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Aug 4, 2009 5 min read

August 4, 2009

August 4, 2009
Table of Contents



On Wednesday August 12th, be sure to come by the Ferry Building for the ~SUMMER FARMERS' MARKET COCKTAIL NIGHT~, when The Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) and the San Francisco Chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild host this special boozy evening. Botanical-themed spirits will be paired with summer produce (think berries and peaches). For $30, guests will enjoy two full-sized signature cocktails made with Square One Botanical, along with 12 other sample-sized drinks featuring Beefeater 24 Gin, Bols Genever, Chartreuse, Galliano, and Plymouth Gin.

Bites will be provided by local restaurants like Globe/Zuppa (Prather Ranch BBQ short rib sandwich), Boulevard (rib sandwiches), Chez Papa Resto (mini fresh fig tarts with pistou, goat cheese, and rosemary oil), Laiola (crostini with house-made ricotta and nectarine conserve), and MarketBar (wild shrimp and zucchini ceviche). Participating bartenders include: H. Joseph Ehrmann from Elixir, Brian MacGregor from Jardinière, Krista Silva from Rickhouse, Josh Harris of Bon Vivants, Parker Heineman from Pacific Catch, Scott Baird from 15 Romolo, Ryan Hazen from Bourbon & Branch, Jackie Patterson from Heaven's Dog, Darren Crawford from Tony Nik's, Brooke Arthur from Range, Gabriel Lowe from Beretta, Greg Lindgren from Rye and Rosewood, and Alicia Walton from Elixir. $30. Buy tickets here. 5:30pm–7:30pm. The event takes place in the kitchen in the North Arcade in front of the Ferry Building.

And then on Friday August 14th, bartender and author Scott Beattie and Lou Bustamante of Hangar One/St. George Spirits are hosting a ~SEASONAL COCKTAIL EVENT~. Beattie will talk about seasonal cocktails and teach the group how to make two summertime drinks from his book, the Blackberry Lick and the Westside Bellini. Instruction will include side recipes, garnish how-to, foams, and rim sugars and salts. Drinks will feature St. George/Hangar One spirits and fresh, seasonal fruit from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Each guest will have hands-on time with Scott. Lou will be on hand to talk about the distilling process and products made by St. George/Hangar One. CUESA Market Chef Sarah Henkin will give a short demo on pickled garnishes for cocktails. All profits after expenses for the class will generously be donated to CUESA. $40 per person includes two signature cocktails, hands-on instruction, snacks, and tastes. Book for sale for $25. Class limited to 40 participants. Buy tickets here. 5:30pm–7:30pm. Ferry Building, CUESA Dacor Teaching kitchen located in the North Arcade.



Had a chance to get some details on ~SLOANE~, the new bar opening in the completely gutted Le Duplex space in SoMa. The owners are Dane Zuccaro, a consultant in the food and beverage industry (who conceptualized and designed the venue), and Cass Fegan, who helped open Fluid. The place has a new look, with 20-foot ceilings, wood beams, a brick wall, plus a wall and bar of redwood. The front door is an oversize wood door from Paris, and is 14-feet tall. The long and narrow space will have room for about 10 seats at the bar, with a back bar of steel lit with LED lights. A number of features in the restaurant are custom, with an overall industrial-masculine style. The 12 cocktails will feature fresh juices and ingredients, but aren't going to be artisanal/super-crafted in style. There will be bottle service (15 kinds to choose from) on the weekends at the eight tables, the only tables in the house (a deal breaker for me, but I know some people like bottle service). Some tables are located on the main floor and others are in the VIP mezzanine level (the DJ booth is up there too). It's $200 for a bottle (your first), and you can then order individual drinks afterwards if you'd like. Smokers will discover there's a smoking lounge that has a three-story sky well. There will be a varied music program with DJs, but please note there isn't a dancefloor. The bar will be open for the soft opening a couple weeks prior to the grand opening on August 29th. 1525 Mission St. at 11th St., 415-621-7007.

Not sure where he has gone off to, but Marco Dionysos has departed ~CLOCK BAR~. Here's who is new behind the stick: Steven Liles, fresh from Boulevard, where he presided over the bar for several years, and Robert Gonzalez, who has recently tended bar at Eastside West, Lingba Lounge, and Butterfly Restaurant. Lobby of The Westin St Francis hotel, 335 Powell St. at Geary, 415-397-9222.



As for the winos, I thought this meal sounded like quite the steal: on Monday August 17th, importer Raphael Knapp will be hosting a special dinner at ~LA FOLIE~. The reception begins at 6:30pm in the Lounge, with three passed hors d'oeuvres and a glass of Bordeaux Blanc 2008 from Chateau Cazat-Beauchene, and then dinner starts at 7pm. The menu includes an amuse bouche; Brentwood Farms sweet corn soup with crispy sweetbreads, lobster, and summer truffles or Smith Ranch Farms heirloom tomato and beet salad or seared day boat scallop, served with a glass of Vouvray 2007 from Sylvain Gaudron. For the next course, you can choose either roasted Hawaiian butterfish, Liberty Farms duck breast, or roasted Emigh Farms lamb rack served with a glass of Pomerol, Chateau La Truffe 2005. For dessert, there's locally grown summer berries millefeuille, or Valhrona bittersweet chocolate and passion fruit bombe, served with a glass of Demoiselles Coiffees, Cotes du Ventoux Rosé 2007, and petit fours to finish. To make your reservation, contact the restaurant. 2316 Polk St. at Green, 415-776-5577.

On Sunday August 23rd is the 19th Annual ~FAMILY WINEMAKERS OF CALIFORNIA~ tasting at Fort Mason, one of the most comprehensive tastings of California wine in the world, with 360 wineries. Most wineries in attendance are high-end and small production (under 5,000 cases per year) wineries from a variety of regions around California, including Napa, Sonoma, Sierra Foothills, Paso Robles, Mendocino, and more. Tickets are $50 per person in advance, $45 per person if ordered in groups of 10 or more, and $60 per person at the door. Purchase tickets here or call 877-772-5425. Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason Center.

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