Humble Pie in Penngrove has closed.
Restaurant owner and chief pie-baker Miriam Donaldson claims the closure was prompted by the sudden loss of their lease. The restaurant closed on October 31.
From Donaldson: “Sad and tragic news. The owner of our building has not renewed our lease and the space once known as the Humble Pie Penngrove will now be “Mack’s bar and grill”. Sunday was our last day, which is pretty sudden but what ya gonna do eh?”
The owner of the building, Robin Pfefer, counters that Humble Pie’s lease ran until March 2011 and the Humble Pie crew left the space without warning.
“They closed for personal reasons, and they were not tossed out or forced to leave. It makes the new owners and me look like the bad guys, but it was their choice to leave before their lease was up,” said Pfefer.
Pfefer is the former owner of the Black Cat Bar which closed in August 2010. When she spoke to BiteClub last summer, Pfefer was clear that she planned to let Humble Pie continue to operate in the cafe space — which is attached to the bar — but would be leasing the bar space to the owners of Cotati’s Eight Ball for a new bar called Mack’s.
What wasn’t clear at the time was that the lease ultimately included the cafe space. Pfefer said she extended the lease to Humble Pie until March 2011 so they could secure a new location before Mack’s took over the space, in good faith to Humble Pie. Pfefer said that the new bar/cafe owners had no involvement in the closure of Humble Pie and did not plan to open their cafe until after Humble Pie’s lease ran out in March.
Both sides maintain they’re in the right. Donaldson told BiteClub she hopes to reopen another restaurant within a year if she can come up with the funding.
Commence mourning.
Thanksgiving 2010
Here we go again! Here are BiteClub’s picks for EATING OUT, PICKUP, PIES AND TURKEYS for Thanksgiving 2010
RESTAURANTS
Stark’s Steakhouse: Roast Willie Bird Turkey, Chef Mark’s Andouille Sausage & Wild Mushroom Stuffing, Traditional Giblet Gravy and Pomegranate-Cranberry Relish for $22, or the usual steakhouse menu (except burgers and entree Caesar salads) from 2 to 7pm. Desserts: Pumpkin Pie and Mamma Janne’s Cream Cheese Pie. No corkage. 521 Adams St (at 7th St.), Santa Rosa, 546-5100.
Estate: Chef Sondra Bernstein’s family-style Italian restaurant in the former General’s Daughter is serving up prosciutto and pumpkin soup, Blue crab spaghetti, sugar pie pumpkin ravioli with sage butter, roasted turkey roulade, leg of lamb, pumpkin cheesecake. 400 West Spain Street
Sonoma, 933-3663.
girl and the fig: Nearby sister restaurant on the Sonoma square features a three course menu including wild mushroom and fromage blanc strudel, roasted turkey breast, prime rib, and a brow butter Bartlett pear tart for $52 per person. 110 West Spain St., Sonoma, 938-3634.
Rancho Nicasio Thanksgiving Dinner: Annual three course dinner from 12 to 7pm, reservations recommended. Menu includes homemade clam chowder, turkey, ham, salmon Wellington with champagne sauce, prime rib, pumpkin, apple or pecan pie. $34.95pp, 29.95 65+, kids under 10, $24.95. Three course vegetarian option available by reservation. On The Town Square, Nicasio, 415-662-2219.
Silverado Brewing Company: Diestel turkey with all the trimmings, whole rock salt roasted crab, slow roasted prime rib au jus, and honey glazed baked ham. House-made desserts: baked pumpkin pie, Scharffen Bergen chocolate stout cake, and bourbon pecan pie. Reservations recommended; 3020 St. Helena Highway, St. Helena, 707-967-9876.
Willie Bird’s Restaurant: Family-favorite serving up local Willie Birds. Full holiday turkey dinner along with other menu items. Reservations required and most are nailed down well in advance, but some walk-ins accepted. Open until 8pm. 1150 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa, 707.542.0861. Can’t get in for Thanksgiving: Grab a turkey Monte Cristo on Black Friday.
