It’s the Great Pumpkin! Biden, Trump — or Pliny — for president?
The pandemic may have forced the cancellation of the annual Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival, but the good eats will go on all month long in this coastal pumpkin capital. Enjoy some seasonal dishes at the local restaurants, then stop at a pumpkin patch to buy a few for home cooking or decorating. At It’s Italia, start with Farmer John’s Pumpkin Festival Salad, which features the local grower’s Red Apple Blossom pumpkin with greens, smoked Gouda, avocado and toasted pumpkin seeds, then move on to pumpkin ravioli or the appropriately named Highway 92 Pizza, topped with shaved Sugar Pie pumpkin, cider-caramelized onions and honeymustard bacon. For dessert, there’s Maile’s Butter Crust Pumpkin Pie. Sam’s Chowder House is making pumpkin gnocchi with brown butter and sage and dishing up lobster bisque with Red Kuri pumpkin and pumpkin ice cream. Half Moon Bay Brewing Co. is serving its signature Pumpkin Harvest Ale on the patio with pumpkin soup, pumpkin cheesecake and other squash dishes. In nearby Pescadero, the goat cheese folks at Harley Farms are selling their seasonal Pumpkin-spice Fromage Blanc. And if you’re one of those people who used to arrive early on festival weekends for the pancake feed, head to the Half Moon Bay Coffee Company for pumpkin pancakes with honey-pecan syrup.
It’s a beer made for quenching the thirst you develop when watching exhausting debates, creating political memes or sitting down to fill out your mail-in ballot.
The Russian River Brewing Co. has again thrown its favorite son’s name into the ring. “Pliny for President” — a double dry-hopped version of its ultrapopular Pliny the Elder — will be available from now through the end of election season. He’s a perennial candidate, having run in every presidential election since 2008, always with a “Free the hops” platform.
Russian River is reaching out to a new bloc of drinkers this year: Pliny for Prez comes in cans for the first time. What do the polls say about the 2020 candidate?
“Strong hop forward, beautifully balanced bitter, piney palette dance with a crisp dry finish. Medium amber yellow glow entices the eye. Smooth & delicious, powerful, yet humble & wise. Perfect candidate for the highest public position in the free world!” wrote Eddie P. on Untappd.com.
And Jeff C. said: “I cast my ballot,” declaring it the “best third-party option ever.”