the chatterbox
the word on the street
the lush
put it on my tab
the socialite
shindigs/feasts/festivals
the sugar mama
get some
the starlet
no photos please
the matchmaker
let's get it on

the sponsor
this round is on me

JUNE 2, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO Whoa, thanks to everyone who emailed me about the tablehopper "internship/apprentice" position. Now I need one to go through all the resumes for me, har. I'll get back to y'all soon!

This week is shaping up nicely: tonight I am going to check out the Tuesday night roast pig action at Betelnut, and then this Wednesday June 3rd is the tablehopper Sicilian wine and food tasting with Alex Fox at The Cheese School of San Francisco. James Stolich of CookWithJames just finalized the menu, and it's looking faboo: salumi and braised fennel crostini to pair with the bubbles, and then zucchini agrodolce with ricotta and peperoncino over bruschetta and pasta con le sarde to pair with the sit-down wines. Plus there will be some fantastic cheeses hand-chosen by Sara of The Cheese School, Castelvetrano olives, and more. The event got a nice write-up by my writer buddy Jordan Mackay at 7x7—ends up he's a huge fan of COS wines as well (the Cerasuolo di Vittoria was voted one of his 10 best wines of 2008). Cheers to that. Looking forward to hanging out with you! You can buy one of the last tickets here.

Other destinations on the docket: later this week I'll be heading over to East Bay (gasp!) to check out Pican, and then Sunday is Edible Pursuit #3 at Acme Chophouse, which I will be emceeing again. Did you get your team together? (Yup, I am bringing my little dinner bell to call "time!")

I also wanted to point yer eyeballs to a couple important events in the socialite this week: one is the annual CUESA springtime breakfast this Saturday, and the other is the upcoming SummerTini event for the CHEFS program, which is very near and dear to my heart. Both events help support two amazing organizations—please consider attending!

Lastly, after an entire weekend shut in writing restaurant recaps for my book manuscript, writing my SFCVB column, writing my ongoing Edible San Francisco column, and putting together a relatively chunky column this week, let's just I really don't have much juice for a full-blown review this week. Sorry, this month is kicking my butt, and will continue to do so with my looming book deadline. Too. Much. Writing. To. Do. (Trust me, I thought about going dark for June, but that wouldn't be very fun now, would it?)

Is it Wednesday yet? I am so ready for a glass of Cerasuolo. Or two.

Cin cin!
~Marcia (rhymes with Garcia)

MAY 12, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO ~E & O TRADING COMPANY~ suffered a (contained) fire on Thursday night in a duct above the grill. No one in the restaurant even noticed anything was wrong until a building neighbor noticed the fire and the sprinklers came on, so it wasn't some big dramatic scene or anything. But it was a full house when guests were asked to get up and leave. The fire damage will have the restaurant closed for a couple weeks—work has already started on repairing the ventilation ducts. Meanwhile, chef Arnold Wong and his chef de cuisine Sharon Nam are at the Larkspur location, rolling out the new menu. 314 Sutter St. at Grant, 415-693-0303.

I got a bunch more details about ~SIGHTGLASS COFFEE~, the upcoming coffee roastery opening in SoMa from brothers Jerad and Justin Morrison. As I mentioned last week, the brothers have ten years of experience, which includes roasting at Blue Bottle for two years and opening Four Barrel. The airy 4,000-square-foot space dates back to 1924, and has a 25-foot rustic cathedral ceiling (it used to house the Universal Sign Co.). It will be set up a bit differently than most coffee roaster-shop-cafés: instead of having the roaster action in the back or hidden away, here the process will be completely exposed and transparent, positioned up front and center. You'll be able to hang out and watch before heading to the back bar for your fix, which will be accessible from 360 degrees. There will be a Chemex brewing station, a chemist-designed coffee brewing process. The espresso menu will be pretty minimalist (mochas are currently being debated), and there will be some unique iced coffee offerings. Seating will be on a mezzanine with room for 60–70 people—it's also 14 feet up, offering a panoramic view of the space. There will be a cupping table, and up to 14 kinds of coffee for retail, both exceptional single-origin beans, and balanced and versatile blends. Food is TBD, but there will be something good, don't you worry. Look for an opening in late August, and you can follow their progress on Twitter. Can't wait to check this place out. 270 7th St at Folsom.

