Greetings, goodies & giveaways for the Fourth of July

Here's to a happy, fire-free Fourth of July! Both Pomegranate shops will be open on Friday the 4th; if you get tired of rafting, golfing, or your odious cousin Newton who cheats at croquet, you can dash in for a little shopping therapy. Our River Mall Avenue store will be open from 10:30 to about 3pm... if you need a last-minute hostess gift or something fun for your summer table.

Downtown, we're open all day and into the evening, because ta-dah, it's also First Friday ArtWalk, and all of downtown will be open and serving goodies. Here's what we've got lined up for you at our downtown shop: we're open at 10:30 (after catching a few minutes of the beloved Pet Parade), and will be giving away free 4th of July fans and tattoos (don't worry, it won't hurt), plus doggie treats for your pet stars. By the way, your dog is always welcome in our downtown shop as long as he/she doesn't piddle on anything or take out a whole display with a tail swipe.

Later, somewhere around 5ish, we'll start serving up First Friday libations. This time, Robert's going to make Pometinis for y'all, and it should be very festive and fun. We'll close when it's all gone, or around 8pm, or maybe a little sooner... because we want to get home and enjoy a little bbq on the deck, too (and see the fireworks, if the haze clears). The point is, get there early.

In case you're still thinking about your menu for Friday, just want to pass along our all-time favorite dish for the 4th. It's Chef Jody Denton's delicious Tuscan Babyback Spareribs that he serves at Merenda; a few years ago he generously shared his recipe in a newspaper article, and we cut it out, used it and loved it. Our copy is in tatters by now, but I found this link to Food & Wine where it was reprinted. Highly recommended.