Fashionistas who like to cook will rejoice that the world’s first Food Gal Boutique is now open.
Find irresistible T’s (for men and women), aprons, sweatshirts, and the tote bag of the season — all with the cute Food Gal logo, of course.
Just click here or on the “Food Gal Boutique” page at the top (next to “Home” and “About”) to start shopping.
That’s what mangosteen has been called. Until this year, the only way to try the fresh tropical fruit was to travel to Southeast Asia, where it originated; or to get your hands on others grown in Hawaii or Puerto Rico.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture once banned the importation of mangosteens and other fruits from Thailand because of the concern that they might harbor fruit flies that could infect citrus trees in the United States. Thailand, though, agreed to irradiate its shipments (a method that kills pests with radiation). The first shipments now have arrived in the United States, just at the peak harvest season of the fruit.
You’ll pay a dear price for them, too. At 99 Ranch markets, the tangerine- to orange-sized fruit with a dark purple exterior are $8.99 a pound. And finding them is not always easy, either. At 99 Ranch in Cupertino last week, I came up empty-handed. But my trip to the 99 Ranch on Hostetter Road in San Jose a few days later netted me the goods.
So are they really the most amazing fruit you’ll ever taste? I was dubious. I had tried frozen mangosteens in the shell from an Asian market, and wasn’t impressed. I also had tried a mangosteen juice beverage that was just ghastly.
All you have to do is keep an eye out for when a special Death Valley temperature gauge that monitors the desert heat reaches 120 degrees. The first five Facebook users who notify Kettle Foods when it does will win free chips for a year. Just don’t tell your cardiologist.
It’s all part of Kettle Foods’ debut of its newest potato chip flavor, Death Valley Chipotle. Crispy, fiery, smoky, and quite tongue-tingling, the chips also will help a good cause. Kettle Foods will donate $1 to the Death Valley Natural History Association for every Facebook user who downloads the special Death Valley temperature gauge. The non-profit association brings city kids to parks so they can experience the beauty of nature. Click here to find out more about the Facebook application.
The Death Valley Chipotle chips, in 5-ounce ($2.99) and 9-ounce ($3.29) bags, are available at Cost Plus Markets, and by clicking here.
Ghirardelli’s newest flavor of chocolate bars and mini squares is just hitting the shelves: Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter Filling.
Thanks to a high-placed secret source in the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory (we’ll call him Willy Wong-ka), we got a sneak preview. So will it give Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups a whipping? 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.
Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter Filling: What I tried was one of the mini squares. It’s a very thin milk chocolate wafer with an equally thin layer of very creamy peanut butter inside, along with a few tiny, crunchy bits of peanut. Whereas a Reese’s cup gives you a wallop of homey, satisfying, dense peanut butter, the Ghirardelli’s is more subtle, perhaps a tad more elegant in taste. It’s hard to top a Reese’s, but the Ghirardelli’s is pretty darn good. Rating: 7.
Tart fro-yo fanatics like myself are sure to rejoice that Red Mango will soon open three locations in the Bay Area: Palo Alto, San Jose, and San Carlos.
The “Coming Soon” signs are already up on the vacant storefront at 429 University Ave. at Kipling, in downtown Palo Alto. According to the company’s Web site, the other two locations will be: 3055 Olin Ave. in San Jose’s Santana Row; and 852 Laurel St. in San Carlos.
I first swooned over Red Mango when I had the chance to try it in Los Angeles last year. Choose from green tea or “original” flavors, with toppings that range from fresh strawberries to Fruity Pebbles. The original flavor — my favorite — is quite tangy, thick, and creamy. And best yet, it is nonfat, and made from real cultured yogurt.
Red Mango has been giving pioneering Pinkberry a run for its money down south in the frozen yogurt wars. See what all the fuss is about when Red Mango opens its doors. One spoonful will leave you hooked.