And don't say I didn't warn you. This could get dangerous: ~PHAT PHILLY~ just started delivery. They will be delivering nightly 5:30pm–10:30pm, with a $20 minimum. While the delivery radius is small to start (26th Street to 16th Street going from north to south, and Harrison to Castro going from east to west), they will be looking to grow their delivery boundaries in the next couple months—perhaps to all of Noe Valley, the Castro, the Mission, and possibly Potrero Hill. Alas (or thank god), no Western Addition, or I could be in trouble. Owner Isaac Mogannam wanted to let me know that if you live near a border of the delivery area, give them a call, and if it's slow they'll look into doing the delivery for ya. You can order over the phone and download a menu here. In the next few weeks customers will be able to place their complete order online and choose to pick up their food or have it delivered (you'll also be able to pay fully online, including gratuity). Oh yeah, and here's a new promo they're doing: Recession Sucks. Beer Doesn't! Which means PBR (in a can) is $2 all day, every day. Cheers. 3388 24th St. at Valencia, 415-550-7428.

Are there going to be any new restaurants? Hmmm. Maybe it's just a future of ~STREET FOOD, CARTS, BAR FOOD, AND POP-UP RESTAURANTS~. Most of it seems to be happening in the Mission. And they're all on Twitter. Here's the latest cart chasing you can do:

Left Coast Smoke is a mobile BBQ unit, servin' up pulled pork sandwiches at places like the 500 Club (Sunday afternoons), Shotwell's (Mondays from 6pm–8pm), and Thursdays for bingo night at the Knockout from 7:30pm–9:30pm. Follow details on their locations on Twitter.

In the mood for some rustic pies by bike basket? Then Bike Basket Pies is your answer. Mission Mission had the scoop (a la mode, naturalment) on flavors: "Strawberry-rhubarb, blueberry-mango-coconut, and mixed berry free-form rustic pies will be sold for $3." Twitter details here. Look for 'em in Dolores Park.

More bike action: Boccalone has launched the salumi cycle, delivering batches of panini at $8 a pop. According to the Twitter feed, one location for a drop-off of prosciutto panini was at Sutter and Montgomery, but looks like the location (and meats) will be changing… (And then there's this: Boccalone prosciutto ice cream is now available at Humphry Slocombe).

Just for sheer punk appeal, I give extra props to Gobba Gobba Hey for having the cleverest name (a rockin' Ramones reference). Heck, this California girl didn't even know what a gob was until Google had some answers (they're frosting-filled cakes that are popular in Philly, and are like whoopie pies). They look freaking delicious. According to the website, flavors include lemon and thyme, black cherry, and pistachio orange, and coming later this week, there will be carrot cake and orange cardamom gobs. Follow their tweets for the where. And buy one for me while you're at it, thanks.

And then there's Moo Moo Cakes, offering homemade organic ice cream sandwiches, popsicles, and ice cream. Mission Mission has a pic of the cute cart; Twitter location deets here (Levi's Plaza, Pier 23, and more).

Are you fat enough yet? You can take one day off from all the underground grubbin', because Ryan and Katharine at Broken Record are going to be closing the kitchen every Sunday—I am quite sure they could use the sleep.

So while we don't quite have LA's Kogi taco truck serving up Korean-Mexican mash-ups like kimchi burritos and the like, there are a couple places in the Financial District that are in on the act: first out of the gates was ~JOHN'S SNACK & DELI~. The popular kimchi burritos (filled with bulgogi beef or pork, kimchi, kimchi-fried rice, salsa, onions, lettuce, and hot sauce) are $5.95, and the tacos are $2.95. Oh yeah, and there's a kimchi kalbi beef soft taco ($4.25) that comes with kalbi (short rib) beef, sautéed kimchi, lettuce, salsa, onions, and cilantro. There are other daily Korean specialties as well, like soon doobu. 40 Battery St. at Pine, 415-434-4634.

