This Sunday, April 27th, HALL Wines in St. Helena, California will be hosting their 4th annual “Hall Cabernet Cookoff”. Thirteen chef-teams will be competing to support a local charity of their choice by preparing a series of their finest “small bites” to pair with the newly released HALL 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon! Read More
Silverado Resort and Spa launches Winemaker Dinner Series
Wine and dine in Napa and meet the winemakers themselves!
We all know that several of the best Californian-made wines come from Napa. Aside from Napa though, just who are the people behind these incredible wines? Starting this month, Silverado’s Royal Oak Restaurant in Napa, CA, will host the Winemaker Dinner Series, in which patrons will not only be able to feast on a four-course menu paired with a variety of specific Napa Valley wines but they’ll also be able to meet and interact with the featured winemaker themselves! Read More
Yesterday, Foreign Cinema in San Francisco’s Mission launched their Bar Bites menu. Available daily, the Bar Bites menu features seasonal dishes to accompany cocktails and wines ar both the Foreign Cinema Bar as well as the Laszlo Bar. The current menu includes: Mixed Warm Olives ($5); Five Spice Duck Cracklings ($5); Duck Liver Mousse Bruschetta ($7); Cured Sardines ($7); and Pork Skins ($5). Menu is availabe Monday through Thursday, 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Friday through Saturday, 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM, and Sunday, 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM. 2534 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94110. 415-648-7600.
On Monday, March 19 Monk’s Kettle in the Mission District is going to host Santa Rosa-based Moonlight Brewing for a five-course food and beer pairing. Owner and brewer Brian Hunt will be on site to talk about the five beers being poured (Lunatic Lager, Old Combine, Uncle Olsen, Twist of Fate, Obedience Training, and Bony Fingers), and you should totally see him talk.
Chef Adam Dulye‘s menu will feature dishes like: Warm Iacopi Farms Fava Bean Salad Lemon Zest and Baked Crescenza; Seared Diver Scallops with Fennel and Apple Risotto, Candied Bacon and Arugula Vinaigrette. Tickets are $90 per person. To book email nat@monkskettle.com. 3141 16th Street San Francisco, CA 94103. 415-865-9523.
It’s been four years since Arya Global Cuisine opened in Cupertino, CA – now, Downtown Redwood City will be home to the restaurant’s second location offering Persian, Italian, and American cuisine. Arya features a wood burning oven, two “wine bar and lounge” areas, an outdoor patio, a Chef’s Table, and live jazz, Italian music, and belly dancing performances on the weekends.
Executive Chef Mohsen (Mike) Hashemi‘s menu includes Borani Bademjoon (eggplant platter), Pistachio/Pomegranate Meatballs, Lamb Shank with Baghali Polo (basmati rice with dill weed and lima beans), Chicken Kebabs with Shirin Polo (basmati rice with almonds, pistachios, orange peal and saffron), pastas, pizzas, taftoon (a Persian bread) and foccacia bread, and a variety of steak and seafood. Housemade desserts such as a Bumba (white chocolate case with mango gelato and raspberry filling) and Baklava are available along with Persian teas and coffee. 885 Middlefield Rd., Redwood City, CA 94063. 650-367-4939.
A16 invites guests Joyce Goldstein and Lorenza Sebasti Pallanti for Festa della Donna
Celebrating International Women's Day
A16 in San Francisco’s Cow Hallow will celebrate International Women’s Day, or Festa della Donna, with a charity dinner featuring more than forty wines by female winemakers on March 8 from 5:30 – 10 PM. In celebration of women present and past, A16 chef David Taylor has collaborated with chef and author Joyce Goldstein and winemaker Lorenza Sebasti Pallanti, of Italy’s Castello di Ama Estate in Tuscany, to prepare a menu for this one-night event. 15% of the evening’s proceeds will go to La Cocina, an organization helping low income entrepreneurs formalize and grow their businesses. 2355 Chestnut St, San Francisco, CA 94123. 415-771-2216.
San Francisco‘s 21st Amendment Brewery is starting the “Big Can Draft Series“ as a part of its periodic release of small batch, draft-only brews. Kegs will be offered in half and sixth barrels starting this week with the first being the strongest beer in the lineup, the Lower DeBoom Barleywine. Lower DeBoom, 10.5% alcohol by volume, is an American-Style barleywine (a beer thats comparable to the strength of wine) that is full of citrusy Pacific Northwest hops, flavored with toffee malt, fruitcake, tropical fruit, toast, and piney hops. 563 2nd St., San Francisco, CA, 94107. 415-369-0900.
