Culinary April in San Diego

All sorts of events and changes are taking place this month. And, no. This isn't an April Fool's Day posting. It's all for real.

Mystery Bar Tasting: If you love chocolate and want to be on the cutting edge, help out Chuao Chocolatier by sampling two new mystery bars they're developing. They want your feedback! The tasting is happening Sat., April 4 and Sun., April 5 from noon to 4 at all three San Diego locations. See www.chuaochocolatier.com for details.

Strawberry Fields Forever!: It's time for the Annual Strawberry Festival "Everything Strawberry" at the Carlsbad farmers market on Wed., April 15 and Sat., April 18, from 1 to 5 p.m. The festival will feature live strawberry cooking demonstrations by Captain Cooks Culinary Academy and the traditional scavenger hunt, as well as live music. Plus everything strawberry, from homemade strawberry shortcake with whipped cream and strawberry smoothies, to strawberry flan, strawberry jam and chocolate-covered strawberries. The market is held at 2930 Roosevelt St. in Carlsbad in the public parking lot between Carlsbad Village Drive and Grand Ave.

Want Some Dough on Tax Day?: Request "some dough" at Richard Walkers Pancake House on April 15 and you'll receive one free short stack of buttermilk pancakes. It's located at 520 Front St. in downtown San Diego.

Taste of Hillcrest: Take a self-guided stroll around the neighborhood on April 18 from noon to 4 p.m. and visit some of Hillcrest's favorite eating spots. We're talking Bite, The Tractor Room, Mama Testa Taqueria--basically over 40 choices. And all for $30 per person in advance ($35 on the day of). Purchase tickets online at www.fabuloushillcrest.com. You'll get a free recipe booklet. There's also free shuttle service throughout Uptown/Hillcrest.

Say Goodbye and Say Hello...to Corvette Diner: I've eaten many a burger with my nieces and nephews at the Hillcrest Corvette Diner over the years. And snared a lot of bubble gum. But after 22 years, on April 26, the Cohn Restaurant Group is closing that location in anticipation of opening up at 2965 Historic Decatur Road in Liberty Station this summer. And there will be a slight name change as well to Corvette Diner & Gamers' Garage. The new restaurant will have a 5,000-square-foot arcade (as in the "Gamers' Garage"), private dining rooms for parties and events, three distinctively themed dining areas and a full bar for adults. You can learn more at www.dinecrg.com.

Happy Anniversary!: Greystone steakhouse at 658 Fifth Ave. in the Gaslamp is celebrating its 10th anniversary with, what else, a menu change. You'll now find dishes like "Shrooms" stuffed with crab and maple-glazed pork belly tacos, truffle organic half chicken boneless jidori and buffalo tenderloin. Looking for a deal? How about a three-course menu for $35 a person?

Live from Tuscany: Tuscan native Massimo Denaro is the new executive chef at Trattoria La Strada, also in the Gaslamp (702 Fifth Ave.). And, he's changed up the menu to reflect the dishes of his roots. Look for a series of carpacci, from raw filet mignon and smoked salmon to roasted red and yellow baby beets. There's homemade tortelli filled with veal ragout; risotto with scallops, shrimp, Manila clams and calamari; saltimbocca alla Romana and a Florentine-style pork loin, roasted in rosemary and garlic. And, hey, there's free Wi-Fi in the bar.

And, here's a heads up for early May: Share Our Strength's annual Taste of the Nation San Diego will be held on Sun., May 3 at Balboa Park's May S. Marcy Sculpture Court and Garden at the San Diego Museum of Art from 3 to 6 p.m. More than 25 local chefs will be participating, including Quarter Kitchen, Anthology, Grant Grill and Red Marlin. There will be an auction and live entertainment. All this is to raise money for area charities such as San Diego Hunger Coalition, Los Ninos, California Association of Food Banks and California Food Policy Advocates with the goal of ending childhood hunger in the United States and abroad.

Tickets are $75 for general admission and can be purchased by calling 1-877-26-TASTE or visiting tasteofthenation.org.




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Earth Month and the Markets

April 22 is the 38th annual Earth Day, but lots of organizations have declared April "Earth Month" and are finding ways to draw attention to more sustainable living and eating.

At Henry's Farmers Markets, you can save money on over 100 organic products on sale from Wednesday, April 16 to Wednesday, April 30.

Janet Little, Henry's nutritionist, is going to offer a couple of seminars on "Raising Your Organic IQ." This is hugely helpful for those of us who want to go organic but can't afford to do it completely. Janet will provide information on the items grown with the least amount of harmful chemicals and tips for buying healthy alternatives.