A tablehopper reader wrote in to let me know ~GOLDEN GATE PERK INTERNET CAFé~ is also feeling the Korean-Mexican fever, and just started offering kimchi burritos with your choice of short ribs, spicy pork, or chicken ($6.50) and Korean tacos ($3). The burrito features meat, rice, cilantro-corn salsa, kimchi slaw, shredded romaine lettuce, sour cream, and a tangy citrus vinaigrette. Oh yes, and the kimchidilla ($5)—two types of cheese with kimchi, and the option of adding chicken. (If the kimchidilla isn't the apotheosis of stoner food, I don't know what is.) I gotta say, sign me up. 401 Bush St. at Kearny, 415-362-3929.

So we already know about the long long lines at Bi-Rite Creamery, and Three Twins Ice Cream is up and running in the Haight… And now we have renegade ~FLASH FREEZE~ sorbets and ice creams served out of Urban Bread (the ice cream maker, Flash, lives just down the street). Sorbet flavors include blackberry sage, pear cardamom, and pineapple thyme, and the ice creams are currently chocolate clove and salty dulce de leche. And how handy, Urban Bread is just on the other side of Dolores Park. Now we just need some sun, okay? Jeez. 3901 18th St. at Sanchez, 415-552-8378.

Oh yeah, and it seems ~MICHAEL RECCHIUTI~ is also making small batches of ice cream with a spiffy Italian machine, and is featuring the experimental flavors at a few places around town. If you go to Piccino, you'll find the debut of his current flavor: burnt caramel. Yeah, the guy knows a thing or two about caramel. (Funny how I never, ever get tired of his fleur de sel caramels.)

All this street food madness will be culminating in a ~STREET FOOD FESTIVAL~ (presented by La Cocina) on Saturday August 22nd. It's part of a longer week with Eat Real Festival in Oakland (more on that below). La Cocina's street food vendors (think El Huarache Loco's huaraches, Estrellita's Snacks' pupusas, Onigilly rice balls) in 10x10 tents with two items each, priced at about $3 and $8. There will also be four booths for non-profit partners with the SF underground street food scene (think Tamale Lady, bacon-wrapped hot dog folks, perhaps the crème brûlée cart guy, etc.) and eight spots for Bay Area restaurateurs playing by some street-food rules (like Poleng Lounge). There will be homemade drinks at the booths, plus a spirits, beer, and wine garden with cool bartenders. On top of all that, there will also be street music (think roving mariachis, the bucket drum guy) and a kids' area with Mission Pie. It will be free to get in, but tickets for munchin' are available ahead of time online at Brown Paper Tickets. Website and more details coming soon. Event updates, for now, via streetfoodsf on Twitter. And where will it be? Check this out: Folsom Street will be closed down from 25th to 26th Street. 11am–7pm.

Meanwhile, Oakland's ~EAT REAL FESTIVAL~ will take place at Jack London Square in Oakland from August 28th–30th. It's looking like it will be the country's first celebration of street food made with sustainably produced products. Highlights of the three-day event include the Good to Go Market (local produce and handmade foods straight from Bay Area farmers and purveyors), Street Eats (the Bay Area's top street food trucks and carts selling tacos, Vietnamese sandwiches, barbeque, hot dogs, ice cream, and more, all featuring select sustainable and local ingredients), plus handcrafted beers under one tent, cooking demos, an outdoor film festival of food flicks, and more. Eat Real Festival will also anchor a week of street-centered food events in the Bay Area, including a week's worth of fundraising dinners for several other Eat Real partner organizations. For complete information about the Eat Real Festival and about the ticketed events, please visit the site.

There has also been some excited talk about CUESA's ~UPCOMING THURSDAY MARKET AT THE FERRY BUILDING MARKETPLACE~. Your lunch just got really good, because there will be sustainable street food made with local produce, available from 10am–2pm. Confirmed sellers include Pizza Politana, 4505 Meats, RoliRoti (Thomas is developing a special beef sandwich just for this market), Laiola, Cap'n Mike's Holy Smoke SF-style lox sandwiches, Scream sorbet, Blue Bottle Coffee, Dirty Girl Produce, Tory Farms, Swanton Berry Farm, and Lucero Organic. Stand by for news about a few more farmers and a bakery! It all kicks off July 2nd. Ferry Building Marketplace.

