Page 791 – Good Times

5 Things to Do in Santa Cruz County This Week

GT Staff

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June 7, 2017

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5 Things to Do in Santa Cruz County This Week

Event highlights for the week of June 7, 2017

Green Fix

‘Boho Castro’ Historical Park Benefit

Get on your most flared bell-bottoms, technicolor tie dye and throw up those peace signs—it’s time to travel back to the groovy 1960s with a boho celebration to benefit the historic Castro Adobe State Historic Park. With a nod to the artistic counterculture of the 1960s that thrived in the Castro Adobe during the decade, Boho Castro will embrace the period when Victor and Sidney Jowers owned the property and made the adobe an eclectic pivoting point for the arts. Mickey’s Catering will provide a throwback menu reminiscent of the Sticky Wicket paired with Storrs Winery wines and Corralitos Brewing Co.’s fine beers. Funds raised will benefit the full opening of the historical Castro Adobe State Historic Park in the Pajaro Valley and period costumes are encouraged.

Info: 5-8 p.m. Saturday, June 10. Castro Adobe State Historic Park, 184 Old Adobe Road, Watsonville. bohocastro.eventbrite.com. $75.

Art Seen

43rd Annual Student Print Sale

This Friday and Saturday, June 9 and 10, the local community is invited to the UCSC campus to meet, mingle, and peruse incredible artwork made by print media students. Hundreds of original etchings, lithographs, digital prints, woodcuts, handmade books and more will be on display and available for purchase. Meet the artists and store up some incredible, unique gifts for birthdays or the holidays. The event is free, cash-only, and open to the public—all profits directly benefit the student artists and UCSC printmaking program.

Info: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., June 9 & 10. UCSC Santa Cruz Elena Baskin Visual Arts Printmaking Studio, Room G-101, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz. artsites.ucsc.edu/printsale. Free.

Thursday 6/8

Vinnie Hansen Book Launch

It’s 1982 and a 28-year-old Cecile decides it’s time to move on from San Francisco and start a new life in a small California coastal town. Making the move in haste, Cecile rents a unit in a complex for the elderly and handicapped, and having just had her heart broken, she feels isolated. But, for some reason, her neighbors won’t leave her alone. One romance between two tenants, some thefts, a fire, and a murder change Cecile’s life forever. Local author Vinnie Hansen will celebrate the release of her new book, Lostart Street, at Bookshop this Thursday, June 8, with a book talk and signing.

Info: 7 p.m. Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. bookshopsantacruz.com. Free.

Sunday 6/11

Santa Cruz Jewish Cultural Fest

Nosh on some authentic falafel, pita bread, and tahini before boogying down to the Rock Shabbat Band with their special Jewish spirit wrapped in rock and jazz modes—the Santa Cruz Jewish Cultural Festival has returned. Everyone is invited to shop the shuk, get a drink from the “Bar” Mitzvah and partake in singing, storytelling, face-painting, and more. Catch fascinating 18-minute TEDx-style Chai Talks, docent-guided tours of the sanctuary art and symbols, and a market of more than 20 local and Bay Area artists’ wares.

Info: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Temple Beth El, 3055 Porter Gulch Road, Aptos. tbeaptos.org. Free.

Sunday 6/11

Avant Garden Party

This Sunday, June 11, New Music Works presents its 36th annual fundraiser with an all-African afternoon of music, dance and cuisine. Singer and composer Akindele Bankole will present two new songs with Bill Walker and friends. Senegalese dance and drum ensemble, Domou Africa, as well as Singing Wood Marimba, The Ariose Singers, Jennifer Cass, Philip Collins and Jay Arms. Chef Jozseph Schultz of India Joze will cook up cuisine from Africa’s inner and outer limits in addition to a silent auction where one of the items up for bidding will be a six-day South Africa safari.

Info: 2-6 p.m. The Garden, 2701 Monterey Ave., Soquel. newmusicworks.org/avant-garden-africa. $17-$22.

If you had a minor superpower, what would it be?

Columns

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June 7, 2017

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If you had a minor superpower, what would it be?

“That I had the most perfect princess parking spot wherever I went. ”

Amanda Maples

Santa Cruz

Curatorial Fellow

“The ability to communicate to other drivers, to alert them to potential emergencies.”

