Easter traditions, Easter values in Menlo Park

Easter hot cross bun fans can rest easy. The Easter-only pastry treat is available at Gerry’s Cakes on Chestnut Street, thanks to current owner Sohrab Molavi, who’s carrying on the tradition started by baker Gerry Stagi. “They’re still a big seller,” Sohrab told us when we checked in with him.

We also stopped in at Trader Joe’s, hearing the Menlo store was offering “flame-glazed, spiral-sliced uncured ham” that sounded a lot like the name brand that cost about twice as much as the $3.49-per-pound TJ price. The hams come in sizes — halves and quarters — that aren’t intended to feed an army, and yes, one of the key ingredients is honey.

While discussing the hams with TJ Crew Manager Kathy, the talk turned to flowers and TJ’s perennially popular daffodils, a spring value at $1.29 for a bunch of ten. Kathy told us the store was getting a shipment of field-grown tulips tomorrow (4/7) and revealed an interesting tidbit: You should always hydrate tulips separate from daffodils as daffodil “sap” is toxic to tulips.

With ham taking center stage at many Easter dinners, we wondered what wines could complement the meat’s salty taste, so we wandered over to Beltramo’s for a visit with wine merchant Gary Mulleneaux. Keeping on the value theme, we asked him to suggest three wines that were priced under $20.

“I like to counteract the saltiness of the ham with fruit,” he said, reaching for an Argentinian wine from Terrazas that features the Torrontes grape ($15.99). “There’s a bit of a floral, tropical fruit feel to it.”

Gary stayed much closer to home with his next recommendation — a 2009 Gewürztraminer ($11.99) from Thomas Fogarty Winery. “Winemaker Mike Martella continues to do a great job with Gewürztraminer.”

Rounding out Gary’s wines-to-have-with-ham picks was a 2010 Reisling, Dr. Loosen ($14.99), from the Mosel region of Germany. “This is very typical of the region, very aromatic,” said Gary. “What’s unique is that it’s dry without any sweetness.”

Find an Easter value? Add it to the comments section. Enjoy the weekend!