I’ve never quite understood the logic of some people when it comes to Halloween treats. Mercifully, most sane people understand that children like things that actually taste good, like chocolate. A few are too well-meaning for their own good, and give out things like raisins (blech!). Others seem to think Halloween is a perfect opportunity to unload their leftover candy from last Easter. Or worse.

But no matter what your age, income or social status, there seems to be a universal truth when it comes to the most desired candy each Halloween. In an informal poll (mostly comprised of my kids and co-workers) Reeses and Milky Way comes out at the tippy top. Bonus points for the King size. At the very bottom of the pillowcase, pennies and raisins. Here’s where everything else falls…

TIER ONE: Reeses, Snickers, Milky Way, M&M’s, Skittles, SweetTarts, Butterfinger: Jackpot. Eat immediately. Probably from someone who actually has kids. Definitely from someone who has grandkids.

TIER TWO: Twizzlers, Smarties, Blow Pops, Take 5, Milk Duds, Starburst, Whoppers, JuJuBees: Okay, clearly not the favorites, but will suffice once the good stuff is gone. Usually from the cool neighbor with the dogs and all the bottles on the porch.

TIER THREE: Candy corn, apples, raisins, pennies, Dum Dums, strange things in a plastic bag that are unidentifiable, popcorn balls, Lemonheads: Usually from the scary guy who invites you into the house to see his reptile collection. Or, a very well-meaning, but slightly-out-of-touch lady with lots of cats.

So, as we stop by your house tonight, make sure you’ve got the good stuff waiting. As I mentioned, Reeses are my favorite. Save those nasty Lemonheads for yourself, or you could just find yourself with a nasty trick.

What’s your favorite Halloween treat?

Miss the first annual Taste? Check out the video from our sister blogs at the Petaluma Argus Courier

Is Safeway outclassing the neighborhood patisserie?

Okay, not yet, but they’re bucking for your gourmet business.

Along with recent facelifts of the mega grocery stores, in-house bakeries have been improving substantially as well.

First, it was a not altogether horrible bagel.

Next came the addition of gourmet cakes and pastries, which are suprisingly good (though Bouchon doesn’t need to be worried just yet).

Topping it off, I discovered today that the bakeries are now stocking Joseph Schmidt truffles (chocolate truffle royalty that are as delicious as they are lovely to look at), individually wrapped and ready for delivering to your co-workers, significant others or even your boss. All for just $2.19 each. A steal at twice the price.

And, if nothing else, grabbing a few just makes your grocery basket feel a little less, well, mundane.

Whether you like ’em grilled, fried, sprinkled with onions, dripping with special sauce, thrown over animal style or pink enough to still be mooing in the middle, hamburgers inspire a fanatical passion usually reserved for sports teams or rock stars.

In other words, beware the fool who stands between me and my favorite patty. (Which is, by the way, the Jesse James at The Chippery. You’ve been warned.)

But hey, you’re entitled to your opinion. What’s your favorite local burger?

There are, of course, the usual suspects: Gayle’s Superburger (1501 4th St, Santa Rosa, 707-546-4016), Mike’s at the Crossroads (7665 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati, 707-665-9999), which is technically in Cotati, but because it is so delicious, will be included in this list; and In-N-Out (5145 Redwood Dr., Rohnert Park and a new location in Petaluma), again, not in Santa Rosa, but close enough for a midnight run.

It goes without saying, of course, many of us are in stunned silence over the loss of Heavenly Hamburger. After 51 years of service, the Hwy 12 institution recently met a tragic demise, leaving a hole in my heart-and my lunch repertoire.

