Get the kids involved on Thursday, April 21, when Cups La Jolla hosts an Easter Cookie Decorating class from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Chef Francois of renowned bakery Girard Gourmet, teaches  the fun class. Ccst is $50 for a parent and child team, $15 per additional child, and $30 for a solo adult. For more information or call 858-459-2877.

More cupcake ideas come from the HOP box at  Sprinkles. The box contains dark chocolate, red velvet, brown sugar praline and carrot cupcakes adorned with pink and green bunnies and is from April 15 to 24.  The Jewish holiday of Passover isn’t forgotten here either.  Get a dozen  Passover Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes adorned with blue Star of David and sealed with a Star of David sticker and available from April 18th to 26^th. 8855 La Jolla Villa Drive, La Jolla. 858. 457 3800.

Take your daughter (or son) to tea at The US Grant Hotel on Saturday, April 23 from 1pm to 3pm where you’ll sip premium loose leaf teas served alongside a tantalizing selection of house-made sweets and savory treats. 
 
Cost is $47 adults and $22 children. 
For reservations,  619-744-2039 .

At La Valencia, you can do brunch buffet style, served throughout the day in the hotel’s various dining areas, seating from 11 am and is $75 per adult and $32 per child plus tax and tip. Bring the kids for an Easter egg hunt from 11am to 3pm. For reservations, please call 858- 551-3744.

Also in La Jolla, Roppongi Restaurant & Sushi Bar offers an à la carte menu from 11am to 2pm with interesting dishes that include Jidori chicken adobo; breakfast tacos with eggs, cheese and Asian guacamole; macadamia nut pancakes and more. For reservations:  858-551-5252.

If you’d like to sweeten an Easter basket, consider chocolates from  Chuao (available countywide),  Chi Chocolat (Liberty Station), The Elegant Truffle (Point Loma village), Eclipse Chocolat (University Heights) and Chocolat  Creamerie (Hillcrest and Gaslamp).  Buzz can attest that each of these purveyors makes artisanal and extremely luscious chocolates to satisfy every chocoholic.

While you’re waiting for a take out at Supannee, drop in next door to The Wine Pub for a glass of red, white or micro brew.

Here’s a place Buzz would take anyone looking  for interesting sandwiches, omelettes, crepes, pancakes, French toast, and more.  Cafe 21 recently opened a second location in the Gaslamp and the menu reflects a refreshing take on breakfast dishes that are  served all day.  The terrific version of eggs Benedict involves no bread or typical English muffin.  Instead a thick pancake of potato mixed with sweet corn and shrimp or another with grilled wild salmon and potato, rice and zucchini or chicken curry.  The cakes are topped with poached eggs and the various combos are satisfying and delicious ($13).  Ingredients are locally sourced, breads and pastas made from scratch, and the dishes reflect the Azerbaiijan roots of Layla and Alex, the husband and wife owners. Service is gracious but can be a bit slower than expected. 750 Fifth Ave. 619.795.0721 Open daily 8am to 3pm, (dinner when their liquor license arrives) and 2736 Adams Ave., 619.640.2121, Open daily 8am to 3pm, 5pm to 9pm.

You need not be a foodie to stroll Canon from Rosecrans east two blocks to Shafter on a Sunday morning to support the new Farmers Market.  You’ll find local organic produce and other goodies including flowers and even craft items.  Cheese lovers can rejoice at the selection that Mary Palmer of Taste Artisan Cheese brings to the market.  Mary and her hubby George decided to do the markets rather than the brick and mortar place they had on University next to Wine Steals.

Buzz recently cruised the market and found it a terrific start for the Point Loma residents who don’t want the hassle of the Wednesday Ocean Beach market, or don’t want to drive to Hillcrest for their Sunday shopping.  Besides good produce, cheese, and flowers, you can have a less traditional Sunday brunch as you munch on the multi-ethnic prepared foods available.  Buzz would like to see an earlier opening as their current hours are 9:30 am to 2:30 pm.

It’s up to the community to support local farmers…and our local economy.  What would you like to see at the Farmers Markets …wherever you live in San Diego?

If you experience issues with your meal or service, please don’t wait til you leave or, as happened at Farm House Cafe, write an anonymous two page scorching letter about the scallop dish they ate.  Had Olivier Bioteau, the chef/owner been aware at the time of the meal, he could have replaced the errant dish and could have dealt with the diner at the moment.  By not expressing (nicely, by the way) the problem when it happens, everyone loses.  And, restaurants and their owners always like to hear good comments also. (Side note:  Farm House Cafe will be closed Labor Day weekend from Sunday dinner to reopen for dinner on Wednesday, September 8).