Madrona Manor: Michelin-starred chef Chef Jesse Malgren does annual four-course turkey dinner for $71pp. Call ahead for seating between 1:30 and 7:30pm. 1001 Westside Road, Healdsburg, (707) 433-4231.
Central Market: Always a favorite in Petaluma, Chef Ton Najiola celebrates his eighth annual Thanksgiving dinner, this year highlighting New Orleans influences. $60pp, kids under 12, $20. 42 Petaluma Blvd N., Petaluma, (707) 778-9900
John Ash and Co.: Traditional turkey dinner from Chef Thomas Schmidt. Call for reservations. 350 Barnes Rd., Santa Rosa, 707.527.7687
Restaurant P/30: Traditional Family-Style Thanksgiving Dinner from 2-5pm. Menu online. Reservations Only (any size party). $40 for adults, $20 for kids 12 and under. Space is limited / Call 707-861-9030 for reservations.9890 Bodega Highway, Sebastopol (707) 861-9030.
Mosaic Restaurant & Wine Lounge: Chef Tai will prepares a gourmet 5-course meal with all the traditional trimmings. 6675 Front St., Forestville, 887-7503.
Domaine Chandon: Dine at this Michelin-starred Napa restaurant at Domaine Chandon. Chef’s Thanksgiving Tasting Menu includes roasted chestnut soup, Liberty Farms Duck Breast, roasted Diestel Farms turkey, pumpkin tart (3-course $75/person; $95 w. wine pairing, 5 course $90/person; $110 w. wine pairing). Children’s options available. Full menu (PDF). 1 California Dr, Yountville, 944-2892.
BUYING YOUR TURKEY
Diestel Turkey: Big John’s (1345 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg), Oliver’s Market, Whole Foods, Sonoma Market (520 W. Napa St., Sonoma), Ukiah Natural Foods (721 S. State St., Ukiah), Molsberry Market (522 Larkfield Ctr, Santa Rosa).
Willie Bird Turkeys: Local free-range turkeys. 5350 Highway 12, Santa Rosa, CA 707-545-2832 Will Call Orders Only.
Heritage Turkeys: Local 4-H kids raise 190 heritage turkeys for Slow Food Russian River. The idea is to preserve historic breeds of native gobblers that aren’t just about giant breasts and plumped up drumsticks. These are the birds our grandparents and great-grandparents would recognize. Each year these birds sell out, and they can be a bit spendy, but the program helps to support young farmers and the Slow Food movement. Order at Slowfoodrr.org.
Terducken: This Southern abomination has been all the rage for several years: A turkey stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken. Basically it’s a poultry roll-up with layers of stuffing in between. Martindale’s Quality Meats & Deli (5280 Aero Dr, 707-545-0531) in Santa Rosa. Order in advance ($6.99/lb)
Whole Foods: Pre-cooked meal options include a Latin Feast, Heritage Holiday dinner, traditional turkey dinner, spiral cut ham, organic and vegan options, as well as organic and heirloom turkeys. In honor of all this yummy goodness, Whole Foods Market will be hosting FREE Holiday Tasting Fairs on November 13, 14, 20 and 21 AND December 11, 12, 18 and 19 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at all stores in Northern California and Reno.
PICKUP
Zazu/Bovolo/Black Pig: You cook the turkey, Zazu does the rest. A la carte sides with flair including Black Pig Bacon (for your left over BLTurkey!); Cranberry & Quince Chutney; Riesling Gravy, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, maple and browned butter yams, cornbread stuffing, pumpkin gelato, choocolate dipped peanut butter ice cream sandwiches and Sebastopol apple crunch pie. All orders must be received by Friday, Nov. 20 for pick up on Wednesday at ZAZU restaurant + farm, 3535 guerneville road, santa rosa from 3 to 9pm or at BOVOLO, 106 matheson street, healdsburg from 12 to 6 pm. Call 707.431.2962 to place your order.
