🍅 Tomato Time: Know Your Fruits (Yes, Fruits)

Summer is winding down, but the fresh tomatoes at Ava’s are still hanging around like that last drunk couple at the Art & Wine Festival every year. California’s long growing season spoils us, but even here, the clock is ticking. Translation: shovel tomatoes into your mouth now, before pumpkin spice ruins everything.

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• 🌈 Heirloom Tomatoes
  ​The drama queens of the tomato world. Colors range from goth black-purple to golden sunburst. They taste incredible—juicy, funky, layered. Fun fact: Heirlooms are open-pollinated, meaning they reproduce the old-fashioned way; no Tinder required. And unlike a Tinder date, you can save their seeds.
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• 🍅 Roma Tomatoes
  ​The saucy ones. Dense, meaty, low-water content—perfect for simmering down into marinara or salsa. Italians worship these (arguably more than their actual religion). Fun fact: Romas only date back to the 1950s, which means your dad’s record collection is older than the world’s most famous pasta tomato.
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• 🍃 On-the-Vine Tomatoes
  ​Still clinging to their little green stems as if they were closing down Monte Carlo on a Saturday night. Flavor is balanced: sweet but not candy-sweet, perfect for roasting or sandwiches. Fun fact: the stems release 2-isobutylthiazole—the chemical that is the smell of “fresh tomato.” Yes, that earthy aroma you love is pure plant B.O.
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• 💪 Beefsteak Tomatoes
  ​Absolute units. If you want a burger tomato slice that slides out the side of your mouth and down your shirt like a sloppy first date, this is it. Fun fact: despite their size, beefsteaks are less acidic and more watery than smaller tomatoes. LaCroix in tomato form.
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• 🍇 Cherry & Grape Tomatoes
  ​The candy of the tomato world. Sweet, poppable, dangerously easy to eat by the handful. Cherry tomatoes are juicy and round; grape tomatoes are thicker-skinned and last longer (like that one politician who just won’t die already). Fun fact: While native to South America, cherry tomatoes weren’t commercialized until the 1970s in Israel. New, trendy, and international; the TikTok of tomato world.

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So, yeah—tomatoes are peaking right now. Slice ‘em, roast ‘em, sauce ‘em, or just salt one and eat it whole before you even make it home. Just remember to buy them first—while we do secretly weigh you when you enter and exit the store, that's for our own private reasons, and it's not hooked up to our POS system (yet).

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🔥 Tips & Tricks for Cooking (or Not) with Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of those foods that make you feel fancy even if you’re just eating them like an apple while standing in your kitchen in your underwear. Or someone else's underwear. (we don’t judge). Tomatoes are versatile, sexy, and can turn “meh” food into “holy crap, I actually cooked something.” Here’s how to maximize their power before summer taps out:

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• Salt is foreplay. Always salt your tomatoes before eating raw. It makes the flavor pop, draws out extra juice, and makes you feel like you know what you’re doing. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt and suddenly you’re a Chez TJ sous chef.
• Roast the little ones. Cherry or grape tomatoes? Toss with olive oil, salt, garlic, and roast at 400°F until they burst like tiny edible fireworks. Put them on pasta, toast, or just shovel them directly into your mouth while yelling “self-care.”
• Sauce it like you mean it. Roma tomatoes were literally designed for sauce—thick, meaty, low on water. Simmer with olive oil, garlic, and onion until your kitchen smells like Naples. Bonus: your neighbors will hate you because now they’re hungry too.
• Grill your beefsteaks. Slice thick, brush with olive oil, slap them on the grill. They’ll caramelize, sweeten up, and taste like summer kissed you on the lips. (Better than your last few dates, guaranteed.)
• Heirlooms are raw royalty. Don’t you dare cook them, you monster. Slice thick, layer with mozzarella and basil, drizzle balsamic. That’s it. Minimal effort, maximum “I deserve nice things.”
• Don’t refrigerate. Cold kills flavor faster than your partner losing interest when you mention therapy. Keep tomatoes on the counter and eat them before they go mushy. (Translation: you have like 48 hours, tops, because California heirlooms are drama queens.)

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Fresh tomatoes are GOAT. Treat them right, and they’ll reward you with flavor explosions. Treat them wrong, and… well, they’ll still taste better than anything in a can.

Upcoming Events​
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• Every Wednesday, 5-7pm — 🎵 Music on Castro​
  ​Enjoy live performances right in Downtown Mountain View! Come for the tunes, stay for the vibes, and don’t forget to swing by Ava’s to grab dinner from Poké Bowl or Simply Sabor, or just pick up a box of cookies to munch on while you vibe to the music like a very classy raccoon. 🎶🍪🦝
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• Every Friday, 6-7:30pm — 🎵 Concerts on the Plaza​
  ​Didn’t get your full music fix on Wednesday? Perfect—because Friday night, Concerts on the Plaza is bringing the beats that make lawn chairs bounce and dads attempt the moonwalk. 💃🕺 Stop by Ava’s first for a snack, a chilled drink, or a quick wine tasting to fuel your feet and unlock those secret dance moves.
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• Mon, Sep 22 — 🍂 First Day of Fall​
  ​Sep 22 is the equinox, which means it's the first day of Fall, and the official beginning of Pumpkin Spice Latte season. Pull out your favorite scarf and wool hat, then immediately put them back because it's still too damn warm to wear them. You live in CA, sweetie.
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• Sat & Sun, Oct 11-12 — 🍺 MV Oktoberfest​
  Downtown Mountain View goes to Germany for the weekend! Join your neighbors in silly songs, stein-holding contests, and tons of hangover breakfast items when you stop by Ava's afterwards to finally make a good decision for the first time that day.