But where one grease-trap closes, another fry basket opens. Coming up strong as a leading contender for local burger fame is Carmen’s Burger Bar (1612 Terrace, Santa Rosa. 707-579-3663). Located in the former 707 space near Pacific Market, neighbors caught onto Carmen’s charm quickly, packing the shoe-box-sized restaurant with kids and families and ensuring a 10 to 20 minute wait most evenings. Top honors at Carmen’s goes to the Triplets ($10.50): Three small burgers, each with a different flavor–cheddar with bacon, nothin’ at all, and blue-cheese. Though the small patties can sometimes suffer from overcooking on really busy nights, in general the mini burgs are cute as a bug, and quite a bit tastier. Homemade milkshakes (which I think top the ones at Gayle’s) are a required add-on, along with shoe-string fries.

Also in the running, but still under the radar is my hands-down fave, The Chippery (2053 Santa Rosa Plz., Santa Rosa, 707-579-2447). Another recent addition in the regional burger lineup, the restaurant is all-but-hidden at the south end of Montgomery Village, behind Osake restaurant in a former bakery. The Chippery’s main claim to fame is an on-site potato chip factory churning out piles of finger-lickingly good crisps.

If you can tear yourself away from the little brown nuggets of goodness tumbling from the fryer, you’ll discover that they grill up some mean patties, all made to order. The Jesse James is piled high with a patty, mayo, bbq sauce and a thick onion ring ($6.95) and should well-probably be outlawed.

But that’s just the beginning of the burger story. What are your favorite haunts? Who has the best buns, the best fries, the best service-even the best condiments? Have you tried Outback? John Barleycorn? Others?

Tell me. From your answers, BiteClub will put together a list of your favorite local burger joints, from small to large, hole-in-the-wall to corporate behemoth. Speaking of which, yes, McDonald’s counts (cause heaven knows this girl can’t steer clear of a Big Mac once in a while), but try to keep your choices local if possible.

Oh, and creativity counts. One of the strangest burgers I ever had was a foie-gras stuffed chopped steak burger. Seriously. So send me those, too.

Ready, set, eat! Email your picks at biteclub@pressdemo.com.

After months…and months…and months of waiting, a new Cafe des Croissant/Grateful Bagel has opened on the corner of Brookwood and 4th St. One of the few bakeries in the SR (why is that, anyway?), their croissants never fail to leave the bag, my fingers, most of the inside of my car and several handfuls of napkins delightfully greasy–a pretty good sign that they’ve used plenty of butter.

If you haven’t been in a while, check out their mini croissants, which, at the very least, make you seem like less of an oinker when you order three…or four…or, well, six.

They’ve also created the new “Sweet Laura” croissant, a cinnamon sugar filled confection with icing on top. Though it’s plenty sweet, the story behind it is heartbreaking: Laura Leslie was a young mother who, after a 5-year battle with cancer, died this summer and left behind three young children. For the next 4 years at the new location, they’ll donate all proceeds from the sales of this croissant to the family.

I don’t speak Spanish. I do speak Fried. As in chicken, mozzarella sticks, zucchini, the occasional Blooming Onion, and once a Twinkie. In the universal language of crispy deliciousness, I am fluent.

And pupusas, a duo of thick, fried tortillas with meat and/or cheese stuffed between them, have recently become a new part of my vocabulary–despite the fact that my waitress snickered when I tried to order them in my best Spanglish.

Last Friday, I discovered Pupusaria Salvadorena by the fairgrounds (check out my previous post for details). Nestled next to a Joyeria and a Mexican grocery, the newly invigorated storefront isn’t much–plastic-covered tables, a view of several women in the back patting corn tortillas, and a few newspapers scattered about the tables.

The menu is simple (and all in Spanish, so I can’t tell you everything on it…though the staff are happy to help out): Sopas (soup); Almuerzos (heartier lunch meals); Desayunos (breakfast) and Antojitos Salvadorenos (Salvadorian specialties), including Pupusas. The best I can compare them to, and don’t laugh, are a sort of savory, flattened jelly donut. Okay, that’s a terrible comparison, but as the cheese oozed out a hole, it seemed an apt comparison.