Pearson and Co: Mix and match everything from sides to stuffing. Menu includes: Butternut Squash Soup, turkey, ham, garlic mashed potatoes, root vegetables, green beans, wild rice stuffing, breads, pies and more. All orders must be placed by Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010. Call ahead orders: 541-3868, 2759 4th St., Santa Rosa.
Jimtown Store
A favorite spot for Wine Country luncheons, Alexander Valley’s Jimtown Store dishes up some of their most delicious fall eats for pick-up. Full turkey dinner with Mary’s Organic herb-roasted turkey, sausage and cornbread dressing, garlic mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, sweet potatoes and sugar pie pumpkin pie, $245. A la carte: roasted butternut squash soup, fall bitter greens with pomegranate vinaigrette, cornmeal empanadas, Brussels sprouts with smoked bacon, potato gratin, cider-whipped sweet potatoes and more. Orders must be placed by phone 433-1212 by November 19. Pick up Nov. 24 from noon to 4:30pm.
DON’T FORGET DESSERT
Mom’s Apple Pies will be open 10am to 3pm on Thanksgiving day. Expect lots of pumpkin. Order ahead if you want something different. 4550 Gravenstein Hwy. North, Sebastopol, 707-823-8330.
Humble Pie: If you’re a fan of Miriam Donaldson’s pies at the funky Humble Pie in Penngrove, you’ll have to get in line this Thanksgiving. She’s only making 30 of her precious confections for Turkey Day, and they’ll sell out fast. The flavors: Sweet potato bourbon, pumpkin spice, pear cardamon, chocolate cream dream, candied walnut, apple ginger and more. 664-8779. The good news? You can still get them the rest of the year. Early birds can get their holiday pie at humblepiepenngrove.com.
Betty’s Bakery: Betty’s Bakery (next door to Betty’s Fish and Chips) is a butter-scented slice of flaky heaven. Though best known for their fried fish and fries, co-owner Susan Corso has been making pies since she was a girl. Her lush Lemon Cloud and award-winning peach-raspberry pies are already well know, but this week she’s started baking a light and airy pumpkin will win your heart. The bakery opens at 8am each morning and features muffins, cookies and purse-sized pies (so you don’t have to share) daily. 4046 Sonoma Hwy., Santa Rosa, (707) 539-0899
LAST MINUTE SHOPPING
* Whole Foods: Thanksgiving hours are 8am to 2pm.
* Safeway: Most locations: 6am to 12pm
* G & G Market/Santa Rosa: Closed on Thursday
* Olivers: Montecito, Stony Point, Cotati, open from 7am to 3:30pm
* Pacific Market: Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Rohnert Park: 7:30am to 2pm.
Cosentino’s Heritage Turkey Dinner, Range to Plate
Range to Plate: Saturday Nov. 6
Santa Rosa Junior College’s Shone Farm is 365 acres of agricultural and academic magic hidden away in the Russian River Valley. Here, culinary, viticulture, environmental, agriculture and animal-studies students get hands-on training in all the things that make Sonoma County so amazing. From meat to wine to produce, much of what’s harvested from the farm goes to local restaurants and grocery stores, along with Santa Rosa City Schools and the SRJC’s own Culinary Cafe. Culinary insiders know that the farm’s own CSA is an especially hot commodity, and frequently offers up meat (including rabbits, chickens, grass-fed beef and lamb) are available through the school.
This weekend, celebrate the farm’s ongoing commitment to the community at Range to Plate, an “Agstravaganza” of food and wine. The event features a sit-down dinner with chefs Roger Praplan (La Gare), Tom Schmidt (John Ash & Co.) and Christine Piccin (SRJC) and auction. Up for bid: 21 magnums of local wine; A Roadhouse Dinner; A monthly feast at some of SoCo’s best restaurants; 5,000 vines from 3 premier local nurseries; a sports package including Giants, A’s, 49ers, Sharks and Warriors tickets. Tickets are $75 per person. More details http://www.agstravaganza.com/index.shtml
Chris Cosentino @ Slow Food RR’s Heritage Turkey Dinner at Quivira Winery, Nov. 7
There are two drop-what-you’re doing reasons to check out this event — Chris Cosentino and locally-raised heritage turkeys. The meat-riffic, nose-to-tail chef of Incanto will cook up a four-course meal at Quivira Winery showcasing their biodynamic produce (coveted by many local restaurants) and Slow Food Russian River’s heritage birds including the Narragansett, Bourbon Red and Standard Bronze.
