Ruby Jewel Treats

10.3.07 First day in SF

Well here I am - I have to be honest, I wasn't particularly excited about this venture. Being in a car, sleeping on couches, running all over. BUT- right when I got off the plane it was clear, sunny, and warm. No complaints- it felt great. I got a cute little red car, so my whole attitude has changed. I am excited to spread the word about Ruby Jewel. I first went to check the newest Whole Foods that just opened in Oakland, CA. AMAZING- I think it's my favorite store yet. It doesn't feel too much and has all the goods in the middle of the store. I decided that I will be eating at all the stores I demo at. So, I'll be testing out many Whole Foods delis. I had this really really good shrimp ceviche, smoked salmon salad, and tuna salad, and a perfect little sourdough roll for a light lunch. But, yes it is my ultimate goal to make sure Ruby Jewel was represented. And yes it is. All five flavors on the second shelf up from the bottom- not totally great but they are there. I talked to the grocery team assistant Mario who had I had talked to when he worked at the Redwood City store. He seems to be a Ruby Jewel fan. Then I started my hunt for a table to use when I am demoing- I could only bring so much with me on the plane. After that I went to the Berkeley Bowl to make sure we were on the shelf. We are, on the bottom, but easy to see. I then made my way to the Whole Foods in Berekely for a demo where I met some really cool people. There were two women who are really into ice cream and they were so excited to tell me all the places to go and check out (Ici, Sketch, Fairfax in Marin). One of the Whole Foods checkers said customers love Ruby Jewel. She said that one guy buys one every time he is in the store. And that one time a customer was offering her a bite when she said she hadn't tried one yet. She refused but obviously thought it was amusing. I love hearing that. I also witnessed a grandma and her granddaughter buying a Ruby Jewel before they saw me demoing. It was so cute. I could see them trying ot decide which flavor to get. The winner- Dark Chocolate with Fresh mint. Overall it was a great demo. I then made my way into the city to my sisters friends Lara's apartment. A great apartment and location in the city. Of course it was time to eat again. We then had about 5 choices of what to eat on Chestnut street. Wow, there are so many great looking restaurants. We walked down the street checking out the menu and the scene. We ended up going to Meze- http://mezessf.com/ a greek place that was awesome. We sat at the bar, ordered Spanikopita (the best I have ever had) the filo was just right, not too much, not too butterey. Then we had a sampler of the spreads, smokey roasted eggplant, tzatiki, and a hummus- like spread, but it wasn't humms. Then we had the zucchini cakes and pan seared prawns in a sweet tomato, feta sauce. We were sitting next to two ladies who are obviously foodies as well, loving their meal. They then ordered this fig apertif, Commandaria - Port wine from Cyprus with a hint of figs .YUM YUM. It was delicious. I would highly recommend this place, great food, atmosphere and service. I'll include more pictures tomororow.

posted by lisa @ 10.3.07