Strawberries are among summer's most perishable fruits, none moreso than the Shuksan and Hood varieties, which have a shelf life of a single day.
To get them onto a shortcake (drop-biscuit, fresh cream), the ripe berries are rushed to 20 Anthony's restaurants around Puget Sound in time for lunch, where they're used as the topping for a heavenly, quintessentially local dessert.
"America's Strawberry Shortcake" is what Sheila Lukens called it in her Silver Palate cookbook when the dish first appeared at Anthony's 18 years ago.