Anthony Carlson

Soquel

Wine Sales

“To get 20 million dollars and buy a really big house and all the fidget spinners I could play with. ”

Colby Pike

Santa Cruz

1st Grade

“Everybody within 20 feet of me would have to be nice. It would be a niceness bubble.”

Bill Davidson

Capitola

Acupuncturist

“Being really good at pool and stealing everybodyâ€™s money.”

Cesar Giles

Watsonville

Beertender

Trapped by Landslides, Henry Miller Library Opens New Spot

Local News

Brendan D. Bane

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June 7, 2017

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Trapped by Landslides, Henry Miller Library Opens New Spot

First came the fire.

The wildfire that ripped through Big Sur for 82 days, from July through October of 2016, not only tore up the Los Padres National Forest—costing the state $236 million—it also quickly prompted Big Sur’s Henry Miller Library to cancel its shows. The library, a favorite hangout spot for many Santa Cruzans, was eventually shut down and evacuated, as were many towns in the area.

The rainy winter hardly provided a reprieve as landslides routinely cut off Highway 1. After the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge shifted, the library closed its doors. CalTrans has since torn that Highway 1 bridge down, and construction on its replacement has just begun.

“We immediately lost $50,000 the day the bridge fell,” said Magnus Toren, executive director of the Henry Miller Library.

The bulk of the library’s revenue stems from booking private events, says Toren—all of which were immediately cancelled upon the February closure. Today, Toren says losses may have climbed close to $100,000, although a GoFundMe campaign has recouped roughly $42,000.

The Henry Miller Library, known for the quirky slogan “Where Nothing Happens,” is essentially a nonprofit bookstore, with lots of art and an expansive patio and lawn for lounging. The library is a beloved pit stop for many traveling along Highway 1, including visitors from Santa Cruz. Alex Johnston, a UCSC film scholar, routinely visits the library with his wife, Kit Rutter. Whether enjoying a coffee on the lawn or an intimate concert under the stars, Johnston says the library is the perfect spot to unwind.

“It’s a really nice, no-pressure place with a couple fat cats that always hang around,” says Johnston, who was upset when he first read of the library’s temporary closure. “It’s terrible. We have so few of these holdover spaces from a different period in California’s history, from a moment when California wasn’t just Silicon Valley.”

Around this time of year, says Toren, the library would reliably receive “thousands” of visitors. Today, would-be patrons instead show their support through donations, which followed quickly after the closure. Although donating to the library in the midst of natural disaster may not seem like the biggest priority for some philanthropists, Toren says he’s glad so many have found artistic value in his venue.

“It is very gratifying, and I hope people continue to recognize that the art in our community isn’t frivolous, that it is very necessary,” he says.

Library fans like Johnston and Rutter will have to wait months before the Big Sur location reopens, as Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge is scheduled to be finished Sept. 30. Toren was among the last few allowed to cross the bridge before it was demolished.

“By the time we drove across,” says Toren, “you could actually see the guardrail starting to crack.”

There are other slides too, including one south of Big Sur that could keep Highway 1 closed for a year.

By no means is the Henry Miller Library the only group affected by the natural disasters. Though the some Big Sur businesses remain open, many inns and restaurants are shut down, and for stretches of time the only way in or out of the coastal mountain region was via helicopter. The Big Sur Taphouse, Big Sur Deli and Nepenthe remain open, providing some respite for locals stuck there.

Sarah Shashaani, event manager for the Henry Miller Library, has been working from home most days. Shashaani, a UCSC grad, says going into Carmel takes “a minimum two hours if everything goes to plan”—which it never seems to.

“More like three,” she adds.

Toren, still recovering from a recent hip surgery, says that to leave town, he must hike out of his Big Sur home down a footpath and around to the canyon’s opposing side. From there, he and his wife drive to the Library’s new satellite location, known as “the Barnyard,” which just opened May 28.

In Carmel, Miller’s letters and photographs adorn the Barnyard’s walls. Dedicated supporters of the library ensured the unveiling went off with “overwhelming positivity,” says Toren, and high attendance has persisted throughout the week thanks to a movie screening on the reintroduction of California condors to Big Sur. The already-sold-out Big Sur International Short Film Screening Series begins June 8, promising more crowds.