Crime doesn't pay. After people started closing in on the ~MR. PICKLE SNATCHER~ (a pic of the condiment-packin' pickle in someone's house showed up on flickr), he has been returned!! Safe and sound, but now sportin' a jaunty red bandana (not sure about that color, hope it doesn't get him shot).

And now, some brick-and-mortar location updates:

Over in the Mission, ~STABLE CAFE~ now has a beer and wine license, which means they are open later into the evening and are offering a happy hour and tapas. Evening hours are Thu–Sat, with a happy hour from 4pm–8pm (the menu includes $4 beer, wine, sangria, and tapas plates). Hours will be extended in the future. They just kicked things off last Friday. 2128 Folsom St. at 17th St., 415-552-1199.

~HORATIUS~, the upcoming bistro and market in Potrero Hill, is slated to open on June 17th. The bistro menu will include soups, salads, and sandwiches, as well as a rotating selection of daily specials. The menu will be ever-changing, featuring cuisines and products from countries all over the world. For example, Portugal month would feature Portuguese wine, olive oil, tuna, cheese, and more. Horatius will just be open for lunch in the beginning, and will start dinner service later on. The menu will also be seasonal, and will use local, sustainable, and organic resources when available—pricing will attempt to balance the cost of artisanal ingredients and the current economic climate. It's small: there will be seven tables inside the bistro with additional sidewalk seating for a total of about 30 seats. Guests order at the counter, and there will also be pre-packaged foods under the Horatius name that are prepared on-site. Bistro hours: Mon–Sat 7am–3pm, and lunch entrées start at 11am. 350 Kansas St. at 16th St., 415-252-3500.

Meal deals for you…

~INCANTO~ has launched a cucina povera menu for every Sunday and Monday from now through August 31st. Three courses for $30 (or $39 with two wine pairings). It will change each week, featuring a different region for both the food and wines. 1550 Church St. at Duncan, 415-641-4500.

I have been meaning to check the ~ZINNIA~ burger out for some time, and now there is no excuse since they just launched a Burger & Brew special on Tuesdays through Thursdays at the bar. For $15, you get the grilled chuck and chorizo burger served on a Dutch crunch roll with Kennebec fries paired with a bottle of local beer. Snarf snarf. Beer selections may include Racer Indian Pale Ale from Healdsburg, Scrimshaw Pilsner from Fort Bragg, and Anchor Liberty from Oakland. Dinner is served! 500 Jackson St. at Montgomery, 415-956-7300.

More burgers: CUESA (The Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture) is hosting their ~SECOND ANNUAL GRILL FEST: BURGER CHALLENGE~. Four local chefs will be battling it out on the grills: Mark Sullivan of Spruce; Andrew Swallow of Mixt Greens; Taylor Boetticher of Fatted Calf; and Elizabeth Falkner of Orson. Chefs will be provided with all-natural grass-fed beef from Marin Sun Farms, and each will be creating a surprise side dish with ingredients they will individually source from the farmers' market the day of the event. Want to be a judge? There's one lucky guest spot that will be drawn by either signing up at the CUESA kitchen, or by email to sarah [at] cuesa [dot] org. A limited amount of mini-burgers will be available for audience members to enjoy for a $2 donation, all proceeds going to CUESA. Saturday June 27th, 11am–12:30pm. This event is first-come, first-served. Seating for 30 is available along with room to stand. South Driveway of the Ferry Building (adjacent to Prather, Blue Bottle, Fatted Calf).

