Archive for August, 2010

Market Report #12 – Tomatoes?

We’re seeing the first few trickles of tasty tomatoes, but not nearly what you’d expect for mid-August.  We got some solid information from Bill about this year’s weird weather and how it has effected tomato crops in northern California.

In the hopes of things heating up in time for a late-late summer ripening, we’ve pushed back the dates for the 2010 Tomato Dinners to September.  Fingers crossed.

Dinner to Celebrate Agua Libre Rum

Coming up next Saturday, August 28th, Lance Winters, distiller for St. George Spirits/Hangar One will be joining us for dinner to celebrate the (limited) release of their Agua Libre Rum.

Made from 100% California sugarcane, pressed fresh in their hangar on the island of Alameda, they have two editions available: the Fresh-Squeezed is a quintessential expression of newly cut cane. The Aged spent two and a half years in French oak.

We’ll be mixing up the rum classics, such as Daiquiris, Cuba Libres, and Mai Tais along with some special concoctions in honor of the occasion.  Please join us.

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Market Report #11 – Foggy August

Yesterday, we hit the Derby Street Farmers’ Market with Chef Canales & got a good look at what is available.  Okra, check.  Black-Eyed peas, check.  Jimmy Nardello peppers, check.  Gypsy peppers…not so much.

Melons on the other hand are going gangbusters right now.  Trini Campbell tells us about the numerous varieties Riverdog Farm grows & how to know when they are ready to be eaten.

We also have tomato reports from two of our go-to tomato farms:  Lucero Organic & Dirty Girl Produce.  And we have Stella Schlesinger (on tape!) saying Dirty Girl Produce will hopefully definitely have oodles of their famous Early Girls tomatoes available in time for Tomato Dinners 2010.  phew.

Bill Niman is Back!

We thought this was big news: Bill Niman launches his new enterprise, BN Ranch specializing in grass-fed beef.

After separating from Niman Ranch, Bill has been working with goats and turkeys, but his real interest remains beef. For him, the ideal beef animal is older, more developed, grass-fed, and harvested when the animals are still feeding on dried grass where the seed is hard.

We’ll be getting more of these animals next week. For now, we should have cheeks this Saturday, August 7th, and tongues for our 2010 Beef Dinners, October 14th – 16th.

Pizza Gufo

gufo

Every Monday – Thursday in the Cafe

8:30 pm – 10 pm

After perfecting our whole-grain pizza dough, Chef Canales decided to take it one step further & concocted  the geniusness that is Pizza Gufo.  Simple and fresh, we’ll be serving it the Cafe along with some other smaller plates and some affordable glass wines later in the evenings.  We’re thinking this is the perfect time to pop in for a drink, sit out on the patio, kick back, and have a gufo, you know?

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