Each year, there’s a rush to grab up the limited number of SFRR’s 4-H-raised heritage turkeys — poultry more akin to the birds of our forefathers than the ubiquitous giant-breasted white turkeys of our modern Thanksgiving tables. The Slow Food movement has made a concerted effort to rehabilitate these heritage breeds, with special success in Sonoma County.
During Cosentino’s the Nov. 7 dinner, there will also be a live auction of the turkeys. $85 for Slow Foods and Quivira Wine Club members, $95 for all others. http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/126642
Get Some Beer Snack Religion
Every once in a while, I’m lucky enough to find a combination of flavors that just works, a compound flavor that transcends its individual elements, one in which the dominant sensation on the palate becomes something new and distinct from any single component, a minor chord born of a Beatles-like marriage of flats and sharps. Many of the classics never tire, and I use and re-use them without apology: Lamb and rosemary; peas and mint; scallops and bacon. And then there are beer snacks, the holy grail of sports fans and wannabe man-cooks everywhere, the perfect balance of heat, salt, and icy bitter froth, a marriage to read about in the self-therapy section of an airport book nook.
On occasion, someone will serve me something so completely unexpected that it upends how I think about flavors, not because it’s so radical, but because it sounds radical and tastes natural: White chocolate and caviar, or salmon poached in licorice (both found at the Fat Duck), the French Laundry’s justly celebrated dish of tapioca with oysters and caviar, or just the odd and unexpected, like cheese and chocolate. But I have no aspirations of Michelin etoiles and my favorite flavor pairings are the ones that I stumble upon in the normal course of every day life and which I know, with absolute certainty, will sing on the palate before I even taste it. Such was my experience, while hunting and gathering at the Saturday market, when I heard Dan the Tomato Man of Soda Rock Farms talking up his Padron peppers to another shopper, and to whome he issued the following guarantee: “If you sit down and try these peppers with a cold beer, you’ll finish them off, or I’ll give you your money back.” It was a really big bag of peppers.
A light-bulb moment of clarity and conviction, so frustratingly rare (at least for me) and all the more profound for it: Prepare the peppers in the classic fashion by blistering them in a pan, then tossing them with a pungent, grassy olive oil (preferably from the Dry Creek Valley) and big pinch of fleur de sel (don’t be shy about the salt – I don’t want to hear about blood pressure, and the alcohol should compensate), and serve with a well-chilled Racer 5 from the Bear Republic Brewery: Padrons tend to have a mild heat and a fairly pronounced bitterness which would pair perfectly with the bitter hoppy-ness of the Racer 5, and the occasional spice-bomb – Padrons are often referred to as Russian Roulette peppers for their unpredictable bite – would provide a tantalizingly painful excuse for more beer. The key ingredients – peppers, olive oil, and beer (I insist on French salt…) – are all produced within a few miles of my house and, as with any beer snack worthy of its name, the dish would require virtually zero prep (merely rinse and dry the peppers whole and church-key the beer), one pan, and no additional ingredients.
I love salty nuts, but these Padrons are, hands-down, my new favorite beer snack.
Padron Peppers, and Not Much Else
You’ll finish the beer and the peppers, or your money back.
[Post-script: I originally posted this over the summer on my old site, when the Padrons first came in, at least a month later than typical, due to our exceptionally cool weather and commensurately delayed growing season. Normally, they’d be long gone by November, but look around – I bought them a week or two ago, and considering the tomato crop that is still out there, the little green devils might still be on the stands.]
