Category Archives: Enticing Events

Masterful Tea and a Food Gal Giveaway

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Who couldn't use a hot cup of "Ancient Beauty'' tea?

Enjoy a sip of some rather discriminating teas, made from just the top two leaves and bud from each plant.

You can with the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s new, limited-edition Tea Master’s single-batch tea blends.

The Southern California-based company is selling these six, loose-leaf tea blends online only: Shree Dwarika Estate Darjeeling (3.5 ounces for $9.20), Thailand Wulong Oolong (1.25 ounces for $6.20), Ah Li Shan Taiwan Oolong (4 ounce at $20.20), Bogawantalawa Estate Sri Lanka (3 ounces for 7.20), Ancient Beauty (2 ounces for $12.20), and Japanese Sencha Green (4.5 ounces for $13.20).

Large leaves impart a smooth flavor to this tea.

When I had a chance to sample a few of them, I couldn’t pass up trying Ancient Beauty. Heck, the name alone entices. These days, as I feel quite ancient at times, I need all the beauty I can get.

This oolong tea from thousand-year-old trees has a honey-earthy fragrance. Steep a cup to enjoy a clean tasting tea with smooth, subtle tannins. It would be an ideal accompaniment to dim sum.

Contest: One lucky Food Gal reader will win a tin of each of the six tea varieties. Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST April 21. Winner will be announced April 23.

How to win?

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A Sweet Way to Celebrate the Giants’ Home Opener

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"Pitchersnaps" and "ShortBEARD'' cookies from Waterbar. (Photo courtesy of the restaurant)

Sure, you can dress in your best orange and black.

You can whoop and holler, too.

But best yet, you can nosh on cookies baked in honor of your fave players as you cheer them on.

Pastry Chef Emily Luchetti wants to help you celebrate the San Francisco Giants home opener on Friday, April 13 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. She’ll be selling fresh-baked Giants-themed cookies at a pop-up outside her restaurant, Waterbar on the Embarcadero.

Choose from Pitchersnaps (a riff on gingersnaps), Pablo Sandoval’s Panda Prints (peanut butter and jam thumbprints), Buster Posey’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies, and Brian Wilson’s Chocolate Sea Salt ShortBEARDS (get it?).

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Goat Fest, David Chang Visits the Bay Area & More

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Nubian goat kids at Redwood Hill Farm. (Photo courtesy of the farm)

4th Annual Goat Fest

OK, just look at those faces above. How adorable are they?

For a closer look, head to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market for the 4th annual Goat Fest, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 21.

Redwood Hill Farm of Sebastopol will be bringing some of their “kids” for you to meet.

Enjoy samples of goat’s milk lotions, soaps and face creams, as well as cheeses, yogurts, caramels, fudge, chocolates and ice creams.

There also will be cooking demos and chances to meet representatives from Cypress Grove Chevre, Laloo’s Goat Milk Ice Cream and other goat’s milk product producers.

For more goat fun, you’ll be glad to know that Redwood Hill Farm will be offering tours of its farm on May 12, May 13, June 9 and June 10. Cheese, yogurt and kefir will be for sale, so don’t forget to pack a cooler. You can even milk a goat while you’re there.

The one and only David Chang. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Chef David Chang Comes to San Francisco in July

The always opinionated and colorful New York Chef David Chang will be the star attraction of an event, 8 p.m. July 17 at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.

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Highlights From Florida — Beyond the Pillsbury Bake-Off

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When I wasn’t sequestered behind closed doors as a judge of the 45th Pillsbury Bake-Off last week, I did manage to get out and about to discover some other fun things in Orlando. Here are other highlights of that trip:

* Poached farm egg, aleppo pepper hollandaise, California asparagus and pork belly at Luma on Park in Winter Park, Fla.

A perfectly poached egg that oozes a bright orange yolk to make a dish of juicy pork belly even richer. It doesn’t get better than that at this sophisticated restaurant with a glam two-story glass wine “jewel box” that displays bottles upon bottles of fine vintages.

Not your average edamame.

* Togarashi spice stir-fried Japanese edamame at Emeril Lagasse’s Tchoup Chop in Orlando.

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All-Star Foie Dinner, Giada De Laurentiis & More

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Chef Victor Scargle of Lucy at Bardessono will be one of the chefs headlining the all-foie-gras dinner at the Plumed Horse. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Plumed Horse Celebrates Foie Gras April 9

With California set to be the only state in the nation to outlaw foie gras starting July 1, a bevy of chefs have been rallying to raise grass-roots support for the luxurious delicacy.

The latest to join in on the action is the Plumed Horse in Saratoga, which will host a top toque-studded $200 per person prix fixe on April 9 in which every course will feature the decadent fattened liver of a goose or duck.

Among the chefs cooking that night alongside Plumed Horse Executive Chef Peter Armellino will be Victor Scargle of Lucy at Bardessono in Yountville, Ron Boyd of the Daniel Patterson Group, Marc Zimmerman of Alexander’s Steakhouse in San Francisco, and Joey Elenterio of Chez TJ in Mountain View.

Scargle will be serving his Sonoma Artisan foie gras and sauteed Petrale sole with spring onions, ramps and Granny Smith apples. Armellino will serve smoked chicken and foie gras dumplings. And Ted Romero, executive pastry chef of Lucy at Bardessono, will be turning heads with a Guittard chocolate, hazelnut and foie gras nougat with ruby port poached pear.

Half of the $200 per person price for the dinner will be donated to the Coalition for Humane and Ethical Farming Standards, which is made up of pro-foie gras culinary professionals. For tickets, click here.

For those who want to bring their own wine, corkage will be waived that evening.

Giada De Laurentiis To Visit the Bay Area

Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis will be signing copies of her newest book, “Weeknights with Giada” (Clarkson Potter) at three upcoming Bay Area events.

The cookbook is filled with go-to dinner recipes that take about half an hour to prepare.

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