If you are looking for some ideas on what to get the gourmand in your life (or just a sibling who happens to be bonkers for pizza), here are a few holiday gift ideas that have caught our eye (and fancy).
Our main man Pete Mulvihill of Green Apple Books did an excellent roundup of holiday cookbooks for you to check out (and don’t forget: tablehopper readers get 20 percent off—simply use the code “tablehopper” at checkout, either at the store or online, for your discount). Shop local!
One more book to add: there’s a new companion to last year’s Arts & Eats book by Susan Kay and Teri Hauswirth: the Arts & Eats Oakland Cookbook. This clever book with a mission features recipes from 25 Oakland restaurants, including A16 Rockridge, Cosecha, Dopo, Flora, Fusebox, Hawker Fare, Juhu Beach Club, Kronnerburger, Miss Ollie’s, Pizzaiolo, and Ramen Shop, paired with art from Creativity Explored artists.
All proceeds from the book will benefit Creative Rescue, an organization devoted to rescue animals, and Creativity Growth, an artists’ organization for developmentally disabled adults in Oakland. Copies are available online, at some local bookstores, or the Creative Growth Art Center. A steal for $20.
Good news: The ROOSEVELT TAMALE PARLOR—which has served Mexican food since 1922—has brought back their colorful calendars, and they’re just $10. It’s a fun way to show and share local (and Mission) pride. 2817 24th St. at York.
Pizza bed? Pizza bed! For your ultimate pizza-lovin’ fanatic, all you need to do is contribute to this Kickstarter and you can preorder a pizza bed set—with a duvet cover, sheets, and pillowcases—which will be delivered (in a pizza box, natch) a couple of months later. Now eating pizza in bed can hit an entirely new level. So meta.
There are gift baskets (i.e., a random hodgepodge of rose-scented body lotion and bath salts—no, hopefully not that kind—with a porcelain swan to put next to your bathtub) and then there are gift baskets (see these below). If you have an office you need to send a thank-you to, take a look at this year’s baskets from Nana Joes and Luke’s Local. The Nana Joes basket is packed with Michelle Pusateri’s awesome granola, fab cookies, Tony’s trail mix, granola bars (love them), and orange-spiced mixed nuts (and everything in the basket is vegan and gluten-free). You can order it on Nanajoes.com ($40) and Goodeggs.com, or pick them up at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, San Mateo Market, and Temescal Farmers Market.
The folks at Luke’s Local artisan food delivery service are offering three curated gift boxes, and they come in a handmade redwood box. What’s great is you can have them delivered too (serving San Francisco, South Bay, and the East Bay)! The boxes come with an array of locally made goodies, like Nosh This Almond Crack, 4505 chicharrones, and there’s some seasonal fruit in there too (move over, Harry & David). Take your pick from three different boxes ($40-$80); available now through Friday December 19th.
Have you had a chance to check out LES CLOS yet and enjoy a glass of wine? Because if you have, you probably freaked out over their gorgeous Gabriel-Glas wineglasses. (I sure did.) It ends up Les Clos is selling two-pack gift boxes of these mouth-blown “universal” Gabriel glasses, the “One for All” lead-free crystal wineglass from Austria. $110. (Hey, at least you can use them for everything.)
The folks at Merchants of Beverage are also offering some great gift packages, like this set of two Zalto flutes with a bottle of 2000 Krug (ohhhh yeahhhh) or with a bottle of André Clouet rosé instead (another fabulous bottle). I also dig this Celebration of Sherry package, with three sherries curated by Talia Baiocchi and her brand-new book, Sherry.
If you’re looking for ideas on new spirits/beer/bartending books to gift, my pal Camper English at Alcademics had this handy recap of recently published books.
For the burgeoning wino in your life, Charlotte Chipperfield of The Wine Key (you can read her wino piece on tablehopper here) is offering a new online wine course starting in January, The Wine Foundations. It’s a four-week virtual wine course designed to be an introduction to the world of wine, covering everything: the vineyards, winemaking, how to taste, food and wine pairings, and more. It’s designed for individuals who love wine and want to learn more, but aren’t aspiring to become wine professionals. $125. And you can drink from home while “studying.”
Lastly, if you’re thinking of gifting someone a gift certificate to a restaurant, please consider buying a Sharetable.org restaurant gift certificate. These $50 gift certificates result in a $5 donation (enough to feed 15 people!) to the SF-Marin Food Bank.
You can get gift certificates to these restaurants: Ame, Aziza, Bar Agricole, Boulevard, Camino, Coi, Commonwealth, Cotogna, Delfina, Foreign Cinema, Frances, Humphry Slocombe, Ichi Sushi, Jardinière, Locanda, Mission Chinese Food, Namu Gaji, Nopa, Nopalito, Outerlands, Pizzeria Delfina, Prospect, Quince, Rich Table, and State Bird Provisions. They can be ordered online (Bi-Rite Market and Bi-Rite Creamery are available online only) or you can pick them up at Linea Caffe/Lt. Waffle (3417 18th St. at San Carlos).
Happy Holidays, everyone!
