Yearly Archives: 2010

The Weekender

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August 6-8th

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Fri-Sun August 6-8th • SF Chic Fashion Week • Ongoing
Experience the world of Fashion in your very own city of San Francisco and make the most of it. A portion of the proceeds will be happily donated to benefit Until There’s a Cure® and will also help start a school which focuses on high-risk students, preparing them for success within the fashion industry (Mario B’s School of Fashion).

Friday August 6th • CONNECTED • 8PM
From the tiniest microscopic blood cells to the vast expanses of the Earth’s oceans, everything in the world is connected. This show explores the myriad of connections between our bodies and our planet via photography, painting, design and multimedia installation. Featuring exciting new works by established and emerging San Francisco artists. Raffles and performances throughout the evening, as well as a silent auction for available pieces.

Friday August 6th • Food Truck Congregation • 5-9PM
Music, great food, beer, wine, and amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island and Alcatraz?! “Off The Grid” is organizing this weekly cultural market. Participating food vendors include Peko Peko Catering, El Huarache Loco, Kung Fu Tacos, Azalina’s Malaysian, Hapa SF, Seoul On Wheels, Soul Cocina, Onigilly, Chairman Nao Truck, and many more. Get your grub on!

Friday August 6th • Friday Nights at the de Young • 6-9PM
Friday Nights at the de Young offers a variety of interdisciplinary arts programs, including live music, poetry, films, dance, tours, and lectures. The cafe is open with a special Friday Nights dinner menu, and a no-host cocktail bar is serving drinks. There are art making activities for everyone. All Friday Night programming is FREE unless otherwise noted.

Saturday August 7th • Dirty Harry in Washington Park • 8PM
Austin’s famous beer-friendly movie theater, the Alamo Drafthouse, is rolling into San Francisco for a one-time screening of Dirty Harry in Washington Square Park. It’s all to commemorate one of the film’s original shooting locations—both guns and cameras. This show is a part of the The 2010 Rolling Roadshow Tour Signature Series.

Sunday August 8th • SF Theater Festival • 11-5PM
An incredible group of theater artists will perform 135 shows in 15 venues all in just 6 hours!

Upcoming Events

August 9-15th • SF Chefs Week • Ongoing
The urban food, wine, and spirits festival will take place at the Grand Tasting Tent in Union Square, and participating restaurants around town will offer three-course “SF Chefs 2010 Showcase Menus,” highlighting the restaurant’s concept, menu, and signature dishes (there will be $35 and $50 menus).

Thursday August 12th • Don’t Worry Bout-A-Ting’ • Ongoing
Enjoy a evening of summer wine tasting and live music with Dreaded Truth that will transport you to Jamaica’s Beaches (or at least to the historic Officer’s Club at Fort Mason) to nibble on zesty bites while you gaze out over the San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz at sunset. As your worries melt away drinking Smart Energy Cocktails and Wine tasting has never been so relaxing.

Saturday August 14th • Pull Mozzarella and Eat It Too • Ongoing
Come spend an afternoon with chef Samin Nosrat for a delicious and demystifying hands-on cheese-pulling class. Put your mozzarella-making skills in practice and get ready for the arrival of tomato season!

Saturday August 14th • Big Gay 10K• Ongoing• Ongoing
The Big Gay 10K is for everyone! Whether you identify as a big gay, a little straight or a medium bisexual – or anything in between – we welcome your participation in what promises to be a very unique San Francisco event. Runners in The Big Gay 10K will be helping to support the crucial work of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Fundraising is optional for all participants in this event but each dollar raised will help prevent new HIV infections and promote the health of those living with HIV/AIDS.

