Free Cupcakes, New Sushi Digs, Howard Bulka’s Pizza Joint, Gingerbread Time & More

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Kara's Cupcakes celebrates its third anniversary. (Photo courtesy of Kara's)

Kara’s Cupcakes celebrates its third anniversary Nov. 1 by giving away a free cupcake with any purchase at its original location, 3249 Scott St. in San Francisco.

The offer is good only that day, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and only at that location.

The diesel-powered “Karavan,” the cupcake bakery’s mobile van, also will be on site, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. that day to offer samples of Blue Bottle New Orleans-style iced coffee.

For all you Peninsula types who have been waiting with hunger pains, word is that Howie’s Artisan Pizza is expected to open in November at the Town & Country Village in Palo Alto.

OK, so Chef Howard Bulka, formerly of Marche in Menlo Park, thought he’d be open by summer. You know how those things go.

When the doors open, you’ll be able to indulge in New Haven-style pizza with toppings like pancetta and egg, artisan salads, veggie pesto melts, and Straus Organic soft-serve drizzled with olive oil and fleur de sel or in a peppermint brownie sundae.

Chef Howard Bulka's new pizza joint is just weeks away from opening. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

The earth-tone interior will feature exposed timber-framed ceilings, cork walls, bamboo counters, hand-forged iron fixtures, and unusual olive oil-filled glass panels that partition the dining room.

The restaurant will be open daily, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Learn more about Chef Bulka in my interview with him earlier this year.

Are you the type who likes to arrive fashionably early?

Then head to Santana Row in San Jose, where you’ll be able to enjoy a $30 three-course dinner Sundays through Wednesdays, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. “The Fashionably Early Dining” promotion, which runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 16, includes soup, salad or appetizer, plus a choice of entree, and dessert.

Choose from nine participating restaurants: Amber India, LB Steak, Pizza Antica, Straits Restaurant, Village California Bistro, Roux Louisiana Kitchen, Yankee Pier, Rosie McCann’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, and Thea Mediterranean.

Guests who purchase two “Fashionably Early” entrees also will receive two tickets to the holiday classic, “A Christmas Story,” playing Nov. 21-Dec. 30 at the San Jose Rep. Just present your itemized dinner receipt to the Santana Row Concierge to pick up your tickets while supplies last.

The annual “Pinot Noir & Mushroom Dinner,” Nov. 14 at Parcel 104 in Santa Clara, will serve up four courses with paired wines.

Price is $104 per person. Diners can take advantage of a special room rate at the Marriott, too, for $79.

Additionally, Parcel 104 has a new Monday-through-Friday “Happy Hour,” 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Enjoy $1 draft beers and select $4 appetizers.

As a kid growing up in San Francisco, Ebisu, 1283 Ninth Ave., was practically my neighborhood hang-out. I waited in many a long line there, and learned at an early age that the best place to set yourself down was the sushi bar. Family-run, it was always fun, boisterous, and thoroughly delicious.

Well, Ebisu is the one who’s all grown-up now. San Francisco’s Tekton Architecture has given the popular restaurant a sleek, simple yet elegant make-over.

Ebisu's new look. (Photo courtesy of Sharon Risedorph)

(Photo by Sharon Risedorph)

Bamboo, Douglas fir, sustainably harvested koa wood, recycled 125-year-old barn siding, and other sustainable materials were used to create a warm, organic vibe.

Cedar benches outside and in the foyer are available to take a load off while you wait for a table. Sorry, that part hasn’t changed. But Ebisu remains worth the wait.

To get in the sweet holiday mood, Pastry Chef Patti Dellamonica of One Market in San Francisco is hosting a cookie decorating party, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 7.

It’s part of the Lark Creek Restaurant Group’s month-long “Gingerbread Wishes” program, which benefits the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation.

For $20 on Nov. 7, each guest will receive a cookie decorating kit that includes three freshly baked star-shaped cookies, icing, sprinkles and candies. Guests can replenish their strength from all that cookie decorating with complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and finger sandwiches. Additional cookies are available for $5 each. All proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

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A Profusion of Pears and Spices

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Autumn pears star in these cheesecake-like bars.

That’s just what you’ll find in these creamy-dreamy “Pear Cream Cheese Bars with Macadamia Nut Crust.”

They’re potent with ground ginger, cloves, cinnamon and coriander — a whole teaspoon of each. Whoa!

The fact that they’re so spice-heavy shouldn’t come as a surprise — not when the recipe comes from a cookbook with the name, “The Spice Kitchen, Everyday Cooking with Organic Spices” (Andrews McMeel) by Sara Engram and Katie Luber with Kimberly Toque. Engram and Luber have their own line of spices. And Toque was an assistant test kitchen chef at Lawry’s.

My friends who sampled the bars found the amount of spice overwhelming. I didn’t mind the pronounced flavor, except that it did make it very hard to actually taste the pears in these treats.

Next time, I think I would cut the amount of spice in half, which is how I’ve adapted the recipe below. Feel free to cut the spice amounts even more if you prefer.

The bars have a great interplay of textures — a crisp, nutty cookie foundation, then an almost cheesecake-like middle, followed by slices of fresh pears, and a quite sweet, thick layer of crunchy streusel on the very top. The flavor is reminiscent of a heady pear spice cake in a whole different guise.

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Artisan Energy Bars — Say What? Plus Winners of the Food Gal Contest

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A breakfast bar you'll actually enjoy eating.

Remember those energy bars of yesteryear?

You know, the ones you ate because they were compact and handy on those sweaty, strenuous hikes — not because they tasted any good.