Shishito peppers seem to be the current darling of local chefs.  The summer pepper is small and thin-skinned, not really hot and usually served in Japanese restaurants as an appetizer (peppers flash fried in a tiny bit of oil and cooked to just barely scorch the skin, then served with sea salt or topped with bonito flakes).  Buzz ate them at Searsucker (called so over cleverly “no shoshiito schoos”)  and heard from a reader about them at Bali Hai.

Trader Joe’s now carries coconut water, a good mix of electrolytes, with no additives that Buzz can attest, tastes good.  It comes from the water of green coconuts and is considered to be quite a healthy drink.  If you’d like to buy fresh green coconuts and coconut trees, check out Florida Coconuts, a company that grows and ships the coconuts nationwide.

The New York Times Op-Ed piece, Math Lessons for Locovores is worth the read and certain to provoke discussion.  If you’ve not encountered an interesting site called Grist, it has a good vitural roundtable discussion addressing this Op-Ed story.

Try the house made mozzarella and tomato salad (ripe heirlooms) with a lovely little balsamic dressing served on the side to be dabbed not smothered on the cheese. ($8)  The handmade breadsticks (from the pizza dough) work to sop the cheese, fresh garlic slices and olive oil on the platter. ($6). The 11-inch Campania pizza included tomato sauce, mozzarella, fennel sausage, mushrooms and roasted onions ($15). The short Italian wine list features small boutique wines by the glass and bottle (nothing over $35). Service is spot on and smart (and our server didn’t need to announce her name, she was great). Open for lunch Thursday to Saturday, from noon, closed Monday. 4207 Park Blvd, (between Howard and El Cajon), 619-260-1311.

**Love wine, German wine in particular? Or never tried it, think it always just something sweet?  Well, here’s a chance to taste more than eight mostly white (in many styles) top notch German wines with Rudi Wiest, one of the best known German wine importers.  This rare event is happening at ENO and 1500 Ocean, two great venues at the Hotel Del Coronado.   Starting at 4pm in ENO with wines, cheese and charcuterie with a four-course dinner at 6:30  by chef Brian Sinnott at 1500 Ocean.

Cost:  $105 for both or ENO  $35, dinner: $70. Drink to your heart’s content and spend the night with 20% off a room at the hotel.  For information and reservations: 619-522-8490 or contact Ted Glennon, ENO wine director at tglennon@hoteldel.com.

Paon opens in Carlsbad.  It features California French cuisine and a well-stocked wine bar in a luscious setting.  The people behind this venture include  Steve Barr and chef David Gallardo, both of the award winning Winesellar & Brasserie.  Buzz hopes to get a peek very soon.

Small Bar, just opened in University Heights.  The same owner as Hamilton’s Tavern in South Park  thought a grown-up bar in the area–no over-the-top weird cocktails, just 40 beers on tap and a full bar for those who might want a Manhattan–would be fitting for the neighborhood.   Bar food includes Hamiltonesque  burgers and more.  The website isn’t quite up and running but it’s at 4628 Park Ave., open daily from noon (10am on Sunday) til 2am.  619-795-7998.

From a Buzz correspondent comes her account of opening night a new place in University Heights:  “Muzita Bistro, that features the foods of Abyssinian Cuisine (Ethiopian / Eritean). is located on Park Blvd. across the street and a couple doors down from Bourbon Street.  Last night (10/30/08) was (soft) opening night.  This place is cozy, vibey, hip and busy.  The food was delicious.  Beer and wine.  Patio seating.  It’s owned by the Woldemichael family who hail from–where else–Ethiopia.  They are local business and property owners in University Heights and are excited to be adding their ethnic cuisine to UH’s growing and diverse dining options.  Remember, it’s opening week so go with the flow.  Say hi to Abel (a-BELL), don’t let the dreds fool you–he’s an accountant.”  Website not up yet.

A northern version of gumbo that adds carrots to the usual southern trio of onion, green pepper and celery is thickened with roux and the bites of spicy sausage, chicken and shrimp mix well in the bowl with organic wild rice.  It’s a zippy, hearty dish that is just terrific, as a dish, regardless of whether it can be called gumbo in the strictest sense.  A dish should be good on its own merits and this one is.  Farm-raised catfish and house-made chips are light and crunchy though the fish could have used a moment more in the fryer to give it a firmer texture.  A perfectly cooked medium-rare lamb sirloin flanked with fresh chard and potatoes du jour is the highest priced item on the menu ($19).  There’s a delectable bread pudding with homemade bourbon sauce and a seasonal fresh fruit (apple and pear one night) that hit the spot–albeit with an unexpected heavy crust.

An extensive list of beers and a small eclectic group of wines by the glass make good beverage choices.  You’ll find gluten-free dishes and the kitchen is willing to adjust a dish to meet your needs.  That said, it can impact the kitchen and service.  One night all went well, another time salad and entrees arrived together.  One could argue it’s food you’d make at home, simple and tasty, but why bother if you’ve got a neat little tavern nearby.