In N Out Secret Menu
There’s a zen-like beauty to In-N-Out’s pared-down menu. No chicken nuggets or salads or any of that crap. Just burgers, fries and shakes. However, being human (and Californian) there’s a natural need to customize. Enter the In N Out secret menu. Though it’s not so secret anymore, many folks haven’t explored the goodness of Animal Style or figured out that their picky 4-year-old can get a grilled cheese. Plus, it’s just kind of fun.
Here again is the primer on the In-N-Out secret menu. Mostly because our friend Bob said it was the one the BiteClub could do to make the world a better place today. So, okay….here goes…
– Animal Style: Gets you a burger with a grilled, mustard-covered bun; grilled onions (instead of raw); pickles and extra special sauce. This Double Double Animal-Style vet won’t do anything else. Animal Style fries are the same as the burger, but glopped on top of your fries. Mmmmm.
– Protein Style: Atkins is so over, but hangers-on like their burger between two pieces of lettuce. No bun.
– Flying Dutchman: Two meats, two cheeses. No bun and nothin’ else.
– Grilled Cheese: Cheeseburger, hold the burger. Great for veg-heads in the party.
– Double Meat: Double Double, hold the cheese
– Wish Burger: Just a bun and vegetables. No cheese, no meat.
– 3×3, 4×4, 4×2, etc.: The first number is the beef patties, the second is the number of cheeses. There’s legend of the 100×100, but currently a 4×4 is as big as they’ll make for you, tubby.
–Cut in Half: We’ve actually seen this one in action, and it’s just what you think. Two halves of a sloppy burger just makes things so much daintier.
– Fries: Light, extra crispy, with cheese on top. All available. I’m partial to the extra crispy.
– Drinks: Neopolitan shake (all three flavors in cup); root beer float (ice cream in the cup)
– On the side: Rumors of “spread” packet abound. If you’re a fan of the Thousand Island-like dressing, ask for extra.
Bliss Bakery | Santa Rosa
Food for people with food constraints is rarely something to celebrate. Usually it feels more like a terrible punishment for being hungry.
But as more and more eaters are diagnosed with this or that food allergy, frustrated foodies are refusing to beat their taste buds into submission for the sake of a happy digestive tract. Instead, they’re taking the spoon by the handle and creating delish dishes that marry taste and tolerance.
In Santa Rosa, Bliss Bakery is taking on gluten one muffin at a time. Also known by its aliases of rye, wheat or barely protein, gluten is a trendy dietary culprit blamed for a host of maladies from excess gas to the serious problems brought on by Celiac disease and gluten intolerance.
Here, pastries, cupcakes and all manner of carbohydrate are baked devoid of irritants for the gluten-plagued, gluten-fearful and merely gluten-indifferent. Bliss Bakery is Gluten-free Food for the Masses.
The tiny bakery in the former Seed/Saint Rose space on Sebastopol Ave. serves up wheat-free cookies, cakes, sandwiches and muffins Tuesday through Saturday. Made with alternative grains like rice, millet, potato or quinoa, they actually taste like what they’re supposed to taste like: Reward, not punishment.
The apron behind the bakery is dietary counselor, caterer and Bauman College prof Maria Balme. Daily vegan soups and tarts make for hearty lunchtime fare, while on-tap Kombucha, coffee and tea get the morning started right — regardless of your dietary status.
(Plus they’re selling Salt Side Down Chocolates!)
Bliss Bakery, 463 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa, 542-6000.
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McRib returns
Today marks the return of the much-hated and much-loved McRib at McDonald’s for a limited engagement. (See the legend video)
For most of us, this ranks high on the “ho-hum” to “blech” scale. I mean really…boneless pork pressed into a “rib” shape? Doused with overly sweet bbq sauce? Topped with pickles and onions. I’d rather choke down Alpo.
And, like Cher, there have been so many farewell tours for the McNastiness, that the excitement’s kind of worn off. Make it die already.
