The Cookies:
If you flew on an airplane during the 1980s, chances are you might remember these crisp, little Biscoff cookies that many airlines served back then.
Now, you can enjoy them with both feet planted on the ground, when Biscoff Coffee Corner and Biscoff Coffee Carts open for business at Pier 39 in San Francisco on June 30.
Europeans have long enjoyed these cookies that taste like a cross between a gingersnap and a graham cracker. Last year, Lotus Bakeries North America in San Francisco started baking them for airlines, retail stores and online orders. Now, it has partnered with the Simco Restaurant Group to open the first North American store to sell the cookies, whose name a derivative of “bisâ€cuit and “coffâ€ee.
Indeed, that’s how the cookies are intended to be enjoyed — with a cup of joe. So when you purchase any coffee at the cafe or cart, you’ll get a free cookie.
Take a taste on July 8, when Biscoff Coffee Corner will host a grand opening, featuring a cookie juggler and an official cookie-breaking ceremony. Proceeds from all cookie sales that day will benefit the Marine Mammal Center, which helps maintain the healthy sea lion population at Pier 39. Starting July 9, 1 percent of each day’s cookie sales will be donated to the center.
The First Anniversary:
San Francisco’s Thursday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market celebrates just that on July 1 with pinatas, party hats and prizes, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Drop your card into a 5-gallon salad spinner to win a chance at one of 50 prizes, which include tote bags, T-shirts, roasted almonds from Lagier Ranches, and coffee beans from Blue Bottle.
The first 111 people to visit the farmers market information booth that day get a $1 gift coin that can be used towards your next market purchase.
The Brewski:
As the Fourth of July approaches, there’s nowhere better to get into the festive, patriotic spirit than at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company in Princeton-by-the-Sea.
Throughout July, the brew pub and restaurant celebrates its 10th anniversary with a series of special events. In particular, July 2-4, the brewing company will feature live music in the evening and a giveaway.
July 2’s giveaway is brunch for two at Navio at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay; July 3’s giveaway is an overnight stay at the Half Moon Bay Inn; and July 4’s prize is an overnight stay at the Beach House.
The Wines:
Enjoy a wine-tasting — with your pooch.
Fourth-generation winegrower Jeff Kunde of Kunde Family Estate in Kenwood has started offering eco-tour dog hikes through his family’s 1,850-acre estate.
The tour lasts about four hours, and includes a moderately strenuous three-mile hike that concludes with a box lunch and wine tasting for you, as well as a water bar and treats for your four-legged companion.
Tickets are $45 per person and must be reserved in advance. A portion of sales will be donated to Canine Companions and the Sonoma County Humane Society.
The next scheduled hike is July 3, when holiday festivities also will include a dog parade, old-fashioned barbecue and art vendors.
Through July, the Lark Creek Restaurant Group hosts its eighth annual “Half-Off Wine” promotion.
More than 1,000 different wines will be offered at 50 percent off all day, every day at its participating restaurants: One Market Restaurant, and LarkCreekSteak, both in San Francisco; the Tavern at Lark Creek in Larkspur; Lark Creek Walnut Creek; Yankee Pier in Larkspur, Lafayette and San Jose’s Santana Row; and Parcel 104 in Santa Clara (promotion available on Friday evenings only).
The $100 CSN Certificate Winner:
Thank you to all of you who submitted such thought-provoking responses to my recent Food Gal contest. As you recall, I asked you to give me your best answer to this question: “If I live to be 100, the one culinary fantasy I hope most to experience is….â€
It was extremely tough to pick just one winner for the $100 CSN gift certificate. In the end, this is the person who got my top vote:
Marc, who wrote: “If I could live to 100 and my fantasy didn’t have to be based on reality, I’d want to lock all the world’s dignitaries in a room and feed them good food from around the world until they realize they’re not all that different, and they worked out all their differences.”
Congrats!