Even in the face of natural disaster, Toren finds solace in the “blessed isolation” bestowed to southern Big Sur. The lack of auto and foot traffic has added to the local wildlife’s courage, he says, and reminds him of why he first moved there.

“You go hiking in the back country and, for once, you’re actually alone,” says Toren. “For once, the shoreline birds are out en masse. For once, you can see a mountain lion walk down the highway. All those things are peculiar to this special isolation.”

Redwood Mountain Faire Is All Grown Up

Steve Palopoli

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June 7, 2017

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Back for its eighth year last weekend, the Redwood Mountain Faire at Roaring Camp in Felton broke attendance records both Saturday and Sunday. The traditionally low-key festival, awash in tie-dye, bubbles and a genuine hill-tribe vibe, had some extra drawing power in the form of headlining acts Cracker (on Saturday) and Dave and Phil Alvin (on Sunday).

Cracker, for its part, straddled an interesting line between this new national-touring-act level and the festival’s traditional roots in homegrown local bands. “It’s good to be back in Santa Cruz County,” said lead singer David Lowery, making a point not to lump Felton in with Santa Cruz proper, as most big-name acts would do. He explained to those who weren’t familiar with his earlier Camper Van Beethoven days that he’d lived in the area for a decade way back when. He also scored some honorary-native points by asking the Roaring Camp railroad workers in the audience if they could tell when their riders were high on mushrooms (“oh, so we got away with it, then” he mused, when they replied that they couldn’t) and telling a possibly made-up, but in any case hilarious, story about how he had just discovered that keyboardist Matt “Pistol” Stoessel’s real name is Rainbow and that Stoessel grew up “in a school bus on Ice Cream Grade.” Even GT got a namecheck of sorts, as the band played—along with a string of hits like “Low,” “Eurotrash Girl,” “Get Off This” and “Teen Angst”—“Where Have Those Days Gone,” which features the lines “Thought I saw Thomas Pynchon at the end of the bar/No, that’s just Rob Brezsny writing his Real Astrology column.”

The festival, which is volunteer-run and raises money for the local nonprofits that share the staffing and production duties, had its growing pains this year, too. There were sound problems on both days; I didn’t see the Alvin brothers’ set, but Cracker at least weathered them admirably. One band, Sunday’s La Inedita from Peru, didn’t show up—no one quite seems to know where they disappeared to, but Jesse Daniel and the Slow Learners covered on the main stage, while the Coffis Brothers, who had done their official set on Saturday and just happened to be hanging out at the festival on Sunday as civilians, filled in with Taylor Rae on the Creekside Stage. Rolling with the punches is the nature of the all-volunteer festival that is essentially a massive benefit, says Faire Steering Committee Member Nancy Macy. “Every year there’s somebody learning a new job,” she says of the volunteer staff. “They all go above and beyond.”

While it may look from this year’s lineup like organizers are making a move to grow the Redwood Mountain Faire, Macy says that there’s no such master plan—in her experience, the festival kind of ebbs and flows organically over time. “It morphs and changes and grows,” she says.

Music Picks June 7—13

GT Staff

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June 7, 2017

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The best live music for the week of June 7, 2017

WEDNESDAY 6/7

POP-ROCK

JOAN OSBORNE

In 1995, Joan Osborne had a mega-hit with the song, “One of Us,” which asked listeners to imagine how we might act if God was walking among us. Osborne hasn’t had a hit of that magnitude since, but she has established herself as a skillful and insightful singer-songwriter and song interpreter whose range reaches across pop, soul, blues, country and rock. For Osborne’s Rio Theatre performance, she’ll take on the songs of Bob Dylan. CJ

INFO: 8 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $30/gen, $45/gold. 423-8209.

