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By the way, I'm Bruce Cole, Publisher of Edible San Francisco. Welcome to all the new subscribers this week. If you'd like to hop off anytime, simply unsubscribe. I appreciate you reading (and sharing) this newsletter.
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Let’s eat!
EAT
Pre-pandemic, we were never that much of a dessert person, but for the past 6-9 months we have been craving cake. Cookies too, as long as they have chunks of chocolate and walnuts, but cake definitely tops the list. Maira Kalman, probably our favorite illustrator of all-time, has a new book out, simply titled Cake. And since we’re at the height of strawberry and blueberry season we have no choice other than to make this recipe to satisfy our cake lust: Strawberry and Blueberry Shortcakes. Luckily, it looks doable for a non-baker like us.
SPONSORED
Gemini Bottle Co. is a neighborhood shop in San Francisco's Mission district that focuses on natural wines & ciders, craft spirits, and small production beers with a curated selection of cheeses & snacks. Their team selects products from makers all over the world that show care & concern for the environment around them. They host free Friday night wine tastings and an ever-evolving list of food & beverage pop-ups. 2801 22nd St., | San Francisco, CA 94110 | (415) 795-4022 | Open 7 Days A Week: Mon-Thur 2-8, Fri-Sat 12-8, Sun 12-6 | geminibottlesf.com
DRINK
Just guessing, but it doesn’t look like Cala Restaurant will be reopening now that Chef Gabriela Camara has decamped to Mexico City and space is occupied by Refettorio SF. Not only do we miss the tacos in the back, but we loved going there after lectures and performances in the hood. And frankly, we miss their palomas too, which we were reminded of after reading this Texas Monthly feature on the history of the drink:
Summer’s Simplest Cocktail: At its core, a paloma is just tequila and Squirt, but you wouldn't know that from the elaborate iterations on Texas bar menus (and in SF as well). “When I want a paloma, I like that exact bracing taste and the sugar rush to go with the bold taste of tequila,” says Juan Pablo De Loera, a San Antonio–based tequila and mezcal brand consultant who works for brands like Partida, Avión, and El Tequileño. In his experience, it’s rare to find a paloma listed on a bar menu in Mexico.”
As chance would have it, we just grabbed a bottle of Tequila Ocho Single Estate Cerro Grande Tequila Reposado from the shelf at Gemini Bottle Co. today, so if we’re gonna play the authenticity card, then we’ve got to track down some Squirt.
Meet the Gay Mixologist Leading the Alcohol-Free Spirits Movement: “It’s an enterprise that has arrived at the right moment. Foodies and connoisseurs have long valued the experiential aspects of eating and drinking, and the privilege of consuming craft or artisan delights created with healthy ingredients. But after a global pandemic, health is becoming the new status symbol, and “the emotional satisfaction you can get from drinking something really delicious” is now valued more than the physiological effect of alcohol.” Out Magazine
We don’t have much of a home bar set up, just a rotating supply of mezcal, tequila, and usually vermouth, but the alcohol-free cocktail movement is really fascinating to us. Right now, we could definitely go for a thirst-quenching drink (sans the alcohol), something sophisticated and stimulating, a picker-upper if you will. Starting with this Verjus Spritz from Julia Bainbridge’s Good Drinks: Alcohol-Free Recipes for When You're Not Drinking for Whatever Reason, should be easy enough, right?
Survey Says: Can drinking coffee treat a hangover? Medical News Today
THINK
Culture Wars: Where’s the Beef? “The reality, of course, is that Biden isn’t planning to take away our burgers any more than President Barack Obama was after our guns. And decisions by a recipe website and a pricey Manhattan restaurant that the vast majority of Americans will never set foot in have little to do with the state of meat consumption in this country.” Washington Post
USDA Begins Debt Relief for Black Farmers and Republicans Play the Race Card: “I will tell you this loan assistance for socially disadvantaged farmers has got a lot of [farmers] upset because an agency that they thought was colorblind is now color preference,” Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) said during a hearing in April. “They worry that this means that the USDA, which typically doesn't engage in politics, is now part of a woke agenda.” Politico
Tense Situation Up North Over Water Rights: “Protestors linked to a far-right militia group are demanding that irrigators in the Klamath River Basin release water to farmers, in defiance of the federal government.” The Counter
🎥 Mark Your Calendars: High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America, with host Stephen Satterfield (founder of Whetstone Media), begins streaming next week (May 26) on Netflix. Details: “A new limited series on Netflix is a nuanced celebration of African Americans and their food. It is also sorely overdue.” The New York Times
Searching for Beef Noodle Soup: “For many of the 30,000-plus Taiwanese Americans who live in the Bay Area, Taiwanese food is largely a cuisine of nostalgia. It’s a cuisine of memories from 10 or 20 years ago and 6,000 miles away.” KQED
Have You Been to the New La Cocina Marketplace Yet? The Muffaletta de Dakar from Teranga, with "Faustman's" lamb, beef and turkey salamis, piquillo peppers, pickled turnip, provolone cheese, dakaroise olive tapenade & pumpkin seed basil pesto, is luring us in.
👀 SPOTTED
File this one under East Coast problems:
While we’re at work on our June Dinner Jams Playlist, here’s a brief interlude in honor of AAPI Heritage Month. This video popped up on our Twitter feed, a couple days ago and now it’s at 1 million views and counting: “Racist, Sexist Boy.”
Full set of their performance at the LA Public Library: TEENtastic Tuesdays, AAPI Heritage Month Kick-off with The Linda Lindas.
And oh my, The New York Times has even picked up their performance. “The song is “Racist, Sexist Boy,” and it pulls no punches, switching back and forth between Eloise, 13, singing in an urgently aggrieved fashion (“You have racist, sexist joys/We rebuild what you destroy”) and the drummer, Mila, who is 10, whose sections are quick and finger-waving (“You turn away from what you don’t wanna hear”).”
That’s all for this week.
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We’re outta here. Be well and take care,
–Bruce
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