Santa Monica's Persimmon-Focused Restaurant Week Opens

Let's talk about fruit intake over the holidays.

So many people — and probably you, for sure — made a smart point of incorporating loads of produce aisle favorites into every meal, even as the most indulgent season reached its most food-feverish peak.

And yet, for some of us? Well... we devoured cakes and candies and cookies as December wound down, but far fewer things from the fruit column.

But finding some fabulous fruit, while eating out around Santa Monica during the second week of January, shouldn't be at all difficult.

After all, the city will again be in the lovely, meal-laden midst of its annual Restaurant Week.

Jan. 7 through 13 is the stretch to keep in mind, for that's when over two dozen local restaurants will once again feature a particular ingredient in a number of special dishes. 

Make that a particular and particularly healthful ingredient: the persimmon.

Some appetizing examples of where and how you'll see this dark orange-y red munchable show up?

Massila has a Crunchy Kale and Persimmon Salad, oh yeah, while Pickled Persimmon Tacos will pop up at Azulé Taqueria. Over at Pacific Park, at Santa Monica Pier? Best seek out the Persimmon Funnel Cake, if you're a funnel-caker.

And Upper West is the place to go for Roasted Persimmon Tartine, if you like your fruit with a slightly deeper favor (and, of course, you dig tartines).

If you do dig taking pictures of persimmon-filled tartines, or any of your persimmon-perfect dishes, and you post those photos on social media, and you hashtag 'em #SMRestaurantWeek, you just might win a dining certificate worth $500.

Details? Yes, details.

That is way, way tasty, oh yes it is, but even if you don't snag that half-thou in dine-out credits, be gladdened, for the new year is here, and we're vowing to fold in more fruit goodness into our daily diets.

Persimmons, you're out of gourmet gate first, as 2019 begins.