Howdy, friends! It’s a lovely day—I’m here writing with the morning sun beaming on me (hello, old friend) and on my cute kitty’s fuzzy belly (Fortuna is as much of a sun worshipper as her Cat Mom). I hope y’all made it through this intense weather period we just had as unscathed as possible. If your restaurant suffered storm damage, please read this notice from the GGRA and Office of Small Business with some tips on recovery help—plus, there’s a grant!
January is in full swing, with so many Lunar New Year celebrations and special menus and treats for the holiday—be sure to check my Instagram @tablehopper Lunar New Year Highlight for updates! Of course, the hopper is excited for the Year of the Rabbit. I’m also just starting to add Valentine’s Day offerings here for all you lovebugs—there will be more in a week or so.
Another thing I’m really looking forward to is this weekend’s annual FOG Art + Design fair at Fort Mason, featuring art and design from 45 leading international galleries—it’s always so inspiring, and offers great color therapy (and people watching, too!). It’s running Thursday January 19th-Sunday January 22nd. Get your ticket in advance and save! Bonus: A16 will have their full-service restaurant there, with exclusive A16 dishes by executive chef Yosuke Machida (book your reso here), custom cocktails, and wines, and there’s a takeaway counter.
Another thing on my list: swinging by Turntable at Lord Stanley for some more Pecking House! Eric Huang has returned to SF with my favorite damn spicy chicken, available for takeout Tue-Sat 12pm-9pm through January 28th. Preorder here, and don’t forget the dirty fried rice.
I have a few pieces for you to read. First, did you see this humdinger of an article about how the National Restaurant Association charges cooks and servers mandatory ServSafe fees and classes, which they actually use to fund their lobbying against minimum wage increases? Whoa. It’s so twisted.
On a happier note, I recently wrote this addendum piece for Visit Oakland’s Vegan Trail on vegan products made in Oakland that you can find at Oakland farmers’ markets. I had such a good time touring six of Oakland’s incredible farmers’ markets, including the new West Oakland farmers market, which is conveniently right by Kowbird, but there’s a lot you’ll want to eat at the market! Come hungry.
And, I want to be sure you didn’t miss the return of this year’s bore, my annual list about 10 things I don’t want to see in restaurants in the new year.
Lastly, you could accuse me of burying the lede here, but tablehopper is for people who read, soooooo… Anyway, I just want to say this will be the last time you read tablehopper in this trusty but ancient layout! (I know, you’re going to miss the small images, LOL.) Yup, big changes are coming, sweeties, and I can’t wait to tell you more! I’m going to be sharing some major and exciting news next week, so watch your inbox for a personal message from moi! Exciting times for the hopper are happenin’, and you’re invited to join me. Thanks for all your support.
Now, I gotta boogie, I’m shooting a video this evening and someone needs to pick out some caftans! Things are pretty bonkers over here, so ciao for now!
Love, Marcia Gagliardi
A Sri Lankan curry crab feast at 1601 Bar & Kitchen. Follow @tablehopper on Instagram for an update when tickets are live for the next one! Photo: © tablehopper.com.View tablehopper Newsletter from Tuesday, Jan 17 2023