Flour + Water

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Restaurant Review: Flour + Water
Crowd: Mixed. Groups of Trendy Women and Men and Couples
Vibe: Lively and Energetic
Music: Dance music with strings and soft trance-like vocals
Decor: Dim lighting, urban yet earthy: refurbished, repurposed and reclaimed. All artwork is done by local artists: Jessica Niello, Jay Tyrrell
Layout: Long and narrow, small bar and communal table. Seats accommodating up to six.
Neighborhood: An abandoned corner of the Mission
Service: Unpretentious
Portion Size: Pizza for two/three, entrees for one/two
Imbibe: Beer and wine only
Enjoy: Pizzas and Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossom!
Waist Slimmer: Mushroom Brodo
Price: $147.47; 4 people, 1 bottle red wine, Roasted Beets, Mushroom Brodo, 2 Ricotta Squash Blossom + 1 extra blossom,  Margherita Pizza + Egg, Salmon, Chicken, Cappuccino, Espresso, and Budino

Seems like a hidden gem in an unknown part of town, except everyone has heard about this place and it’s nearly impossible to get a seat.  Unless if you make reservations long ahead of time on OpenTable or get there 10 minutes before their doors open at 5:30PM or when the crowd has passed on a weeknight at 10:00PM. Apparently, even Steve Jobs could not snag a seat at Flour + Water.  The restaurant is small, with only a handful of seats at the communal table. Their star dishes are obviously the pizzas. Eat them while they are hot, otherwise they will taste ordinary. The toppings are perfectly chosen and executed. We loved the squash blossom so much that we ordered a second with an extra squash blossom. (A little disappointing that the entire dish only had one squash blossom!) The quality of their produce is phenomenal. We had the seared sockeye salmon, but later found out that it could be on the endangered list.  Though, having an endangered fish on their menu would gravely contradict their local and sustainable vision, so please check with your server before ordering. I was very disappointed with the chocolate budino dessert, which our waitress recommended as the must-have for first timers. The overall experience was incredible.

The layout is long and narrow.

The bar is small and is subjected to the waitlist also

Reclaimed wood

Lighting is dim

Each table is lit with a candle in a lab beaker

Food:

Bardolino

Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossom- roasted corn, blistered sweet 100's & padron pepper

The squash blossom = orgasam in your mouth

Mushroom Brodo- parmigiano fritter, chanterelle, summer squash, vidalia onions

Margherita- tomato, basil, fior di latte, extra virgin olive oil + farm egg

Roasted Chicken Breast- corn, lard roasted potatoes, pancetta, arugula

Roasted Beets- arugula and ricotta salata

Seared Sockeye Salmon- wax beans, cherry tomato, minted squash puree, chili, napolitano basil

Chocolate Budino- espresso caramel cream and sea salt

Perfect foam on the cappuccino

Espresso

Flour + Water l 2401 Harrison Street San Francisco, CA 94110 l 415- 826-7000

Why Dine In?

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Why bother with buying groceries, cooking, and cleaning? Step out of the house and you find an abundance of fast food chains, diners, deli food, pre-packaged food, take-out places, and the likes of Delarosa.

Cooking for yourself gives you freedom and control. Freedom to choose exactly what you want to eat, the way you want it. When cooking for yourself, you have ultimate control over each ingredient and can maintain portion control. Choosing high quality ingredients will make any dish taste good without the use of excess butter/oil, sweeteners, sodium, condiments, and artificial flavorings. Thus, it is much healthier for you to cook your own meals. With the right ingredients, cooking at home will put you on the track of gaining your health back. In most restaurants, you can never be too sure of health sanitation or the source of the produce, meats, spices, sauces, etc. Even when you think you are eating a healthy burrito or salad at a restaurant, you may just end up consuming more calories, fats, sugars with processed, manufactured ingredients and preservatives. Also, it’s just faster to dine in. Investing some time in the beginning to well stock your kitchen, you can whip a quick, nourishing meal in no time. It would take you longer to get to the restaurant, wait in line, order, wait for your food, pay, and then go back home. Another bonus, you save a lot of money by dining in. You can eat leftovers the next day or use the same ingredients to make something different.

