DIRATO'S GARDEN

I have recently discovered Dirato’s Grotto a local hot sauce maker. He sells his sauces at the Sunday Martinez Farmers Market. I love supporting local hot sauce producers and purchased a couple of his creations. I sampled and bought the garlic habanero sauce. It is a fairly mild habanero fueled vehicle to deliver garlic to your taste buds. If you love garlic, this one is a winner. I also tried (and failed) to sample the Scorpion sauce. Let’s just say it is very, very, very hot. Someday when the fire subsides I will tell you what I think. I did buy it. I am not that much of a wimp. I love to support local hot sauce makers.

 

MOOSE RIBS

 

A local Moose Lodge had a bbq contest and they needed some help judging ribs & chicken. I threw on my cape and flew to the rescue. This lodge is located in Castro Valley. The contest was held in their parking lot and thankfully we judged in a very cool air conditioned lodge.

The ribs and chicken were provided by the lodge for the competitors to cook. They prepared some entries for the judges and the remainder was sold as samples to Moose members. These members voted for a People's Choice award. This was a great time and fun was had by all.

These backyard warriors competed for a very nice cutting board trophy. I saw a lot of lip-smackin Moose members enjoying the day. Yours truly also had a belly full. I tried but nobody would teach me the secret Moose handshake.

 

 

SONOMA COUNTY FAIR

We have returned to the Santa Rosa County fair. We have not been since pre-covid times and only complained about beers being 6 dollars then. (Now 15 dollars). The Santa Rosa fair has the best floral displays and has a yearly theme.  This year was the circus. I found the judging area for the desserts. They did not need my help.  We love the county fair.

 

TOMMY'S BBQ COMPANY

 

There is a new sheriff in town. Tommy's bbq has finally opened in Hercules California. They have graduated from pop-ups to a real brick and mortar establishment. We are happy because it is one town over from ours. We have been there twice and wanted to share a couple of images and thoughts.

We will cut to the chase and start from the end. We like Tommy's. There are some hit and misses and it is not competition bbq. We do not expect competition. This is a clean, modern and friendly restaurant. The proportions are very generous. The side dishes are decent. We plan to return.

Pictured above is the pulled pork that Ms. Goofy ordered. This was a miss. It was a huge serving but it just had an off unidentifiable flavor. It had a lot of smoke but just had a wang dang weird flavor. This had us scratching our heads. Ms. Goofy did love the mac & cheese and ordered a double order on her second visit.

My favorite was the brisket. It was moist, smokey and tender. Judging brisket all the time you learn to appreciate a well cooked brisket and this is an award winner. I had a cheese/jalapeno sausage that was cheesy good. The ribs are decent and were enjoyed. Tommy's offers a hot & mild bbq sauce that we always ask for it on the side. The hot will not punish you and is my favorite. If you get a chance, give Tommy's a try.