Fate intervened two months later at the Nevada County animal shelter. Kevin Wiser, a reporter from The Union Newspaper (Grass Valley, CA) was writing a story on pet adoption; "Shelter copes with unwanted animals" (July 10, 2002). He interviewed me and photographed my daughter Casey standing next to Mikey "the wonderdog" we adopted that day. After the interview, I told the reporter about our restaurant review idea and he referred me to Dave Moller, the newspaper editor. Fran and I had lunch with Dave, pitched him the idea and presented him with our first article, complete with pictures. He was impressed with our writing style and our column, "Freelantz Reviews," was born.

On July 31, 2002, our first article on Ike's Quarter Cafe hit the stands. Our picture made the front page with the headline; "Passion for eating out inspires column." (see photo at right). Next to our picture was a giant tick with the headline "Lyme disease infection rate low" as if to suggest that Fran and I had a passion for eating ticks, thus reducing their population and the infection rate!

Our column was featured every other Wednesday (usually) and we submitted a total of 18 articles on 32 restaurants from July 31, 2002 to May 28, 2003. Click on the links below to view each article in the Union archives.

Freelantz Reviews

July 31, 2002 "Ike's Quarter Cafe in Nevada City" (our first review!)

August 14, 2002 "Dining along the Colfax Highway" reviews on the Backroom Steakhouse, Giovanni's/Shady Glen Inn and XMEX Mexican Food.

August 28, 2002 "Arletta's, New Moon excellent" reviews on Arletta's at the Holbrooke Hotel and the New Moon Cafe.

September 11, 2002 "Breakfast, anyone? Two delicious stops" reviews on Charlie's Angels Cafe and Broad Street Books & Espresso Cafe.

September 25, 2002 "Ristorante offers divine Italian cuisine" review on Villa Venezia Ristorante Italiano.

October 16, 2002 "Ambience, ribs star in GV" review on Maria's Mexican Restaurant.

October 30, 2002 "New California grill comes to Nevada City" review on Tom's.

November 13, 2002 "Fine French cuisine in Nevada City" review on Citronée.

November 27, 2002 "Pizza night and lunch on the run popular local choices" reviews on Cirino's and Anthony's Catering.

December 18, 2002 "Swiss cuisine remains consistent" review on Swiss House.

January 8, 2003 "Sushi lovers' dream opens in Nevada City" review on Sushi in the Raw.

January 29, 2003 "Restaurants well worth the drive" reviews on Miya Sushi, Kabob House, Robbers Roost, Rainbow Lodge, Ice Lakes Lodge, Café Collage, Zinfandel Grille, Buca di Beppo, Café Bernardo and Fats Asia Bistro.

February 26, 2003 "Café has bistro-like feel, good food" review on Sergio's Caffe.

March 12, 2003 "Restaurant offers unique blend of Asian specialties" review on Asia.

April 9, 2003 "The Timbers; Mouth-watering cuisine, beautiful golf course views" review on The Timbers at Alta Sierra Country Club.

April 23, 2003 "From pancakes to poppers, Paulette's offers variety" review on Paulette's Country Kitchen.

May 14, 2003 "Strange name, great food" review on Drooling Dog BBQ.

May 28, 2003 "Tofanelli's offers seasonal menu" review on Tofanelli's Restaurant.

Other Articles

"The Phoenix Lights - Debunking The Debunkers" (March 2007)
Common myths and misconceptions about the Phoenix Lights. Get the facts straight and ask the obvious questions! by Steve Lantz. As featured on UFOdigest, Unexplainable, Frank Warren - Knowledge is Power and Helium.

"HD vs Film - The Great Debate" (July 2006)
HDcompare editor and cinematographer, Steve Lantz, describes the industry transformation from film to HD production and exhibition.