The Rebirth of The Boulder Creek Brewery

In the early 90s I lived in Boulder Creek, a refugee from the crowded surf scene in Santa Cruz. Beautiful mountains with towering redwoods and a jade green river… An incredible place with a ‘lost in the mountains’ feel only a thirty minute drive along the winding Highway 9 to Santa Cruz. And? The Boulder Creek Brewery. Back in the day? The holy grail of microbreweries in California. I know. I looked and I looked hard to find others as good as this one. In the eighties the microbrewery revolution hit and micro brew pubs began to pop up all over California. Flavorful and potent beers were all the rage and The Boulder Creek Brewery was a small gem nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I moved to the area for several reasons. One of the most important was because I could ride my bike to the brewery and this seemed like a damn fine reason to leave the coastal fog behind. The pub grub was great and the place was always festive with live music and a friendly staff. When I moved to town I really didn’t know anyone, but with access to the brewery it really didn’t matter. The brewery was, to borrow from the British, a “public house,” and felt like a warm extension of my home.
Times change and places change. I moved to San Francisco and left the bicycle rides to the brewery behind. Still, fond memories. Any time I’d pass through there would be a stop at the brewery. Warm summer days and motorcycle rides would have a very simple destination. The Boulder Creek Brewery. An hour and a half ride from my house in Bernal Heights, but absolute glory on the winding, twisty roads through the redwoods. Nothing like it and nothing like the destination waiting with cold pints of the Lompico Gold IPA and a 'Boulder Burger.'
Over time the Boulder Creek Brewery changed. The food wasn’t as good as it was in the glory days. They’d often run out of the Lompico Gold. (which, considering my long ride from the city, drove me to distraction) The Oatmeal Stout was put on a nitrous tap (bad idea) and seemed to lack that rich tang of coal coupled with the power of diesel fuel. Yes, the amazing beer had changed too. The beers were once the best in California. By far. Yes, I’d gone to Humboldt County and then driven all the way to San Diego in search of surf and in the quest of the perfect pint. Back in the day? There was no brewery as good as The Boulder Creek Brewery. It was my little secret. Sure, you could go all the way to Hopland and have a pint of fresh Redtail Ale at the Hopland Brewery. Yep, they were “the first brew pub in California.” It wasn't as good as The Boulder Creek Brewery. It was glorious and then things changed. The food wasn’t getting better, in fact for a while it was bad. But just as I was about to write them off for good? Well?
Things changed again when Judd Anthony took the reigns as their new chef. Things changed a lot. The food at the brewery took an immediate turn for the better with Judd in the kitchen. Quality. Cioppino night? Fresh sea food. Really fresh and tasting so good the other night that I wanted to order more and more and more. I was not expecting this. I had kind of given up on Boulder Creek for a great meal. The changes keep coming. The specials are luring me back. Sliders, soups, and most recently the Deep Fried Prawn Po-Boy Sandwich heaping with peanut coleslaw… This has to be one of the best things I’ve had in a long, long time. Yes, it is that good. Yes, the food is now back to the quality of “the good old days.” In fact it might even be better. This new Po-Boy reminds me of some of the food I’ve had in New Orleans. Rich, Cajun flavor enhanced by the comfort foods that often come best when they are fried. New Orleans was where I once had fried chicken, a platter of deep fried pickles and a can of ice cold beer for dinner. Deep fried pickles? Something I had never heard of before this trip to New Orleans and, frankly, thought you would only find in New Orleans. You can not imagine how excited I was to hear that Judd put them on the menu! A platter of deep fried pickles with a spicy sauce? Ahhh… a bit of New Orleans in Boulder Creek? Absolute perfection! Menu changes with creole inspiration and perfect execution? Ahhhh, it really doesn't get better than this.
So, times change and right now times are looking really good at The Boulder Creek Brewery. The food alone is reason enough to make the trip from either direction. The beer? My money is on the Dragon’s Breath IPA. I still miss the Lompico Gold, the 'old school' Oatmeal stout and the seasonal beers (like the Belgian Whit beer they used to make in the summer flavored with orange peel and coriander.) But? Is the beer good again? Yes, it certainly is good. The new brewer seems to understand that in the mountains we like our beers strong. At a bit over seven percent, The Dragon’s Breath IPA is an axe wielding and fire breathing beast. Recently 'The Winter Warmer' was a stand out as well... Cheers to that and cheers to many more moments of brewing magic that will be coming out of the stainless steel cauldrons nestled in the redwoods. If you love beer and if you’ve ever dabbled in the home brew arena you should go there mid week and chat with the brewer as that heavenly aroma of fresh wort brewing fills the room with warmth and the promise of a potent pint. You’ll know it’s “the day” when you approach the brewery and find plastic buckets of freshly spent grain outside on the sidewalk…
If you haven’t already gotten the message let me make it perfectly clear: The magic is back at The Boulder Creek Brewery! Get over there for amazing food and fresh mountain beer.

