Where to Celebrate This Week's Weird-Ass Food Holidays

lifesci.ucsb.edu

Happy National Artichoke Hearts Day!

• Today (Tues., March 16) is National Artichoke Hearts Day. And while revelers around the country will be fishing sad little specimens out of oily jars, we can go to nearly any grocery store in city limits and steam up big pots of whole spiky delights. If you don't feel like cooking, though, hearts are generous in the wood-baked artichokes with lemon and herbs at Park Chow (1240 Ninth Ave. at Lincoln) and Chow Church (215 Church at Market).

• Naturally, tomorrow (Weds., March 17) is Corned Beef and Cabbage Day, also known as St. Patrick's. We'd recommend avoiding the madness that will be at every Irish bar in town, and instead partake of corned beef with cabbage, Russian dressing, and Swiss cheese at the Sentinel (37 New Montgomery at Stevenson).

• Thurs., March 18 is Oatmeal Cookie Day, and we luckily just found the city's most seductive take on the classic over at Cups and Cakes Bakery (451 Ninth St. at Howard). We promise that you will feel indulgent afterwards.

• Fri. March 19 brings National Chocolate Caramel Day. Adventure out for some camel-shaped, honey-filled camel milk chocolate caramels at Chocolate Covered (4069 24th St. at Noe). Or, if that sounds too freaky, CC has several dozen other varieties of the glorious caramel and chocolate combination, minus the humped animal.

• This weekend, it's time for California Strawberry Day (Sat., March 20), and, like today's artichoke fiesta, we're in the right place at the right time (even if the semilocal farms are not exactly in strawberry u-pick season just yet). Head to the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market and go crazy at the Swanton Berry Farm stand.