the chatterbox
the word on the street
the regular
it's about time we met
the socialite
shindigs/feasts/festivals

the sponsor
this round is on me

SEPTEMBER 4, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Hello dear readers! Sorry I’m running late today. I hope you had a swell holiday weekend.

Welcome home, fellow burners! I returned to civilization late last night after nine days in the desert, all dusty, exhausted, and with a huge smile brimming in my heart. This was my sixth year at Burning Man, and I am ever grateful for the experience—it’s always different, always powerful. A lot to take in. I’ll share some highlights next week, but for now, I have a LOT of cleanup to do, so I am signing off! There are 500 emails in my inbox, so excuse me if I don’t get back to you until later this week…

~Marcia

SEPTEMBER 4, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO

This should help you ease into your Mondays: The Seasons Bar & Lounge at the Four Seasons has launched ~COCKTAILS FOR A CAUSE~, running from August 6–October 1 on Monday evenings between 5:30pm–7:30pm. Specialty cocktails are $14, and will include a weekly changing (and from what I hear generous) bite from Seasons Restaurant. A portion of the price of every specialty cocktail purchased will go to the Four Seasons Employee Charity of Choice (determined by the Giving Committee)—in August, Avon Walk for Breast Cancer was the beneficiary of the funds. Four Seasons Bar, Lounge and Living Room, 757 Market St. at Grant, 415-633-3838.

And since I am leaving this section so darned empty (oh, the guilt!), here’s a link below to some more reading for you! I was recently a guest on the ~GLAMNEST~ blog (thanks to my swell gal pal, Erika Lenkert) and she asked me to write up my top ten fave restaurants in SF. I actually did a little spin on the assignment, and wrote up my dream ten-course meal tablehopping around SF. (Yes, there is a super burrito in that list.) You can check out my gut-busting itinerary here (I really don’t recommend anyone try to do this). While you’re there, the GlamNest blog is a fun one to read, with all kinds of lifestyle tips and spiffy links and guest writers, like yours truly!

Got a hot tip? You know I'd love it (and you). Just reply to this email!

Ghirardelli Square hosts their ~12th Annual Chocolate Festival~ in conjunction with Presenting Sponsor Safeway, benefiting Project Open Hand, on September 8 and 9, from noon to 5:00 p.m. each day. The weekend-long chocolate extravaganza celebration provides festival-goers an opportunity to indulge in countless chocolate delicacies and decadent desserts from renowned San Francisco Bay Area establishments.

Activities include tastings from over 30 vendors, a Wine & Chocolate Bar, Chef Demonstrations, a Children’s Activity Area, live musical entertainment, and the famous Earthquake Ice Cream Sundae Eating Contest!

The event is free and open to the public; however tickets must be purchased to participate in chocolate tastings. Tickets are $10 for 6 tickets and $20 for 15 tickets. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.ghirardellisq.com.

Ironwood BBQ
Golden Gate Park Golf Course
47th St.
Cross: Fulton St.
San Francisco, CA 94121

415-751-8987
website

Tue–Sun 11am–7pm

Sandwiches $5.50–$7.50
House plates $12

SEPTEMBER 4, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO I am so not a golfer. But I can definitely appreciate the charms of having a Memphis-style BBQ lunch outside, overlooking a nice green in the middle of Golden Gate Park. With an ice-cold Anchor Steam beer. Yeah, not too shabby.

The next time it’s a sunny day and you’re craving a little in-city escape, ~IRONWOOD BBQ~ is a fun little adventure—just pull off 47th Street into Golden Gate Park and soon enough you’ll see it. Order inside, and then grab a table on the outdoor patio and watch the golfers whack away while you get messy with some ribs. It’s a downright peaceful setting, with lots of fresh air.

The BBQ smoker they use here is pretty serious: there are only three John Willingham Wham Turbo BBQ Pits on the West Coast, and Bill Gates owns of ‘em. (There’s more about the pit on the site for you BBQ-phreeks.) At Ironwood, they dry rub pork roast, beef brisket, ribs, and chicken, then refrigerate the meat overnight so the seasoning can permeate, and then slow cook everything with pure oak wood the next day.

You can get baby back ribs (1/2 rack for $13/full rack for $22), or there are the house plates ($12), with your choice of a 1/2 pound of either pulled pork, chicken, or beef brisket with two sides, like scalloped potatoes, baked beans, or cole slaw. My friend and I particularly liked the tasty BBQ sauce they make with Anchor Steam beer. All the sides are made fresh daily, and while they weren’t the best scalloped potatoes I’ve ever had, I appreciated the home-cooked touch. There are also some house-baked goods, like muffins and dessert for those of you with a sweet tooth.

Owner Bruce Olsen is a really friendly guy, in fact everyone here is. Bruce mentioned they will be enclosing the patio in the winter, so even on a chilly day, if the mood for some ‘cue strikes, you’ll be able to eat outside comfortably. And kudos to them for using biodegradable silverware and recycled plates. Get those napkins ready!

CUESA Sunday Supper
Sun., Sep. 30, 2007

Ferry Building Marketplace
San Francisco, CA

website

Reception 6pm
Dinner 7:30pm

Reception only $50
Dinner $175

SEPTEMBER 4, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Coming up is one of the best chef events of the year: the annual ~CUESA Sunday Supper~ fundraiser. A four-course dinner will be served in the Ferry Building's Grand Hall ($175 includes dinner and reception), plus they are offering a reception-only ticket for $50. In the North Hall on the ground floor of the Ferry Building, 15 Bay Area chefs will prepare bite-sized appetizers. Bison Brewery will pour organic beer, Hangar One Vodka will create a special farmers' market cocktail, and four wineries will offer their local libations. There will also be a cool raffle too! Click here  to see the lineup of fab chefs—it’s a doozy.