Flavor! Napa Valley returns for a second year
A taste of Napa Valley
November 14 – 18 will be the second annual Flavor! Napa Valley, hosted by the Silverado Resort and Spa. Foodies and wine enthusiasts will have the opportunity to enjoy a showcase of what Napa Valley has to offer featuring two full days of hands-on experiences hosted by the local vineyards, wineries, restaurants, farms and more. Additionally, this event raises scholarship monies for students at The Culinary Institutes of America at Greystone, donating $60,000 last year.
Having trouble finding that perfect tomato-seed strain? Love Apple Farms can help with their Annual Seedling Sale, where tomato-lovers can check out over 100 varieties of heirloom tomato seedlings. From March 10 – June 30, Ivy’s Porch in Scotts Valley will be home to the seedling sale. Guests can purchase a variety of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes including the Black Oxheart, Chili Verde, Super Marzano, Ludmilla’s Pink Heart, and Berkeley Tie-Dye ($3.50 to $5.50 each) while learning at-home landscaping and plant a garden. Ivy’s Porch will be open Monday – Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM and Sunday, 11 AM – 4 PM. Ivy’s Porch: 5311 Scotts Valley Drive Scotts Valley, CA 95066. 831-588-3801.
In just a few weeks, over 100 wineries will participate in Wine Road Northern Sonoma County’s annual barrel tasting, including wines from Dry Creek, Russian River, and Alexander valleys. The barrel tasting will allow attendees to sample young, unfinished wines with the option to purchase discounted cases (“futures” will be received 12 – 18 months later) and meet the winemakers.
The event takes place March 2 – 4 and March 9 – 11 from 11 AM – 4 PM. Tickets (good for the entire weekend) can be purchased online until February 27 for $30, or for $40 at participating wineries.
The Bruery of Orange County is flexing its muscles during San Francisco Beer Week. On Thursday night, February 16 at The Monk’s Kettle, Head Brewer Tyler King (pictured on the left) will be pouring anniversary ales Papier, Coton, and Cuir. Tyler will also make an appearance with Smoking Wood and Burly Gourd kegs at Oakland’s Beer Revolution on Friday, February 17. On Saturday, February 18, Beer Revolution will relinquish control of its taps allowing Southern California breweries, including The Bruery, to showcase their brews.
LYFE Kitchen in Palo Alto, CA is now adding “Social LYFE” to its weekday afternoons. From 3:30 – 5:30 PM, Monday to Friday, all drinks including their cucumber-mint cooler, mango madness smoothie as well as local beers and biodynamic wines are a dollar off and select dishes are half-off. Chefs Art Smith and Tal Ronnen specialize LYFE Kitchen’s menu in comfort foods that are less than 600 calories per dish, such as barbeque chicken flatbread, lemon aioli dressed grilled artichokes and edamame hummus with flatbread crisps. 167 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301. 650-325-5933.
Emphasizing its focus on “fresh local produce and sustainable meats and seafood,” AQ Restaurant and Bar in SoMa San Francisco will host the Donkey & Goat Winemaker Dinner ($80 per person) – a five-course prix fixe meal with wine pairings, on February 21 at 6 PM. Chef Mark Liberman is preparing a winemaker dinner featuring Donkey & Goat Winery – known for wood barrel-aged Rhône varietals and Chardonnay blends, by Berkeley’s own wine producer Jared Brant. Read More
First of the many Valentine’s day menus to come is from Boxing Room off Grove Street. Executive Chef Justin Simoneaux‘s Southern influenced menu includes Deep-Fried Alligator; New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp; Southern Fried Chicken; Sweet Tea Brined Pork Chop; Mushrooms & Dumplin’s and some other new creations for $50 per person. Wine pairings available for an additional $20 as well as beer pairings for $15. Dinner will be served from 5 PM to 11 PM on Valentine’s Day and reservations can be made by calling 415-430-6590 or by visiting Open Table. We’re sure that you could find a date that would appreciate some alligator this “Heart Day.” 399 Grove Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.
If your date is not into vicious reptile meat, this might be for you. On Tuesday, February 14 at the Velvet Room of the Clift Hotel is serving up a five-course prix fixe menu for $85 per person. The main course includes a choice of grilled rib eye or stripe bass, and ending with a Red Velvet cake with strawberries, hazelnut ice cream, and vanilla. Call 415-929-2300 for reservations. 495 Geary St., San Francisco, CA 94102. Read More
