Yes, Michael Pollan made a splashy appearance in my backyard recently.
Um, that would be my tomato plant named for the respected food activist, author and journalist, not Mr. Pollan in the flesh, himself.
Of my four tomato seedlings planted this year, it was this one that grew most vigorously and produced not only the first tomatoes of the season, but the most fruit so far, too.
Guess it pays to be named after a man who takes food seriously.
When the weather heats up, there’s nothing as joyful to enjoy as an ice cream sandwich. It can’t help but bring out the kid in each of us.
Try an “Ice Cream Sammy” at Sift Cupcake & Dessert Bar, the only Bay Area bakery to win the Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars.”
With locations in Napa, Santa Rosa and Cotati, the bakery takes organic gelato and sandwiches in between big cookies. Try the “All for the Cookie” ($4), which features cookies ‘n’ cream ice cream stuffed between two chocolate cookies.
Look for a San Francisco location to open later this summer, too.
San Francisco’s Mozzeria is getting in on the act, too, with peanut butter ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate cookies ($6). It gets even better, too. The sammy is served on a homemade fruit roll-up — with a side of spicy beer nuts. It’s a meal.
Mozzeria is one of the first deaf-owned restaurants in the country. Its global menu features everything from roast duck pizza with hoisin to Japanese pumpkin ravioli.
Sure, we all know that the founder of Gordon Biersch Brewing Company knows how to make great beer.
But how many knew that Dan Gordon also is an accomplished musician?
How cute and clever is this?
Very.
A sunny-side up egg cooked in its own fully edible, tender pattypan squash.
It’s enough to make you want to invite some friends over for brunch pronto.
“Pattypan Squash with Eggs” is the perfect way to showcase those adorable palm-size, bright yellow squash now all over farmers markets.
The recipe is from the new “Sunset Edible Garden Cookbook” (Oxmoor House) by the editors of Sunset magazine. The cookbook, of which I received a review copy, includes more than 180 recipes for casual dishes that make use of your own backyard bounty. Think “Lamb Stew with Roasted Red Peppers,” “Oysters with Melons and Cucumber Water” and “Grilled Poached Halibut with Fresh Apricot Salsa.”
The method for this particular dish couldn’t be easier. Just slice off the top of the squash and carefully hollow out its center. You can even bake the empty shells hours ahead of time.
When Scott Lucas, former software seller, and his wife, Cathy Storfer, an event planner, decided to change careers a couple years ago, they let their palates guide them to their next step.
Inspired by the flavors they encountered on their world travels, the two decided to start a new line of spice rubs with their long-time friend, Daniel Capra, executive chef of Emeryville’s Paula LeDuc Fine Catering.
There are now six Just Cook spice blends: Herbed Coffee Rub, Any Day Chicken Blend, No. 19 Salmon Blend, Ancho Chicken Rub, Close to Curry Blend, and Gimme Steak Blend.
Forgive me if I tell you that my first thought upon walking down the illuminated steps to the lounge-y Press Club wine bar was:
“If I were hip, young and single, man, oh man, would this be the place to hang out.”
Ahem, well, I may be none of those things. But Press Club in downtown San Francisco sure made me feel that I possessed each and every one of those attributes, if only for a night.
You’ll feel that way, too, in this dimly lit, expansive space that’s cozily divided into separate areas to linger in low-slung couches, at tall communal bar tables with chrome and leather stools or at a smattering of seats at the bars.
Take your pick, but don’t dally, as all those seats will surely be snapped up as the night wears on, as folks gather for after-work drinks, a girls-night-out soiree or just to take a load off after an afternoon of shopping on Union Square.
While Press Club has always served food, it used to be more a place you’d stop in for a glass of wine and a quick nibble before heading elsewhere for dinner.
But that changed this spring when Chef Chris Borges of San Francisco’s Taste Catering came on board.
Under his direction, Press Club has transformed into a place where you would be remiss not to stay for the full shebang.