Now’s the time for fresh olallieberries to eat out of hand, to make jam or to bake pies and cobblers.
But there’s another fab way to enjoy the sweet-tangy flavors of these plump berries.
Luis Moro Chocolate of Santa Cruz has a lovely new bonbon made with olallieberries that is out of this world.
With a lyrical name that’s just too much fun to say, olallieberries are black knobby berries with a sweet-tart, wine-y flavor that grow along the Central coast for a fleeting six weeks in summer.
Now’s the time to enjoy them fresh, especially at u-pick farms such as Phipps Country Store & Farm in Pescadero.
Perhaps no place has made olallieberries more famous, though, than Duarte’s Tavern in Pescadero.
The family-run business that started in 1934 is justly known for its artichoke soup, cioppino and other fresh seafood dishes. But it’s the hand-made ollalieberry pie that everyone saves room for. Enjoy it at this landmark restaurant for$6.50 a slice or $25 for a whole pie. Because Duarte’s freezes a huge supply of the ollalieberries each season, the pie is available year-round.
For the past few years, Duarte’s also has been selling ($14) unbaked, frozen whole olallieberry pies at select Bay Area stores, including Zanotto’s in San Jose and the Milk Pail in Mountain View. Later this year, the frozen pies also will begin being sold at all Whole Foods in Northern California.
See’s Candies will celebrate National Lollipop Day on July 20 in a big way.
First, stop in at any one of more than 200 See’s locations that day to get a free See’s lollypop.
Second, for an entire week, July 16–23, See’s will be putting all its lollypops on sale at 30 percent off. A box of 30 will sell for $12 (regularly $15.80) and a box of 12 will be $5.75 (regularly $7.15). The cube-shaped lollys come in chocolate, vanilla, cafe latte, butterscotch and the special summer flavor of root beer.
Lastly, you and a guest can win a VIP tour of See’s South San Francisco candy factory, which is not normally open to the public. As one who has had the sweet pleasure of going on such a tour, take my word that it’s an unforgettable experience. Included in this prize package is round-trip airfare for two, four nights at a San Francisco hotel, ground transportation and a $100 per diem per day. Entrants also will have a chance to vie for $50 See’s gift cards. Contest is open through July 23. Winners will be selected in a random drawing.
Culinary bad boy and host of the popular, award-winning show, “No Reservations,” Anthony Bourdain will be making a one-night appearance at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland at 8 p.m. Oct. 21, in which he’ll be lobbing his trademark barbs and thought-provoking insights in a lecture-style setting.
If you love barbecue, you are destined for one smoke-a-licious time at the Bay Area Barbecue Championship on July 16 at the Oakland Coliseum.
Starting at 9:30 a.m., 32 teams will square off in four categories: Chicken, Brisket, Pork and Ribs.
Celebrity judges — including Bay Area Chef Joey Altman and everyone’s favorite retired pilot, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger — will determine the winners. But there also will be a People’s Choice Award for members of the public to cast votes on whose ‘cue they believe clobbers all the rest.
After you’ve had your fill of smoky, charred meat, take a seat inside the Coliseum for the A’s only double-header of the year as they take on the Los Angeles Angels.
General admission tickets are $48 each, which gets you five food/drink coupons for the Barbecue Championship and one plaza outfield seat for the double-header.
VIP tickets are $78 each, which includes the food-drink coupons, plus a field level seat and access to VIP hospitality.
All tickets must be purchased in advance.
The event benefits Alternative Family Services, which provides services for foster children in Northern California.
Contest: I’m happy to be giving away three general admission tickets to the barbecue fest and baseball game (a value of $48 each) to one lucky Food Gal reader. Contest is open only to those who can make it to Oakland on July 16. Since the event is this Saturday, this will be a quick contest. Entries will be accepted only until noon PST July 13. The winner will be announced on July 14.
How to win?
The first things set before you in the dining room at Menlo Park’s Flea St. Cafe are telling.
The famous housemade, sesame-seed-topped biscuits, served since day one at this now 30-year-old establishment, which are based on a recipe by Chef-Proprietor Jesse Cool’s late-Dad and still stirred up in the same mixing bowl he once used.
The “Taste of the Season,” an amuse bouche that’s as spare and lovely as it gets — just a few simple veggies straight from a local farm, their fresh, bright flavors unadorned by anything else.
The former shows how comfort and family take precedence at this restaurant, where Cool’s two sons worked when they were growing up, and her Mom used to water the plants and arrange the dining room just so.
The latter points at the legacy of Cool, who for decades has championed local, sustainable and organic ingredients long before it became a standard of our cultural lexicon.