Category Archives: Enticing Events

Food Gal Contest: A Meaty New One, And Winners of the Popchips One

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Wouldn't you love to sink your teeth into this juicy filet? One winner can. (Photo courtesy of Morton's)

I hope you found the last Food Gal contest involving Popchips a blast to participate in. The three winners of that contest who made my heart go pop the most are unveiled at the end of this post.

Now, wait until you get a load of the latest contest that starts today.

It’s especially made for carnivores.

Morton’s The Steakhouse in San Jose is generously offering one Food Gal reader a complimentary dinner for two at any Morton’s location worldwide. Yes, that’s right — a dining certificate for two people that’s good for up to one year at any Morton’s around the globe.

Now that I have you salivating, I’m sure you’re wondering just what you have to do to win, right?

No worries. It’s very easy. Keep reading.

You already know that my hubby’s nickname is Meat Boy for obvious reasons. What you might not know are some of the ways he’s truly earned that moniker. Let me tell you.

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Delicious Doings

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A sushi deal at Yoshi's. (Photo courtesy of Frankie Frankeny)

If you love sushi and love to eat late, Yoshi’s San Francisco and Oakland locales has a deal for you.

Every Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. till closing, you can enjoy 10 chef’s choice pieces of sushi for $10.

The “10 for 10” special from Executive Chef Shotaro ”Sho” Kamio is available in the upstairs Sake Lounge at Yoshi’s San Francisco and in the Lounge at Yoshi’s in Oakland.

Tomato aficionados will want to head to Luce at the InterContinental Hotel in San Francisco for the “Tomato Tasting Menu” that’s available through the end of July.

The three-course prix-fixe meal is $34.95. Pony up an additional $12 for wine pairings.

Dishes served will be: cherry tomato broth with Cherokee tomato tartare; diver scallop with heirloom tomato confit and crispy tomato; and tomato sorbet with strawberry and yogurt.

Corn will be spotlighted in a special menu in August, and melon will star in September.

Regulars at the Gourmet Corner, the fun French food and wine store in San Mateo, will be tempted to pick up even more goodies while shopping. Every Friday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., RoliRoti will be on the premises. The mobile rotisserie serves incredible roasted sustainably-raised meats and veggies. It’s an easy way to pick up the fixings for that evening’s supper.

Paolo’s in downtown San Jose offers a summer prix-fixe menu through Aug. 1.

Price is $28.50 per person if you choose the pasta “secondi,” or $36 per person if you opt for the fish or beef “secondi.” Wine pairing is an additional $18 per person.

Restaurant O Catering will host a four-course wine dinner on July 31 with Black Ridge Vineyards at the historic La Hacienda in Los Gatos.

The Santa Cruz Mountains Winery specializes in Viognier, Pinot Noir, and a San Andreas Red Bordeaux-style blend. Dishes to be served include cherry wood smoked quail stuffed with figs and cambazola cheese with Pinot Noir glace; and grilled filet mignon with pan-seared foie gras and sauteed summer nectarines.

Price is $125 per person. For reservations, call Jennifer Flippen at Restaurant O at (408) 354-3131.

Spruce's Mark Sullivan. (Photo courtesy of Spruce)

Spruce restaurant in San Francisco celebrates its second anniversary on Aug. 2 with a special celebration menu.

Price is $55 per person. Wine pairings are available for an additional $20.

Chef Mark Sullivan has dreamed up a three-course “Two-Way” dinner menu of: Dirty Girl heirloom tomatoes two ways, Grimaud Farms natural Guinea hen two ways, and Hamada Farms two stone fruits crostata.

The Pasta Shop in Berkeley is going hog wild, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on July 25.

Its second annual “Hog Heaven” celebration is a salute to artisan pork. Enjoy cooking demos, samples, and grilled sausage sandwiches for purchase.

Congrats are in order for HALL Wines, which became the first winery in California to earn a Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

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Food Gal Contest: Pop Along for Popchips

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Cheddar Popchips go my heart.

I said I wasn’t going to lose my head

But then Popchips! Go my heart

(Popchips! Go My Heart)

Apologies to Hugh Grant, who so deftly performed a wicked parody of an ’80’s pop band in the film, “Music and Lyrics” with the catchy, goofy song, “Pop Goes My Heart.” But somehow, I can’t help but hear a version of that silly refrain whenever I think of this California-made snack product.

For those who haven’t yet discovered Popchips, they are an all-natural crispy potato snack food that is neither baked nor fried. Instead, a combination of heat and pressure is used in some mysterious way to create these round disks that have the addicting crunch of potato chips, but no trans fat, no cholesterol, no preservatives, and little or no saturated fat. They’re also certified kosher. A one-ounce serving has 120 calories.

Popchips come in seven flavors, including Sea Salt & Vinegar, Barbecue, and Sour Cream & Onion. They’re available at Costco, Whole Foods, Safeway, Lucky’s, BevMo, Jamba Juice, Target, and other stores.

Three lucky readers of FoodGal, however, will get a free sample of every flavor.

How?

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Foodie Fun

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Blueberry shortcake for a good cause. (Photo courtesy of McCormick & Kuleto's)

Indulge in a fresh-baked blueberry shortcake — for a good cause.

Through Aug. 31, McCormick & Kuleto’s in San Francisco is featuring that special dessert for $4.95. For every one sold, the restaurant will make a donation to the American Heart Association.

