The Second Lunch header image 4

Entries Tagged as 'Shopping'

Artisanal Delights in Bernal Heights

January 4th, 2010 · 3 Comments · Local stores, Shopping

The news is hot:

Six local vendors are about to open a collaborative culinary marketplace in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood… in other words, less than a mile away from my house. Yeehaw!!! I walk up the hill to Bernal about once a week, partly for the pleasure of huffing and puffing my way up the little hill from Mission to Cortland – and partly for the pleasure of enjoying this great little corner of San Francisco  filled with independent coffee shops, bookstores, cute restaurants, and nice markets. I haven’t yet tried the new Sandbox bakery, but I hear that it’s fantastic… Anyone want to join me?

The lineup of vendors is looking particularly promising:

Wholesome Bakery: Tasty vegan treats and baked goods – that are also wheat-free, yeast-free and soy-free. And to wash them down, Desiree Salomon’s DEZYS DRINKS—including “freshly made chai, juice, and kombucha tea, all made from scratch daily using mostly organic fruits, vegetables, and spices, and all kid-friendly.” Yum!

Paulie’s Pickling : featuring hand crafted pickled vegetables and fruits, as well as sauces, relishes, sandwiches and salads. I have a thing for pickles that rivals any pregnancy craving, so I’m guessing that this one is going to be a particular favorite of mine.

ICHI Lucky Cat Deli : Japanese deli delights! I’m particularly looking forward to their sushi (which has until now been experienced only by those lucky enough to have ICHI cater an event..) Japanese sandwiches, and take home sushi kits.

El Porteño Empanadas : I went to college with Texans responsible for my love of empanadas. But really, who wouldn’t love an empanada? Little handpies that you can fill with savory or sweet, and then grab on the go? My type of food! El Porteño Empanadas are of Argentinian influence, and will feature Prather Ranch Beef, Fulton Farms Chicken, and fresh organic/local veg for their vegetarian versions.

Della Terra Organics : organic produce from the bay area – open seven days a week when you miss out on farmer’s market.

And for the kitchen oriented,

Bernal Cutlery will set up shop on the premises to sharpen your well used knives.. and maybe tempt you with some new ones.

This is just a taste, but I’ll be sure to report from the field in a few weeks when the doors open! [Opening Late January, 2010.]

331 Cortland
Bernal Heights
331 Cortland Avenue, San Francisco
California, 94110
Contact: 415-822-4024

Tags: ············

Poco Dolce Chocolates

November 7th, 2009 · 4 Comments · Chocolate, Gifts, Shopping

Poco Dolce Chocolate

There is an empty canister of Poco Dolce Espresso Toffee chocolates sitting behind my desk at work. I’ve opened it every few days over the past couple of weeks hoping that it would miraculously be full again of chocolate. (You think I’m kidding – sadly I’m not.) I really should replace it before I go crazy for good.

I remember vividly the day that I had my first Poco Dolce chocolate square (they call them tiles). I had just completed a long walk, over two very big hills, and ended up at Chocolate Covered in Noe Valley – the fine purveyors of just about any chocolate you can think of eating. The interaction went something like this: Me: “JACK! I need a most delicious chocolate that I can eat immediately! I need something exciting! I need your best!”  Jack: Knowingly hands me a Poco Dolce Aztec Dark Chocolate Tile flecked with Sea Salt.

Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat! – it was a like a multiple layer explosion.

Deep, dark chocolate. Spicy chile pepper with hints of cinnamon. Crunchy little toasted pumpkin seeds nestled in between. And flecks of salt that make the chocolate sing! You experience each individual layer and then they mix together and… I can’t come close to giving them justice, you really have to just try one.

And, the company is run by a smart and entrepreneurial woman, Kathy Wiley, here in San Francisco. I’ve been tempted to scream out “YOU GO GIRL” on the times that I’ve met her in the flesh, but that is embarrassing and a little ridiculous, and I really just think that aside from the fantastic chocolate, it’s just really inspiring to see women as leaders in the food industry.

Poco Dolce 2

Poco Dolce chocolate is a perfect stocking stuffer. Poco Dolce chocolate is a perfect afternoon snack, perfect breakfast, perfect gift for someone you really care about, perfect stress reducer, you name it. Poco Dolce chocolate is really just perfect. Do yourself a favor and buy some of these. You can thank me later. (Preferably with a shipment of Tile Trio).

Prices run from about $2.50 a square to $16 for an 8 oz canister of toffee squares, $18 for a box of 8 tiles, $22 for a sampler of toffee squares, to $50 for the Trifecta box of Tiles, sure to make you an instant hero to the special recipient.  For chocolate of this quality and deliciousness a pretty good deal.

pocodolce.com
415.255.1443
info@pocodolce.com

Chocolate Covered
4069 24th St (between Castro St & Noe St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 641-8123

Tags: ···

Eating Seasonally (and Locally)

August 9th, 2009 · No Comments · Farmers Market, Local stores, Shopping, Vegetables

The Local Foods Wheel

It’s something terrible we have all experienced. Accidentally eating a light pink, mealy, and flavorless tomato. Or perhaps eating a bland, completely tasteless melon. Or worse eating slices from an unripe slightly green banana.  How do you ensure that you are eating the tastiest and most nutrient rich fruits and vegetables? Start eating seasonally and locally!

Eating seasonally means eating whats ripe when it reaches its natural point of the seasonal growing cycle. Heading to your local farmer’s market or green market is a good way to start, a level up would be joining a local farm’s CSA to get yourself fresh fruits and vegetables ever week or two through the summer, and even in winter. Here are my favorite go to resources:

For the Fridge: Because I live in San Francisco, I’m blessed to be able to use the Local Foods Wheel which shows both foods that are in season all year round on the inner circle, and foods coming into season on the outer circle. So far there is a New York version and a San Francisco version – let’s hope they expand soon! (If you are in SF – you can pick up your own copy at Omnivore Books! We have ‘em in stock)

Portable for the tech crowd: the Seasons iPhone application will give you seasons information for “fruits, vegetables, lettuces, herbs, fungi and nuts,” for wherever you happen to be. You can view local seasons versus import seasons and see a graph that shows how “in season” a given food is. It’s $1.99, but you can take it everywhere!

There are also a few websites that are great resources: the Northeast Regional Food Guide for the New England area, and in Europe, BBC Food runs the What’s In Season page . A little more obscurely, a Swiss couple runs a site called Laughing Lemon, that also shows what is in season each month, and points out some rarer vegetables and fruits. Because the northern hemisphere has similar growing zones, these sites can be helpful for anyone in that general region. (via Maki)

For further reading, there are several cookbooks that discuss eating seasonally that I love:

- Jamie Oliver’s Jamie at Home (discusses growing and cooking methods for seasonal veg)
- Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries (his eating journal for a year of dinners)
- River Cottage Vegetable Handbook – the River Cottage makes the best little handbooks on the planet. They have ones for mushrooms, preserving, bread making, and seafood as well.

Do you go to your local farmers market? Are you a member of a CSA? (Actually, if you are a member of a CSA that you love in San Francisco, gush about it here in the comments. I need suggestions! )

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Tags: