That little packet of Taste of Main Street tickets is a challenge. It's a gauntlet of 26 eateries ... not that you have anything to prove. But it's like a trip to Disneyland — all that pressure to hit the big rides and still make it back to the car without anybody passed out or in tears.
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day a little. Really little. This leprechaun-sized Guinness cupcake from Ramone's ($1.25) is moist and chocolatey, with a hint of stout and a fluffy dollop of buttercream. And you can always share it.
Put down that Redi-wip and Bailey's. The good folks at Gallagher's showed us how to make a proper Irish coffee for St. Patrick's Day. Or Monday. Remember: real, fresh whipped cream, unsweetened. And don't skimp on the whiskey — a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, but it won't cover the taste of the cheap stuff. Jameson, and be generous.
The Local Beer Bar is celebrating its second birthday on Saturday by releasing an anniversary ale whipped up with Eel River Brewery — a vanilla eisbier aptly named Stop, Collaborate and Listen (price TBA). Why? Because it's iced, iced, baby. What? We were all thinking it. And in one of the most scandalous abuses of press passes in history, the Journal popped in for a sneak preview. Several of us, actually. (Suddenly everybody's a journalist.) The heavy ale is served a little warmer so the vanilla and the oak come out, and the dark beer bite is cut by a caramel flavor. It's luscious stuff, perfect for fans of boozy, robust beers. But beware: the little glass packs a wallop at 13 percent alcohol. Maybe you should grab a stool.
Drew Hyland
Drink it slowly.
According to Local owner Darren Cartledge, the final product took three tries with the tricky German icing process before aging several batches in a bourbon barrel. That might be why this sort of thing doesn't get made all the time. Old ales are meant to travel (see, the growler is part of our cultural heritage) and to age well, "collapsing on itself," says Cartledge. So in another two months, he'll be releasing a little more of his stock so you can see how it's developing. For science.
The taps open at noon tomorrow with the eisbier and a lineup of Cartledge's favorites. "Everyone has to drink what I like," he says.
Some days call for a fancy lunch. Birthdays, meeting friends you haven't seen in a while, brutal weeks at the office — eating something wadded in paper will not do. You need little bread plates, ironed tablecloths and a plate of something slightly romantic that required deglazing and reducing. Sadly, not all of these days come after payday, and accruing debt so you can pop bottles at noon on a Wednesday is just self-destructive. Consider instead the veal marsala fettuccine ($11) on the lunch menu at Gabriel's. The veal is seared and tender, tossed with red onions and mushrooms in a garlicky marsala sauce. Fresh parmesan? Make it rain. There you are up on the second floor, dipping your bread into a dish of green olive oil, eating real food like a person instead of hunching over your keyboard and picking cold fries out of a paper bag. Enjoy the ribbons of al dente pasta, and embrace the return of your dignity.
Cherry Blossom Bakery meddles with forces it does not understand.
In the most important use of social media since the Arab Spring, a reader informed us that Cherry Blossom Bakery (2940 F St., Eureka) has had croissant doughnuts for months ($2.25). I called ahead to put a hold on the last two of the day (not a bad idea, since they run out quickly).
Drew Hyland
The offspring of a croissant, a doughnut and an eclair.
Totally different doughnut. Instead of puffing up all springy and poofy, these are flattened and heavy. Don't be put off — they are also buttery and rich, filled with thick, eggy custard and topped with chocolate glaze.
Drew Hyland
A fried pie covered in cake, and you can still eat it for breakfast.
According to the lovely woman who bagged up the pastries, the baker occasionally gets "a wild hair" and experiments. This week's yield is a Cherry Log, filled with cherry pie filling, glazed and dusted with cake crumbs, and a chocolate-glazed doughnut that's fried with slightly salty peanut butter inside ($2.25 each). Pick up the latter if you have a pregnant woman in your life. But she's going to need a glass of milk and to turn off her phone first — it's a mouthful.