BBQ brisket with a side of guilt: Franzi's Swiss Italian Deli

I feel so wrong. So very, very wrong.

Wafts of my lunch chastise me at regular intervals from the patchwork of drips and stains covering my clothes. My sated stomach gurgles. My conscience is troubled.

Without a second thought or even a napkin, I have scarfed down a sandwich the size of Cleveland--beef brisket covered in melty smoked cheddar with mayonnaise, pickles, onions and peppers on a sourdough bun.

There, I said it.

A surprise find in the Petaluma's OSH shopping center (I was actually on my way elsewhere on a food tip), I was pulled in by the undeniable gravitational pull of fresh barbecue. (You'll see the smoking 'cue on the sidewalk just down from Jerome's BBQ).

On Franzi's menu board (aside from the brisket) is a United Nations of sandwiches including the BBQ Tri Tip, pulled pork, Louisiana hot links and Petaluma BBQ chicken, Rueben, Panini and Persian in addition to St. Louis ribs and fresh made Baklava. Most specialities are under $8, which is a pretty good deal for that much meaty goodness.

But oh that evil, delicious gigantic beef brisket! BiteClub could not resist wolfing down every last morsel on the ride home. Then licking fingers and searching around for any missed morsels that have escaped the carnage. My dry cleaner will be horrified.

Not that I wasn't warned. "You eat half now, half for dinner," said the kindly lady at the Franzi's Swiss Italian Deli, nearly toppling from the weight of my sandwich. Cha, right.

Oh, the guilt. Oh, the shame. Oh, the stains. Oh, what a sandwich.

Franzi's Swiss Italian Deli, 1390 North McDowell Blvd., Petaluma, 707.664.1339

Trip to Bountiful: Eating your way to Point Reyes

Need a little summer getaway? BiteClub heads for the beach, stopping to pick up plenty of provisions along the way.

Santa Rosa to Tomales: Passing through Petaluma, head out toward the town of Tomales. It's an incredibly scenic ride through golden hillsides dotted with eucalyptus groves. About 30 minutes out, you'll enter this cozy historic outpost that's home to the Tomales Bakery. And, uh, not a whole lot else. Best known for their fresh-made breakfast pastries, the shop opens at 7:30am, usually to a waiting crowd. By early afternoon, the shop is pretty picked over, but you can usually find a pizzetta or two to tide you over until you hit Tomales Bay. Need provisions? If you've just gotta get a sandwich, there's also a deli next door with coffee and the usual lunchtime suspects. (But hey, you're holding out for the oysters!) Tomales Bakery, 27000 Highway 1, Tomales, 707.878.2429. Open Thursday through Sunday from 7:30am until they run out of food.

Hog Island Oysters: As you get to the bay, the signs for BBQ oysters abound. If you're feeling adventurous (and have made a reservation well in advance) Hog Island Oysters sells fresh-from-the-bay oysters onsite and has a popular picnic spot right on the bay for grilling them up yourself. Not lucky enough to get a picnic spot, it's worth crunching over the oyster shells in the parking lot and stopping in just to see the "Farm" where the oysters spend their last 24 hours in huge tanks getting cleaned. Note: You can't buy prepared oysters here (aw shucks!) The Farm: Open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 5pm; located on Highway 1 in Marshall, about 15 minutes north of Point Reyes Station and 45 minutes south of Bodega Bay. 415.663.9218.

The Marshall Store: Don't let it's shabby looks deceive you. Inside this oyster shack are some of the best oysters to be found in the area. Barbequed, Rockefellered or raw (or all three), they're prepared while you wait and served up with hearty local bread for dipping all that juice. And the best part? The view is free. Located on Highway 1 in Marshall, Open seven days a week, 10am to 6pm.

ADDED Nick's Cove: If you've got a little more time, don't miss stopping at the new Pat Kuleto project--a reimagined Nick's Cove. The menu includes plenty of oysters, along with the Cove Oyster PoBoy, a Niman Ranch chuckburger, Marin Sun Farms Beef Carpaccio and fish and chips made with local Petrole sole. Plus, should all those oysters leave you feeling a bit randy, you can grab your cutie and head to a the remodeled cottages along the beach. Nicks Cove and Cottages, 23240 Highway 1, Marshall.

ADDED Marin Sun Farms Butcher Shop: Sustainably raised beef from the Marin ranches is sold at the Pt. Reyes butcher shop to the delight of meat-eaters from through the Bay Area. Though you can get this high-quality meat at plenty of local restaurants, the butcher shop is one of the only retail sellers in the North Bay. Plus, farm fresh eggs. Nothin' better. 10905 Hwy 1, Point Reyes Station, 415.663.8997, ext. 204

Tomales Bay Foods: Yes, you have reached nirvana. Combining the Cowgirl Creamery, an mini indoor farmer's market, a case of prepared salads and lunch nibbles, a wine shop and coffeehouse, this is picnic bliss. On weekends, you'll likely have to fight your way through the throngs of city folk to pick up some Cowgirl cheese and organic nectarines, but oh, how worth it. Don't miss watching the curds getting stirred through the big window at the back of the store. Point Reyes, 415 663-9335. While in town, don't miss Marin Organics' Pt. Reyes Farm Market and nearby Bovine Bakery.

