So did you enjoy that soggy, misty Memorial Day? It made it a whole hell of a lot easier for me and my fab editorial assistant Dana to be inside cranking away on this column, let me tell you. Anyway, the rest of my weekend was fabulous, hopefully you can say the same. Friday was an impromptu night of cocktails (Trick Dog, Dalva), a burger and beer (Garaje—the nicest people work there, I swear), and then the dance floor (the legendary Gilles Peterson was in town, had to listen to the man spin for a bit at Public Works).
Saturday I was invited by Mark Pasternak of Devil’s Gulch Ranch in Nicasio to come up early and check out the ranch. Wow, it’s so gorgeous up there. I got to see baby piggies, puppies, and week-old rabbits; who’s the lucky girl? I then joined the gathering crowd of folks (try 150 people!) there for Melissa Perello’s Outstanding in the Field dinner. It was a misty and chilly evening, and our massive table was set up right in the vineyard, drinking wonderful wines from Massican and Dutton-Goldfield (who make a Devil’s Gulch pinot noir). Of course Melissa’s menu featured Devil’s Gulch rabbit (polpettini) and lamb and pork in some sausage, with a gorg dessert—check out pics of the event here. It was marvelous—and my favorite part was the group of wonderful people I got to dine with. Family-style dinners are the best.
I scooted back into SF (just in time to see an epic moonrise over the city!) and headed out for another night out dancing—Osunlade was spinning at Mighty, which has a rocking new sound system. I managed to lose one of my earplugs—I guess that’s a sign that I was having a really good time.
Sunday was brunch (thankfully not until noon) at Roosevelt Tamale Parlor—riding my bike through Sunday’s Carnaval traffic in the Mission was like a video game on level eight. I couldn’t let my chilaquiles-induced food coma take me down, however, because I had way too much work to catch up on. Sunday evening I had to pull it on over. Work hard, play hard, it’s a way of life.
Was happy to see my first piece for the The Guardian U.K. came out, featuring my 10 favorite/must-visit restaurants in SF right now (although I wasn’t aware the article was going to be titled “Top 10 Restaurants in San Francisco”—any freelance writer can tell you, the headlines are always a surprise and almost never the one you submitted, and in this case, ditto the lede [lead/intro paragraph]). Yeah, it’s hard to be a control freak.
And I know I have said it a million times, but I know many of you can’t read every single tablehopper, so here we go again: I still have a few tickets left for this Thursday’s tablehopper singles wine event. There will be eight wines from the Languedoc, tasty food from E+O Asian Kitchen, and fab folks aged 35-49. Please share with your single male friends, I need to fill this event with cool dudes so it has an even number of ladies and gents, thank you! Help a sister out? Heck, a lot of sisters—you wouldn’t believe how long the waiting list is for women who want to attend. Seriously. SF, you are impossible!
Quick note: A16 Rockridge has moved their opening to Saturday June 1st—read all about this exciting new project in last Friday’s tablehopper issue!
And next Friday June 7th is SummerTini, the annual fundraiser for CHEFS (Conquering Homelessness through Employment in Food Services), an organization I know you have heard me talk about. The event is going to be SO fab—it’s at the Bently Reserve, with food from restaurants like Nopa, A16, Perbacco, 4505 Meats, and more! And hello, cocktails from Comstock Saloon, Parallel 37, Rye, Elixir, Hakkasan, and Millennium! I’ll be talking more about this special event for the next two weeks. It’s a great cause, be a rock star and get your ticket now!
Tonight I am moderating this (sold-out!) panel at the Commonwealth Club: The Perfect Cup: Coffee Talk with San Francisco’s Finest Roasters. See you there? Thanks to SFoodie for this mention.
Also on SFoodie: Mary Ladd wrote such a sweet homage to the inimitable Mr. Gene Burns, who sadly passed away over the weekend. Sigh. He was the kindest man, so gracious with everyone. A class act, all the way. Sincere condolences to all who knew him, but especially to Joel Riddell and Robert Moon, who were so very close to him. Gene’s big heart, deep voice, and important presence in our food community will be missed terribly.
XOXO Marcia Gagliardi
Stunning dessert by Melissa Perello at Outstanding in the Field (Devil’s Gulch Ranch). Photo: © tablehopper.com.View tablehopper Newsletter from Tuesday, May 28 2013