Time for The Puerco Report:

There are a few slots available at ~RYAN FARR OF 4505 MEATS'S~ second round of sausage-making classes. You will make a chicken-beer sausage, chili and fennel pork sausage, and spicy chorizo. Each class is $70 and you will get to take home between five and six pounds of sausage you'll make (that's a lot of sausage). There will be chicharrones, drinks, 4505 hot dogs, and of course sausage for all to snack on at the end. There are two classes on June 7th: 10am–1pm, and 2pm–5pm. More deets and you can RSVP here.

Here's more on ~COCHON 555 SAN FRANCISCO~, the pig-tastic event on June 14th. The final line-up of chefs is Ryan Farr, 4505 Meats; Nate Appleman, A16/SPQR; Staffan Terje, Perbacco; Ravi Kapur, Boulevard; and Peter McNee, Poggio Trattoria. Each chef will each prepare a 100-pound heritage breed hog from head to toe for this friendly competition. Guests and professional judges will determine a winner based on presentation, utilization, and overall best flavor, and the winner will be crowned the "Prince of Porc." In addition, five selected winemakers will showcase their wines (Krupp Brothers, Hirsch Vineyards, Elk Cove Winery, Arcadian Winery, and K Vintners/Charles Smith's Wines). Each 100-pound pig can be pre-cooked, braised, grilled, pressed, pickled, rubbed, smoked, seared, sauced, spiced, injected, marinated, cured in any way, or otherwise prepared. Guests at the event will experience the chef creations during a 2.5-hour stand-up reception. Chef stations will alternate with winemaker tables. And hello, you don't want to arrive late for this event. The party starts at 5pm: Taylor Boetticher of Fatted Calf will break down a pig and do a porchetta demo. In addition to the chef stations, there will also be heritage beans from Rancho Gordo, dessert by Magnolia, and pig-infused truffles. And there will be an after-party at a location to be determined. Tickets are $145 per person. And I also have a sweet discount for you: tablehopper readers are allowed to use the industry discount code of "baconbits" for $30 off. RSVP required.

The VIP experience starts at 3:30pm, with a reserve wine tasting by five winemakers including Ghost Horse World, Chase Cellars, and more TBA, plus an artisan cheese reception. There will also be Domaine de Canton cocktails, pre-pig party snacks, beers from Magnolia, and guests can "meat and greet" with the chefs, winemakers, and judges of COCHON555. (This portion is $200). The Fairmont San Francisco, 950 Mason St. at California.

~LA CICCIA~ is preparing for their four-course suckling pig dinner on June 22nd. $75 per person for food and wine. 7pm. 291 30th St. at Church, 415-550-8114.

Michael Recchiuti has started an awesome series of events: ~THE TASTE PROJECT~. It's a multi-sensory tasting series that will feature unusual and unique sweet and savory chocolate pairings, hands-on cooking classes, and special culinary events. Tastings will include "Chocolate and Olive Oil" with Fran Gage, olive oil expert and cookbook author; "Spirits and Chocolate" with Lance Winters of St. George Spirits; "Beer and Chocolate" with Magnolia; and "Fungi and Chocolate" with Far West Fungi. A complete listing of classes including dates, locations, and class fees can be found online at recchiuti.com under Tasting Events. The series runs through September 19th. Most classes are $55 in advance.

Up in Larkspur, ~THE TAVERN AT LARK CREEK~ is opening this Thursday June 4th. I got to peek at the cocktail menu, and it includes some classics, like a Hemingway daiquiri, a pisco sour, and an aviation, all $9–$10. As for the menu, nothing will be over $15, and it includes a variety of bar bites (ratatouille hard-boiled egg, chicken liver mousse). On the regular menu, there is a cold lettuce soup with Parmesan broth-poached shrimp; Devil's Gulch Ranch rabbit terrine with a petite Waldorf salad and grilled bread; four salads; pastas like spaghetti with Monterey sardines, garlic, red chili flakes, and bread crumbs; roasted pork loin panino with tomato-bacon jam and frisée; rainbow trout with shaved asparagus and hazelnut sauce gribiche; some vegetarian options; and naturally, a Tavern burger (plus a veggie burger). 234 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur, 415-924-7766.

