Allow us to advocate for the dad “who has everything,” the man who’s impossible to shop for or surprise. He’s the unlucky dude who each year watches as moms everywhere are celebrated with feasts and flowers on their special day.
But what does he get on Father’s Day for his patience and paternity?
A tie. Socks. Tools, if he’s lucky.

Guided by the belief that a great steak trumps even the nicest tie, a robust bottle
of red zin trumps a pair of socks, and the hog snapper special at Captain Charlie’s trumps any wrench any day, we offer culinary ideas for the dad or granddad in your life.

Besides, how many ties can a guy have?

FOR THE WINE LOVER:

An oenophile’s tour of Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.

We asked Chris Golding, manager of the Total Wine & More store in Palm Beach Gardens, to put together an eclectic sampling of his favorite Pacific Coast vino.
His tour begins in California along the Silverado Trail in Napa Valley, where Titus Vineyards produces an outstanding red zinfandel. It proceeds to Mendocino County for a creamy white pinot gris from the Martin Ray winery. From there, it’s on to Oregon’s Willamette Valley for a bottle of HK1 Pinot Noir, a medium-bodied wine, before landing in Columbia Valley, Wash., for a richly layered swirl of Apex Cabernet.

The wine tour:

Titus Zinfandel, Napa, Calif., $27.99

Martin Ray Pinot Gris, Mendocino, Calif., $14.99

HK1 Willamette Pinot Noir, Oregon, $19.99

Apex Cabernet 2005, Columbia Valley, Wash, $27.99

FOR THE BEER CONNOISSEUR:

A preview of summer beers.

Because there’s more to summer than baseball and mangoes, we pass along these summer brew selections from Chris Golding. (Prices are per six-pack.)
Samuel Adams Summer Ale, brewed with malted wheat and a rare African pepper that gives it a spicy flavor, $7.99

Boulder Sweaty Betty Blonde, a pale ale with a fluffy white head, $9.49

Blue Moon Honey Moon Summer Ale, a smooth, golden brew, $7.99

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA, a pale ale with bold hops flavors, $8.49

Kona Wailua Wheat, a light wheat Hawaiian beer brewed with passion fruit, $6.99.

FOR THE GRILLMEISTER:

Fire-worthy and fresh ingredients.

For beef-loving dads there are few things better than a juicy rib-eye. The folks at Whole Foods know this so they have a Father’s Day special: 12-ounce rib-eye steaks for $7.99. Because the beef comes from stellar stock — no antibiotics, no supplemental growth hormones and no animal byproducts in its feed — it needs little more than a good fire.

Still, we asked Frederic Van Coppernolle, a French chef who is Whole Foods’ prepared foods coordinator for the Florida region, to whip up a marinade suggestion. For a barbecue taste with a twist, he stirs together 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons of peanut oil, one cup of ketchup, 2 cloves of crushed fresh garlic, 2 tablespoons of grained mustard, 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of coarse black pepper, fresh herbs — such as sage, rosemary or tarragon, chopped finely — and 2 tablespoons of bourbon.

Lightly dip the steaks in the sauce and set them in the fridge to marinate for no more than 30 minutes. The brown sugar, ketchup and bourbon will caramelize the steaks.

For fish lovers, he suggests grilling a fresh piece of fish wrapped in cedar paper. The Cedar Grilling Papers, $7.99 for eight sheets, cook the fish in “a smoky steam,” said the chef. Season the fish with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, then place it in a moistened sheet of cedar paper. You can add fresh herbs, a julienne of leeks or other vegetables. Wrap the sheet around the fish and place the fish in a corner of the grill, away from the highest heat. A 1-inch thick filet will cook in 7 to 10 minutes.

Shopping basket for Dad:

Whole Foods rib-eye steaks, $7.99 for 12-ounce steak.

Cedar Grilling Papers, $7.99.

Organic Roma tomatoes, locally grown corn and fresh herbs, market price.

FOR THE COFFEE LOVER:

A small and mighty machine.

We asked Ben Williams, general manager of the Williams-Sonoma store in CityPlace, what would be on his wish list. Without much hesitation, he described what sounds like the Ferrari of espresso makers — the Nespresso Essenza C100 Automatic Espresso Maker, $249.95. Using pre-measured coffee capsules, it brews one cup at a time.

