Affordable Chocolate?

Marlowe B. wrote 6/14/01:
     I have been reading about Scharffen Berger Chocolate. They have evidently moved from South San Francisco into a hundred-year-old brick building in Berkeley.
     I have tried their little bars that you see in stores such as Peet's. I like this chocolate, and it does seem to have something unusual going for it. I am only put off by the price, almost two dollars for a one-ounce bar. Does anyone know of a less expensive route to Scharffen Berger chocolate?

John Dough Co. Brings New Hope for Pizza Lovers

     Nobody seems to like the frozen ready-made pizzas. You can always simulate your own pizza, using a tortilla, but this doesn’t really provide enough base for the real thing.
     It seems that help is on the way with John Dough’s new refrigerated pizza crust. We tried the Honey Whole Wheat, as the regular was sold out at Andronico’s.
     It was just great. This is a high-quality bread that you could eat simply with butter. So we just spread some feta cheese mixed with olive oil on one piece, and the Jimtown roasted vegetable spread (another recent discovery, see below) on the other. Both were splendid. We heated the pizza about six minutes in the toaster oven.
     We froze the crust that we didn’t use, and will bring it out for appetizers at our next dinner party. What a discovery, for convenience and taste both.
     John Dough Co. is based in Richmond. I understand that their crust is available in Andronico’s, Diablo Foods, Gene’s Fine Foods, Draeger’s, Piedmont Grocery, Berkeley Bowl, and Millie Stone’s. There is a website at www.johndoughco.com
     In the Shattuck Avenue Andronico’s, you will find this product on the south wall, above and to the left of the butter.

Roasted Vegetable Spread

     At Star Market Nina recently happened on a Roasted Vegetable spread made by the Jimtown Store in Healdsburg.
     This contains all those Mediterranean roasted vegetables that you read about in cookbooks, but would never have time to prepare yourself. (Do this one time, and you will surely be asked to hand in your card as a Busy Home Cook.) 
     There are red peppers, red onions, tomatoes, olives, squashes(!), and more. These are seasoned with capers, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and additional ingredients.
     The effect is quite marvelous, nicely piquant, with the fine vegetable flavors still coming through. Peel off the top label and you will find suggestions for using the spread.
     We then tried the Chopped Olive spread. This is also outstanding, for its type.
     Jimtown has a website at www.jimtown.com. 

Larry L. 6/15/01 

Suede Chair Sought

Leila wrote 6/7/01:
     Years ago I bought a chair, probably at Travellini in El Cerrito which I think has since gone out of business. It is shaped like a director's chair, but made of metal (thin dark iron) and suede. The suede wraps around one arm, then goes below to make the seat and up to wrap the second arm. It is sort of a cross between a chair and a vest.
     I would love to get another like it, or at least something that could sit next to it and co-exist visually. Does anyone have a clue as to where such a chair might be found today? Or are such whimsical, while stylish, creations a thing of the past?

Weimax Wine Shop In Burlingame

C. Falletto wrote 3/11/01: 
     Hello....I ran across your site earlier today and enjoyed some of the suggestions and tips you provide.
     I live in The City and sometimes drive across the bridge to a number of the East Bay places you suggest for wines and foods.
     I also wanted to point out my favorite wine place in the Bay Area....it's down on the Peninsula, in Burlingame, and is called Weimax Wines & Spirits.
     I often shop there, as they have a great tasting room. I've even taken part in some of their sit-down blind-tastings. They have a web site : www.weimax.com
     The staff is knowledgeable about food and wine and quite enthusiastic to share new suggestions. They have turned me on to many interesting Spanish and Italian wines, but I've bought Alsatian and Southern French, along with an Austrian Sauvignon Blanc and South African Chardonnay!
     They have an amazing array of Italian and lots of Californian, too. Gee, they ought to pay me to be their spokesperson!!
     Well, enjoyed your site.