The shortcake is filled with orange-marinated blueberries and topped with a cloud of whipped cream and creme fraiche.

Enjoy brunch every Saturday and Sunday now at Palo Alto’s Shokolaat.

Shokolaat's eggs benedict on housemade brioche. (Photo courtesy of Shokolaat)

The new seasonal breakfast offerings, available 11:30a.m. to 2 p.m., include such delights as organic buttermilk pancakes served with chocolate or fresh berries; and vegetable omelet with Boursin and caramelized onions. Entrees are priced from $7 to $19.

Brunch with a musical flair is on the menu at 1300 on Fillmore in San Francisco. Every first and third Sundays of the month there, enjoy a gospel brunch.

House band, Future Perfect, features a father-daughter team who performs for an hour at each of two sittings: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The three-course brunch is $39 per person. It includes a bellini or mimosa, plus coffee or tea. The brunch features an assorted bread basket, a choice of entree, and a choice of dessert.

An a` la carte brunch is offered on the other Sundays of each month.

A jazz brunch is now being offered Sundays at Left Bank Menlo Park.

Enjoy the sounds of French singer Laurent Fourgo and his combo, while nibbling “Pain Perdu” (French toast with whipped cream and berries, $10.50) or “Salmon Crepes” (with poached salmon, poached eggs, leeks, and hollandaise sauce, $13.50).

Additionally, during Sunday brunch hours, noon to 3 p.m., and during Saturday lunch hours, the restaurant will offer a dessert buffet ($7) stocked with profiteroles, creme brulee, and a chocolate fountain.

Still another musical brunch can be enjoyed at Cetrella in Half Moon Bay from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 26, when members of Opera San Jose belt out arias from well-known operas.

Sunday brunch is $35 for prix fixe; a` la carte options also are available. Reservations are required.

Try a free sample of the new Flipped Out ice cream treat. (Photo courtesy of goodsmellmeow.tumblr.com)

Free Ben & Jerry’s, anyone?

Thought that would get your attention.  On four upcoming days in San Francisco, the gourmet ice cream purveyor will be handing out samples of its new Flipped Out ice cream treat. This new concoction is fudge sauce, ice cream and brownies, all contained in a cup that you flip over onto a serving plate to enjoy.

Just find your way to these locations for a sample:

July 18, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m, Union Square.

July 19, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Golden Gate Park.

July 21, 11 a.m., Justin Herman Plaza.

July 22, 3 p.m., Justin Herman Plaza.

And you apparently have to RSVP at the Ben & Jerry’s link above.

Meet "Top Chef'''s Fabio in Gilroy. (Photo courtesy of the Gilroy Garlic Festival)

Oooh, the pungent aroma is already in the air for the 31st annual Gilroy Garlic Festival, July 24-16, at Christmas Hill Park.

“Top Chef” fanatics will be happy to know that fan-favorite Chef Fabio Vivani will be host the July 26 “Garlic Showdown,” in which four Bay Area culinary professionals will compete in an “Iron Chef”-like competition.

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Foodie Events

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Ahi tartare at Restaurant Michael Mina. (Photo courtesy of the Mina Group)

Restaurant Michael Mina in San Francisco is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a “birthday tasting menu.”

For $125 per person, guests can enjoy a meal of signature favorites. It starts with a trio of classics (lobster corndogs, ahi tuna tartare, and caviar parfait); then butter poached South African lobster tail; seared day boat scallops; Four Story Hills poularde (a young hen); Brandt Farm beef rib-eye; and finally, a delectable Trio of Dessert Classics (root beer float, strawberry mascarpone, white peach financier).

Paired wines are an additional $55.

The gourmet birthday meal is available through July 11.

Mina’s Clock Bar (across from his eponymous restaurant inside the Westin St. Francis) also celebrates its first year in business with five nights of guest bartenders who will be shaking up special cocktails, starting July 13.

Among the celeb bartenders who will be making appearances will be Scott Beattie (formerly of Cyrus in Healdsburg) on July 13, and Erik Adkins, of Heaven’s Dog in San Francisco, on July 16.

Clock Bar is open daily from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. For reservations or group bookings, contact Matthew Meidinger at (415) 397-9222.

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar (with Northern California locations in Palo Alto and Walnut Creek) is serving up an Alaskan King crab legs feast for $99 for two people.

Alaskan crab summer special. (Photo courtesy of Fleming's)

The three-course meal includes butter lettuce salad with citrus vinaigrette, warm Yukon Gold potato salad, summer squash, and two berry cobblers with vanilla ice cream. Each guest then gets a choice of either 1 1/2 pounds of crab legs with drawn butter or 3/4 pound of crab legs plus a filet mignon.

This special is being offered through Aug. 31. If you reserve online, you’ll receive a $25 Fleming’s card at the end of the meal, which is valid for the month of September.

Fans of San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza Farmers Market will be glad to know that it’s now also open on Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This new market day features not only local produce for sale, but sustainable street foods to enjoy for lunch. Among the purveyors are: smoked hot dogs and peanut butter bacon brownies from 4505 Meats; Korean barbecue tacos and kimchee fried rice from Namu; pizza made to order from Pizza Politana; and smoked fish sandwiches from Cap’n Mike’s Holy Smoke.

Over in the East Bay, Pican Restaurant in Oakland is now serving weekday lunch and Sunday brunch.

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