Scenario: The Valentine's Day gift presentation.
Soundtrack: "Oh, honey--chocolate! What a surprise! How thoughtful."
Between the Lines: "C'mon, we're in San Francisco, for godssakes! You couldn't come up with anything different this year? Obviously this didn't take much thought."
Chocolate is so over-done, and in a creative and foodie city such as ours, there are tantalizing and more original options for Valentine's Day presents--hence this Valentine's Gift Guide, which features items produced in the San Francisco Bay Area. It starts with edibles, and since there is a little bit more to life than just food, we've included some non-edible homegrown gifts, too.
*VALENTINE'S DAY GIFTS TO EAT AND DRINK*
Donsuemor - HEART-SHAPED MADELEINES
These madeleines are made just for Valentine's Day. The buttery, pound-cake-like vanilla and chocolate nuggets come plain or dipped in chocolate, and are made by Donsuemor, based in the East Bay. The hearts are available only online at Williams-Sonoma's website (although you can find Donsuemor's traditional scallop-shaped madeleines year-round at places like Whole Foods and Andronico's).
Dragonfly Cakes - PETITS FOURS
For die-hard sweet-tooths, these stylish gems are layers of moist cake and butter cream with a touch of either jam or chocolate ganache, all wrapped in marzipan and decorated by hand. The Valentine's Day box has an assortment of raspberry, chocolate and vanilla petits fours. Orders placed online by Sunday, Feb. 12, will be sent out on Monday and delivered on Valentine's Day to Bay Area addresses. You can also order over the phone (415 332-6812) and/or pick up the sweets at Dragonfly's kitchen in Sausalito.
Republic of Tea - TEA FOR SWEETHEARTS
The North Bay tea purveyor has two new flavors for Valentine's Day: Rose Petal (young rose buds and petals with China black tea); and Raspberry Rose Hibiscus (Nigerian hibiscus, ripe raspberries and dainty rose petals). They're limited-edition teas, available only at a few stores (e.g., Rainbow Grocery, 1745 Folsom St., has the raspberry rose hibiscus), or they can be ordered online or by phone (800 298-4832).
Republic of Tea also has chocolate-flavored teas--such as chocolate with strawberry and with peppermint.
Numi Tea - FLOWERING TEA
Flowering tea is like performance art in a teapot: Add hot water, and a nondescript wad of tea unfurls into a pretty blossom. The magic comes from hand-sewing tea leaves and flowers together into a bundle. Numi has eight varieties of flowering teas that incorporate lavender, jasmine, lily and other flowers.
*OTHER VALENTINE'S DAY GIFTS (NON-EDIBLES)*
Rickshaw Bags - KISS ME! KIT
A kit with practically all you need to make a Valentine's Day card: Fabric hearts, doilies, stickers, craft paper, and Recchiuti peppermint thins and mini Altoids to munch on for inspiration. All of this fits into a handy, durable, limited-edition Valentine drop pocket.
WHY WE BROKE UP, by Daniel Handler
A bittersweet gift, maybe best for the anti- or the realistic romantic. Teen-age Min tells her version of her short and heady romance and then heartbreak with Ed, as she prepares to leave a box of mementoes (bottle caps, ticket stubs, etc.) on his doorstep. With illustrations by Maira Kalman.
BOOKS FOR COOKS & FOODIES
Some notable, recently published books by local authors and chefs, suggested by Omnivore Books on Food:
- Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: What You Should and Shouldn't Cook from Scratch, by Jennifer Reese.
When is it better and/or cheaper to produce it at home than to buy it at the store? Reese, of Marin, covers everything from bread and cheese to sausage, eggs and peanut butter. - Cooking My Way Back Home, by Mitchell Rosenthal.
The chef of San Francisco restaurants Town Hall, Anchor and Hope, and Salt House shares his passion for updated, sophisticated Southern-style comfort food. - Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food, by Sam Mogannam
The owner of the popular Bi-Rite Market combines a shopping guide with a cookbook. Learn about labels, ingredients, packaging and how to spot quality foods, and get the recipes for Bi-Rite goodies like roasted beet salad with pickled onions and feta, ginger-lemongrass chicken skewers and apricot-ginger scones. - Mourad: New Moroccan, by Mourad Lahlou
The chef-owner of Aziza has modified classics such as basteeya and tagine into sublime, unforgettable dishes. If you're too lazy to cook, just admire the photos of Morocco and go eat at the Michelin-starred restaurant. - Food Rules, by Michael Pollan
"Eat only foods that will eventually rot." "It's not food if it's called by the same name in every language." "Don't eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk." Pollan, a UC-Berkeley journalism professor and author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, first published these and other food rules in 2009. This new edition is enlivened with Maira Kalman's colorful drawings.
