques Torres’ “You Plate It, You NAILED IT.” A dessert kit in which guests can construct your own plated dessert.
Nadiya Hussain’s honey cake with salted hazelnuts.
While we enjoyed the flavors of Stone’s curried crab dish, it was difficult and messy to eat with the hands (though plenty of wet towels were available at the table). Tsai’s black cod was light with nuanced flavors that danced on the tongue. The pulled pork was amazingly moist (and we sampled a few times just to be sure), but we were most surprised by Zimmern’s meatloaf. It was as tender as steak tartare and almost presented as such — a thin layer — set atop mashed potatoes.
Nadiya Hussain’s honey cake with salted hazelnuts. | Photo Christine N. Ziemba
Most of the dishes were on point (though Torres’ dessert tried a little too hard to be a cute DIY project), but if we had to pick our favorite, it has to be Hussain’s honey cake, pictured above. It was decadent, but so light on the palate — a perfect complement for such a heavy meal.
Netflix Bites is at Short Stories Hotel (115 S. Fairfax Ave.) for a limited-time run. The restaurant is open from 5 to 10 p.m. seven days a week. A brunch menu is offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations at www.NETFLIXBITES.com
SCVFoodie visited Boston last week for a college reunion, and I was pleasantly suprised by the area’s number of great eateries over my long weekend. It’s a long way from the SCV, yes, but definitely worth the writeup.
No matter where I stopped, I wasn’t disappointed. Two reasons probably accounted for the tasty adventures: 1) Friends stayed in Boston after graduation and know the food scene and where to go; 2) It helps that we’re not on college budgets anymore.
Here’s a chronological travelogue of eating adventures, and I recommend these places if you find yourself around Beantown in the near future.
Tatte Bakery & Cafe (various locations)
After getting off a redeye on Thursday morning at 8 a.m., I needed coffee…badly…since my hotel wasn’t going to be available until 3 p.m. After dropping off my bag, I wandered my old Brookline neighborhood and found Tatte near Coolidge Corner. It’s a local chain that’s now expanded to Washington, D.C., but 15 years ago, founder Tzurit Or started off in her home kitchen, selling her baked goods at the Copley Square farmers market.
Cappuccino and an almond croissant. Interior of Tatte near Coolidge Corner in Boston.
While the croque madame, shakshuka and fattoush were tempting (there’s a mix of Israeli/Mediterranean dishes and French pastries), I opted for the simple cappuccino and almond croissant, filled with a housemade almond filling and topped with tons of almond slices. It was a good start to the morning, and the cafe was cozy.
With more energy after coffee, I started walking down Commonwealth Avenue to visit some of my old college haunts. Some are gone, some are still there — the poster store I used to work at is now a Vietnamese restaurant — but the memories remain.
And I kept on walking and decided to head over the Charles River to Harvard Square, less than three miles away. After an unfortunate turn, and Siri being of no help through the neighborhoods of Cambridge, I doubled the mileage. But I had to get to Pinocchio’s.
This small pizza shop at Harvard’s campus has the best Sicilian slices I’ve ever had. I was anxious whether the pandemic had changed their operations and pizza, but happily, no. The sauce is zesty, not spicy, and the cheese-to-sauce ratio is perfect. The restaurant only has five tables and it’s tight, but they’re doing something right after 50 years in business. I overheard a family next to my table mention that they drove to Pinoochio’s straight from Logan Airport. Smart folks. Must be Harvard alums.
Taberna de Haro (999 Beacon St., Brookline)
After stopping in for a cocktail at the upscale pub The Washington Square Tavern — which used to be The Hammond Lounge (the diviest of dives) — the super-friendly bartenders named some of their favorite restaurants in Boston. One of them was the Spanish restaurant Taberna de Haro. And thank you bartenders.
Squid ink paella at Taberna de Haro in Brookline.The aftermathGreat wine and sherry list at Taberna de Haro.
My friend Eileen and I had a delicious squid ink seafood paella with loads of squid and a saffron shellfish stock. The rice was al dente and the ink was savory and not salty. We scraped that cast-iron pan to make sure we finished every morsel. Chef Owner Deborah Hansen also earned her Sommeliere title in Madrid, so Taberna has an extensive wine and sherry list to accompany the tapas and raciones on the menu.
Since I hadn’t slept in 40 hours and walked more than a dozen miles through Boston, I was happy and content but tired after Taberna. But the eating adventures continued the next day…
Sugar Magnolias (112 Main St., Gloucester)
Located 37 miles north of Boston is the little fishing town of Gloucester, made famous by The Perfect Storm — a Sebastian Junger book and feature film with George Clooney. One of my college roommates lives on the North Shore, and we took a little road trip up the coast. While the weather was miserable that day, breakfast at Sugar Magnolias (Sugar Mags as the locals call it) was anything but.
Eileen opted for the crab cake special, served with eggs, avocado and swiss cheese on an English muffin. I had a few bites, and it was savory and delightfully decadent. Sugar Mags’ crab cakes weren’t greasy; crunchy on the outside and filled with moist lump crab inside.
