Taste of Asia

For the second year, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco will host ~TASTE OF ASIA~, a weekend event celebrating Asian art, entertainment, and cuisine. The first event is the Grand Tasting Gala on Friday night, where guests will mingle throughout the museum sampling dishes from Anzu, Asia de Cuba, Betelnut, Bong Su, Butterfly, Dosa, E&O Trading Company, Marisa Churchill, Poleng Lounge, Red Lantern, Roy's, Straits Restaurant, The Tonga Room, Yank Sing, and Yoshi's. There will also be refreshments from Amore Pacific, Five Rivers Vineyard, Jenkel Vineyards, Phuket Beer, Sake2Me, Tea's Tea, Yamazaki, and Zen Green Tea Liqueur. Throughout the gala, guests will have full access to the museum's collection and exhibitions, plus live music and dancing.

On Saturday, there are Culinary Seminars, where both beginners and experts can explore tastings, samples, and demonstrations from some wonderful chefs and culinary personalities:

11am: Saveur magazine editor and author, James Oseland, and authors Naomi Duguid and Jeffrey Alford share with us their culinary adventures through Asia.  Hear their stories of culinary travels throughout the world, and join them for a book signing following the seminar.

1pm: TALKING FOOD–2008. Learn how new and emerging media on the web are changing the world of restaurants: from reviews to popularity and ultimately success. Join us for a delicious conversation with Marcia Gagliardi from tablehopper.com (yes, yours truly), Nish Nadaraja from Yelp, Kevin Blum from The City Dish, and Pim Techamuanvivit from Chez Pim, as they reveal the secrets behind the changing media landscape and tell us what all diners should know.

2:30pm: Culinary greats Cecilia Chiang, Patricia Unterman, and Chuck Williams will gather with Sara Deseran, food editor of 7x7, to tell their amazing stories during San Francisco: The Culinary Pioneers. Learn about their challenges and achievements to make the San Francisco Bay Area the culinary capital of the world.

Taste of Asia
Fri. April 25–Sat. April 26, 2008

Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin St.
Cross: McAllister St.
San Francisco, CA

website

Grand Tasting Gala
Fri., April 25
7pm–10pm
$115* tablehoppers

Culinary Seminars
Sat., April 26
10:30am–4pm
$35 members
$45 non-members
$40* tablehoppers

Chef's Table Dinner
Sat., April 26
6:30pm
$300

*for tablehopper readers—just mention when ordering by phone

tickets: 415-581-3788