|
Featured Articles
|
The Apple Shed - A Classic Tehachapi Landmark |
|
|
|
|
The Apple Shed has been a part of the burgeoning Tehachapi restaurant scene for nearly fourteen years and still continues to offer the delicious food and excellent shopping opportunities for which it is locally renowned. Built in the early 1940s, the building that houses the Apple Shed has lived many lives since it was originally erected as a potato packing plant that shipped locally grown produce to destinations around the world via the adjacent rail line. The 20 foot high rafters still hold the original hopper used to load seeds into burlap sacks. Open seven days a week, the Apple Shed offers breakfast, lunch and dinner along with freshly baked goods and sweets from the bakery and Fudge Factory. Breakfast includes a signature eggs benedict, breakfast burritos and French toast. For lunch they feature my personal favorite – a garlic-pepper turkey burger - and on Thursday and Friday they offer freshly made turkey pot pies. The pot pies usually go quickly, so get in early if you want to enjoy one. Dinners include beef or pork ribs, slow cooked trip tip and roasted chicken topped with a delicious homemade barbec ue sauce. Soups featured by the restaurant include such unique offerings as twice baked potato, an extraordinary Italian wedding soup and classic French onion. The bakery features a large variety of pies baked especially for your Thanksgiving or Christmas meal, along with a tasty pumpkin roll and Quesito, a flaky crusted turnover filled with semisweet cream cheese. Their Fudge Factory offers a variety of more than forty flavors of fudge including a new sugar free fudge catering to special diets. Samples of fudge are generously bestowed upon all visitors with a sweet tooth and a craving to try these delicious confections before making their puchase. Jams, jellies and specialty butters like Apple Butter and Berry Butter are also available.
Shoppers will love the Apple Shed’s gift shop, which features a wide selection of both practical and whimsical gifts that change with each season. Books, post cards, clothing, toys and a large assortment of Christmas ornaments are just a few of the custom picked items displayed for sale. Kitchen and wine accessories such as cutting boards, oven mitts and cork screws are also among the many items that will assist you in finding that unique present for that special someone on your gift list. Owners Jacques and Mary Lou Vachon along with their courteous and friendly staff welcome you to come dine inside or on their patio and enjoy the rumble of the trains passing by. If you are lo oking for a delicious meal, friendly faces and unique treats, the Apple Shed is a true Tehachapi landmark that is enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. The Apple Shed is located at 333 E. Tehachapi Boulevard and can be reached at 661.823.8333 or on line at www.appleshedonline.com.
Click to read more about A Tehachapi Dining Landmark |
|
King Kale - A Nutritional Super-Food |
|
|
|
|
King Kale - A Nutritional Super-Food Tehachapi’s unique growing environment is well suited to growing kale, an overlooked member of the cabbage family whose cousins include broccoli, collards and Brussels sprouts. With brilliant white, red, pink, lavender, blue or violet leaves, Kale is usually relegated to the role of a decorative garnish to help dress up servings of other foods, but it shouldn’t be overlooked for its flavor and nutritional value. Growing well in cooler climates makes Tehachapi an ideal location to grow kale as our frequent frosts enhances the flavor and makes it sweeter. Kale is also one of the hardiest vegetables to grow tolerating many types of soil and requires only water and good drainage. It is also naturally resistant to pests, requiring little if any pesticide. Organic gardens will benefit from kale and proper garden location will help Kale’s properties keep pests away from more sensitive vegetables. Nutritionally, Kale is a true super-hero making it the benchmark for high nutritional benefits of green leafy vegetables. Kale ranks 1,000 on a scale from 1 to 1,000, with spinach at a respectable 850 and broccoli trailing at 350. This scale is based on a vegetable’s vitamin content, mineral content, amount and quality of dietary fiber among other beneficial nutritional characteristics. Eating Kale has direct benefits to the heart, eyes, digestive systems and has numerous cancer fighting qualities. It is one of the richest sources of organosulfur compounds which have been proven to reduce the risk of several deadly forms of cancer such as colon cancer. Kale can be prepared in numerous ways from chopping up tender young leaves for a salad to sautéing it in olive oil with chopped garlic and eating it over your favorite pasta. Some of the best local sources for Kale are organic farms like Tangleweed Farm, Grimmway’s organic produce stand and Farmers Market in Downtown Tehachapi. Kale is also available at Save Mart, which has an excellent selection of organic produce. Add Kale to your regular diet and enjoy the flavor while you help your health. Click to read more about nutritional value of eating kale |
|
Best Beer Selection in Tehachapi |
|
|
|
|
