This is the height of summer tomato season and local chefs are making the most of this time of year. Â Buzz reader Amanda Parsons told us this week that she had an incredible meal inspired by local tomatoes at Marino Ristorante.
According to Parsons, Marino is serving up Tomato Wednesdays through the tomato season.
“I might never had such taste treats. The heirlooms are all picked ripe off the vine from Chef Sal’s own garden. Â Every bite of the dishes he prepares with them–the exquisite tomato-based sauces from multiple varieties that he uses — pull the freshest flavor from his incredible straight-from-the-market fish. The ways he presents raw tomatoes to enhance his Italian classics and his perfect buffalo mozzarella, the delightful combinations of sweet and tang that these tomatoes impart to both simple and complex Classic Italian fare — is a culinary revelation, Â if not a revolution.
My husband, who has never been much of a tomato fan, is now enraptured by what can be achieved with this fruit in the hands of a master chef who clearly loves his produce enough to grow it, honor his harvest in his kitchen and proudly serve it to those of us privileged to take advantage of this local gem of a restaurant.
In addition to the taste, every plate is a colorful feast for the eyes, presented so beautifully that it almost seems a shame to defile it with a fork and knife.
Not to  be missed!”  — Amanda Parsons
If you planted tomatoes in the late spring, you should be enjoying them now. We planted some in late March and early April that we got from Tomatomania at the Hancock Park Garden Club’s pop up plant sale. And we’ve been delighted with our crops, though we are certainly not overwhelmed with fruit. Â Turns out it’s hard to accumulate an abundance of tomatoes when everyone in the household eats them right off the vine.
To be fair, that’s the best way to enjoy summer tomatoes: just picked, slightly warm from the sun, and with some fresh basil, preferrably planted right next to your tomatoes.
“Look for small or mid-sized short season tomatoes: Early Girl, Champion, Carmello, Taxi, Jaune Flamme, Stupice heirloom. Nurseries won’t be offering the beefsteaks. Tomatoes should be smaller than a baseball — cherry tomatoes, Sun Golds, Sweet 100s,” Daigre told the LA Times.
If you’re lucky, Â you can keep the sweet taste of summer going until November.
