the tablehopper | 6:24 pm | February 5, 2010 | Events, Foodie 411 | Add a comment
Every restaurant in town will transform into a sea of two-top tables for Valentine’s Day, but if you’re looking for some other ways to celebrate with your sweetheart, have a look at these options.
Let’s start with chocolate, shall we? Let’s. Fog City News has booked a pretty extensive collection of guest chocolatiers and chocolate makers at the store. Normally, only the store’s chocolate club members are invited to these events, but Fog City News wants to share the wealth. These events are a great way to begin the process of Chocolate Enlightenment. All events are 12:30pm–2pm, and they’re all free. Here’s the upcoming schedule:
Tue Feb 2nd: Lloyd Martin
Thu Feb 4th: Ginger Elizabeth
Tue Feb 9th: Michael Mischer
Dinner à la Heart is on Tuesday February 9th. This has been a San Francisco event for more than 20 years: a group of SF restaurants offer a prix-fixe three-course meal, and most or all of the proceeds go to the Institute on Aging, a non-profit that benefits low-income elders. There are a number of participating restaurants—your dinner options range from $60 to $175, depending on your restaurant choice.
Want to impress your sweetie with handmade truffles? NeoCocoa, Kika’s Treats, and La Cocina have joined forces to offer a truffle-making class on Wednesday February 10th from 6:30pm-9pm. And not just any truffles: we’re talking smoked sea salt, cinnamon, and spices galore. And you get fed some dinner, and wine! All for $65. Or for $85, you can take the class and bring home an additional NeoCocoa 10-piece truffle box and 5-pack of Kika’s Treats ($27 value). And, don’t forget, 75% of the fee is tax-deductible!
Elixir is hosting a trio of cocktail-making classes: Drinks Guys Like is on Wednesday February 10th (7pm–9pm), and Thursday February 11th is Woo Her with Cocktails (7pm–9pm). Both classes are $85 per person and include four cocktails and class; cocktail tools and books are available for purchase. And then on Sunday February 14th is Cocktails for Couples, a side-by-side cocktail class where you’ll make and drink cocktails together. The class will cover drinks he likes, and drinks she likes. You’ll be welcomed with a Champagne cocktail for each of you and a surprise Valentine. Tickets are sold in pairs for $170 and include three drinks each, class, and treats. 4pm–6pm. Click for more info/tickets.
Parties That Cook is hosting a few Valentine’s Day cooking class parties: there’s a Gourmet Dating Class for Singles on February 11th ($75), as well as Date Night—A Course for Couples, on Friday February 12th, Saturday February 13th, and Sunday February 14th at various Bay Area locations ($190 per couple). No cooking experience is required for participants, and each class includes an expert culinary demonstration, an interactive cooking session with guidance from professional chefs, and a gourmet meal, followed by digital photos and copies of the recipes post-event.
The seventh annual Food from the Heart is at the San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace on Friday February 12th from 5pm–8pm, with proceeds benefitting Slow Food’s Terra Madre and Slow Food San Francisco’s school garden projects. Napa Valley Vintners will pour wines by the glass and Marketplace vendors will offer small bites of their specialties, plus there’s tango and salsa dancing to live music. No admission fee; wines by the glass $4; small bites $2–$6.
CookWithJames.com is hosting his second official Anti-Valentine’s Day Dinner on Saturday February 13th at 7:30pm. Single or attached—doesn’t matter—come dine and celebrate. Let’s just say there will be chorizo, burrata, chicharrones, pasta alla Bolognese… it’s quite the menu. Oh, and chocolate Neapolitan bittersweet pudding to finish! Cost is $95/person (BYOB). Space is limited.
In love with suds? Trumer Brauerei in Berkeley is hosting the closing party for San Francisco Beer Week on Valentine’s Day, with 30 local breweries, barbecue, and music to support the California Small Brewer’s Association. Bonus, there are free shuttles from the downtown Berkeley BART to the Brauerei—they will run every half hour beginning at 3:30pm, and the last shuttle departing will leave at 8pm. $40 advance, $50 door (tickets include unlimited 4oz. pour beer tasting, full BBQ dinner, and free shuttle). Tickets and info. 4pm–8pm. 1404 4th St., Berkeley, 510-526-1160.
Marcia Gagliardi writes a popular weekly e-column about the SF dining scene, “the tablehopper.” Subscribe for free at www.tablehopper.com and get it in your inbox every Tuesday. Got news? Email Marcia at taste@sanfrancisco.travel.
the tablehopper | 5:01 pm | | Foodie 411 | Add a comment
There are all kinds of meat-tastic events happening this month: Poggio in Sausalito is hosting its annual Bollito Misto dinner through February 6th. You get a plate piled with tender oxtail, brisket, veal breast, tongue, cotechino sausage, and house-made sauces, all served tableside, for only $19.
Oliveto in Oakland is hosting its annual Whole Hog Dinners this week from Wednesday February 3rd–Saturday the 6th, but from what I hear, the dinners are pretty full. However, here’s a little insider tip for you: the normal Sunday menu will feature many of the Whole Hog dishes.
