It’s a little bit of San Francisco in downtown Los Gatos.
The Lexington House, which opened in September 2013, boasts a modern speakeasy vibe with plenty of craft cocktails and inspired farm-to-table cooking. Get a taste when Chef Philippe Breneman joins me to create a signature dish at a cooking demo at 6 p.m. Aug. 28 at Macy’s Valley Fair in Santa Clara.
Grilled salmon with an Asian-style glaze.
Every summer, I look forward to heirloom tomatoes, peaches, plums, and one other very special item:
Wild local King salmon.
Like fruits and vegetables, seafood also has a season. For California wild salmon, it’s summer. And it ends all too soon for my liking.
Indeed, get your fill now because the season will soon come to a close toward the end of September.
There’s nothing like eating salmon in summer with its bright reddish orange flesh that tastes downright luxurious. To be sure, it’s not an inexpensive ingredient at $25 or more per pound. But it tastes far more expensive than that with its unbelievably lush texture and resonating flavor that just fills your mouth like a dream.
I like to enjoy it simply. Sashimi-style, when you can really taste the fat and freshness. Or grilled, with a kiss of smoke to heighten its robust richness.
Presenting the “Hedwig Schmidt” macaron. (Photo courtesy of Tout Sweet Patisserie)
Inspired by the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” Tout Sweet of San Francisco has created a limited-edition macaron covered in a riot of edible red glitter.
Pastry Chef-Proprietor Yigit Pura was inspired to make the “Hedwig Schmidt” macaron because the musical’s message of “love and discovering who you really are,” resonated with him.
Named for the title character in the musical, the macaron features a bourbon-orange marmalade ganache with a brandied cherry center. And of course, there’s the glitter, which will leave your lips sparkling.
CnC Cocktail Company’s made-to-order cocktail snow cones.
Bourbon, honey, grilled peaches and bitters — in snow cone form.
It’s got a new name along with new digs.
The annual SF Chefs event was re-dubbed Eat Drink SF for 2014 and moved to the more spacious Fort Mason in San Francisco from its tight quarters underneath a tent pitched on Union Square.
The result?
A three-day event that still showcases the Bay Area’s best chefs, wineries and mixologists — but is far easier to navigate.
Early on, Aubree Arndt wanted to be a painter. But these days, she expresses a rainbow of hues through her cooking instead.
As Executive Chef of Bierhaus in downtown Mountain View, Arndt is crafting modern-day biergarten fare that is irresistible. She takes particular pride in making all her own condiments and pickles there using many of the same techniques she learned long ago from her Polish-German family.
Take a taste for yourself when Arndt joins me for a cooking demo 6 p.m. July 17 at Macy’s Valley Fair in Santa Clara.