For Dads Who Love Meat and Cabs

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The Napa Valley’s Signorello Vineyards and Snake River Farms in Idaho has just the gift for you: “The Ultimate Luxury Food and Wine Experience.”

On Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and the winter holiday celebration, you’ll receive a shipment of Kobe beef and cab. Father’s Day, it’s four rib eye steaks and three bottles of Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Valentine’s Day, it’s four tenderloin fillets and one bottle each of Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, East Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon and Uvaggio. For the winter holidays, it’s a rib eye roast and one bottle each of the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Padrone  (Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon) and Meta.

But wait, there’s more: As a Kobe & Cabernet Club member, you’ll also receive a 15 percent discount on wine purchases throughout the year, a 10 percent discount on all Snake River Farms products throughout the year, invitations to members-only events at the winery, and special club member rates at the Yountville Inn in Yountville.

And the tab? The average cost of each shipment is $390. Big spenders who want more information, should click here.

World’s Most Expensive Father’s Day Gift

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If your Dad is a scotch connoisseur, then this may be the ultimate gift for Father’s Day:

A 5-day trip to Scotland complete with first-class air and helicopter transport; luxurious accomodations, including a stay at a private mansion; meals prepared by one of Scotland’s most acclaimed chefs; a round of golf at the famous St. Andrews Links; a bespoke kilt and family crest consultation; his own private butler during his stay; dinner at Inverrary Castle, home of the Duke of Argyle; a private blending session with Chivas Regal’s master blender; and five days of specialized whiskey tastings.

When Dad and his guest return home, they will receive their custom kilts; and two bottles of Chivas Regal 25-year-old scotch whiskey, one of which will arrive in a special case designed by Viscount David Linley, son of Princess Margaret.

That luxe Father’s Day gift is a mere $117,650.

The trip can be redeemed either Aug. 3-8 or Aug. 31- Sept. 5. Just contact Travelcorp International at (225) 231-4735 until June 16.  For more information, call (888) 332-2907.


Miracles Do Happen

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My home-grown tomato

My husband calls me “Black Thumb Jung.”

OK, so maybe I’m not the world’s greatest gardener. I should get an “A” for effort, though. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved planting things, nurturing things, and watching things grow. Only, I’m not always the best at it. Try as I might, I have been known to kill things that are supposed to be indestructible. That includes cactus and ivy. Go figure.

That’s why the beautiful red tomato you see above is a true miracle. You see, this tomato plant isn’t still supposed to be alive. But somehow it is. I planted this Carmello tomato plant in the spring of 2007, along with two other different tomato seedlings. And they all grew. And they all gave me luscious and delicious tomatoes all summer long.

When fall hit, they stopped producing, as normal. When winter hit, they started to shrivel and droop. And when the rains came, I began to totally ignore them, figuring come next spring, I’d just dig them up and replant new seedlings like I always do.

It wasn’t until mid-January that I noticed it. While the other two tomato plants were goners, this one plant was still green. Not only that, there were actually about half a dozen tiny tomatoes growing out of the blossoms. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Plants I carefully tend and worry over pay me back by dying on me. But this Carmello, which I had not watered, had not fertilized, and had not given the time of day to for months, was thriving.

This tomato is just about ready for picking. I intend to enjoy it simply: Just sliced with a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil, and a tiny sprinkle of sea salt.

And when I’m done savoring it, I’ll raise a thumb in triumph — one that’s, thankfully, not exactly ebony anymore.

Time to Dine About Town

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Enjoy a second helping of “Dine About Town,” now through June 15. The promotion, presented by the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, features a roster of participating restaurants that are offering special three-course prix fixe lunches for $21.95 and dinners for $31.95

Among the San Francisco restaurants in the program are: A16, Ana Mandara, Colibri Mexican Bistro, Le Colonial, One Market Restaurant, Poleng Lounge, and Yoshi’s. For a complete list of restaurants and to make reservations, click here.

To kick off the promotion, The Cellar at Macy’s Union Square will host a party, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 4.  With a $10 donation to Meals on Wheels, guests will enjoy tastes from select Dine About Town restaurants, including Cortez, Jack Falstaff, and PlumpJack Cafe. Scott Sasaki, executive chef of Garibaldis, will be doing a cooking demonstration.

Tickets to the Macy’s event can be reserved in advance by clicking here.

Your Chance To Try the Most Delicious Fruit Ever

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Mangosteens in the shell (back) and peeled (foreground)

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.

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