Over in the East Bay, here's an update on a couple beverage-oriented projects. Opening June 11th will be ~PENELOPE~, a lunch spot and bar in the business district of downtown Oakland. The space will have room for 25 inside, and 20 outside. Happy hour will be the first thing to start, at 4pm. There will be a rotating menu of hearty gastropub-influenced dishes available, like meatballs, mac and cheese made with local cheeses, and beer-braised short ribs. Since there's a full bar, there will be five–six specialty cocktails made with fresh ingredients ($7–$10). The bar will be well stocked, with a focus on Tequila. There will also be some beer from Linden Street Brewery, and California wines. The modern look will be natural-organic, with green materials; Lauren Geremia, who designed Taverna Aventine, Umami, and other spaces, is behind the design of this project, her first in the East Bay. The owner is Tung Tran, who was inspired to name the place after Penelope Cruz. (Let's hope she visits.) Lunch will launch a couple weeks later, with gourmet sandwiches and salads. Lunch hours will be 11am–2pm, and then 4pm until 10pm–11pm or so. 555 12th St. at Clay, Oakland, 510-529-5393.

I had a chance to speak with Alfonso Dominguez of Tamarindo, La Calle Asadero Mexicano, and FiveTenStudio to discuss ~ERA~, an upcoming gallery and bar project he is doing with Kevin Best of B Restaurant and Bar, and Gairy Jacques of Air. The 4,500-square-foot art bar will have two floors and two bars—downstairs will offer more of a gallery vibe while upstairs will be lounge-ier. There will be a full bar, plus some charcuterie available. Art will rotate every month or month and a half or so. The project is a couple months out. Hours will be 5pm–2am. 19 Grand Ave. at Broadway, Oakland.

And for you 510 folks, ~BERKELEY BOWL WEST~ is due to open this Thursday at 9am. It looks pretty slick. 922 Heinz St. at Eighth St., Berkeley, (no phone yet).

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

Come "Meet Your Maker" (of sustainably-produced, terroir-driven wines, that is) at the 6th annual Golden Glass Wine Event on June 21st at Fort Mason. Featuring over 100 international and local wine producers, the 2009 Golden Glass is a celebration of the best "good, clean, fair" wines from around the globe. Also on hand will be winners from the first Golden Glass Wine Competition, selected by a group of top world wine experts.

Fueling your international flight will be culinary delights from A16, Absinthe, Acquerello, Blue Bottle Coffee, Digs Bistro, Heaven's Dog, La Mar, RN74, Poggio Trattoria, SF Baking Institute, Slow Club, Stella Cadente, and Trattoria Corso, among many others!

Get your palate on and join us from 2pm–6pm at the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion. Order advance tickets here ($60, or Slow Food members: $55) or purchase at the door ($70); under 21 years of age, $20.

For more information, visit: thegoldenglass.com. Event proceeds benefit Slow Food San Francisco's initiatives.

JUNE 2, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO Gotta love free: there are complimentary wine tastings on Fridays at ~SPUNTINO~! Every Friday afternoon you'll be able to explore a different region, varietal, or producer at a casual, drop-in tasting. This Friday June 5th will feature the whites of Friuli, and next week (Friday June 12th) will be "Around the World with Sauvignon Blanc." All wines featured during the tastings are 10% off. 4pm–6pm. 1957 Union St. at Octavia, 415-931-6410.

Get your tickets: on Monday June 8th, Duggan McDonnell will be leading a ~PISCO CLASS AT CANTINA~, so you can learn the history of pisco and delve into its complex flavors while dining on the South American food of Guisell Osorios Sabores del Sur. Think empanadas and pisco punch. Causa and your creation. Guests will step behind the bar and live their bartender dreams to the fullest. And you can learn why his nickname is Shotzi. Tickets are $80, purchase them here. 580 Sutter St. at Mason.

On Sunday June 14th is the ~TAPAS~ (Tempranillo Advocates, Producers and Amigos Society) tasting, the most extensive annual tasting of domestically produced Spanish and Portuguese varietal wines in North America. From 10:30am–noon there will be a trade seminar (including a guided tasting and featured speaker Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard), and noon–1:30pm is a trade walk-around tasting, complimentary to members of the wine trade. Consumers can taste from 2pm–4:30pm (there will be over 30 participating wineries), and there will also be some food provided. Tickets for the consumer tasting are $35 in advance, available online at tapas2009.eventbrite.com or $45 at the door. Fort Mason Center.

