An easy rhubarb jam gets folded into the batter for these rich chocolate brownies.
Resembling mutant celery and smelling rather strangely green and vegetative, rhubarb hasn’t necessarily been a favored springtime pick for me.
If given the choice, I’d much rather reach for strawberries instead.
But a recipe for “Rhubarb Brownies” captured my fancy enough to want to place a bunch in my grocery basket.
The recipe is from the new cookbook, “Coastal” (Chronicle Books), of which I received a review copy.
It was written by Chef Scott Clark of Dad’s Luncheonette in Half Moon Bay, with assistance from James Beard Award-winning food journalist Betsy Andrews, who is a contributing editor at Food & Wine magazine.
If you’ve had the pleasure of visiting Dad’s Luncheonette, you know that it’s the cutest little cafe that operates out of a permanently parked, historic train caboose.
I love a cocktail that has the taste and aroma of orange, and Uncle Val’s Zested Gin ($30) has both in spades.
Twist open the bottle and take a whiff to be floored by the fragrance of bright orange citrus with a hint of clove.
I had a chance to try a sample of this small-batch gin that’s made with bergamot, orange, coriander, barley malt, and, of course, juniper. But don’t worry; for those not too keen on the medicinal taste of juniper, this gin keeps it in balance.
Uncle Val’s is a brand by 3 Badge Beverage Corporation. It was founded by August Sebastiani. Yes, of that Sebastiani family.
In fact, the corporation is run out of an old fire station in Sonoma built in the 1880s by his great-grandfather Samuele Sebastiani, a mason and quarry miner, who went on to start making wine. It’s also where Samuele’s son (August’s grandfather) would go on to become a volunteer firefighter. The corporation is named for the three fire service badges that he earned.
Fourth-generation vintner August bought the old fire station in 2014 that had been vacant for nearly a decade. He established Uncle Val’s Gin to pay tribute to the herbal concoctions that his late-Uncle Zio Valerio (aka Uncle Val) distilled from cuttings from his Tuscan garden.
With its rounded orange taste, the gin is ideal in a Negroni. Or a gin & tonic. Or even just over ice with an orange twist.
Although Uncle Val’s gins are available at several Bay Area stores, you might have to hunt harder specifically for the Zested Gin, which is stocked in fewer places. However, it can be found at Village Market in Oakland and Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa. You can also enjoy at the bar at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco and Pearl Hour in Monterey.
Cheers: Each small-batch bottle of gin features a label with one of Uncle Val’s more notable sayings. Mine sported this one: “A closed mouth catches no flies.” Meaning think before you speak — or else pay the price later.
Half Shell Vodka
If you have a tendency toward fumble fingers, you don’t have to worry about mishaps when carrying a bottle of Half Shell Vodka.
Unbreakable and light as can be. That’s Half Shell Vodka.
That’s because this vodka is billed as the first one packaged in a completely recyclable paperboard bottle. Accidentally drop it, and there will be no damage.
In fact, when I received a sample to try, I almost didn’t believe it was inside the mailing box because it felt so incredibly light.
It sports a screw top and a liner in a bottle that’s made of 94 percent recycled paperboard for a much smaller carbon footprint.
The Santa Rosa Beach, FL company distills its vodka 18 times from U.S.-grown corn, then uses reclaimed oyster shells (from bars and restaurants) and activated coconut carbon (think charcoal made from coconut shells) to filter the spirit. But that doesn’t mean you’ll find any lingering shellfish or coconut taste in this vodka. The system is merely used to enhance smoothness and purity.
Indeed, this vodka has a clean taste with a fluid boozy warmth.
Find it for $24.99 at select Whole Foods in Northern and Southern California.
Cheers: Half Shell Vodka runs a “Sip for Sustainability” nonprofit partnership program that helps raise funds for sustainability and conservation efforts nationwide.
One of the first restaurants to open in San Jose’s Santana Row in 2003, Pizza Antica is still drawing crowds and going strong.
On the heels of that impressive streak, it’s now been joined by its new sister restaurant Augustine with adjacent Augustine Bakery/Cafe, both of which opened in March.
All are owned by the Bacchus Management Group, which has a host of restaurants in the Bay Area, including Michelin-starred Selby’s in Redwood City and the Village Pub in Woodside.
The expansive, former Sino restaurant spot has been completely made over in tones of deep cobalt with custom light fixtures as luminous as contemporary jewelry, and a glittering marble u-shaped bar that commands attention steps from the entrance. A covered patio offers ample outdoor dining, too. The look is elegant and well-heeled.
The signature kohada nigiri at Nagai Edomae Sushi.
As you approach Nagai Edomae Sushi on Broadway Street in Redwood City, the front door and windows are obscured by shoji screens, offering no glimpse inside.
Although the street teems with other restaurants, you can’t just walk in like any other establishment. Indeed, a small sign by the door indicates: “Private omakase by reservation only.”
Opened last fall, this restaurant with all of 10 seats around a Japanese cypress counter provides a very intimate experience that somehow transports you away from the congestion outside its front door to a state of quietude.
Behind the counter stands Chef-Owner Tomonori Nagai, who grew up in a family of fishermen in the small coastal town of Iwaki, before finding his calling as a sushi chef, in which he worked at Morimoto in Honolulu and Michelin-starred Shinji by Kanesaka in Singapore.
Chef Tomonori Nagai in his element.
In 2019, he opened Sushi Nagai on Union Square in San Francisco, which unfortunately ended up closing during the pandemic. That was where I first experienced his food. After being invited two weeks ago as a guest of Nagai Edomae Sushi, I think I prefer his new location more, just because its smaller size makes for an experience that feels more personal and special.
Chef Nagai opened his restaurant with business partner Sunny Noah, who also owns the omakase restaurants, Tancho in Castro Valley, Iki in Palo Alto, and the soon-to-open Ren in Menlo Park.
While other small-batch cookbooks come at you with recipes for modest amounts of cookies, doughnuts or tartlets, its new “Baking for Two” actually has a recipe for “Vanilla Cupcakes” that makes four of them. Yes, perfect for a family of four, a couple who wants to indulge in seconds, or a close-group of besties to share together.
The cookbook has more than 200 recipes for bakers who want to indulge their passion but don’t want to bake themselves into a frenzy.
