The Perfect Sip For Fall — From Randall Grahm

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Randall Grahm's latest endeavor sparkles.

Randall Grahm’s latest endeavor sparkles.

 

Randall Grahm, the visionary behind Santa Cruz’s Bonny Doon Vineyard has always followed his own path.

When Chardonnay dominated, he fostered a thirst for lesser-known Rhone varietals.

When he opened his tasting room, it wasn’t in the faux Mediterranean style so en vogue, but a most quirky spot adorned with spaceships.

Now, leave it to him to think outside the box again by veering into the realm of hard-cider making.

His Bonny Doon ¿Querry?, which I had a chance to sample, is not your usual sparkling alcoholic apple cider.

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Gluten-Free Pizza and More Noshes at Pizza Antica Santana Row

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A gluten-free pizza at Pizza Antica at Santana Row.

A gluten-free pizza at Pizza Antica at Santana Row.

 

After hosting a cooking demo in August at Santana Row in San Jose with Chef Bradley Cenyowa of Pizza Antica, he had me intrigued.

Responding to customers’ needs, Pizza Antica — which has four locations — had begun to offer a gluten-free pizza crust.

It can quite challenging to get the texture just right in gluten-free bread and other baked goods. But Cenyowa is such a fan of the gluten-free crust at the restaurant that he eats it, himself, even though he does not suffer from celiac disease.

He invited me in as a guest of the restaurant to try it for, myself.

If you’re gluten-intolerant, the server will hand you a separate gluten-free menu to peruse — a nice touch. My husband and I — neither of us have issues with gluten — got both menus just to check them out.

The always busy restaurant.

The always busy restaurant.

We started off with the bacon, lettuce, tomato chopped salad ($10.25), which the kitchen thoughtfully split onto two plates for us. The salad is a tumble of textures in every fork-full. You get crunchy romaine, crisp bacon and fluffy bits of hard-cooked egg. There’s just enough Dijon dressing to coat everything, but not drown it.

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Gourmet Crackers and A Food Gal Giveaway

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New Milton's crackers (front to back): Blueberry Multi-Grain, Honey & Corn, and Chocolate Multi-Grain.

New Milton’s crackers (front to back): Blueberry Multi-Grain, Honey & Corn, and Chocolate Multi-Grain.

 

Chocolate in a cracker? Blueberries in a cracker? Say, what?

Milton’s Craft Bakers has created just that and more with its new line of baked snack crackers that are made from organic wheat, corn, oats and honey. They’re also kosher.

Recently, I had a chance to try samples of the five new flavors: Original Multi-Grain. Honey & Corn, Chocolate Multi-Grain, Blueberry Multi-Grain, and Honey Multi-Grain.

The sturdy crackers have good crunch and can stand up to being dunked into the thickest dips.

The chocolate crackers are not cookie-tasting in the least. They have little sweetness and a faint dusty, cocoa taste. They’d be quite nice with a glass of red wine and cheese.

The blueberry crackers have specks of wild, organic blueberries in them. The berry note is subtle but present.

My favorite of the bunch was the Honey & Corn variety. It does taste a bit like buttered corn with a restrained drizzle of honey.

The crackers have about 110 to 130 calories per serving (6 crackers), depending on the variety. A 6.5-ounce box is $3.99. The crackers are available at Whole Foods, Alberton’s and Sam’s Club.

Five new varieties (three shown here).

Five new varieties (three shown here).

CONTEST: One Food Gal reader will get to try samples of all five flavors of the Milton’s crackers. Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST Oct. 5. Winner will be announced Oct. 7.

How to win?

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British Crisps Debut in the U.S.

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Tyrrells veggie chips.

Tyrrells veggie chips.

 

Crisps? That’s potato chips to you and me.

Tyrrells, the U.K. snack producer, recently launched its products in the United States, including at Andronico’s and Draeger’s markets in the Bay Area.

I had a chance to try samples of the chips, which are made from potatoes and other veggies grown in the Herefordshire countryside in England.

The English crisps come in some rather unusual flavors, including Honey Roast Ham & Cranberry; Lobster, Chili & Garlic, and Sunday Best Roast Chicken.

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Ramen Burger (Oh, Yes!), Beringer and Scharffen Berger Team Up, and More

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Ramen Burger. (Photo courtesy of the San Francisco Grand Hyatt)

The one and only Ramen Burger. (Photo courtesy of the San Francisco Grand Hyatt)

Ramen Burger in San Francisco

Yes, it sounds crazy. But you know you want it.

The Ramen Burger, the trend that got its start in Los Angeles, is now in San Francisco — but only for a limited time.

The Grand Hyatt San Francisco’s OneUP Restaurant & Lounge is serving this mash-up for lunch and dinner, but only through the end of September.

The bun is indeed made out of fresh ramen from a local noodle house. It holds a beef patty topped with mustard greens, cheddar cheese, smoked bacon and sriracha mayo.

The Ramen Burger is $18 and comes with fries.

Cook St. Helena Debuts Brunch Offerings

A favorite of locals and visitors alike, Cook St. Helena has debuted a Sunday brunch with Italian influences.

The nine-year-old restaurant waited this long to serve brunch because it wanted to get its liquor license first in order to offer Bloody Marys and other brunch cocktails.

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