Food & Wine

Courtesy of Russian River Brewing Company
Russian River Brewing lays out the ground rules for line etiquette and logistics on Facebook each year as beer devotees wait to try a Pliny the Younger at its source.

Russian River Brewing Company more than doubled its production of its ever-popular Pliny the Younger Triple IPA this year, from 160 barrels to 350 barrels. However, the beer will likely still be difficult to come by, and supplies are likely to go fast at any place pouring the beer. Following are a few locations in the South Bay/Peninsula/SF where you might be able to enjoy a sip in the latter half of SF Beer Week.

• The Rose & Crown, Palo Alto

Photos by Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
Tre Monti, left, the Italian restaurant on Los Altos’ Main Street, opened over the holidays. Rose Market, right, a Middle Eastern grocery and deli, awaits its reopening in Mountain View.

Long-awaited eating establishments opened throughout Los Altos over the holiday season, ranging from bubble tea to Venezuelan fare. But one anticipated Persian eatery remains a work in progress.

Derek Wolfgram/Special to the Town Crier
San Francisco’s Social Kitchen and Brewery, the originator of the Brut IPA style, produces Puttin’ on the Spritz.

Brut IPA is a relatively new beer style, developed in late 2017 by Kim Sturdavant of San Francisco’s Social Kitchen and Brewery.

Rita Held/Special to the Town Crier
Refresh the Italian treat panna cotta with the addition of dark chocolate and pecans.

A new year often means it’s time to try something different, whether it’s travel, an exercise plan, a wine or cooking up something new in the kitchen.

Eliza Ridgeway/Town Crier 
Salt & Straw's Tyler Malek visited Palo Alto to launch a new location for the ice creamery, and December's holiday flavors. 

A special source, ingredient or pairing can transform a recipe from food to story. During the holiday season, people pay tribute to family or faith when they dust off an ancient cookie recipe or heat oil for the sufganiyot. Tyler Malek, the ice cream creator for Salt & Straw, mused on the idea of storytelling in the kitchen in an exclusive Town Crier interview at the innovative ice cream shop’s new Palo Alto location, which opened three weeks ago. 

Derek Wolfgram/Special to the Town Crier
Gnoel de Abbey from The Lost Abbey in San Marcos is billed as a “holiday brown ale.”

Sure, you can enjoy a nice bottle of wine with your holiday feast, but why not enjoy some delightful winter seasonal craft brews from California instead?