Must-Haves & Suggestions for July '07

Just trust us when we say that snarky self-portraits, preferably snapped with camera phones or other low-res toys, are currently all the rage. See Cafe Drake's slightly sinister version above. Note: Smiling never allowed.

Rule # 19: Never Drink and Dial. While the content of your 3AM message may have all the fascination for others of a freeway four-car pileup, you'll be the one left spinning damage control.

A gift from the recent travels of Cafe Drake compadre Thordis A., Chocolate Baby Gators are our new fun way to enjoy dessert. Tasty and creamy in texture, the tiny reptiles makes a whimsical garnish to everything from a slice of pecan pie to a scoop of homemade ice cream. Get yourselves to Florida and break back a few to spark up your coffee saucers.

“Eating ends the annual drama of the food economy that begins with planting and birth. Most eaters, however, are no longer aware that this is true.”

-Wendell Berry

From foodies who consider dining and gastronomy artistic expressions worthy of thought and endless conversation to those souls contemplating only the drawer of delivery menus after work, American Food Writing: An Anthology with Classic Recipes should appeal to both extremes. Assuming a love of language and prose, any reader will be enthralled by this hefty volume gathering some of the finest words ever written on a most universal of topics; despite its trip-to-the-chiropractor girth (750+ pages!) the collection is remarkably well edited and culled from the absolute cream of the crop (of course, pun intended). Favorite contributions among a multitude include those from Jade Snow Wong, William Styron, Lady Bird Johnson (R.I.P., L.B.), May Sarton, Wendell Berry and David Sedaris. Note: Amazon already has the just-released tome at almost 1/2 off from retail.