16 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM ern Italian sweets by hand has been passed down from grandfather to grandson. (Page 68) Stick with the Mediterranean vibe and savor the flavors of the Greek isles with a meal at Barbayani, the Los Altos restaurant designed to evoke the warm hospitality of a traditional taverna. (Page 63) Or maybe you’d rather produce culinary delights in your own kitchen. Are your knives up to the task? Johanna Harlow talks to the sharp father-daughter duo behind Perfect Edge in San Mateo, where you can upgrade to new blades or get the ones you already own honed to perfection. (Page 82) If March puts you in the mood for spring cleaning (I’m sure those people exist, even if I’m not one of them), we’ve got refreshing ideas for your home in the before-and-after photos of award-winning local remodeling projects (Page 92). Or, get inspired by a sumptuously understated ground-up rebuilding project in a tranquil Menlo Park neighborhood. (Page 75) All those picture-perfect rooms definitely have me wishing I could wave a magic wand and make the clutter on my kitchen counter disappear. If there’s anyone who could pull off that neat trick, it’s probably Robert Strong, a professional magician who can transform even corporate team-building events into an enchantingly fun experience. (Page 27) Find all that and more in the pages of this, our 68th issue. After all, magazines are portable enough to be enjoyed from a blanket spread out on a gorgeous green hillside, or a patch of sunshine in your own backyard. Andrea Gemmet andrea@punchmonthly.com {editor’s note} of round little miner’s lettuce on the side of the trail, the tiny blue blossoms of hound’stongue on their tall stems, bold red warrior’s plume bristling on the forest floor, and—if I’m really lucky—occasionally spying an elusive fairy lantern, also known as a globe lily. Being a lifelong local, I am also adept at identifying poison oak at every stage of its seasonal cycle. I got a nasty case in middle school after an epic afternoon romping through Woodside’s Wunderlich Park with friends, and vowed never to go through that ordeal again. Blundering off the trail and into that pervasive pest is a surefire sign that someone’s either new to California or too young to know the rule: leaves of three, leave them be. I owe what little I do know of our local flora to patient volunteers from the California Native Plant Society, who lead leisurely, information-filled walks through Edgewood Park and Nature Preserve in the spring. Edgewood is one of four spots you’ll find in this month’s story by Linda Hubbard, who recommends wildflower walks for those looking for a pleasant stroll or a strenuous hike amid beautiful seasonal scenery. (Page 48) As the warmer weather and longer days make day trip plans all the more alluring, make the drive over the hill to Santa Cruz before you have to compete with traffic from the summer hordes of beachgoers. If you haven’t strayed far from the bright lights and rattling rollercoasters of the Boardwalk, Sharon McDonnell’s getaway guide reveals an array of charmingly quirky spots that will have you saying, “Only in Santa Cruz!” (Page 41) You could also opt for a culinary excursion. Get a taste for Sicily by making a stop at San Mateo institution Romolo’s Cannoli, where the craft of making the traditional southMarch always gets a bad rap but I think its “in like a lion” reputation probably plays better in New England. It’s hands-down my favorite time of year on the Peninsula. The moment the hillsides turn from winter’s tired taupe to technicolor chartreuse, I can hardly stop gazing at them. Have you ever been driving along 280 and been seized by the irrational urge to pull the car over to the side of the freeway, run up the tender green slopes and roll downhill? I feel it annually, and most keenly in March. I quell those crazy notions by taking hikes through nearby open space and nature preserves, testing my memory for plant identification as I go. I love spotting banks of delicate maidenhair ferns and patches
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