Regardless, I can steer you confidently toward the Pupusas Revueltas (a meat and vegetable-stuffed tortilla) and the Pupusas de Ayote con Quesa (zucchini and a light, fresh cheese). Both are under $2 each.

My kid snapped up most of the Pasteles de Carne con Papa, declaring them among the best things he’d ever eaten. Best I can tell, they’re football-shaped fritters stuffed with potatoes and veggies. Again, the theme here is fried deliciousness.

The pupusaria also serves up tamales, yuca frita and empanadas, but hey, you’re here for the Pupusas. Just tell them the gringa sent you.

Pupuseria Salvadorena
1403 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa
707.544.3141

TGIF: It’s nearly 5pm on Friday afternoon and I’m headed out the door to a brand-spanking new Salvadorian restaurant at the intersection of Brookwood and Mt. Olive (near the fairgrounds in the former China Gate location). The main dish at the tiny storefront location is Pupusas, a thick, handmade corn tortilla filled with cheese, zucchini or pork. They’ll be open until 8pm tonight, if you’ve got a craving. Stay tuned for more details.

UPDATE: Can I show my ‘gringoness’ a little more? Apparently Pupuseria Salvadorena is not the first place with pupusas in town. There is at least one other at the far end of Santa Rosa Avenue. See further details of the meal in my next blog.

I’m not a cash-carrying kind of gal. The green stuff just ends up stuffed in a pocket somewhere, or worse, spent. This is rarely a problem until I end up walking into a restaurant, ordering my meal, and only then discovering they don’t take Visa. Or checks. Or my sweet smile as collateral. (Actually, that worked once.)

In fact, I usually make a mental note to avoid places that don’t take credit cards. There is one exception, however: the In-N-Out in Rohnert Park. That is where I’ll actually spend half the cost of my lunch in ATM fees just to get some quick cash for my Double Double. And as much as I hate doing that, it beats getting the stink-eye from the eight people in line behind you while digging for pennies in your pocket. If you’re feeling my pain at all, join me in a moment of elation over the fact that they now take ATM cards.

Also on the In-N-Out tip: A Petaluma branch recently opened off Highway 101 at the Lakeville St. exit, making it possible to stop three times for your Animal-style between SR and SF.

Speaking of Animal-style, need a primer on the secret menu? Here’s the 411:

– Animal Style: Gets you a burger with a grilled, mustard-covered bun; grilled onions (instead of raw); pickles and extra special sauce.

– Protein Style: Atkins is so over, but hangers-on like their burger between two pieces of lettuce. No bun.

– Grilled Cheese: Cheeseburger, hold the burger

– Double Meat: Double Double, hold the cheese

– Wish Burger: Veggie burger

– Flying Dutchman: Two meats, two cheeses, nothin’ else

– 3×3, 4×4-100×100: Three meat patties, three cheeses-up to 100-which someone recently actually ordered and ate with several friends-who later puked in the parking lot.

Wanna talk food? Email me at biteclub@pressdemo.com

 
Good things never last.
Takeshi Uchida, who’s been serving up reasonably priced takeout sushi every Monday, Wednesday and Friday out of Santa Rosa’s Oddfellow’s Hall is packing up his knives and moving on.
Since last spring, he’s been my secret sushi fix, hidden away in the industrial stainless steel kitchen every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. No lines. No annoying music. No waiters. Just amazing sushi. Probably the best in the area.
But as of next week, he tells me, he’ll be splitting his time between Rohnert Park’s Hana Japanese Restaurant (where he’s worked nights since January) and his boss’ new digs over in St. Helena–Go Fish. Arrrrgh.
Uchida says the combination of somewhat lackluster foot traffic (hey, this is the Oddfellows Hall) and his increasingly busy schedule between Hana and Go Fish has dictated the move. He’s considering re-opening in the spring, however.
You can wish him well through next Friday (10/20) at 545 Pacific Ave. from 11am to 1pm. After that, you and I will have to our sushi fix in public, like every body else.