THURSDAY 6/8

JAZZ

AMINA FIGAROVA SEXTET

Growing up in Baku, the capital of the Soviet state (and now independent nation) of Azerbaijan, pianist/composer Amina Figarova soaked up the sounds of Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald on her jazz-loving parents’ turntable. While she trained as a classical pianist at home, she pursued her love of jazz in Rotterdam and later Boston at Berklee. A skilled accompanist who’s worked with masters like James Moody and Claudio Roditi, Figerova has spent the past two decades touring and recording as a bandleader and composer with a far-ranging musical palette. Now based in New York, she’s touring with her talent-laden sextet featuring her husband, Belgian-born flutist Bart Platteau, Dutch tenor saxophonist Marc Mommaas, trumpeter Alex Pope Norris, bassist Endea Owens, and Oakland-reared drummer Darrell Green. ANDREW GILBERT

INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $22/adv, $27/door. 427-2227.

THURSDAY 6/8

AMERICANA

PATRICK MAGUIRE

In 2012, singer-songwriter Patrick Maguire landed in Santa Cruz, and felt entirely at home. It was no small journey getting here. He traveled from Maine, sleeping in his car, and playing open mics wherever he went, looking for a place to pursue his dream to be a full-time musician. Having grown up in a household of musicians that held frequent jam sessions, playing music was the most natural thing imaginable—making it a career less so. Now a fixture in our scene, he sticks out as an ambitious songwriter who approaches folk like soul music … or does he approach soul like folk? Who can tell? AARON CARNES

INFO: 8:30 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $9/adv, $12/door. 479-1854.

THURSDAY 6/8

INDIE/AMERICANA

THE BUILDERS AND THE BUTCHERS

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, the Builders and the Butchers started out, like many rootsy indie bands do, playing on the sidewalks. They crafted a high-energy, driving sound before playing venues in Portland, around the country and beyond. Taking on topics ranging from addiction and religion to the end times and good and evil, the band blends Americana songwriting with the raw edginess of punk traditions. It has, in recent years, become a road-tested outfit that’s outgrown comparisons to other Northwest acts such as the Decemberists, and developed a style and fanbase of its own. CJ

INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-6994.

FRIDAY 6/9

FUNK

PIMPS OF JOYTIME

Whether it’s funk, afro-beat, New Orleans jazz or just a good night of dancing, the Pimps of Joytime have been providing audiences all of those things—and more—for over a decade. This week the band makes its triumphant return to Santa Cruz, touring on the heels of their fifth album, Third Wall Chronicles. The Brooklyn quintet’s sound has evolved over time, adding doo-wop and even EDM (electronic dance music) beats to the mix, but one thing remains consistent: the members’ dedicated passion to making sure anyone in earshot has a smile on their face and a jig in their step. MAT WEIR

INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 479-1854.

FRIDAY 6/9

SOUL

MORGAN JAMES

With a clear voice and rafter-rattling delivery, Morgan James is a spectacular talent. Hailing from New York, the soul singer, songwriter and Broadway actor is a vocal powerhouse whose creative range seems to have no boundary as she takes on songs by Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Ann Peebles, Joni Mitchell and even Justin Timberlake, whose song “Can’t Stop the Feeling” gets transformed by James into a slow jam of epic proportions. James also paid tribute to legendary songwriter and artist Nina Simone on her album Morgan James Live. Spanning eras and genres, James is a must-see for fans of soul and pop vocals. CJ

INFO: 8 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $25. 423-1338.

SATURDAY 6/10

ROCK

HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF

Alynda Lee Segarra has mashed together elements of folk, blues, and American roots music on her first five albums under the Hurry For the Riff Raff moniker. For The Navigator, she distills these elements into something more theatrical and complex, and yet somehow the closest thing to straight “rock ’n’ roll” she’s ever created. It’s not just intriguing musically—embedded in the lyrics (presented in two separate acts) is a concept album about a Puerto Rican kid named Navita Milagros Negrón. It’s too complicated to explain, but it involves a witch, life in South Bronx, and Bikini Kill. AC

INFO: 8 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $22.50. 423-8209.

SUNDAY 6/11

FOLK-ROCK

ROBYN HITCHCOCK

Robyn Hitchcock once said he thinks he’ll probably be remembered for songs about seafood—and, yeah, if you write “Where Are the Prawns,” you run that risk. But it would certainly be a shame. Hitchcock’s surreal lyrical style first made its mark on the music world in 1980 on Underwater Moonlight, the classic album by his former band the Soft Boys. He went solo with a slew of incredible records through the ’80s and ’90s, breaking on college radio with singles like “Balloon Man” and “So You Think You’re In Love.” To this day, his staying power has absolutely nothing to do with seafood; rather, it’s the way he blends bizarre imagery with real emotional power, a poetic talent that for me is epitomized by the ending of his great song “Belltown Ramble”: “You can walk a square/You can walk an oblong/Even just walk straight/You’ll be still be standing there/Though you think you did the job wrong/You did it great.” STEVE PALOPOLI

INFO: 8 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $20. 335-2800.