After cooking at home for some time, dining out becomes more pleasurable and special. With all of the money saved by dining in, you can really splurge at a nice restaurant. Eating in restaurants can be an inspiration for you to cook something new at home or a chance to enjoy food that you wouldn’t ever consider making yourself. Also, appreciation for the chefs and staff increases.  Considering that dining in is healthier,* you will not feel guilty about eating creme/butter based foods or dessert at restaurants. Therefore, save up your money  and indulgence calories by cooking more often and allow yourself to dine out on occasion.

*It’s important to choose high quality ingredients and minimize the use of sweeteners/condiments/fats in order to achieve better health.

Meatless Monday: Health Benefits

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Meatless Monday (MM) is a nation-wide campaign to encourage people to give up meat one day out of the week to increase health, ecology, and economy. It’s also very achievable. You are only going one day a week without any meat. In turn, you will increase your intake of fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds.(MM does not mean substituting meat for refined carbohydrates,  large quantities of full-fat cheese and peanut butter; it will add a significant amount of fat and calories to your diet. MM also does not mean for you to increase your intake of meat for the rest of the week.)

Here are a few health benefits from a vegetarian diet:
-Vegetarian diets often contain more fiber, potassium, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and vitamins associated with reduced risks of chronic and preventable diseases (diabetes, obesity).
-Generally, vegetarians maintain a healthier body weight (that is if they make good choices).
-Diets high in fruits and vegetables may reduce cancer risk. Whereas, red and processed meat consumption are linked to colon cancer.
-Studies have shown that countries with a higher intake of fat, especially fat from animal products, such as meat and dairy products, have a higher incidence of breast cancer.
– Fiber is only found in fruit and vegetables. Fiber makes you full on fewer calories, hence less overeating and greater weight control.

These are just a few of the many health benefits of a diet focused on fresh vegetables and fruits. Adopt to MM and see the results for yourself.

Vegetable “Lasagna”

-Inspired by Giada De Laurentiis’ Vegetable Parmesan

I love this dish because it’s versatile and you can use any vegetables you have on hand. I like using “meaty” vegetables such as zucchini, squash, eggplant, and mushrooms. You can add a layer of no-boil-lasagna sheets for an extra bite and sustenance. I choose to substitute the lasagna sheets for slices of potatoes. Potatoes have fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium and manganese. What I love about this dish is that it tastes better the next day and the days after…I make extra, so I don’t have to worry about cooking so much the rest of the week.  This dish isn’t heavy, cheesy, or saucy. Rather, it’s light,  satiating, and fresh! Another great thing about this dish is that I really am not cooking- the oven does all the work! Just chop, mix, assemble on a baking dish, throw it in the oven and forget about it for the next 40 minutes!

Ingredients:

  • Butter, for greasing
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup dried basil or Herbs de Provence
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped chard, stem discarded
  • 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices
  • 1 medium zucchini, cut into thick slices
  • 1 medium potato, cut into thick slices
  • 1 large, ripe tomato, cut into thick slices
  • 1 bell pepper, sliced
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or  ricotta (optional)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 cup plain bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix salt, pepper and herbs. Coat the vegetables with this mixture.

Spoon 3/4 cup of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange the potato slices and then the eggplant slices on top of the marinara. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese  or spoon 1/2 cup of ricotta over the eggplant. Arrange the peppers first, tomatoes second, and then the zucchini in a single layer on top.  Spoon 3/4 cup of marinara sauce over the zucchini. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella/ricotta cheese. Arrange the chard and cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Scatter the bread crumbs over the cheese and drizzle liberally with oil. Bake until the top is golden and forms a crust, about 45 minutes.

Use a locally grown tomatoes for ultimate flavor

Ricotta or mozarella works well.

Rainbow Chard

Enjoy natures bounty!

Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Farmers Market Find: Summer Tomatoes

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August 1 2010
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I was in bit of a hurry today, so I could not shop leisurely or keep track of how much I spent at each farm. I am a little sad that I did not get the name of the ladies who were selling blackberries and boysenberries. Hopefully, they will be there in two weeks. I was very sad that Serendipity Farms no longer had their heirloom sun dried tomatoes. I really wish I stalked up on them last week, because their taste is phenomenal and add added mystery and depth to my lasagna, roasted veggies, chicken kebabs, pesto, sandwiches, omelets- I used them in everything! Italians first dried fresh tomatoes as way to store them for the winter.  Sun dried tomatoes also have the same nutritional value as fresh tomatoes- lycophene, vitamin B6, vitamin C, niacin, potassium, and folate.

These make me happy, great for Meatless Mondays

Heirloom Tomatoes- Wholeness Farms (CCOF Certified)

Beautiful squashes and eggplant- Wholeness Farm (CCOF Certified)

Couldn't resist these purple beauties- Happy Boy Farms (CCOF Certified)

Aren't these fun looking?- Happy Boy Farms (CCOF Certified)

Planning on making a blackberry sauce-?

Plouts and Plums- Cipponeri Family Farms (Non-CCOF)

Kale- Serendipity Farms (CCOF)

Beautiful squash blossoms- Serendipity Farms (CCOF)

The Weekender July 30-Aug 1st

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Ongoing • Relay For Life • 11AM
Join the race, help fundraise, or just kickback and have fun. Relay For Life SF Embarcadero will be held at Little Marina Green near Chrissy Field. This will be a full day with bands, food, fun, and – most of all – a celebration of the fight against cancer!

Ongoing • Sunset Cruise • Ongoing
Embrace your inner tourist and go on a sunset cruise on the Bay, with your fleece and camera of course! The Red and White Fleet’s largest vessel, The Royal Prince, plays host for a two-hour journey with live guitar music, buffet appetizers, and a complimentary cocktail or soda.

July 26th-Aug 1st • Riesling Week • Ongoing
During the week of July 26-August 1, the European Union and Wines of Germany will sponsor the sixth annual “Riesling Week,” a celebration of the diverse Rieslings from Germany, Austria and Alsace. During this week, restaurants in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Miami will offer consumers and Riesling enthusiasts the chance to sample different styles of European Riesling by the glass, by the bottle, or with a special pairing menu. In addition, wine shops will host European Riesling tastings throughout the week.

Friday July 30th • Food Truck Congregation • 5-9PM
Live music, gourmet food, beer, wine, and amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island and Alcatraz?! “Off The Grid” is organizing this weekly cultural market. Participating food vendors include  El Huarache Loco, Kung Fu Tacos, Azalina’s Malaysian, Hapa SF, Curry Up Now, Chairman Bao Truck, and many more.  The slightly new location will better protect you from the wind and give you more space to stand in the lines Get your cultural grub on!

Saturday July 31st • A New Farmer’s Market • 9-1PM

The Cow Palace Farmers’ Market will provide the surrounding communities of Visitacion Valley and Bayshore with a source of fresh and locally grown produce. Come out to the Cow Palace at 2600 Geneva Ave., Gate 5, to enjoy a day of fun and delicious food!

Saturday July 31st • Indonesian Day • 11-4PM

Celebrate the Indonesian culture with food, dance, and music. An uniquely San Francisco tradition, this event continues to be the biggest Indonesian event in the United States.

Sunday Aug 1st • Outside Art Street Party • 11AM
An outdoor event for the whole family, Out Side Art is bringing together a talented group of artists and DJs to represent some of San Francisco’s most creative scenes. The primary artistic focus of this event will be a coordinated effort by local artists to complete a Mural started by the internationally renowned British artist BANKSY. The live mural painting will be complimented by music from an eclectic variety of San Francisco’s best DJs.

Sunday Aug 1st • Yoga on the Pier • 11AM
Take in the fresh air as you move from asana to asana on Pier 39 this Sunday. Learn to quiet your mind and not be distracted by external factors as you strengthen and lengthen your body.