According to Wikipedia, beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the most popular drink overall after water and tea. Beer consumption dates back a far as 6,000 years BC and was recorded in ancient Egypt more than 5,000 years ago. The association between beer and October is the product of the Bavarian festival known worldwide as Oktoberfest. Our first choice in retail selection of beer is Howard's Mini Market located at the corner of Valley Boulevard and Tucker Road. Albeir Rechied, the owner of Howard's, is a true beer connoisseur and shares his passion and wealth of knowledge freely with his customers. Albeir emigrated from Syria in 1992 traveling for a time in Germany, Belgium and Holland where he developed his love for fine beers. Howard’s has an amazing array of around 300 different brands and types of bottled beer. Albeir has many of his favorites labeled with detailed descriptions of their various qualities. International beers and micro brews are featured at Howard’s but all domestic brands are available as well. Kohnen’s Country Bakery has a nice selection of more than a dozen German beers including Warteiner mini kegs, which are great for parties. Kohnen’s also sponsors an annual Oktober festival every September. If you’re looking to go out and have excellent beers on tap, both Old Towne Pizza and City Slickers offer the best choices but in different environments. Family friendly Old Towne Pizza has 15 beers on tap to choose from as well as several bottled beers. In addition to domestic beers, Old Towne features Triple Hop Red Ale by a Bakersfield microbrewery named Lengthwise and according to the expertise of my trusty beer-drinking friends, Lengthwise has several excellent brews. Located on Valley Boulevard (State Highway 202), Old Towne also has international beers on tap and other micro brews like Fat Tire, Arrogant Bastard and Fire House which is brewed by firemen in San Diego County who give their profits to the families of fallen firefighters. You can also purchase pint glasses at Old Towne which feature the label of their favorite beers. City Slickers has 16 beers poured by the Cobra tap system, which ensures their beer is consistently delivered at 33 degrees. Located on Tehachapi Boulevard near Tucker Rd, City Slickers also offers a Lengthwise brew on tap called Centennial Ale. With more than 22 choices in bottled beer City Slickers has a wide range, which is sure to please even the most discerning beer palates. Taco Samich has an impressive selection of bottled Mexican beers and is a great value for Mex ican food.
 In addition to offering a generous and impressive selection of fine wines, the Wine and Cheese Cellar also offers a premium selection of sixteen of the highest quality beers available. You can travel the world of beer, stop at a few micro-breweries along the way and get a quality hard cider to boot. Japanese beer like Sapporo, Asahi and Kirin can be had at Kasagiri in downtown Tehachapi, while King of Siam on Tucker Road offers Signha in 11 ounce and 22 ounces sizes.
|
|
Best Wine Selection in Tehachapi |
|
|
|
The Greater Tehachapi area has an ever-growing supply of fine wines to choose from, so lets explore the best options in wine selection. Many factors go into what wine to buy and where to buy it. Factors like price, variety, quality and expertise all play into the decision making process. Our top four locations have very different reasons for being selected based on personal experience and recommendations from trusted friends. The Wine and Cheese Cellar, Don Juan’s Latin Grill, Albertsons, and Souza Family Vineyard all have superior wine selections for very different reasons. The Wine and Cheese Cellar is the clear leader with a comprehensive wine selection, knowledgeable staff, ambiance, wine accessories and wine tasting events. Recently opened by Doug and Mary Amos, the Wine and Cheese Cellar features a beautifully designed shop complete with a wide variety of wines and wine accessories. The OzBar, which is the specialized portion of the wine bar, features an innovative wine dispensing system from Australia, as opposed to an open bottle pour that most wineries and wine bars utilize. This system allows open wines to be kept at ideal temperatures (both reds & whites) within a20closed airtight system. In this way, the wine maintains its integrity for a much longer period of time. As a result people can enjoy the highest quality of a particular wine - taste after taste. Don Juan’s Latin Grill is superior when it comes to food and wine pairings, perfectly teaming the likes of an Argentinean rib eye with a Chilean Cabernet. A self-taught wine connoisseur, Yolanda Acevedo possesses an uncanny intuition for combining wine with food accompanied, of course, by her cheery disposition. The menu at Don Juan’s has been carefully assembled by chef/owner Juan Acevedo, whose ability to take us on a culinary tour of South America is nothing short of remarkable. Don Juan’s also features a Zinfandel from our first, and so far only, local Souza Family Vineyard. Don Juan’s recently expanded their restaurant by a few thousand feet, introducing the possibility of a wider variety of wines from which to choose. Albertsons has the largest assortment of wine in the area offering numerous labels to choose from. Although lacking available expertise in wine, the buyer who knows their personal preference can find a label to their liking. Souza Family Vineyard’s new tasting room is a one-of-a-kind experience. Located in Cummings Valley, Bob and Patty Souza produce and pour the area’s first locally grown Primitivo Mountain Zinfandel. The Souza’s planted their first crop of Mountain Zinfandel grapes in 2001 and harvested the first Tehachapi produced wine in 2005, which went on to win a Silver Medal at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Their 2006 harvest recently garnered a Bronze Medal at that same competition. Their newly opened tasting room also features a handpicked selection of reds, whites, blushes and dessert wines from the Antelope Valley area. Make sure to visit and be prepared to be regaled by Bob’s quick wit, never-ending stories and occasional cries of "Abbondonza Fortuna!"
|
|
|