TUESDAY 6/13

PSYCH-ROCK

ALLAH-LAS

The four-piece L.A. garage band Allah-Las doesn’t sound like the Beach Boys. Yet the band has something in common with the iconic ’60s Southern California band. Both groups play careless, breezy California tunes, and also introspective melancholy ones. These were two separate categories of songs for Beach Boys, but Allah-Las somehow jam both of these moods into most of their songs. Despite the rock ’n’ roll groove the band has been able to create, at its heart it’s kind of loner music. That said, you should take a break from your solitary lifestyle and dance around with a roomful of loners for one night. AC

INFO: 9 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $18. 335-2800.

IN THE QUEUE

BASTARD SONS OF JOHNNY CASH

Americana outfit endorsed by Johnny Cash himself. Saturday at Don Quixote’s

ADULT.

Dance punk out of Detroit. Saturday at Catalyst

TOMMY CASTRO

Bay Area-based, international blues-rock shredder. Sunday at Moe’s Alley

WAILING SOULS

Long-running Jamaican reggae vocal group. Sunday at Catalyst

DJANGO FESTIVAL ALL-STARS

Tribute to gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhardt. Monday at Kuumbwa

Giveaway: Acoustic Alchemy

A&E

Cat Johnson

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June 7, 2017

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Is it folk? Is it jazz? Is it new age? Is it fusion? With Acoustic Alchemy, the answer is, “Yes,” followed by, “Does it matter?” A three-time Grammy nominee that’s been around for 35-plus years, the band transcends genre, filtering elements of every style through the masterful playing and artistry of the members, led by Greg Carmichael and Miles Gilderdale. Mixing nylon and steel string guitars with keyboards, bass and drums, Acoustic Alchemy creates something impossible to define and hard to ignore.

INFO: 7 & 9 p.m. Friday, June 23. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $30/adv, $35/door. 427-2227. WANT TO GO? Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Friday, June 16 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.

Love Your Local Band: Monkeyhands

A&E
Music

Aaron Carnes

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June 7, 2017

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You know the saying: The show must go on. For Monkeyhands’ singer Mike Hulter, that means performing some of his most recent shows lying down. His back pain is serious, he says, but he won’t cancel. “I usually wake up and think, ‘I’m going to cancel tonight.’ Then by the afternoon, I work it a little bit so I can at least tolerate the car ride,” he says.

Not only does he put up with it, he even wrote a song about it called “Flat On Your Back.” The whole thing might not have worked for another band, but Monkeyhands mix serious and silly seamlessly. As far as the audience is concerned, it’s all part of the show.

“We can’t go full-on Radiohead, but we also can’t go full-on Weird Al,” he says, describing the band’s parameters.

Hulter finds his current setback an opportunity to show off the band members. (“At first they would hide. Now they can’t, it’s perfect.”) The band formed last October, and mainly play every Tuesday at Bocci’s Cellar as the house band for an amateur comedy night. In 10 years of playing music, Hulter says, this is the first band that’s really clicked with his style of mixing serious and whimsical in whatever genre the band is feeling.

“I’ve always resisted genres. And these guys as well. They’ve each found a genre that they’ve been in. But you can tell there’s so much more going on,” Hulter says.

INFO: 9 p.m. Friday, June 16. Henfling’s Tavern, 9450 Hwy. 9, Ben Lomond. Free. 336-9318.

Film Review: ‘Wonder Woman’

A&E
Film

Lisa Jensen

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June 7, 2017

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The new Wonder Woman challenges the notion of what it means to “fight like a girl.” The DC Comics heroine, a transplanted Amazon warrior princess unleashed in the modern world, gets her own butt-kicking movie (after a supporting role in last year’s ill-starred Batman vs. Superman). But this attempted revamp of the boys-club superhero genre dares to suggest that a person of conscience might put her invincible physical prowess to better use by seeking to end the carnage of warfare, not just fight to win.