~CORTEZ RESTAURANT AND BAR~ is offering a $10 bar bite and cocktail menu from 5pm–7pm nightly. You can choose a cocktail and an item from the new Bar Bite menu for just ten bucks. They have also started "Tipsy Tuesdays," where you can order any bottle of wine at 50% off. 550 Geary St. at Jones, 415-292-6360.

~THE TYLER FLORENCE SHOP~ in Mill Valley has started a bi-monthly author event program, and next Thursday June 11th Doug "Bix" Biederbeck will be in for his new book, BIXOLOGY. Doug will be having a conversation with Tyler about the book, signing books, and demonstrating the "perfect" martini and bloody Mary a la Bix. RSVPs are requested at 415-380-9200 or email at rsvp [at] tylerflorence [dot] com. 6pm–8pm. 59 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley.

(Oh, and this isn't lush news, but if you're a big TyFlo fan, he'll be a celeb guest and is donating a private dinner for 12 to be auctioned off at the ~ONE BIG TABLE SUMMER DINNER~ on June 10th at the Hotel Kabuki to benefit the Food Bank. Here's the link and details.)

CUESA's Spring Breakfast Fundraiser
Sat. June 6th, 2009

Dacor teaching kitchen
North Arcade
Ferry Building
San Francisco, CA 94111

website
415-291-3276 x103

8:30am and 11:30am seatings

Tickets are $30.
$15 per child 3–13.

Buy tickets here.

JUNE 2, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO This Saturday is ~CUESA'S ANNUAL SPRING BREAKFAST FUNDRAISER~. This springtime breakfast will be prepared by Hayes Street Grill and CUESA's market chef. Farmers and food artisans will be at the table to share stories about the food they grow and make.

Check out the delicious springtime buffet menu:

~ Farm-fresh scrambled eggs with fava beans, green garlic, and peas or wild mushrooms from Hayes Street Grill
~ Roasted potatoes with fresh herbs
~ Fatted Calf mini breakfast links
~ Blueberry pancakes
~ Market lettuce, shaved radish, and chive blossom salad
~ Fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, and blueberries with crème fraîche, yogurt, and honey
~ Warm breakfast pastries and bread
~ Artisan cheeses, handmade jams
~ Coffee, tea, and juice

There are tickets remaining for the 8:30am and 11:30am seatings.

The fundraiser will help keep the cooking programs free, farm tours affordable, and expand CUESA's reach in promoting a sustainable food system.

SummerTini
Fri. June 19th, 2009

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
701 Mission St.
Cross: 3rd St.
San Francisco, CA

website
415-487-3736

6pm–9pm

Tickets are $100.
$75 for guests 35 and under.

Buy tickets.

JUNE 2, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO ~SUMMERTINI~ is just a couple of weeks away! SummerTini is the fifth annual benefit for CHEFS (Conquering Homelessness through Employment in Food Service). The CHEFS program is part of Episcopal Community Services, and provides culinary training and employment placement for homeless adults in San Francisco. More than 80 percent of CHEFS graduates find work in restaurants, hotels, and nursing homes.

SummerTini showcases specialty hors d'oeuvres from San Francisco's top restaurants, infused martinis, and alcohol-free creations. The event features a live auction (GREAT deals to be found, folks, including restaurant certificates!), raffles, signature-infused Ciroc and Tanqueray No. Ten martinis, and hors d'oeuvres from Ducca, Sens, Thirsty Bear, E & O Trading Company, LarkCreekSteak, the Plant Cafe Organic, Millennium, Poleng Lounge, Hayes Street Grill Bar & Grill, Kuleto's, Roots, Havana Cuban Cuisine, Home of Chicken and Waffles, 4505 Meats, Pralines by Yvonne, King of Mushrooms, and Sukhi's Indian Cuisine.

