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This week's tablehopper: treat yo self.                     At the Grandes Pagos de España wine tasting at Absinthe, chef Ryan McIlwraith’s (preview) tosta de chuleton: sliced porterhouse steak with tximi-txurri and bone marrow hollandaise. I KNOW. Photo: © tablehopper.com. Howdy amigos. Thanks to everyone for the nice notes and…

This week's tablehopper: who are you wearing?                     In yo’ face! The Banh, Baby, Banh at Big Chef Tom’s Belly Burgers. Photo: © tablehopper.com. SF, why you so pretty today? Fresh air, clear skies, plum blossoms scattering on the sidewalks and perfuming our city, a cute songbird chirping…

This week's tablehopper: engine engine number nine.                     Kanpai! The rich and robust sake flight at Yuzuki. Photo: © tablehopper.com. Welcome to your weekend, you’re almost there. I don’t know about you, but I have a Lunar Night Market and a Scotch party in my not-too-distant future.…

This week's tablehopper: ram tough.                     A Sazerac and baked oysters Simoneaux at Boxing Room. Photo: © tablehopper.com. Hopefully you got enough vitamin D flowing in your system this past sunny weekend so you don’t care about this chilly and gray Mardi Gras. Whatever, we’re not under…

This week's tablehopper: hizzy-kaya.                     The hi-low katsu with cheese at Rintaro (a kind of deliciously dirty dish elevated with excellent Riverdog chicken). Photo: © tablehopper.com. Hello, my fellow spoiled citizens of the Bay Area. Yeah, that’s a 72-degree forecast we’re looking at for this weekend in…

This week's tablehopper: booze cruise.                     The glorious Martinez at Comstock Saloon. Photo: © tablehopper.com. Did you notice the big alcohol shortage this weekend in North Beach? You can blame the tablehopper Barbary Coast cocktail crawl with Anchor Distilling Company, ha-ha. Saturday evening, a group of us gathered at…

This week's tablehopper: what's the hops?                     It’s meat pie weather! With pork belly, snails, and a suet crust (you can handle it). At Cockscomb. Photo: © tablehopper.com. Oooh, rainy day! Windy! Drama! Love it. I’m actually heading out in this mess for an invite…

This week's tablehopper: yum cha-cha-cha.                     The start to an elegant lunch at Yan Toh Heen at InterContinental Hong Kong, complete with an eye-popping jade place setting. Photo: © tablehopper.com. Hi there! I am back from Hong Kong, a place that completely rocked my world on so many fronts.…

This week's tablehopper: it's (almost) dim sum o'clock.                     Roasted butternut squash and red onions with tahini and za’atar at an EatWith dinner (“Dinner in Three Acts”). Photo: © tablehopper.com. Buon giorno, or should I say, “nei ho” (Cantonese for hello!)! I will be…

This week's tablehopper: putting the fry in Friday.                     Delicata squash tempura with rosemary honey, pepato, and hazelnut cocaine (well, that’s what I called it) at The Alembic. Photo: © tablehopper.com. Greetings from the hopper infirmary, where if you call the “receptionist,” she sounds a lot like Brenda…