November 17, 2009

If you have the ducats, there’s a special four-course white truffle dinner in honor of H. William Harlan and the 25th anniversary of Harlan Estate at ~POGGIO~ on Thursday November 19th. There will also be an auction featuring wines from Harlan Estate and special travel and dinner packages (partial proceeds from the auction benefit The James Beard Foundation). 6:30pm. $500 per guest. For information and reservations, call Susanne Cullen at 415-354-8307. 777 Bridgeway, Sausalito.

Coming up on Saturday afternoon on November 21st is ~PINOTFEST~, which is in its eleventh year. The pinot noir bacchanalia returns to Farallon Restaurant, with an extensive tasting of pinot noirs from over 50 of Oregon and California’s best producers. In addition, the afternoon features hors d’oeuvres to complement the wines (last year’s spread included foie gras torchon on brioche and truffled grilled cheese sandwiches), plus the opportunity to meet the winemakers. Participating wineries include: Adelsheim, Alma Rosa, Argyle, Au Bon Climat, Bonaccorsi, Brewer Clifton, Byron, Calera, Cambria, Chehalem, Cobb, Costa de Oro, Domaine Drouhin, Domaine Serene, El Molino, Etude, Failla, Fiddlehead, Flowers, Fort Ross, Foxen, Freestone, Gloria Ferrer, Greenwood Ridge, Handley, Hartford, Hendry, Hitching Post, Iron Horse, J Vineyards, Keller Estate, Kosta Browne, Littorai, Londer, Lynmar, Marimar Torres, Melville, Merry Edwards, Michaud, Morgan, Patz & Hall, Paul Hobbs, Peay, Pey-Marin, Ponzi, Rex Hill, Radio Coteau, Saintsbury, Robert Sinskey, Siduri, Skewis, Soter, Talisman, Talley, Testarossa, Thomas Fogarty, Whitcraft, and Williams Selyem. 3pm–6pm. Admission to the event is $100 per person. In the week leading up to the tasting (November 15th–21st), Farallon will also feature flights of pinot noir from several of the participating wineries in the restaurant, and a special five-course chef’s tasting menu paired with pinot. For tickets, click here or call 415-956-6969. 450 Post St. at Powell.

There is quite the party next Tuesday the 24th at ~15 ROMOLO~: a night of Tequila and Tacos, Mustaches and Mariachi. Five brands, including Partida, Don Julio, Tequila Ocho, and Tecate will be in the casa, and there will be specialty cocktails costing $6–$8, small Mexican munchies, and musica! 6pm–9pm. 15 Romolo at Broadway, 415-398-1359.

Last week I mentioned a special Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon winemaker dinner at ~COI~: the date has been moved to Monday December 1st. To recap, Grahm will be reading from his new book, Been Doon So Long, in between courses and pairings. You can peek at the special menu here. 6pm. $175 (inclusive of tax and gratuity). 373 Broadway at Montgomery, 415-393-9000.