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Jan 11, 2010 7 min read

January 12, 2010 - virtually speaking.

January 12, 2010 - virtually speaking.
Table of Contents

This week's tablehopper: virtually speaking.

Yo. Well, if all goes according to plan, you are receiving this while I am getting tan on a beach in Goa. I hope that’s exactly what is happening.

Regards from India,

Marcia Gagliardi


the chatterbox

Gossip & News (the word on the street)

Curry Village Opening in the Sunset

I wasn’t able to pin down an actual date before my departure, and am sorry I won’t be there for the opening, but am very happy that Kamal Barbhuyan and Nimmi Bano’s CURRY VILLAGE will be opening soon—it should be sometime this week. I loved their food immensely when they were at Little Delhi in the Tenderloin, and now they have their very own new place in the former Cha-Ya space in the Sunset. The menu will include a variety of tandoori dishes, with many vegetarian options. They are also going to be offering a variety of wraps (barbecue chicken, lamb, and vegetable) in garlic naan. I can’t wait to try their biryani—Kamal is very proud of it. There will be a buffet on Friday, and brunch Sat-Sun from 11:30am-3:30pm.

Curry Village            - 1386 9th Ave. San Francisco - 415-731-2388

Industry Special on Sunday and Monday at Il Cane Rosso

Just a little reminder that on the third Sunday and Monday of every month (so that means Sunday January 17th and Monday January 18th), industry staffers may enjoy a complimentary beverage of choice (wine, beer, or non-alcoholic) with the $25, three-course nightly supper at IL CANE ROSSO. If you bring your own bottle to dinner on the third Sunday/Monday, corkage will be waived. Cheers!

Il Cane Rosso            - One Ferry Building, #41 San Francisco - 415-391-7599

Your Chance to Save the Deli, Again!

Did you miss author David Sax of Save the Deli the last time he was in town? Well, he will be at the JCCSF in January! Here’s more: “Journalist and lifelong deli obsessive David Sax is alarmed. He asserts that assimilation, homogenization and health food trends are killing our delis. This wildly funny, energetic investigation into the zeigeist of the deli should become a rallying cry for food lovers. Bay Area readers will delight in the chapter titled ‘I Left My Kishkes in San Francisco.’ Expect a delicious surprise!”

               Thursday Jan 28, 2010 8pm $15 member; $18 public; $10 students more info

Room to Read Fundraiser

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From RoomtoRead.org.

A big Parties That Cook cooking party fundraiser for the nonprofit Room To Read is coming up (the goal is to raise $25k!). Room To Read partners with local communities throughout the developing world to provide quality educational opportunities by establishing libraries, creating local language children’s literature, constructing schools, and providing education to girls. To date, they have built 7,526 libraries and 832 schools.

The fundraiser is on February 4th at Crushpad, who is donating wine and their incredible venue for the event, and Whole Foods is donating some of the groceries. The evening will involve wine tasting, cooking small plates and will end with Room to Read founder John Wood telling you his incredible story.

Here is the menu featuring regional dishes from the countries Room to Read serves:

Indian-spiced lamb burgers with cucumber raita (India) Peanut and coconut pot stickers with sweet and spicy soy dipping sauce (Vietnam) Lettuce cups with gingery pork and shiitake mushrooms (Vietnam) Grilled shrimp skewers with mint-jalapeno sauce (Indonesia) Veggie curry cups with basmati rice (India) Chicken skewers with spicy peanut sauce (Nepal) Bacon-wrapped plums filled with blue cheese and balsamic-honey glaze (US) Curried flatbread with mango-currant chutney (India) Coconut cupcakes with coconut cream frosting (fusion)

If you are unable to make it, please consider making a donation and list “Cooking for a Cause” to help Parties That Cook meet their $25k goal.  One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to Room to Read.

               Thursday Feb  4, 2010 5:45pm–9pm $95 more info

Did Someone Say Dinner Special?

Sure, it’s a new year, but our finances haven’t bounced back just yet. Ahem. Fortunately CHOUQUET’S has launched two new specials to help with our dining expenses. Diners can enjoy a French three-course dinner (appetizer, entrée, and a dessert) for $29.95 per person every night from 5:30pm-7pm. Also, on Mondays all bottles of wine are 50% off. Salud!

Chouquet's            - 2500 Washington St. San Francisco - 415-359-0075

And Here's a Special in the 510

Hey, the 510-ers need to save dough too! BELLANICO in Oakland is running a four-course menu for $24 (hence its nickname of “Four for Twenty Four”). The menu is available Sunday through Thursday, and it changes weekly (no substitutions). An easy way to keep up on the menu changes is through their Twitter feed. One week it included house-smoked tombo tuna crostini; potato gnocchi in Gorgonzola cream with Treviso radicchio; Duroc pork saltimbocca; and bomboloni (Florentine-style doughnuts) with espresso custard for dessert. 4238 Park Blvd. Oakland, 510-336-1180.

