TT Leftovers: May Edition

You'd never guess it, what with the rains--but summer is around the bend. To gear up for the (mostly) sunny days ahead, we look back at this month's can't-miss stories:

• Strawberry season is here, albeit erratically as a result of the inconsistent weather. To see the berries in a fresh light, we turned to Range's Michelle Polzine for an eye-opening technique that transforms the fruit into a dense, flavor-packed revelation.

• The brouhaha surrounding Comstock Saloon's opening continued for months. The laudable destination from Absinthe alums Jeff Hollinger and Jonny Raglin has finally arrived; to celebrate its arrival, we had Hollinger concoct a representative cocktail. Ah, that's better.

• Pizza is swallowing San Francisco whole these days. The Alsatian flatbread Flammenküche is a northern cousin of the pie, and the version at Grand Café is a stunning example--especially when topped with traditional ingredients like lardons, crème fraîche and caramelized onions.

• A citrus wallop is precisely what you want in a summer quencher, and Sonoma's Hello Cello limoncello could be your go-to hot-weather beverage. Until recently, the liqueur was available strictly at restaurants and bars. Now, it's being sold in retail shops. Hello there, sunshine.