Spreken Zie Deutsch? Or Parlez-Vous Français?

the tablehopper | 3:02 pm | January 7, 2009 | Foodie 411

Christiane Schmidt of the popular German outpost in the Mission, Walzwerk, and her boyfriend, furniture designer and architect David Pierce, will together be launching Schmidt’s Deli. The combination German deli, bar, café, restaurant, and store will be serving German beer (both bottled and five–six on draught, with more later), wine, coffee, baked goods, and yes, sausages—eventually ten kinds in all. The shop will sell authentic German items, like chocolate and jams. The deli/restaurant will open for lunch first, serving items like schnitzel, onion cake, salads, soups, spaetzle, and three–four kinds of sausages, and eventually for dinner (probably 11am–11pm). There are about 49 seats, with ten spots at the bar. Initial hours are looking like Mon–Fri 11:30am–2:30pm, and the opening is slated for mid-January.

• 2400 Folsom at 20th St.

Want to brush up on your knowledge of Frenchie wines? Another session of Les Vins De France, taught by Raphael Knapp at the Alliance Française is starting on January 20th. The classes are as follows: Champagne (class 1 and 2), Alsace (class 3 and 4), and Loire Valley (class 5 and 6). The classes run from 7pm-8:30pm on Tuesday evenings, and are taught in French and English to make sure to everybody is following (one goal is that people learn about French wine expressions and terms).

Class 1: Jan 20th, Class 2: Jan 27th, Class 3: Feb 3rd, Class 4: Feb 10th, Class 5: Feb 17th, no class on Feb 24th, Class 6: Mar 3rd.

$255 for the series (roughly $50 per class). Tuition for six lectures includes well-selected wine tastings. Students with particular interests in certain regions have the option to choose a partial enrollment, with a two-class minimum for a pro-rated fee. Space is limited. To register, call the Alliance Française at 415-775-7755.

• 1345 Bush St. at Polk.

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.