Sheep milk ice cream from Haverton Hill

Sheep’s Milk Ice Cream? Move over Bessy, there’s a new udder in town. Petaluma’s Haverton Hill Creamery, which produces the nation’s first commercially available bottled sheep’s milk, is moving into the ice cream business.

Now appearing on the shelves of Sonoma County grocery stores are small-batch pints of vanilla bean, dark chocolate cocao nib, mint chip and hazelnut crunch 100 percent sheep’s milk ice cream. Lower in fat than cow’s milk and low in lactose to boot, it’s lush and creamy and everything ice cream should be. Churned at their farm, it’s made with fresh milk, egg yolks and cane sugar - the old fashioned way.

There are seasonal specialty flavors, with Taylor Maid coffee the star of the moment. Look for it at Oliver’s, Community Market and local Whole Foods. At $10.99 the price is a bit steep, but keep in mind that sheep produce significantly less milk than cows, so it takes a whole lot more milking.

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The Restaurant I Don’t Want To Tell You About: It’s really rare that I go to a new restaurant more than once or twice. It’s simply a matter of too many great menus and not enough time.

But I’ll let you in on a little secret: I’ve become a regular at Simply Vietnam Express (3381 Cleveland Ave., Santa Rosa). And by regular I mean I’ve pretty much memorized the menu. I’ve already written about their delicious pho, their creamy yellow curries, my favorite pork banh mi in the universe (at lease since Noodle Bowl closed) and their odd but addictive green waffles. What I yearn for, however, is the ShareTea.

This little bubble tea company out of Taiwan has stolen my heart with its kiwi glass jelly, grapefruit green tea and passionfruit orange grapefruit tea.

Similar to the newly-opened Quickly (1880 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa), you order from a staggeringly confusing mix-and-match menu with a variety of tea, fruit, milk and “add-in” choices. Give yourself a minute or two with the menu before approaching the counter, or you’ll get some frowns behind you. That, or just dive in.

After a few false starts, I’ve landed on the grapefruit green tea with glass jelly, mini boba, 50 percent sweet, low ice. With the ability to control how sweet you want your drink (go with less, trust me), how much “jam” (the fruit mix-ins) and how much ice, its a completely DIY experience. Wide straws allow for sucking up little tapioca bubbles and chewy chunks of “glass jelly”, which is a sort of clear gelatin. It’s an entirely foreign experience imported from Southeast Asia, but gaining in popularity. I’m sold. Just don’t make me wait in line behind you.

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Heritage Eats Opening: Another Napa restaurant to put on your to-do list? Heritage Eats, opening May 8 at the Bel Aire Shopping Center in the town of Napa. With the tagline “Slow Meats Fast”, owners describe it as “a globally-influenced, locally-sourced, and California-born destination with an emphasis on heritage breed meats, produce from local farms and house-made sauces.”

That translates to mixing and matching things like jerk chicken, cider braised pork, steamed bap buns, pita bread, rice, edamame, Asian pickles, and a variety of sauces for an upscale fast-casual experience. If you’re not so great at the whole DIY thing, predesigned pairings like a Banh Mi Dutch Crunch with lemongrass pork, Asian pickles, cilantro and “boom” sauce or Jamaican jerk chicken with steamed bap buns and pineapple-habanero sauce get you noshing in style. Chef Jason Kupper, the opening chef de cuisine at The Thomas, pairs up with fellow AvroKo vet Ben Koenig on the project. BiteClub’s got a front seat at the pre-opening bash, so stay tuned.

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Food is the new star of music festivals throughout the country, and this year’s BottleRock Napa Valley is no exception.

From Michelin-starred toques including Masaharu Morimoto, Michael Mina, and Top Chef star Michael Voltaggio to “culinary mash-up moments” with celebsSnoop Dogg, Vernon Davis of the 49ers and Wavy Gravy, top-notch restaurant menus and cult wines, food groupies have plenty to salivate about at the three-day music festival May 29 through 31 in downtown Napa.

In fact, organizers have added a fifth stage to showcase food and wine - The Williams-Sonoma Culinary Stage.

”Williams-Sonoma’s Culinary Stage will showcase some of the country’s top chefs and sommeliers with musicians and celebrities,” said Janet Hayes, president of Williams-Sonoma. The new culinary stage will be hosted by “Foodie Chap” Liam Mayclem of KCBS.

There’s also the perennial food-truck lineup (Bacon Bacon, Curry Up Now, Kara’s Cupcakes), the gourmet food court (Morimoto to La Toque) and wineries (Silver Oak Cellars, Del Dotto Family Vineyards, Schramsberg Vineyards) that only Wine Country could roll out. If you’re a high roller, VIP sections will offer cult wines and upscale Napa Valley restaurants like REDD, Goose & Gander, Atlas Social.“Platinum” VIP tickets will run you between $1,250 and $3,000, versus the general admission cost of $119 per day.

Don’t stress if platinum isn’t your jam. However you roll through the festival, you’ll be eating like a rock star. Trust us.

Here are even more delicious details about the lineup:

The lineup of chefs slated to participate includes both Bay Area and national names like Iron Chef Marc Forgione, Larry Forgione of the Culinary Institute of America, Top Chef Mei Lin, Michelin-star chefs Brandon Sharp of Solbar, Ken Frank of La Toque, Robert Curry of Auberge du Soleil, 11-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani, Bryan Forgione of Buddy V’s, Rick Moonen of rm Seafood, Oenotri’s Tyler Rodde, and Dario De Conti of Ca’Momi along with Williams-Sonoma Chef Collective featuring Sarah Simmons of Birds & Bubbles, Matt Jennings of Townsman, the Bon Vivants of Trick Dog, and Jason French of Ned Ludd.

Wine/Beer: Miner Family Winery, Robert Mondavi Winery, Silver Oak Cellars, Del Dotto Family Vineyards, Schramsberg Vineyards, Rombauer Vineyards, Clos Du Val, Gia by Gia Coppola, Goosecross Cellars, Round Pond Estate, Aviary Vineyards, Hill Family Estate, Jamieson Ranch Vineyards, JaM Cellars, JW Thomas Group.

Oh yeah, and there are about 70 bands and performers who’ll entertain you while you stuff your face. You know, if you’re into that.

Details and tickets online at BottleRockNapaValley.com.

Still hungry? Check out Heather’s always-updated food and dining blog at BiteClubEats.com.