Flip through any weighty tome that says "dictionary" on the front cover and head directly for the book's G section. You'll find lots of fine words within, including garrulous, gorilla, goatee, and gargoyle, but you probably won't see Gilenvy, which is really too bad.
What's Gilenvy? It's that particular jealousy a foodie feels come the end of July when they're not in Gilroy eating garlic to their heated heart's hot content at the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival.
Oh, there's another great G for ya: garlic. It's so great, in fact, that Chaya Venice will be celebrating the scorchy stuff all August with a dedicated garlic menu, in addition to its regular plates. Could the timing be better? The eighth month is the hottest of months, making it a fine collaborator with a certain clove, and Chaya's Garlic Fair follows just days after the world-famous garlic fest.
We're ready to bulb it up, for sure, Chaya. You read our minds.
On the special menu? There are several items, but keep a watch for the Bacon Clove Cocktail, Chicken Gyoza with Garlic Ponzu Sauce, Escargot with Garlic Herb Butter, The Garlic Fair Fruits de Mer (think half a sauteed Maine lobster tail, jumbo shrimp, scallops, chili shishito, and garlic), and the 40-Clove Garlic Rib-Eye.
Garlic au jus and garlic mashed potatoes are complements to that last entree, just in case you were concerned that 40 cloves wouldn't be nearly enough.
Again, this is just an August dealie, and just at the Venice outpost of Chaya. You're wild for garlic, you say? And you've been experiencing Gilenvy, ever since the yummy photos started coming out of Gilroy? You know where to go and what to do: Head straight for that special pungent-pretty menu.