Blueberry-lemon-ricotta pancakes at Sugar Magnolias.
The menu was a bit overwhelming so I took the server’s advice and opted for the blueberry-lemon-ricotta pancakes. After the first bite, I thought that this is what heaven must taste like. The buttermilk pancakes were soft and fluffy and nearly melted in my mouth. The icing hardened while cooling, turning the pancakes to a guilty pleasure. Like dessert for breakfast. The server talked me into a full stack of two pancakes, but I should have only ordered one because I wasn’t able to finish the breakfast. Besides, I knew where my friend was taking me for lunch.
Woodman’s of Essex (119 Main St., Essex)
After a couple hours of walking and driving around the North Shore, it was time for lunch. Before I headed to Boston this time around, I mentioned to my old roommate that what I really wanted (besides Pinocchio’s pizza) was a really good clam roll. You can’t really find them in Southern California.
Woodman’s clam roll (yes, there’s bread under there.)Woodman’s of Essex
So she drove us to Woodman’s of Essex, which has been around since 1914. Since I knew a dinner adventure was ahead of us, I ordered a clam roll (sandwich) with the whole belly clam instead of strips. Strips tend to be rubbery, and Woodman’s whole-belly gives eaters that briny taste with the tenderness that’s often lost with strips alone. Lightly coated and not greasy, the roll offered a generous heap of clams for the price (around $24).
Audubon (838 Beacon St., Boston)
Once back in Boston, reunion weekend had officially begun, and several of us met at Audubon near Kenmore Square (and Fenway Park) for dinner. Our friend Eric knows Chef Sergio Salas, who offers an eclectic menu of shareable plates.
We were having so much fun catching up that this is the only picture I took at Audubon. The pic doesn’t do the fried gnocci justice.
We tried the Dirty Potatoes (with chorizo, pepperjack cheese, BBQ sauce and scallion sour cream); pork potstickers, salt & pepper shrimp and beef brisket wontons. The dishes were delicious but the shrimp was a standout. I can’t speak to the San Diego tacos but I heard they were delicious. Just as we were wrapping up, Chef Sergio sent out a skillet of fried, crispy gnocchi with mozzerella and marinara. And we tucked into it with aplomb. It was simple and hearty dish that could have come out of a nonna’s kitchen Buono, Sergio!
Dolce Vita Ristorante (221 Hanover St., Boston)
After all the eating, my body needed a break so nothing to speak of on Saturday, but a Ceasar salad with chicken and Boston College reunion catering.
Before heading to my airport hotel on Sunday, Eileen and I headed to Boston’s North End (the city’s Little Italy) for sparkling waters and cappuccino at Caffe Vittoria’s outdoor tables, people watching on a gorgeous almost-summer day. I was transported to the sidewalk cafes of Rome. The North End is such an experience.
My final meal before leaving Beantown was at a windowside table at Dolce Vita Ristorante. Starting off with a fresh, simple house salad with a balsalmic dressing, it set the stage for the restaurant’s fettuccine bolognese. It was *chef’s kiss* one of the best bolognese dishes I’ve had in a long, long time. (Their bruschetta was the only thing I’d skip.)The sauce was made with a mixture of veal, pork and beef in tomato sauce, and wasn’t too heavy, oily or too salty, which I find many bolognese sauces to be. Dolce Vita balanced the flavor nicely and the pasta was cooked perfectly.
Thank you, Boston, for a wonderfully long weekend filled with great foods and friends. I’ll see you again in another five years.
The Breakfast Pizza is also a great lunch option. | Photo: Christine N. Ziemba
The Daily Harvest Cafe & Juicery in Newhall has been a go-to breakfast and lunch spot for many since its doors opened in 2015. Known for its cold-pressed raw juices — made in-house with organic ingredients — the cafe changes its food menus to include seasonal produce and other items.
One staple that hasn’t changed on the menu is the Breakfast Pizza ($13), which we had for lunch on Friday. It’s a simple dish that includes two baked sunny side up eggs, breakfast potatoes, green onions and basil on a flatbread with pecorino cheese. It usually comes with pancetta, but we ordered the pizza without it. (A gluten-free dough is also available for $3 more.)
The thin and crispy flatbread and the melted pecorino were the dish’s flavor highlights. Since we didn’t get the salty flavor of the pancetta to mix with the other ingredients, we asked for a side of salsa, which elevated the pizza. It’s a great choice for any meal of the day (though The Daily Harvest isn’t open for dinner).
Other options for breakfast (or lunch) include corn arepas with a choice of protein; an acai bowl with fruits and granola; avocado toast or kale avocado toast; a hearty beet salad; a chicken chopped salad; plus beer, wine and coffee drinks. Many of the cafe’s items are gluten-free and vegan, too.
Though not a new restaurant, just we wanted to shout out an oldie but a goodie the next time someone says there’s nothing but chains in Santa Clarita.
The Daily Harvest Cafe & Juicery 22722 Lyons Ave., Newhall Open Monday through Sunday: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
SCVFoodie: Eats in and around Santa Clarita, Calif. 