In A Cheesemaker's Kitchen

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Meet cheesemaker and author Allison Hooper of Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery at THE PASTA SHOP: FOURTH STREET to celebrate her new book (In a Cheesemaker’s Kitchen) and explore artisan California and Vermont cheeses during a panel discussion, tastings, and a book signing. There will be participating artisan cheesemakers from: Bellwether Farms, Cellars of Jasper Hill; Cowgirl Creamery; Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese; and Vermont Creamery. Cheeses will be complemented by local artisan products from Katz & Company, Paneforte Company, and Rustic Bakery.

5pm-6pm: panel discussion with Jill Giacomini Basch, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese; Lynne Devereux, California Artisan Cheese Guild; Allison Hooper, Vermont Creamery; Peg Smith, Tomales Bay Foods/Cowgirl Creamery; Sandy Sonnenfelt, The Pasta Shop.

6pm-7pm: tasting of Vermont and California artisan cheeses, products, and recipes from In a Cheesemaker’s Kitchen.

Coinciding with this book signing, Café Rouge, next door, will offer special menu items featuring Vermont Creamery cheeses (January 15th-17th), 510-525-1440.

18 REASONS is also hosting an 18th Hour: Wine & Goat Cheese Pairing with Allison Hooper of Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery on Thursday January 14th from 7pm-9pm.

               Friday Jan 15, 2010 5pm–7pm No charge except for purchases. more info

The Pasta Shop: Fourth Street            - 1786 4th St. Market Plaza, Berkeley - 510-250-6004

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the sponsor

This Round Is On Me... (hey, thanks!)

(Sponsored): Register Now for the Fancy Food Show

Start off the New Year by attending the 35th Winter Fancy Food Show—the largest specialty food show in the West Coast.

It’s happening this month, from January 17th to the 19th at the Moscone Center. The Show features over 1,500 exhibitors and showcases more than 80,000 food and beverage products. It is also regarded as one of the best ways to uncover new trends, tastes, and products.

Register today!


the lush

Bar News & Reviews (put it on my tab)

LIOCO Winemaker Dinner at Spruce

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From liocowine.com.

I’m a fan of food-friendly LIOCO wines—this dinner at SPRUCElooks like a great way to savor a bunch of them at once! From the event announcement: “LIOCO is the result of an ongoing conversation between Matt Licklider, a seasoned wine import
 specialist, and Kevin O’Connor, former wine director at Michelin two-star Spago-Beverly Hills, about
 whether California could produce a true wine of origin. They have sought out some of the best vineyard 
sites in California, with the belief that a strong vineyard produces better wine. Inspired by the traditional
 winemaking practices of Europe, they chose to make the wine with as little intrusion as possible. The two
 were curious to see if the same methods of production were adhered to in both the cellar and the
 vineyards, would there be differences in the final wine? The results speak for themselves. The wines are 
true, honest, and show tipicity. This dinner will highlight some of the top vineyards in California for
 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

”

The menu:

Grilled Striped Bass / Lobster Tortelli / Tahitian Pomelo Chardonnay, Durell Vineyard 2007
; Chardonnay, Heitz Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 2006

Roasted Pancetta-Wrapped Squab / Caramelized Turnips with Savory / Preserved Plums Indica, Mendocino County 2008

Roasted and Cured Becker Lane Pork / Italian Butter Beans / Spiced Caramelized Quince Michaud Pinot Noir, Chalone Appellation, Monterey County 2007; 
Klindt Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley 2007

Farmstead Cheese Chardonnay, Charles Heitz, Late Harvest 2006

               Monday Jan 18, 2010 6:30pm $130, exclusive of tax and gratuity more info

Spruce            - 3640 Sacramento St. San Francisco - 415-931-5100

Beer Week Is Coming, and It's Gonna Be a Rager

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San Francisco Beer Week 2010 (AKA SFBW10) is set for February 5th-14th. There’s quite the range of events coming together. Here’s a glimpse: beer dinners at The Republic, Beretta, Monk’s Kettle, Cafe Biere, and The Boilerhouse; the Beer-Chef’s beer and chocolate dinner on Treasure Island; an opportunity to Meet the Brewer: Russian River Brewing Co. Brewmaster Vinnie Cilurzo is doing a doubleheader at Toronado followed by Pi Bar; tastings of Italian beer at Delarosa, cheese and beer at Rogue Public House, sour beer and bitter chocolate at City Beer Store, Spanish cheese and cask-conditioned beer at ThirstyBear; a brewery Tour at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Co.; a homebrewing demonstration at Jack’s Brewing Co.; and a beer-cocktail party at 15 Romolo. And kicking it all off is the SF Brewers Guild Opening Gala on February 5th at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, featuring 50 of the rarest, most creative beers from Northern California breweries. There will be guest breweries, food vendors, and music acts.

Just look at the sponsors of SFBW10: the SF Brewers Guild, 21st Amendment Brewery, Gordon Biersch Brewing Co., Magnolia Pub and Brewery, Speakeasy Ales and Lagers, and ThirstyBear Brewing Co., with additional support from Morris Distributing.

You can follow SFBW updates on Twitter and be sure to sign up for the mailing list on the website to keep up with all the news and events.

               Friday Feb  5, 2010 – Sunday Feb 14, 2010 more info

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