Summer Produce Is Popping Up -- In Local Restaurants

Signs that summer has arrived in the neighborhood: the fountain has been turned on in , the streets and shops are filled with summer fashions (see in this month's Style Log) and everyone's windows are wide open, hoping to catch a cool breeze.

But perhaps the most exciting indication of summer is the new seasonal items gracing the menus of local restaurants.

Many take full advantage of the seasonal fruits and vegetables available, and show them off in ways both traditional and inventive, but always delicious.

Last week, a sign in front of proudly boasted a muffin featuring the first Georgia peaches of the summer. The Georgia Peach Crumble Muffin is coarser than some of the café’s other muffins, but filled with oats and squishy pink and yellow peach bits, it is still soft and delicious. The slightly sour summer stone fruit taste was subtle in this first batch, but subsequent baked goods offering the peaches, including the delicious Buttermilk Georgia Peach Muffin, have had more of a peachy zing to them.

The generously sized Strawberry Rhubarb Muffin at the newly opened is another seasonal breakfast treat not to be missed. Just below the crunchy sugar crumb topping is a super moist and thick cake with a smattering of sweet and sticky fruit. If you’re the dessert-for-breakfast type, this muffin is for you.

The red and green mottled rhubarb stalks that typically grace many desserts and breakfast foods at this time of year are back, but have also been caught spicing up cocktails and entrees in many a local food hotspot.

At , where the menu changes daily, rhubarb has appeared in various and delicious forms. Rhubarb, pickled - sour and salty - was recently atop the Market Ceasar Salad, but has also appeared as part of the Rhubarb and Prosecco Braised Pork Belly.

With their continually changing menu, Brucie might be the best place to go for exemplary use of seasonal produce. In addition to rhubarb, their dishes have recently featured fava beans, three different types of chard, fiddleheads and asparagus.

Colonie, one of Atlantic Avenue’s newest restaurants, features a plethora of summery items. One of their seasonal cocktails, the Chili Strawberry Margarita, makes for quite the refreshing start to your meal. It's perfect for hot weather. Cool, invigorating and spicy, the pervading taste of fresh strawberry says, “summer is here.”

The Rhubarb Ginger Daiquiri has less of a kick, but is equally invigorating. A stick of candied rhubarb accompanies this sweet and frothy drink. Pale green and delicate, it has a surprisingly strong rhubarb flavor.

Although the window is nearly shut, you can still catch a last taste of the ever-popular ramps at a few local restaurants, including Colonie. These small garlicky leeks pack in the flavor and are delicious when punching up a dish like The Egg at Colonie (satisfying, flavorful and simple: fried egg with hon shimeji mushrooms, asparagus, ramps and spelt.) They are also decadent on their own - ramps on toast was recently offered at .

Soon, fresh tomatoes will be popping up on lots of menus. No restaurant uses them better than . Although the menu at Frankie’s has yet to reflect the change of seasons, be sure to look out for an abundance of the red when the time comes. Their recipes are simple and ideal for highlighting each fresh ingredient's unique flavor. The tomato, avocado and red onion salad is not to be missed.

Summer is always an exciting time to eat. There’s a more diverse offering of fresh produce than any other time of year, and it seems to shift continuously.