Make this your Friday night happy hour and help fight homelessness in our city with one of the most effective programs I've ever seen. Eric Tucker, executive chef of Millennium restaurant and a driving force behind SummerTini, sees the benefit of the program firsthand. "The CHEFS program provides a great service to the community. It transforms lives! As an instructor who has worked with the students, I can vouch for the program's offering tangible job skills in the food service industry, as well as giving the students hope and confidence in themselves."

Best of the Bay Area Party 09
Thu., June 25th, 2009

Metreon CityView, 4th floor
101 4th St.
Cross: Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94103

website

VIP 6pm–11pm
main event 7pm–11pm

VIP: $175 advance
You pay only $160
(promo code: TBLHPPRVIP)

Main event: $100 advance
You only pay $90
(promo code: TBLHPPR)

Promo code runs 6/2–6/16.

Buy tickets.

JUNE 2, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO It's time for the annual San Francisco magazine hootenanny: this will be the ninth annual ~BEST OF THE BAY AREA PARTY~, and it's in a new venue! Join San Francisco magazine as they toast the best people, places, and things that make the Bay Area the best place to live, work, and play. Enjoy free-flowing bars, tables of hors d'oeuvres plus entertainment, and dancing all night—there also seems to be a lot of flirting that goes on (hey, you get 1,600 people together and something is bound to happen).

There will be more than 40 restaurants, including Waterbar, Fifth Floor, La Folie, and Kara's Cupcakes; free flowing bars with signature cocktails, Trumer Pils beer, and the Sonoma Valley Grapes & Wine lounge.

There is a special tablehopper discount code (see side column), valid from June 2nd–16th. BUY EARLY! Tickets sell out days before the event, and the event has room for 500 fewer guests this year. Your tickets must be purchased before June 16th to get this discount and are based on availability.

The event helps support one of San Francisco's most respected nonprofit organizations, Family House. Buy raffle tickets for $10 each or three for $20. Enter the raffle to win one of three great getaways. Or make a donation: $65 provides care and comfort for a family for one week. Buy raffle tickets or donate now at sanfranmag.com.

Produced by Dominic Phillips Event Marketing.

JUNE 2, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO This week I have three copies of Fran Gage's latest book to give away to three lucky tablehopper readers, The New American Olive Oil. All you need to do is forward this week's tablehopper newsletter to one buddy, but even more would be so very fabulous. Just tell your friend(s) why they would dig a subscription to the tablehopper e-column (if you call it a blog, you are disqualified, I am so not kidding!), or point out an event or happening from my column that you think your friend would like. Simply CC or BCC luckyme [at] tablehopper [dot] com so I know you sent it—I promise I won't use anyone's email address.

Deadline to enter is midnight Sunday June 7th—I'll notify the winners next week.

You should also know Fran will be doing an extra-virgin olive oil tasting and book signing at Book Passage in Corte Madera this Saturday June 6th, plus an event at The Tyler Florence Shop in Mill Valley on June 25th. You can learn more about her upcoming events and book signings here.

JUNE 2, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO Robert Redford had lunch yesterday at Spruce—he dined with two others and enjoyed a panino from the café. It was overheard that he would like to come back for dinner. We shall see…

A Dogpatch reader writes in: "Filmmaker John Waters (and his VERY tiny moustache) were dining at Serpentine [last] Friday night... He takes that moustache everywhere."

And not too far away, Ricki Lake was at Orson for a party.

Jane Lynch (Best in Show, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) had Sunday brunch at Zuni, and she was seen having lunch on Monday at Calzone's in North Beach.

Goldie Hawn was spotted at Citizen Cake.

JUNE 2, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO Andrew Freeman & Co., a small full service boutique agency specializing in hospitality and restaurants, is currently looking to hire a Public Relations Account Manager. AFCO is looking for upbeat, motivated, self-starters, with mid-high level experience in public relations, preferably with a hospitality background, that have the ability to manage multiple accounts. The position offered is freelance to permanent, depending on performance. To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to Michelle [at] andrewfreemanandco [dot] com.