It’s a radical idea, although trying to inject a pacifist ideal into an action movie doesn’t get too far. But director Patty Jenkins (Monster), and scriptwriter Allan Heinberg work hard to establish the sensibilities of their protagonist, Diana, daughter of the Queen Hippolyta, the only child raised on an idyllic island of Amazon warrior women dedicated to keeping peace in the world, and seeing justice done.

To everyone’s credit—particularly the impressive Gal Gadot, who plays the adult Diana—the character never loses faith in the ideal of peace, even after she’s transported to the trenches during World War I to experience the horrors of modern warfare. Of course, soon as we see the fierce Amazons at their training games, we know butts will be kicked, but it’s still a mostly entertaining ride.

Little Diana (Lilly Aspell) longs to be a warrior, like every other woman on her sheltered island of Amazons, a race right out of Greek mythology. Her mother, Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) believes her daughter is destined for something more. (“She must never know the truth about what she is,” says Mom, cryptically.) But her sister, Antiope (Robin Wright), who trains the warriors, convinces her to let Diana join in.

When a plane crash-lands out of the sky into their sea, adult Diana (Gadot) rescues pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), an American spy fleeing a German patrol. But a rift is created in the time-space anomaly that protects the island, the Germans break through, and the Amazons get their first taste of real fighting—with real bullets. The Amazons win this round, but when Steve tells Diana he has to go back to prevent thousands more people getting killed, she insists on going along.

In Amazon lore, war is created by the god, Ares, so Diana is sure that if she goes where war is (in this case the European front), and kills Ares, warfare will immediately stop. She’s well-equipped to do so, with her armor-plated bustier, wrist bracelets that repel bullets, and an ancient sword called “God-Killer.” She dazzles on the battlefield, leading a charge across “no man’s land” so the Allies can overrun a German position. (Although you have to wonder about a peacekeeping mission that starts with wiping out a trench full of German soldiers—since war itself is supposed to be the enemy, not the men fighting it.) But it’s interesting how her innocence is betrayed in this matter, yet she decides to become a champion of messy humankind anyway.

Meanwhile, wry comedy is made of Diana’s discovery of romance, along with her attempts to behave, and dress, like a “normal” woman in WWI-era London. Diversity is served by the offbeat crew that assists the mission (a Scot, a Muslim, and a Native American). Danny Huston is on hand as a bug-eyed German commandant, with Elena Anaya (The Skin I Live In) as his cohort, Dr. Poison.

In the Greek Pantheon, Ares, God of War was not the source of all evil; he had his part to play in human affairs, just like any other deity. But here, Ares is more like Lucifer, a disgruntled malcontent kicked out of Paradise who takes out his rage on puny humans in order to destroy them—and irk their creator, Zeus. Sadly, Diana’s final battle against the personification of Ares is the usual dreary CGI extravaganza that goes on forever. A disappointing finale for a movie that otherwise injects a new perspective into this familiar old genre.

WONDER WOMAN

*** (out of four)

With Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, and Danny Huston. Written by Allan Heinberg. Directed by Patty Jenkins. A Warner Bros. release. Rated PG-13. 141 minutes.

New Owners Revive Malone’s Grille

Aaron Carnes

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June 7, 2017

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Anyone who’s lived in Scotts Valley for any period of time knows Malone’s Grille. Brothers Ryan and Taylor Fontana bought the restaurant last year, and have made it their own, while still keeping the name and finding other ways to honor its past. They’ve even revived the patio, turning it into a gorgeous outdoor hangout spot. Ryan took the time to tell us all about the new Malone’s.

How do you honor the restaurant’s legacy while also building your own?

RYAN FONTANA: We’re just reviving what’s already there. In terms of recognizing the history, we gathered a bunch of old photos that Patti [Malone] used to have when the place used to be called the Rusty Lantern. People used to tie their horse up to the front porch. So we put a bunch of old nostalgic photos up. We named a lot of menu items after Scotts Valley history, like the Hiram Scott burger. A lot of our cocktails are named for it, like the Whispering Pines Cocktail. We wanted to find a good spot where we could attract more young couples, because there are a ton in Scotts Valley. Trying to give them a reason to get a babysitter and go out on the town. We’ve known Patti for a long time. She used to buy all her food from Ledyard Company, which is our dad’s company. It’s been around more than 80 years. It was the most unique opportunity we could find in our hometown.