I recently did a story on this for a newsletter I write and learned that prioritizing can be done without feeling like your head is going to explode. For instance, berries tend to be very high in pesticides, so this is where you can get a lot of value in buying organic. On the other hand, if you're weighing the difference between buying a conventional or organic avocado, the thick skin and the fact that avocados may not require as many pesticides to produce means there may not be as great a health value in buying organic.

An issue for parents, according to Urvashi Rangan, project director of Consumer Reports’ Greenerchoices.org and an environmental health scientist, is that studies have shown that incorporating organic food in your children's diet can make a difference in lowering the amount of pesticide residue in the body. Pesticides are neurotoxins and when they build up, even at low levels, it can affect a child's developing brain and neurosystem.

Janet Little's seminars will be held on April 16 at 11 a.m. at the Henry's in Oceanside and the next day, also at 11 a.m., in the Carlsbad store. If you can't get enough info or can't make her talks, check out her blog.

OB People's Organic Food Market, not surprisingly, considers every day Earth Day. But, they do have some special ways of marking Earth Day. Shoppers will get five percent off all purchases from the Bulk Department. You can buy their natural canvas shopping bags at cost. And, you can enter a drawing to win a Schwinn Clear Creek Comfort bicycle. Kids can get into the fun as well. Stop by and pick up a black paper grocery bag and color it with an Earth Day message. Bring it back to the market and get a prize.

Visit the Whole Foods booth at the Earth Fair in Balboa Park on Sunday, April 20. On Monday, April 21, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Hillcrest store will have the Conscious Goods Veggie Bus (yep, it's even powered by veggie oil). This eco show–room offers an interactive experience, telling how small, organic family farms work synergistically with a group of socially conscious vendors. Tuesday will be the La Jolla store's turn -- sometime around 12:30.

Finally -- while this isn't Earth Day specific, it is a farmers market, which to my mind is close enough -- the Carlsbad Village Farmers Market is holding its annual strawberry festival on Wednesday, April 16 from 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturday, April 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We're talking strawberry shortcake with whipped cream, strawberry smoothies, chocolate-covered strawberries, strawberry cheesecake and, of course, sumptuous, juicy naked strawberries. The market is held in Carlsbad Village at 2930 Roosevelt St. in the public parking lot between Carlsbad Village Dr. and Grand Ave.

If anyone has other Earth Month/Day-related market events to report, let me know!


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Market News

This is sort of a hodgepodge of information, but I’ve been trying to learn the status of some of the farmers markets and even the farmers in the wake of the fires. I’ve managed to contact several – so, now you know what I know. As I get more information I’ll post it.

The Carlsbad Farmers Market was cancelled last Wednesday and is cancelled again tomorrow, Oct. 27, according to Christy Johnson, the market’s manager. “Not only are some of our vendors recovering, but the air quality is still too bad to spend a day out in it,” she says. She’s relatively sure that they’ll reopen Wednesday, Oct. 31.

The Hillcrest Farmers Market will be open on Sunday, according to manager David Larson (drlinbaja@hotmail.com) . I’m trying to find out if he’s also opening the North Park Market on Thursday, but he didn’t respond to that question.

The Tierrasanta Farmers Market was closed on Thursday. I believe they’re reopening next Thursday.

Margo Baughman intends to open the Vista Farmers Market this Saturday.

And, I've just heard from Mike Manchor of the Rancho Bernardo Farmers market. The good news is that no one from his market lost any farms and they'll resume market at the Bernardo Winery parking lot next Friday -- only a block away from the burn area.

I’ve heard from a couple of farmers, including Paul Smit of Smit Orchards. They’re fine, he says, but tells me that Rancho Chico has been wiped out and others are severely damaged. He also says that the Ocean Beach market did open on Wednesday, drawing a surprisingly high crowd, “probably anxious to be outdoors.”

Cunningham Organic Farms in De Luz, which raises avocados, exotic citrus (meiwa, nagami, kumquats and buddha's hand citron), nine kinds of tangerines, cocktail fruit, guavas and cherimoyas, is currently picking fuyu persimmons. Gale Cunningham, who also manages the Temecula Farmers Market, says all their crops are fine. All the calls she has received from participating farmers have been with good news. She is opening the market on Saturday. She also says that they’re a very tight group and eager to help, so if any farmers do need help, let her know (gcfarm123@aol.com).

If anyone knows the status of other markets or farms/orchards, please let me know. Post a comment or drop me a line.

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