Later this month, meatpaper is hosting a Meat & Greet party at Pizzaiolo in Oakland on February 21st, and is doing a Devil’s Gulch rabbit-centric dinner on February 22nd at Bar Tartine in San Francisco; here are some details on these unique events!
Lastly, Cochon 555 is returning, and is hosting a “5 Chefs, 5 Pigs, 5 Winemakers” in Napa Valley on Sunday February 28th with Christopher Kostow, Meadowood of Napa Valley; Devin Knell, The French Laundry; Peter Pahk, Silverado Resort; Dennis Lee, Namu Restaurant SF; and John Stewart & Duskie Estes, Zazu Restaurant. Buy tickets here.
Marcia Gagliardi writes a popular weekly e-column about the SF dining scene, “the tablehopper.” Subscribe for free at www.tablehopper.com and get it in your inbox every Tuesday. Got news? Email Marcia at taste@sanfrancisco.travel.
the tablehopper | 11:32 am | January 27, 2010 | Foodie 411 | Add a comment
Hank Minkey, AKA Jack Lucky, is opening The Sandwich Spot in the Marina. The space was formerly a Three Day Blinds space, so it was quite the build-out: the ceilings were raised to 12 feet, walls were knocked down, and some serious Aloha style was unleashed. (His family has a lifelong relationship with surfing and Hawaii.) Their motto is: “Love All, Feed All” and you will see it hand carved into the handmade counter tops across the front windows, as well as Hank’s kids’ names, their cousins, some of their family and friends, and Hawaiian surf spots they love. The front “bar” or sandwich counter was handmade in hand-cut and hand-nailed bamboo, plus there are hand-carved nine-foot tall totem poles of solid redwood tree trunks (naturally fallen), carved by their friend “Tiki Bosko.” There are also a few antique surfboards, a variety of surf and hot-rod art, and super-friendly staff. And outdoor seating to boot! There is always plenty of parking in the big garage across the street.
They will hand slice the meat and cheese daily, bake the bread fresh daily (and throughout the day as needed), offer almost 30 original specialty sandwiches and house specials including a “secret sauce” (a garlic and olive oil blend) or “bomb sauce” (spicy!). $10 will get you a sandwich, chips, and a refillable drink! Beer and wine coming soon. They hope to open by Thursday January 8th or Friday the 9th! Open daily 10am-9pm (hours subject to change).
Marcia Gagliardi writes a popular weekly e-column about the SF dining scene, “the tablehopper.” Subscribe for free at www.tablehopper.com and get it in your inbox every Tuesday. Got news? Email Marcia at taste@sanfrancisco.travel.
the tablehopper | 6:15 pm | January 22, 2010 | Foodie 411 | Add a comment
Barbacco should hopefully be opening in mid-January (check their Twitter feed to keep up with the news). This casual lil’ sis of Perbacco is an “eno trattoria,” serving lunch and dinner. Chef-owner Staffan Terje created the menus, and chef Sarah Burchard (previously the sous at Perbacco and a big contributor to the fantastic salumi program) is co-creating and executing the menu. Lunch will have a seasonal and rotating selection of sandwiches, salads, baked pastas, salumi, and entrées that will also be available to go. Some examples include a roasted porchetta sandwich with grapes and grilled radicchio agro-dolce; fried ribollita; and a whipped salt cod sandwich with roasted tomato and arugula (I guess we’ll have to wait until the summer for that one).
For dinner, you can just swing by for a bite, like ascolane (fried olives stuffed with pork garnished with grated pecorino stagionato), or a more fulfilling meal, with dishes like Sicilian meatballs with braised chard, tomato and pinenuts, or hen egg occhio di bue (bullseye) on braised rapini, tomato, and ‘nduja. You’ll also be able to buy house-cured salumi and two-week-old olive oil imported directly from Italy.
Perbacco’s wine director, Mauro Cirilli, has chosen 100 wines by the glass, half of which will be available by the taste, glass, quartino, and mezzo, and all are going to be stored in temperature-controlled cases (hallelujah). The selection will focus on viticulturists embracing the philosophy of producing wine in a natural way—almost all of the wines will be biodynamic and will hail from Italy, its surrounding countries, as well as the North American West Coast, from California to British Columbia. There will also be draft beers from Anchor Brewing Company, 21st Amendment, and Magnolia breweries. The 66-seat eatery was designed by Cass Calder Smith (CCS Architecture), and includes a rich black marble bar for counter seating, a bright yellow wood beverage case, dark grain walnut deuces, and smaller communal tables. Lunch will be served Mon-Fri from 11am-3pm, and dinner Mon-Sat from 5pm-10pm. Take-out will also be available.
Marcia Gagliardi writes a popular weekly e-column about the SF dining scene, “the tablehopper.” Subscribe for free at www.tablehopper.com and get it in your inbox every Tuesday. Got news? Email Marcia at taste@sanfrancisco.travel.
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