What’s the menu like now?

The only things we really kept were the steak salad, Cobb salad, the French Dip—she used to offer it “Fred style” which had grilled onions and cheese on it. This person Fred she named it after is my godfather. We changed that to “the Fred.” It comes that way in honor of him because he passed away a few years ago. The biggest thing at Malone’s is the hamburgers. We kept the same beef blend. It’s ground chuck, short rib and brisket. We have the absolute most tender, delicious fatty burger that you’ll ever have. Every burger she sold was on a big old ciabatta roll. She used to call it “almost a pound burger.” Nobody could finish the burger. We took that beef blend and put it on an artisan brioche bun for our own signature burgers. It allows you to taste that beef blend even more. We really want to take the menu and make it more exciting and have healthier options. So we have strawberry kale salad, smoked salmon salad. We’re smoking our own brisket for 12 hours for the brisket sandwich. There’s a flexibility. We can throw fresh fish on the menu. And we constantly have specials. There are always three food specials and a few specials from the bar every time you come in.

4402 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley, 438-2244.

Picnic Essential: Windy Oaks’ Bastide La Combe Rosé

Josie Cowden

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June 7, 2017

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Picnic Essential: Windy Oaks’ Bastide La Combe Rosé

Windy Oaks’ recently released Rosé comes with a delightful title—Bastide La Combe—named after a lovely guesthouse where the winery’s proprietors Judy and Jim Schultze stay in Provence. Dedicated to producing fine wines, the Schultzes usually take an annual trip to France to visit the cooperage where they purchase barrels. Only the best will do.

It says on the Rosé’s label that “Bastide” means farmhouse in French, and “La Combe” owes its name to the incline of vineyards and forests akin to the Windy Oaks estate vineyard in Corralitos. And while we’re talking about the label, it’s such an eye-catching drawing of the guesthouse that you will immediately want to pack your bags and head to Provence.

And as for the contents of the bottle, this Rosé is light and crisp—using locally grown Grenache grapes from Monterey. A beautiful blush pink and full of flavor, it’s just perfect for upcoming summer picnics. The Schultzes say the wine is to be enjoyed year-round, chilled, and paired with almost all casual foods.

Windy Oaks tasting room in Corralitos is on a bucolic estate with gorgeous views of the Monterey Bay. Visit their tasting room in Carmel, also. At the Carmel location on Friday nights from 4-7 p.m., you can enjoy a wine and cheese party with a charcuterie plate and specially paired cheeses from The Cheese Shop for $15 a person, which includes a tasting of four wines. Check their website for open hours and upcoming events.

Windy Oaks Estate Vineyard & Winery, 550 Hazel Dell Road, Corralitos, 786-9463, and Su Vecino Court on Lincoln Street, between 5th and 6th streets in Carmel, 574-3135. windyoaksestate.com.

Bargetto Winery’s Customized Labels

With all of the weddings and celebrations coming up this summer, it’s fun and impressive to have your very own customized wine label. You can design your own label and select from Sparkling Brut ($35 a bottle) or Merlot, Pinot Grigio, and Chaucer’s Mead ($22 a bottle). Visit cu*************@ba******.com. Bargetto Winery is at 3535 North Main St., Soquel, 475-2258.

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Green Fix

Art Seen

Thursday 6/8

Sunday 6/11

Sunday 6/11

Avant Garden Party

Amanda Maples

Santa Cruz

Curatorial Fellow

Anthony Carlson

Soquel

Wine Sales

Colby Pike

Santa Cruz

1st Grade

Bill Davidson

Capitola

Acupuncturist

Cesar Giles

Watsonville

Beertender

JOAN OSBORNE

AMINA FIGAROVA SEXTET

PATRICK MAGUIRE

THE BUILDERS AND THE BUTCHERS

PIMPS OF JOYTIME

MORGAN JAMES

HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF

ROBYN HITCHCOCK

ALLAH-LAS

IN THE QUEUE

Bargetto Winery’s Customized Labels