Sunday Aug 1st • Foodie Anniversary Extravaganza • 11:30-2:30PM
Celebrate the 1 year anniversary of your favorite street carts; Adobo Hobo, Gumbo Man, and The Chai Cart! It will be big birthday bash with many more  your favorite street food vendors such as Chile Lindo, Lumpia Cart, and Mali Num Num so come ready to eat!


Are All Sugars Equal?

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If you haven’t heard it by now, you must have been living in a cave for the last few years. Sugar is bad for you. Actually, they say it’s the reason why you are obese, have diabetes, and are fueling the multi-billion dollar health industry. However, does that mean that the juicy, plump peach is the culprit? A large peach does have 15 grams of sugar per serving. Or is it the pint of ice-cream you just downed? After all, sugar is sugar, and your body breaks it down all the same- right?

Let’s logically think about this for a minute. There are different types of sugars and your body does process them differently. There are refined/artificial/processed sugars, and there are fruit sugars. And then, it’s all about how you consume the sugar.

Sugar from fruit is called fructose. It is a simple sugar that is metabolized quickly and easily by the body. Simple sugars, like fructose, are not a problem for people who are active and healthy.  Fruits are staples of a healthy lifestyle and delightful to the senses. Of all the natural foods available, fruits are the most attractive, delicious and enjoyable. Taking from “Food Rules” by Micheal Pollan, “Eat sweets as you find them in nature.” Meaning eat the fruits whole, not processed or juiced. Fruit juice is often made from concentrate with added refined sugar and does not contain any fiber, which leaves you consuming more calories and unsatiated. Whole fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, fiber, and water.

 

Snacks from Nature, loaded with good nutrition

People do not become overweight or unhealthy from eating fruit. It’s the other types of sugar, found in other places that is the contributing culprit.

Table sugar (refined sugar) comes from two primary sources: sugar cane (60%) and sugar beets (40%) in form of sucrose. Sugar refining is the process of extracting out the sugar (sucrose) from the plant materials and then removing other unwanted materials from the extracted raw sugar. In the repeated processes of washing, boiling, centrifuging, filtering and drying, nearly all of the plant’s nutritional elements are lost. What remains in this so called “raw sugar” product is 95% sucrose along with nutritionally insignificant minerals. If sanitized by steaming, this “raw sugar” can be marketed as turbinado. Turbinado sugar is just a couple of steps shy of the final bleaching process. Bleaching agents such as lime and carbon dioxide are added to make white crystals known as table sugar. The table sugar is then further “purified”  and whitened by being filtered in a water-added liquid state through charcoal made from animal bones. This process removes even more minerals. “Pure” sugar refers to chemical purity, devoid of all nutritional and other elements, and not to a wholesome quality. Brown sugar is this table sugar that is turned brown by the reintroduction of molasses.

The Way We Consume Sugar

Refined sugar is in almost EVERY manufactured food product in the U.S. This sugar is, hands down, America’s number one food additive. Sugar is hidden in many of the things people buy at the supermarket. For instance, a tablespoon of ketchup contains a full teaspoon of sugar. Breads, soups, cereals, cured meats, hot dogs, lunch meat, salad dressings, spaghetti sauce, crackers, mayonnaise, peanut butter, pickles, frozen pizza, canned fruits and vegetables, tomato juice, and a host of other products all contain added sugar. Food that doesn’t even need the added refined sugar. The obvious offenders are desserts, candies, soft drinks, and ice-cream. People are consuming sugar without even knowing it! Be wise by avoiding processed food.

 

Manufactured Snacks with no nutritional value

 

When you have sweet attack, reach for that piece of fruit instead of the more processed foods high in sugars and other carbohydrates. A well rounded diet with plenty of fruit, vegetables and protein is the best bet for overall health.

Stay tuned for more on Sugar.

***I highly recommend you reading “Food Rules An Eater’s Manual” by Micheal Pollan. It will positively change your lifestyle. It’s super easy and fast to read.