Fro Yo A Go Go: From Pinkberry to Golden Spoon, frozen yogurt is, like, soooo back

Along with ballet slipper flats and safety pin fashion, frozen yogurt has resurfaced as one of the summer's hottest recycled '80s trends. Like totally. But hold onto your mall bangs, sister, we've evolved way beyond TCBY. Enter Pinkberry.

Raging through SoCal like an acidophilus-fueled wildfire, Pinkberry has elevated fro-yo to an art form by, well, making it actually taste like yogurt. And at only 25 calories per ounce (before topping it with Fruity Pebbles and Cap'n Crunch, that is), it's a sweet treat that is gentle on the waistline. Unlike that carton of Ben & Jerry's you're hiding in the freezer.

Only two flavors of the hip soft serve yogurt are available--plain and green tea--and reports from rabid fans describe it as creamy, tangy and absolutely dream-like (the Le Klimt designed space doesn't hurt those happy feelings, either). A particular obsession is the shaved ice Pinkberry, intermingling condensed milk, fresh fruit and a "top hat" of plain frozen yogurt. Commence salivation. Fork over something like $7.25.

Sadly, no Pinkberry stores are slated for NoCal in the near future (NYC and Europe get first dibs), though knock-offs abound. Local Chowhounders report that Mangoberry at Michelle's Yogurt on Durant Avenue in Berkeley is a close approximation and Honeydoo is slated to open this fall in SF. Meanwhile, some say the Pinkberry craze was actually pilfered from Korea's Red Mango, now building their own West Coast fleet of shops in SoCal, Washington and Nevada. (We'll cross our fingers they get here soon.)

Need your fix, now? Golden Spoon frozen yogurt recently opened in West Santa Rosa (in addition to the location in Windsor), offering a mind-numbing number of flavors and toppings in a more traditional bent. Styling itself as a flavor-twin to soft serve ice cream (and only 17 calories per ounce!), Golden Spoon comes in vanilla and chocolate as well as an ever-changing line-up of monthly tempations including cake batter, pumpkin pie, boysenberry, coconut and root beer float.

Like, totally awesome.

Golden Spoon Santa Rosa, 1791 Marlow Rd., Santa Rosa, 707-523-1119
Golden Spoon Windsor, 8828 Lakewood Dr., Windsor, 707-836-1119. Open daily 11am to 10pm.

Are you an addict? Can't understand all the fuss? Wikipedia Pinkberry

Rocker Oysterfellers: Southern charm, oysters and raspberry pie

Eight oysters. One quail. Two slices of polenta and pea shoot salad: Lunch accomplished. Check, please.

"You did save room for some homemade raspberry pie?" asks Rocker Oysterfeller's Shona Campbell as I head out the door. Except it sounds more like "paahh" when she says it. And she's not really asking. I'm leaving with that last piece of pie she made from a neighbor's berries--regardless.

Ah, southern charm. Like I'm going to say no?

This humble slice of pie nearly brings me to tears. It's a summer afternoon in grandpa's raspberry patch, the warm smell of grandma's kitchen--love with a crust. I'm still dreaming of that pie (which despite being boxed up for take out never made it past the exit). Call me Anton Ego.

But it's not the pie that I've driven out of my way for. It's the oysters. Midway between Petaluma and Bodega Bay, Valley Ford is a blip on map that's suddenly been rediscovered. Bikers and day-trippers converge here for water, snacks, and on summer weekends barbequed oysters in front of the Valley Ford Hotel, where Campbell and her cooking partner, Brandon Guenther, have set up their country charm-meets urban chic restaurant, saloon and roadhouse.

Back to the oysters. Plucked from the nearby Drake's Bay, they're huge and juicy, best served raw with a little lemon-honey-jalapeno mignonette. Or with arugula, bacon, cream cheese and a cornbread crust (the Rocker Oysterfeller). Or with garlic butter. Yeah, pretty much no matter how you shuck 'em.

Rocker's isn't just an oyster shack, however. The couple have a long-history of cooking in the Bay Area and bring some serious grit-kicking southern flavors to the table. Their dinner menu includes Sonoma County lamb with toasted grits, molasses-bourbon braised pork shoulder, a Creole Caesar salad with cornbread croutons, Dungeness crab balls with remoulade and killer sides like mac n' cheese, Kennebec fries and goat cheese grits.

The new brunch menu goes from biscuits and sausage gravy to a Southern Benedict (poached egg, ham, roasted tomato, braised chard, blackeyed peas, Hollandaise and a buttermilk biscuit) and the dainty bacon-wrapped quail with a (oh my god, so good) pea shoot salad and warm polenta toasts topped with melted Bellwether Farms Crescenza cheese.

Just don't forget to save room for some pie. Or, you know, whatever the kids at Rocker's have dreamed up today.

If you go: Local isn't just a buzzword here. The menu pulls from local farms and ranches (and you know, neighbor's garden patches). The freshness shows. Don't miss sitting out on the large patio on warm afternoons. The saloon gets buzzing in the evening, and the spot pulls lots of locals.

Rocker Oysterfeller's: 14415 Highway One, Valley Ford, 707.876.1983. Open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday from 5pm to 9:30pm. Brunch Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 2pm.