Foodies who used to line up for hours when the fab Made in France/Village Imports would occasionally open its gourmet warehouse to the public, will rejoice at the news:
The former owners have opened a retail store, the Gourmet Corner, 873 N. San Mateo Drive in San Mateo (three blocks south of the Burlingame train station), which is open daily, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Just in time for your holiday gift-giving comes the new rockin’ Food Gal military cap with signature embroidered logo. It’s the perfect accessory for all your food-loving pals, as well as for yourself. Natch!
Choose mocha, olive or black.
Don’t forget, there’s also a wide range of other Food Gal items, including aprons, tote bags, and girly T’s.
Guys aren’t left out, either. Find manly Meat Boy aprons and T’s, named for my carnivore husband.
Artisan chocolatier Christopher Blue has elevated the art of chocolate making to a whole new level at Chocolatier Blue in central Berkeley, which opened earlier this summer.
Blue, who has worked with the likes of Chef Charlie Trotter of Chicago, is the only chocolatier in the United States to use Amedei chocolate from Tuscany that’s made from 100 percent Venezuelan sun-dried cacao beans. He also uses Five Star organic butter, which has the highest fat content of any butter in the world.
His chocolates are organic. What’s more, the fillings are made using such techniques as grilling, roasting, and sous vide. The packaging is all biodegradable, and much of it made from recyclable materials.
I’ll use my patented scale of 1 to 10 lip-smackers, with 1 being the “Bleh, save your money” far end of the spectrum; 5 being the “I’m not sure I’d buy it, but if it was just there, I might nibble some” middle-of-the-road response; and 10 being the “My gawd, I could die now and never be happier, because this is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth” supreme ranking.
Just in time to spice up your Thanksgiving, the king of spices, Penzeys, has opened in Menlo Park at 771 Santa Cruz Ave.
This is the first Northern California outpost of this renowned retailer that sells more than 250 spices, herbs, and seasonings.
You may already know Food & Vine Inc.’s Salute Sante! of the Napa Valley for its organic, high smoke-point grapeseed oil.
Now, get to know its divine new beverage, Napa VinJus, made from early-picked varietal grapes with low-sugar levels and high acid. The result is a non-boozy, golden-hued drink that is quite tangy, crisp, and with notes of green apple and honeysuckle.
I’m not a fan of sugary sodas, so I really fell for VinJus’ perky, puckery flavor. Indeed, it has about half the sugar of regular grape juice. Enjoy it in place of soda, or as an alternative to a cocktail.
A 750ml bottle sells for $14.50 at www.napavinjus.com/. You’ll also find it at Julia’s Kitchen at Copia in Napa, Go Fish Restaurant in St. Helena, Zuzu Tapas Bar in Napa, and the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone Campus in St. Helena.