Meatless Monday

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Giving up meat for one day is not as hard as you have convinced yourself it to be. There are plenty of delicious vegetarian options available; you just have to be open-minded and willing to try new foods. Also, you will not become protein deficient by not consuming meat one day a week. Continue reading →

Farmer’s Market Find: Cucumbers

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This week I went to three different Farmer’s Market in the city! On Thursday I went to the grand opening of Mission’s Community Market. I couldn’t resist and bought a head of lettuce from Blue House Farm ($1.50), stone fruit from Arata Farms ($2), 2 squash blossoms from Tomatero Farms ($.50), and mint from Happy Boy Farms ($1.50), even though I wasn’t headed straight home.
A very lively FM in the Mission, offering produce, entertainment, youth mural project, and artisanal goods

I stopped by the Ferry Plaza FM on Saturday because I wanted to check out the Epicurious booth and grab something delicious to take to the Slow Food San Francisco picnic. I was greeted by bright colors popping from every booth- peppers, plouts, plums, nectarines, raspberries, kale, mint, marigolds- oh it was hard to not buy anything! I did buy sprouted lentils, and a delicious roasted beets and coriander yogurt sandwich and 1/4 rotisserie chicken from Il Cane Roso and headed to South Park for the picnic.

It was a beautiful day on the Embarcadero.

 

I returned to my usual FM at Fort Mason today to get my weekly groceries. Perfect as always, except there was no glimmer of the sun today. I was glad to see the familiar faces of the farmers and hot food vendors. I splurged and bought farmstead “Foggy Morning” cheese from Nicasio Valley ($7), to stuff in the squash blossoms I bought on Thursday. Also, the cheese is light and a great substitute for ricotta and feta. I was amazed to see the varieties of cucumbers that I bought all three kinds from Hamadas Farms. They also had the most plumpest, juiciest peaches and melons that I could not resist ($7.50). I also bought a lot of tomatoes, but Satish and I appreciate seasonal tomatoes! Maybe, I will make an Indian curry out of them. Or maybe, I will just roast them in the oven with salt and pepper. Or eat them with the farmstead cheese.

 

Enjoying the sandwich from Il Cane Roso

Other purchases:
Fingerling potatoes, basil, heirloom tomatoes, and baby spinach ($9.50)- Happy Boy Farms
Cherry tomatoes and one large beefsteak tomato ($2.00)- ?
Strawberries and a variety of zucchini ($5.50)- Serendipity Farm
Chard, kale, and purple bell peppers ($7.00) – Rio Parras Organics
Broccoli, red onion, garlic, and tomatoes on the vine ($5.50)- Swank Farm
A dozen large, fresh eggs- $4.50
Sandwich buns ($2.00)- Bakers of Paris

I spent $50.50 on this and much more! We are dining in every night this week and having a friend or two over for a meal. 🙂

Trifecta Cucumber Salad

I was really hungry after a pleasant time at the Farmer’s Market. I wanted something quick, healthy and filling. I decided to try out the different cucumbers I bought by making a simple salad. I had bought a Lemon, Armenian, and “Normal” cucumber.

1. Wash and dice or cube 1/3 cup of cucumbers
2. Wash and dice or cube ripe 1/3 cup of tomatoes (any variety)
3. Wash, pat dry, and roughly chop 1/4 cup mint

 

4. Toss all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. 5. Add 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well.
6. Transfer salad to a serving plate 7. crumble 1 tablespoon of Ricotta/Feta/Goat Cheese on top of the salad.
Cucumbers and mint are “cooling” foods, perfect foods for the summer.
Tomatoes contain Lycopene-an antioxidant that fights cancerous cell formation.

This salad can easily be made with one or many varieties of cucumbers and tomatoes; it’s all a matter of preference and what you have on hand. On a hot day, chill the tomatoes and cucumbers in the fridge before tossing in the mint and lemon juice.