Newark, Calif.-based FullBloom Baking Company will erase those unappetizing memories once and for all.

Company founder Karen Trilevsky has created an individually wrapped Toasted Oatmeal Bar that’s made with 12 organic whole grains, plus tart cherries and raisins. It’s a palate-awakening alternative to other breakfast or energy bars on the market.

It’s almost cookie-like in texture, but more crumbly. The oat flavor and texture really come through in this crunchy, buttery bar. It tastes very much home-made rather than mass-produced.

Each 2.5-ounce bar has 350 calories, 18 grams of fat (8 grams of which are saturated fat), 44 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of protein, 210 milligrams of sodium, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, and 44 grams of total carbohydrates.

The Toasted Oatmeal Bar joins the 12-Grain Bar released earlier this year. FullBloom will add two more flavors before the end of the year: Cranberry Almond Bar, and Bacon Cornflake (Oh my!).

The bars retail for about $1.49 each. They are available at Whole Foods, Berkeley Bowl, Cosentino’s, and Peet’s Coffee & Tea.

In addition to her baking endeavors, Trilevsky also started a “Smart Cookes Scholarship” to pay for the college education of promising Hispanic youth in the Bay Area. So far, she’s help pay for 57 kids to attend college.

Her baking facility also is in the process of securing LEED platinum certification for adhering to best environmental practices.

Sahale Snacks nut mix.

And now, without further adieu, I’m happy to announce the winners of the latest Food Gal contest, in which I invited all of you to tell me what your nuttiest cooking experience was.

I say, “winners,” because there were so many good ones once again that I decided to award second- and third-place prizes, too. Those winners will receive a cookbook from my vast collection. The grand prize winner will get four bags (2-ounce each) of Sahale Snacks nut blends, three (4-ounce) glazed nuts packages, and a Sahale Snacks apron.

Here are the winners:

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Tea, Tofu, Fro-Yo & Lots More

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The soothing Samovar Tea Lounge. (Photo courtesy of Samovar)

Ever wanted to learn more about Fair Trade products, as well as sample a variety in one convenient place?

Then, you’re in luck.

Samovar Tea Lounge in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center is hosting a “Fair Trade Gala,” 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 29. Speakers will explain all facets of the Fair Trade movement. Additionally, such Fair Trade-certified companies as TCHO Chocolate, Alter Eco Olive, and La Yapa Quinoa will offer samples to try. You’ll also get a chance to taste Samovar’s new line of Fair Trade teas.

Tickets are $10. They can be purchased at Samovar or by calling (415) 227-9400.

Chocoholics are in for a treat at Marché in Menlo Park tonight and Saturday, Oct. 24, when Executive Chef Guillaume Bienaimé will partner with Michael Recchiuti of Recchiuti Confections to create a five-course chocolate feast.

Dishes will include Hokkaido scallop carpaccio with coconut, vanilla, French tarragon & olive oil ganache; and Peking duck breast with green cabbage, chocolate & duck confit ravioli, cocoa nib, pink peppercorn and smoked duck crackling.

Price is $65 per person. Wine pairings will be available for an additional charge.

Award-winning San Francisco Pastry Chef Emily Luchetti of Farallon and Waterbar will be conducting cooking demos at San Jose’s Santana Row, Oct. 24 and Oct. 25, at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

It’s all part of an event by Cadillac. You’ll be able to test-drive the new Cadillac SRX, along with its competition, Lexus RX350, Mercedes GLK and BMW X5. I know, you’re probably thinking, “What do luxury cars have to do with pastries?” The answer is that Cadillac has partnered with Bon Appetit and the now-shuttered Gourmet (cue the tears) magazines in this event.

Buca di Beppo is marking Oct. 26’s “World Pasta Day” (who knew?) with a pasta-rific promotion.

That day, any guest who purchases a small or large pasta or entree will receive a free serving of spaghetti with your choice of meat or marinara sauce. Guests also will receive a 16-ounce package of Rummo Italian pasta to take home.

The offer is valid for only dine-in customers, not take-out. But diners can box up their free spaghetti to take home.

Noodles made of soy. (Photo courtesy of Hodo Soy Beanery)

Enjoy a different kind of noodle from Hodo Soy Beanery, which recently opened a factory in West Oakland.

Founder and tofu master, Minh Tsai, got his start selling his soymilk and tofu at the Palo Alto farmers market. It became so successful that he quit his finance job to make tofu full-time. You can now find Hodo Soy Beanery products at 10 Bay Area farmers markets, select grocery stores, and such restaurants as Coi, Greens, and the Slanted Door, all in San Francisco.

Tsai uses organic soybeans to make his products, which also includes soy noodles, and yuba (tender tofu skin).

Starting in December, the factory will offer public tours.

Pumpkin stars at Cetrella in Half Moon Bay through October.

The restaurant offers a three-course pumpkin menu for $25 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. through Oct. 31.

Autumn celebrations also are in the air at Foreign Cinema in San Francisco.

In honor of Oktoberfest, the restaurant will offer a special three-course dinner on Oct. 29. It includes a choice of one Oktoberfest beer, Weihenstephaner Festbier or Franziskaner Dunkelweisse, to enjoy with beet and cucumber salad; wiener schnitzel with fried potatoes; and spiced apple cake with praline and cider sauce. Dishes also are available a` la carte.

More tastes of fall are to be found at Red Mango, which is offering a special pumpkin spice fro-yo at all its locations through Dec. 31.

It is served with free graham cracker crumbs topping. A small serving has less than 100 calories.

Bar Tartine in San Francisco has reopened with Chef Chris Kronner at the helm and a new bistro menu in place.

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