Bacon heaven
Bacon, beer and ballparks? That’s a magical combination. What started last year as an experiment, a Bacon and Beer Classic in Seattle and New York City, is heading to eight cities this year — and the tasting extravaganza kicks off March 21 at San Jose’s Municipal Stadium. There’s a brunch session from noon to 3 p.m. and an evening session from 7 to 10 p.m. (Or both. When it comes to bacon, less is not more.) Forty regional breweries will participate, including Lagunitas and Uncommon Brewers. Bay Area chefs will be bringing their bacon game. And the judges include recent “Top Chef” alum Keriann von Raesfeld, Gordon Biersch’s Dan Gordon and Brown Sugar Kitchen’s Tanya Holland. Tickets are $59; learn more at www.baconandbeerclassic.com.
Coffee homage
Apparently, we Americans drink about 400 million cups per day. We’d say that was a lot, except that we’re fully aware of our own caffeine consumption. (Hope you guys are OK sharing the remaining 20 cups between you.) And while we fully appreciate espresso machines, the French press and its Silicon Valley cousin, the Aeropress, our first love was — and will always be — the Melitta cone. Turns out it was invented in 1908 by a German woman, Melitta Bentz, who simply wanted a better cup o’ Wolfgang. So she pounded holes into a brass pot, borrowed a piece of paper from her son’s school bag and invented the two-part coffee filter.
Within a few months, Bentz had patented her invention and founded a company. Today, her multinational corporation is run by her grandchildren — and they think we should celebrate Women’s History Month with a java-fueled toast to the woman who started it all. We agree. Danke, Melitta. Were it not for you, there would be no Blue Bottle.
Emmet and Wyldstyle
If you enjoyed the rocking “Everything Is Awesome” performance at the Oscars, you’ll love this. Warner Bros. is working on a 4-D animated sequel to “The Lego Movie,” and the new movie will premiere at, of course, Legoland. We were a bit concerned about the fourth D. What is that, Smell-O-Rama? We’ve been assured it’s more like wind, water, smoke and lighting. Er, awesome wind, water, smoke and light.
— Jackie Burrell, Staff