Ramen - In S.F.? Go to Suzu!

Ramen. Ahhh, such a perfect and simple Japanese noodle dish in a bowl. I once heard the Japanese obsession with noodles to be similar to the world’s passion for pizza. Yes, perhaps... In Tokyo there is certainly more diversity in the ramen arena than I have seen in pizza. There is also that nagging issue of quality. Can you actually get a decent New York style slice outside of Manhattan? Real Italian pizza beyond Italy? I’ve tried and being somewhat pizza focused have found bad slices the world over. There are some countries, like Thailand, where I don’t even bother to try. Other places, like San Francisco, where I am continually on the hunt. [Pizzeria Delfina on 18th has got it nailed in a timeless homage to thin sliced Italian perfection] But ramen? Ramen is also tough here on the west coast… So, similar to finding authentic pizza here I have spent years of great frustration seeking out a decent bowl of noodles here often lamenting my time living in Tokyo where it was effortless to find exceptional ramen…
If you have not seen Juzo Itami’s film ‘Tanpopo,’ then you certainly need to for a better understanding of the Japanese noodle art. Ramen is many things coming together to form that perfect meal on a cold winter’s night. From the broth to the noodles to the thinly sliced pork and pink and white spiral of soft sliced fish cake. Ramen, with it’s diversity of flavors, ingredients, style and approach often reminds me of the diversity of Tokyo itself. Throughout the centuries Tokyo has pulled the best flavors, style and design from many countries to create an overwhelming and tasty whole. Yes, and of course many of my ramen memories come from perfect meals taken in somewhat cramped quarters enveloped in that perfect warm meal. The steaming cauldron of broth creating an aroma therapy which soothes, nurtures and heals me. Noodles are an undeniable allure. Ask an Italian what they think of pasta and you may notice their eyes glaze over as they wax poetic… Ask a Japanese about Ramen and you’ll find a similar passion for what may be more the national dish than even sushi.
Ramen, and it's unquestionable 'after glow,' is similar in many ways to the experience of soaking in a Japanese bath. An exceptional bowl warms me in a very real way that is comparable to soaking in a hot tub. You leave the ramen place just like you leave the tub. Warmed from the inside and with that perfect glow. Granted a good meal always makes me feel happy and warm, but the heat of the broth coupled with the spice of ‘shichimin’ keeps the warmth going even as I walk away from it’s source. Ahhh.. ramen.
So, where to go in San Francisco? Thus far I have found only one place that is perfection. Suzu. They are located in the Japan Center immediately downstairs from Kinokuniya Bookstore. The broth. The noodles. I am not sure quite how they are pulling it off, but I once read they make their noodles fresh daily. This certainly helps. One might guess that their broth is a closely guarded secret. If you go there I’d highly recommend the ‘miso ramen with extra chashu.’ A bottle of Sapporo and ‘edamame’ to start and you’ll experience perfection you’d normally need to fly to Tokyo to find.