“It’s the best, freshest cup of espresso you’ll get in your life,” said Williams, no relation to the store founder. “Hit the button and you’re done.”

FOR THE SPORTS BUFF:

A delicious stop before the game.

Why not get Dad a couple of tickets to go watch the Jupiter Hammerheads at Roger Dean Stadium? But skip the stadium food and take him to Captain Charlie’s Reef Grill for a pre-game treat. The sautéed or blackened hog snapper over rice and beans is a home run.

Tickets for the Jupiter Hammerheads, minor-league baseball team, run $8.50 for adults, $6.50 for 62 and older, and $6.50 for 12 and under. You can buy them at the stadium box office.

Captain Charlie’s Reef Grill is at 12846 U.S. 1, Juno Beach. The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, but you can call for hours and crowd estimates. (561) 624-9924.

FOR THE MAN OF LEISURE:

Accoutrements of relaxation.

Meet Richard Ruvido, outdoorsman, father and product specialist at the Gander Mountain superstore in Palm Beach Gardens. He’s the guy with the stories. He’s got anecdotes about skiing the Alps, first-hand testimony on the lasting properties of the perfect ice cooler, suggestions great and small for the perfect gift.

“Here’s the story line,” he said with a sweep of hands across the merchandise, “You’ve got a guy and he wants to relax. So he’s got to have a hammock.”
That would be the Eagles Nest Outfitters SingleNest Hammock, about $49.99, a sling hammock of woven nylon that packs to the size of a softball.
“And while he’s relaxing on his hammock, he could be smoking some ribs,” Ruvido goes on.

Smoking, he means, in a Smoke Hollow 38-inch LP Gas Smoker, about $159.99. And this relaxing fellow could reach over into his Igloo Ice Cube MaxCold 70-quart Cooler with Wheels, about $39.99, for a cold drink. Or he might prefer a swig of Rioja wine from his Stansport Spanish Wine Bota, about $7.99, a leak-proof leather sack like the ones he may have toted many moons ago on his backpacking trek through Andalusia.

And, there must be a grill: Coleman Road Trip Grill LXE, about $199.

FOR THE MOVIE BUFF:

Some mouthwatering scenes.

Remember the garlic-slicing scene in the 1990 movie Goodfellas? Of course you do. Anyone with a healthy appetite who saw that film must remember the scene where the Paul Sorvino character slices paper-thin slivers of garlic for his crew’s prison feast. That garlic is destined for greatness in this quintessential Italian meal, a symphony of searing meats and simmering red sauce.

Sure, there are a lot of guy flicks with memorable food scenes. There’s The Godfather (“Leave the gun, take the cannoli”). There’s the pinot noir extravaganza that is Sideways. There’s even Ocean’s 11, where the Brad Pitt character eats in just about every scene.

But there’s something about Goodfellas that awakens one’s desire for great, red-sauce Italian fare. So order the film for Dad, and plan a full-blown Goodfellas escapade.

The meatballs — Ever heard of meatballs on the grill? Neither had we until we got the scoop from Williams of Williams-Sonoma. The gourmet foods and cooking supply chain offers a new tool to give meatballs an open-fire taste. The Meatball Grill Basket ($49.95) is a gadget with a dozen perforated wells — think stainless steel egg crate — that allows the fat to drain off. The basket flips over for thorough cooking.

The sauce — Eucavani’s. There’s no reason to slave over the stove when you’ve got Chef Frank Eucalitto’s delectable Italian sauces at hand. Chef Eucalitto, of Café Chardonnay fame, offers four great sauces under his and his partner’s Eucavani’s label. The A La Vodka sauce is a big seller, but the Pomodoro makes for better meatball sauce. Pick up the sauces at Costco, or check eucavanis.com for product info.

The extras — Carmine’s gourmet food market offers an impressive selection of gift baskets, and by that we mean gift baskets you’d actually unwrap and dig into. Our favorite is Carmine’s Signature Italian Basket, a cornucopia of pastas, sauces, breadsticks, bruschetta, olive oil, dipping seasonings, soppressata, garlic dressing, amaretto cookies and chocolates. It’s $100 at carmines.com, or at the market, 2401 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens.

A lot of amore for Dad.