For others, this moment is akin to the Second Coming. There are, in fact, serious groups of petitioners who’ve dreamed of this fateful day when they could again wrap their lips around a McRib. Perhaps someone needs to get a hobby.
Whatever your feelings on the subject, there’s a McRib finder if you’re jonesing for your fix. Rumors are that the McDonalds on Mendocino Ave and the Rohnert Park Mickey D’s are serving them up, but I’ll leave it to heartier souls to find out if it’s actually true.
REPORT YOUR SIGHTINGS!
Hot Box Grill | Sonoma
CLOSED
Though Sonoma’s cozy Hot Box Grill glided almost imperceptibly onto the Wine Country culinary scene in August, there’s no mistaking an impending crackle and hum all around the place — a contagious electricity that makes eaters’ “Next Big Thing” Spidey sensor tingle.
For good reason. At the helm is Chef Norman Owens, a young gun whose two-year stint at Cafe La Haye repeatedly landed it on numerous Wine Country Top 20 lists. His previous kitchens have included Seattle’s Canlis (often called the birthplace of Northwest cuisine), Jeanty at Jack’s and Aqua in San Francisco. After leaving La Haye, Owens spent time at Bottega in Yountville.
The Spot: With help from his brother Will Forbes and wife, Addie, Owens spent the summer gutting the once-dreary Thai restaurant in the upcoming “gourmet gulch” of Boyes Hot Springs. It’s now an airy, open eatery with chalkboard paint on several walls with handwritten daily specials. Everyone continues to man the kitchen, with Will as Norman’s kitchen-twin and Addie’s pushing the guys aside when it comes to dessert.
The Style: Despite his cherubic looks, Owens has chops. The basis is Classical-French (and this boy knows is sauces, whipping up a complicated Bearnaise as French Fry dunking sauce — no mean feat). Norman gives it a Wine Country twist paying homage to his favorite local farmers and purveyors and fusing some Italian and Mediterranean flavors into the mix. Recognizable comfort-foods (twice baked potatoes, fried chicken, daily pasta specials) make Hot Box a returnable weeknight favorite rather than a just-for-occasions eatery.
Eat This: There’s so much to love about this menu. Duck fat fries with Bearnaise sauce ($6); Ricotta gnocchi with golden beets, pea shoots and oregano oil ($9); fried Cornish game hen with sweet potato gratin and Hot Box Hot Sauce ($20); the porktactular Cider-brined tenderloin with apple/bacon pan sauce, butternut squash and Brussels sprouts ($21). Desserts change up frequently, but roasted pumpkin creme brulee with honey-glazed hazelnut pumpkin cake ($8) was a warm, fall hug of a dessert.
Daily Wow: Here, it’s really worth checking out what Norm and his crew are featuring on the hand-written daily specials wall. From wines by the glass to daily pasta specials, appetizers and entrees, they’re solid selections.
The Smooth Operator: The date-night grilled cowboy steak is a 32oz bone-in ribeye for two with horseradish creme fraiche, Brussels, twice baked potato, crispy onions and red-eye gravy. Easily feeds three, or one really hungry person. $60.
The Wow Factor: Presentation is everything, and even simple comfort classics and humble desserts get a serious spiffing in the kitchen. Expect to be impressed at the plating, and doubly wowed with the flavors. Service is spot-on.
Nobody’s Perfect: We loved the idea of the Chocolate Peanut Butter Mouse, brownie, Captain Crunch Anglaise dessert, but the brownie was a bit too dense. Bonus points, however for the creativity, and make no mistake, we ate it all. Seating can be a bit tight on busy nights.
Hot Box Grill: 18350 Highway 12, Sonoma, 939-8383. Reservations recommended.
What’s up with the high price of lemons?
This thread didn’t originate with me, so herewith a 10-gallon-hat tip to fellow PD blogger and food writer, Michele Anna Jordan, who posed the question in her weekend post and has talked about the high cost of lemons before.