Club Dine In! is on Twitter and Facebook. Follow @clubdinein for daily health, fitness, and social news, recipes and delicious tips! Join the Club Dine In! community on Facebook to connect with like-minded individuals and find out about exclusive Club Dine! events. Be sure to sign-up to receive posts and updates straight into your inbox!

The Weekender

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July 16-25th • Festival del Sole • Ongoing
Festival del Sole takes place every summer in California’s beautiful Napa Valley. The Festival features concerts by some of the world’s most celebrated musical artists, five-star cuisine, art exhibits, and wines from Napa’s top vintners, blended in a unique celebration of the art of life.

Friday July 23th • Food Truck Congregation • 5-9PM
Music, great food, beer, wine, and amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island and Alcatraz?! “Off The Grid” is organizing this weekly cultural market. Participating food vendors include Peko Peko Catering, El Huarache Loco, Kung Fu Tacos, Azalina’s Malaysian, Hapa SF, Seoul On Wheels, Soul Cocina, Onigilly, Chairman Nao Truck, and many more. Get your grub on!

Friday July 23th • Friday Nights at the de Young • 6-9PM
Friday Nights at the de Young offers a variety of interdisciplinary arts programs, including live music, poetry, films, dance, tours, and lectures. The cafe is open with a special Friday Nights dinner menu, and a no-host cocktail bar is serving drinks. There are art making activities for everyone. All Friday Night programming is FREE unless otherwise noted.

Saturday July 24th • Epicurious’ 3rd Annual Farmer’s Market Tour • 8-2PM 
Stop by the Epicurious booth at Saturday’s Ferry Building’s Farmer’s Market, where you can search for recipes on their new iPad app, sample chocolates, and pick up an eco-friendly tote (perfect for shopping the market)—all for free! Three local chefs will be present at the booth for live demonstrations and informational sessions on the  Chefs Move to Schools campaign, a healthy-eating initiative started by Michelle Obama.

Saturday July 24th • Make Fancy Brunch Easy • 2PM
Sunday Brunch has been a tradition at the gorgeous, venerable Palace Hotel in downtown San Francisco for decades. Join Executive Chef Llapitan as he shares top cooking ideas from his spectacular brunch menu and gives a behind the scenes view of the incredible resorts he has worked for all over the world.

Saturday July 24th • Underground Farmers Market • 11-4 & 6-12
 The SF Underground Farmers Market is a venue where you can taste and purchase the food that is being produced in backyards and home kitchens in the Bay Area. At the early shift you be able to purchase “take homeables” like jams, produce, and soaps. The later shift will mainly be food that’s ready to eat.

Saturday July 24th • Salsa on Fillmore • 7PM
The evening begins with a FREE Summer Outdoor Social Dance. It is open to the public and all ages welcome. An engaging performance by Los Boleros Havana Dance Party fronted by Felix Samuel of Cuba and the Bay Areas own Alexa Weber Morales. Can’t quite salsa? Now worries… the FREE Summer Outdoor Social Dance includes a salsa lesson by the Best of the Bay award winners, Juan Gil and Rebecca Miller. Get there on early to take the lesson and be get ready for a night of dancing fun!!

Saturday July 25th • Chocolate Tour • 2PM
San Francisco is at the center of the new wave of artisan chocolatiers. They’re experimenting with high quality beans, new methods of production, exotic fillings and breathtaking packaging. Tour participants will learn about what makes fine chocolate and sample from a wide array of San Francisco gourmet chocolate boutiques. They will also get a Chocolate Lover Card to use on future chocolate shopping trips.

Monday July 26th • Riesling Week • Ongoing
During the week of July 26-August 1, the European Union and Wines of Germany will sponsor the sixth annual “Riesling Week,” a celebration of the diverse Rieslings from Germany, Austria and Alsace. During this week, restaurants in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Miami will offer consumers and Riesling enthusiasts the chance to sample different styles of European Riesling by the glass, by the bottle, or with a special pairing menu. In addition, wine shops will host European Riesling tastings throughout the week.