A Fistful of Garlic Foods

Garlic can make anything light up and taste better. Or almost anything.

With the garlic festival approaching, there isn’t a better time to try a plethora of different garlic foods and drinks. Here is a list of five different local items that will give your taste buds a wild ride.
 

Garlic Martini

Two bars downtown feature these spicy treats.

Old City Hall’s is intimidating—who thinks of garlic in a drink?—but refreshing at first sip. It’s a simple recipe of vodka on garlic stuffed olive juice, garnished with a garlic stuffed olive. The garlic flavor was not overwhelming but rather made the drink go down smoothly. The drink is easy to make at home.

The Garlic Martini at The Milias, across the street, is a more complex concoction. The drink consists of vodka, garlic confit oil and a balsamic vinaigrette reduction drizzled down the side, garnished with a piece of roasted garlic.

At first sip the garlic is a little overwhelming and a bit oily. However, after the balsamic reduction settled and began to mix with the drink it got rid of the garlic bite and went down more smoothly.

The unique thing about this libation is that the flavor changed the longer the reduction mixed into the drink. This martini has more flavor than the first, but the first martini is more refreshing.

Roasted Garlic Bulbs

Served at Old City Hall in downtown Gilroy, this is definitely worth trying. I am a huge garlic fan but the thought of eating straight garlic sounded weird to me, but I am glad I did. The roasted bulbs were served with a vinaigrette dressing and toast. The garlic is so tender that I could squeeze it out of the bulb with no difficulty. Roasted garlic has a slightly sweet taste and goes perfectly with the crunch of the toast and the balsamic vinaigrette gives it a savory finish.  
 

Garlic Ice Cream

Shh … most of Gilroys’ garlic ice cream is made by Marianne’s in Santa Cruz. This is the treat I was the most timid to try, and for good reason. Garlic and ice cream don’t belong together. Although it’s not as bad as I anticipated, I would not have it again. The garlic is not overwhelming and the ice cream still has a sweet creamy flavor, like ice cream should, but my taste buds do not agree. Trying both vanilla and chocolate, both are equally mediocre. First you taste the sweetness of ice cream, then comes a garlic aftertaste that leaves a weird feeling in the mouth.
 

Garlic Dude Dust
 

Found exclusively at the Garlic Shoppe on Monterey Highway in Gilroy, this seasoning will put a zing on anything from steak and fish to vegetables and pasta. The seasoning is low in salt, good for those trying to watch their sodium intake. This is one of the most versatile seasonings I have ever had and I found myself sprinkling it on nearly everything. It’s guaranteed to add a garlic bite to your next meal.

Garlic Tortilla Chips

While I could taste a hint of garlic, these are not impressive. Alone, they taste rather bland, but they do complement a salsa very nicely.