From my perspective, as an economist, I tend not to worry overly much about the “fairness” of prices, preferring instead to think of the price of a thing as a function of market forces, in which the cost of production battles it out with consumer preferences: Too high a price, and people will buy less, companies will produce more, and prices will fall; too low, and people will buy more, companies will produce less, and prices will rise. In the case of lemons, however, I have long shared Ms Jordan’s intuitive sense that the better part of a buck for a commercial lemon just seems expensive and, like anyone over the age of 5 and not in a coma, I am painfully aware of the economic date rape perpetrated by such noteworthy offenders as high-speed cable and internet, public utilities, and – the topic at hand – large scale agri-business, which got me thinking: Is the market for lemons competitive, or just another special-interest screwing?
As a rule, agricultural prices are distorted by fiat – special-interest tariffs on international trade; a perverse system of farm subsidies and price controls; dangerously misguided food-for-fuel mandates – so when I pay a dollar for a lemon that was probably grown right in the San Joaquin Valley, I start to wonder whose wallet I’m padding. Now, you may object – not entirely unfairly – that my research is about deep and exhaustive as an online dating profile, but from what I turned up, and to my surprise, the bulk of the evidence suggests that lemon prices – as annoyingly high as they may be – are really just a function of supply and demand:
- Supply is under pressure. Domestic supply – over 90% of which comers from CA and FL – has been falling sharply for at least a decade due to fewer planted acres, possibly because producers have been reallocating their arable land to nuts. (I don’t know why this should be: possibly, nut oils have risen in value as another unintended consequence of food-for-fuel policies, or perhaps it’s something else, but it is clear that nut acreage has been increasing at the expense of citrus acreage.)
- Recent weather patterns have exacerbated the problem. Producers in CA and FL, as well as those in Chile and Argentina (both important international suppliers), have drawn the short straw on temperatures again (this happened to the domestic 07/08 crop as well), and lemons are particularly sensitive to frost.
- The supply response to rising lemon prices may be muted, at least in part, because lemons are much more sensitive to frost damage than oranges, and I’m guessing that farmers don’t like that extra volatility in their income streams. Thus, despite high lemon prices and apparently superior returns relative to oranges (c.f. recent cost and return studies from UC Davis, here and here), orange farmers may be reticent to replant their orchards with lemons.
- Demand has increased, largely because of consumer support for the food service industry, which purchases about half of all lemons consumed in the US, putting further upward pressure on prices (the deep-recession conditions of 2009/09 were particularly acute for restaurants).
- Trade distortions are minimal. Unlike, say, sugar – domestic sugar producers have been delivering a Herculean shafting to the American consumer (and, for what it’s worth, to our poorer, sugar-producing neighbors in the Caribbean) for about 200 years and counting – citrus crops receive very little trade protectionism. The typical duty on fresh citrus entering the US is 1-3%, which hardly seems sufficient to deter imports in the event that domestic US prices were high enough to represent egregious profit margins; in other words, even if the domestic citrus industry were uncompetitive, imports would (and in fact do) fill the gap.
- The supply chain favors the consumer. Even setting aside imports, domestic citrus producers face an uphill battle in setting prices because of consolidation in their retail markets (Walmart alone accounts for some 10% of all of Sunkist’s sales). Although producers certainly try to collude (they would use the term “cooperate”) when marketing their crops, mainly via the Sunkist brand, they do so in the face of a the very harsh reality: Inasmuch as there is pricing power, it favors the large grocery chains (who, taken as a whole, represent perhaps half of all citrus fruit sales).
My advice, if you’re lucky enough to be reading this at a Sonoma County address? Plant one Eureka, a couple of Meyers, and grow your own, because prices are unlikely to persist at lower levels.
Fresh Grand Opening Events
Fresh by Lisa Hemenway is celebrating their Grand Opening all this week with treats, tastes and events. Check out the lineup.
