Category Archives: Great Finds

Sip, Sip, Hooray: Part 5

Posted on by Leave a comment
Sanzo Sparkling Waters offer up refreshing flavors beyond the standard lemon and lime.
Sanzo Sparkling Waters offer up refreshing flavors beyond the standard lemon and lime.

Sanzo Sparking Water

I can’t believe it’s taken this long for someone to come up with sparkling waters inspired by Asian ingredients.

But thankfully, Sandro Roco, a Queens-born Filipino American, finally did.

The result is Sanzo Sparkling Water.

It’s made with real fruit juice without any added sugar. It’s also vegan and gluten-free.

The canned sparkling water comes in five flavors: Yuzu with Ginger, Pomelo, Calamansi, Lychee, and Mango, all of which I had a chance to sample recently.

These do not taste like overly sweet soda by any stretch. They are refreshing, fizzy waters with a vivid, natural fruit taste.

The Pomelo is bright and tangy, but with less bitterness than the fresh fruit or a grapefruit.

The Yuzu with Ginger is yuzu forward with just a faint touch of ginger. It’s floral and citrusy with far less aggressive acidity than lemon.

The Calamansi is lime-like but with a lovely flowery presence to round it out.

The Lychee might be my favorite for its touch of natural sweetness along with an expansive floralness.

Sanzo Mango Sparkling Water.
Sanzo Mango Sparkling Water.

Unlike the others that are pretty much clear in color, the Mango one is yellow-orange in the glass. It’s made with Alphonso mango puree, so you really get the characteristic musky, peach-papaya-apricot taste.

Read more

A Gold Star For Gold Ridge Organic Farms Apple Vinegars

Posted on by Leave a comment
Gold Ridge Apple Cider Balsamic is so wonderful, you will even want to drink it -- in a shrub or cocktail.
Gold Ridge Apple Cider Balsamic is so wonderful, you will even want to drink it — in a shrub or cocktail.

Sebastopol’s Gold Ridge Organic Farms grows impeccable apples — more than 75 varieties, with many of them heirloom ones — available at its farm shop and area markets such as Whole Foods.

So, it’s no surprise that any products made from such primo apples are also stellar.

Recently, I had a chance to sample two new releases: Apple Cider Balsamic and Apple Cider Vinegar.

One taste of the Gold Ridge Apple Cider Balsamic will instantly make you go “Wow!”

Read more

World Central Kitchen’s First Cookbook

Posted on by Leave a comment
Chef Brooke Williamson's nourishing farro salad made with carrots and carrot juice.
Chef Brooke Williamson’s nourishing farro salad made with carrots and carrot juice.

It’s a good bet that following any disaster around the world no matter how far-flung, those jumping into action immediately after first responders are the chefs and volunteers of World Central Kitchen.

This global nonprofit was founded in 2010 by renowned Chef Jose Andres, who has a roster of restaurants around the United States.

After jumping into action to cook in Haiti after a devastating earthquake, he got the idea to create the organization. Since then, WCK has mobilized to serve more than 300 million meals worldwide.

Andres never expected that people would want recipes for the food served under those circumstances, he writes. But plenty did.

That’s what prompted “The World Central Kitchen Cookbook” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy. It was written by Andres and World Central Kitchen; with Sam Chapple-Sokol, editorial director of the Jose Andres Group.

All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to WCK’s emergency efforts.

Read more

“Under the Tuscan Sun” Olive Oil

Posted on by Leave a comment
Extra-virgin olive oil from trees growing on the estate made famous in the best-selling "Under the Tuscan Sun.''
Extra-virgin olive oil from trees growing on the estate made famous in the best-selling “Under the Tuscan Sun.”

If you fell under the romantic spell of the memoir, “Under the Tuscan Sun” you’re sure to appreciate a chance to enjoy your very own taste of sorts of that escape-to-Italy life that author Frances Mayes wrote so lovingly about.

The book chronicled Mayes’ fraught escapades in restoring a Tuscan countryside home known as Bramasole that had been abandoned for 30 years.

In addition to renovating the house to new glory, she and her husband Edward Mayes also brought back to health the property’s olive trees.

Each October, the olives from these centuries’ old trees are pressed for olio nuovo, new oil with the freshest taste that’s meant to be used immediately.

Read more

Palo Alto’s Meyhouse Is A Must-Visit

Posted on by Leave a comment
Delicate, tender Turkish dumplings are just one of the winning dishes you'll find at the new Meyhouse in Palo Alto.
Delicate, tender Turkish dumplings are just one of the winning dishes you’ll find at the new Meyhouse in Palo Alto.

Executive Chef-Partner Omer Artun of Meyhouse describes his recently opened downtown Palo Alto restaurant as an homage to the “meyhane” in his native Turkey, a casual-type restaurant and bar where it’s not uncommon for patrons to arrive at 5 p.m. to drink and savor small plates, drink some more, eat again, and not leave until 11 p.m.

After being invited in as a guest a couple weeks ago, I can easily get on board with that kind of schedule.

That’s because the food at this restaurant is as exuberant as it gets. So much so, that you won’t want to get up from the table.

If you’re the type of person who likes to graze on a wide variety of small dishes, this is the place for you because one could easily make a meal out of the assorted hot and cold meze alone. But do yourself a favor, and don’t neglect the mains, desserts, or the outrageously good, warm sesame bread that’s crisp, airy, and chewy in various parts — like a great pizza.

I’m not the only one who was smitten at first taste here. At least two other chefs whom I know, who have no connection to this restaurant, came away raving about the place on first visit.

The bustling dining room.
The bustling dining room.

A sister-locale that’s much larger and upscale looking than its original Sunnyvale outpost, Meyhouse Palo Alto opened in the former Dan Gordon’s that was previously the original Gordon Biersch.

Read more
« Older Entries Recent Entries »