You can do just that on July 30 at any Cheesecake Factory with a fun promotion called “Any Slice, Half Price.”
Yup, diners who eat in the restaurant that day can choose a slice of any of 30 different cheesecakes for half the price.
I’d already eaten lunch twice on my own dime, when I recently got invited to dine as a guest at Donato Enoteca in Redwood City.
So, you know I already think highly of the food created there by Executive Chef Donato Scotti.
For further proof, just consider that on the evening I was there, a Peninsula chef whom I’ve written about before, dropped by my table to say hello. He’s such a fan of the food there that he’s a regular with his family.
Scotti hails from the small town of Bergamo in Italy, where as a kid, he used to deliver fresh bread by bicycle to his neighbors. He’s worked at Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy, as well as Valentino restaurant in Santa Monica, under the direction of owner Piero Selvaggio. Peninsula folks also may remember Scotti for his charming La Strada restaurant in Palo Alto.
He opened Donato Enoteca two years ago. On a warm summer day, a seat at a table on the front patio is a must. Inside, the lovely restaurant is divided into three rooms: First, a bright, airy dining room; then a room with an expansive length of bar that also accommodates diners; and finally, the rear one lined with wine bottles, dark burgundy drapes and masculine wood walls, where we sat.
We started with octopus carpaccio ($8), which arrived at the table in paper-thin cross-sections looking like some sort of artsy mosaic. It was crowned with peppery watercress dressed with olive oil and bright lemon juice.
Bistro Boudin at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf has upped the sourdough factor on its summer menu.
A variety of new dishes highlight the tangy, wonderful bread made by the cafe’s Gold Rush-era bakery.
Look for Bistro Shrimp Salad ($14.95) with grilled avocado, tangerines, chopped romaine and cilantro vinaigrette piled into a crispy sourdough cup; Grilled Salmon Al Tagine ($25.95) with clams, spinach, cherry tomatoes, Moroccan olives and capers served with sourdough crostini; and Sourdough Gnocchi ($23.95) with decadent chunks of lobster in a creamy pesto sauce.
Sure, you’ve heard of food truck crawls, where those culinary four-wheelers gather in one spot to ply their delicious wares. Now, get ready for a wine version of that.
SF Wine Crawl, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. July 24, affords you the chance to taste wines from 10 of San Francisco’s urban wineries.
Treasure Island is the location for this unique event — only appropriate since several wineries already make their home there. Sip wine, meet the winemakers and enjoy a breathtaking view of the Bay.
The event is accessible by car and #108 Muni bus.
Tickets are $40 per person; $60 VIP tickets include a VIP shuttle to ferry you around to each winery.
McEvoy Ranch — producers of spectacular estate-grown, certified organic extra virgin olive oils — is opening up its 550-acre property in the hills west of Petaluma for a garden walk plus lunch, 10 a.m. to noon July 22.
When flipping through a new cookbook, you spy a recipe called “Ginormous Biscuits.” You’re going to stop in your tracks completely breathless, aren’t you?
I mean, who wouldn’t with that temptress of a name?
The folks behind the new cookbook, “Tupelo Honey Cafe” (Andrews McMeel), sure knew what they were doing when they coined that name for these bountiful butter behemoths.
The book, of which I recently received a review copy, was written by Southern writer, Elizabeth Sims, and Brian Sonoskus, executive chef of the Tupelo Honey Cafe, which opened in downtown Asheville, NC in 2000 and now has a second location on the south side of the city.
I actually had the pleasure of dining at that adorable downtown cafe years ago, while touring the South after attending a journalism conference. Asheville is a thoroughly charming city. Like so many college towns, (it’s home to the University of North Carolina at Asheville), it is imbued with youthful energy, culture and artistic spirit. It’s also got one of the best self-guided walking tours around with iconic sculptures marking each significant landmark. One of the most famous ones is the restored boarding house that was run by the mother of American literary giant, Thomas Wolfe, where you can sidle up to his bronzed size 13 shoes at the entrance.
After working up an appetite from all that walking, head to the popular Tupelo Honey Cafe for down-home Southern fare made with seasonal ingredients from Sonoskus’ farm, Sunshot Farm.
The Scianamblo family, who trace its roots to Puglia, Italy, has been farming in Northern California for 30 years. But it wasn’t until recently that their daughter, an integrative health practitioner and educator, convinced her parents to convert their 44-acre olive grove to all organic.
The family business, Sorelle Paradiso, now makes award-winning organic extra virgin olive oils pressed from their Mission, Sevillano, and Nevadillo Blanco olives.
The golden-hued Sorelle Paradiso Sevillano oil has a beguiling aroma of grass and pear, while the Mission Blend is all green apple, nuts and hay.
A 750ml bottle of the Mission Blend and a 375ml of the Pure Sevillano regularly sell for $75 plus $21 in shipping.
But through the end of this week, Daily Gourmet, is offering the duo for $62 plus free shipping (a $34 savings). The San Francisco-based company offers limited-time deals on gourmet products from around the country to its members. Becoming a member is as easy as signing up here.
Contest: I’m happy to be giving away one bottle each of the 750ml Mission Blend and the 375ml Pure Sevillano to one lucky Food Gal reader. Contest is open only to those in the continental United States. Entries will be accepted through noon PST July 21. Winner will be announced on July 22.
How to win?