Monday Nov 1, 2-6 PM treats and tastes
1. Blankety Blank potatoes, Denny Hunt and his donkey
2. Village Bakery, Stellar baker Pat Lum
3. Hare Hollow gourmet olive oils & infused vinegars
4. Brie, Jimtown spreads, Columbus salami and Toma, thanks to Mike Hudson in Petaluma.
5. Meet the winemaker Mike Lee from Patianna tasting Sauvignon Blanc
Nov 2, 1-4 PM treats and tastes
1. Ginger bread cookies from Cobblestone Cookies
2. Smoked Olive Oil from the Smoked Olive
3. Flying Goat coffee serving espresso & cappuccino
4. Meet Shawn Sullberg of Sullberg Wines tasting Chardonnay, Merlot, & Cabernet
Nov 2, 4-7 PM treats and tastes
1. Peters’ Chocolates truffles & more. Local Sebastopol chocolatier
2. Smoked Olive Oil from the Smoked Olive
3. Mary’s air-chilled Chicken from the Pitman family
4. Madame Preston Rhone-style white wine tasting
Wednesday Nov 3, 1-4 PM treats and tastes
1. Hummus and pitas from the Hummus Guy
2. Butterfi Cinnamon toast spread, crackers w/ handmade butter
3. Nana Mae’s hot mulled apple cider
4. Snake River Farms Kobe beef brochette
5. Leveroni Vineyards owner Pat Stornetta tasting Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc
Evening Soirees
Wednesday & Thursday, Nov 10 and 11, 6-9 PM, $50 per person per night
5 satellite serving stations placed throughout Fresh presenting voluptuous cuisine paired with Harvest Fair winning & other local favorite wines. Meet the winemakers and local food growers, bakers and makers.
Music: Accordion – French provincial
Special gifts including treats for your body and soul
Serving station details
1. Savory Salads including spinach, Caesar, mixed greens, roasted vegetables, Soo Foo multi grains from Forestville with duck.
Paired with Trecini Sauvignon Blanc (Honorable Mention 2010 Harvest Fair), Mayo gold medal Brut from Laurel Hill vineyard
2. Favorite Locally-produced Breads, spreads and cheeses, featuring Hummus Guy’s Hummus, Nana Mae’s Mastarda, Smoked Olive’s Smoked Olive Oil, Hare Hollow’s gourmet oils and infused vinegars, large selection of local cheeses such as Point Reyes Bleu, Bo Poisse from Bohemian creamery, and charcuterie platters
Paired with Selby Sauvignon Blanc bronze medal at the Sonoma Harvest Fair, meet the winemaker Nov 11; Toad Hollow Reserve Pinot Noir and/or Jules Taylor Pinot Noir from New Zealand,
3. Wood-fired Pizzas Galore featuring treats like salmon with chives and mascarpone, sausage and roasted artichoke, margarita with fresh mozzarella and basil, and roasted peppers with zucchini, caramelized onion, and feta cheese
Paired with Gary Farrell’s newest label Alysian Chardonnay and/or TR Elliot Pinot Noir gold medal award winner poured by TR Elliot
4. Delish Deli Delights such as BBQ tri-tip, Roast beef, Wood-fire-roasted Willie Bird turkey and Petaluma Poultry chicken, smoked mashed potatoes with asiago cheese, spinach pastry, and ham & Vella cheese of Sonoma pastry with Mendocino mustard.
Paired with Ridge East Bench single vineyard Dry Creek Zinfandel, and/or Trecini Merlot (2010 Harvest Fair Gold medal winner); Chris Taddei winemaker presenting Super Sonoman Cabernet Franc
5. Decadent Desserts including an assortment of cookies, cakes and chocolates
Paired with Pedroncelli Port made from 4 varietals of Portuguese grown here in Sonoma, gold medal at the Sonoma Harvest Fair and/or Carol Shelton’s Tawny Monga old vines Zinfandel Port; Flying Goat espresso and cappuccino, and Numi teas
Tickets available for purchase online
Nov 10 http://freshparty.eventbrite.com/
Nov 11 http://freshparty2.eventbrite.com/