Feast On This

Husband and wife, chefs Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani, of Ame in San Francisco. (Photo courtesy of Ame)

* Wednesdays, head to Ame in San Francisco to enjoy a new three-course themed dinner that changes weekly.

That’s three courses with wine/beverage pairings for $55 per person.

The June 24 dinner highlights the distilled Japanese spirit, shochu. To whet your whistle, I’ll let you know what one of the featured dishes that night is “bo ssam” — braised pork belly that you wrap at the table with fried oysters and kimchi. It will be accompanied by “Imperial Jade,” a shiso cucumber-infused shochu cocktail with preserved Meyer lemon and soda, served on the rocks.

* Friday, a new contemporary Indian restaurant opens in downtown Mountain View.

Sakoon, named for the Indian word for “peace,” features a dramatic interior decorated with fiber-optic chandeliers, hand-carved wood panels, and a shimmering waterfall. Executive Chef Sachin Chopra, who previously headed the kitchen at Mantra in Palo Alto, serves up regional Indian cuisine with a modern touch.

* Find pork galore on June 27 at the “High on the Hog” event at Epic Roasthouse in San Francisco.

The al fresco afternoon soiree will feature Pinot Noir tastings, and Executive Chef Jan Birnbaum preparing a slow-roasted whole pig scented with fennel. If that’s not enough, wine writer Jordan McKay also will be on hand to sign copies of his book, “Passion for Pinot: A Journey Through America’s Pinot Noir Country” (Ten Speed Press).

Talk about goodie bags. Guests will get to take home a treat of pork cracklings’ seasoned with sea salt.

Price is $50 per person for everything; $20 for just the food; or $30 just for the wine tasting.

* San Mateo’s modern Filipino restaurant, Bistro Luneta, has added weekend brunch to its lineup.

Wake up to “Eggs Benedict” ($8.95), served with sun-dried tomatoes and Philippine sausage; or a “Fili-Panini Sandwich” ($8.95), a panini filled with pork adobo or barbecued pork. Beverage choices include calamansi juice made from the tiny Filipino citrus ($3.80), and a 1-liter “Sangria Flask” ($9).

Buttery croissant sandwich at Mayfield Bakery & Cafe. (Photo courtesy of the restaurant)

* Palo Alto’s Mayfield Bakery & Cafe also will start serving breakfast, beginning June 22.

Take a bite of a “Croissant Breakfast Sandwich.” A homemade croissant — but of course, with its fab bakery on site — is stuffed with Gruyere cheese, scrambled eggs, and your choice of bacon or ham.  Or dig into a bowl of “Semolina Pudding with Honeyed Cream,” a velvety porridge topped with brown sugar, and a dollop of cream cheese sweetened with maple syrup. Breakfast dishes will be priced from $8 to $15.

A new kids' cookbook by the former food editor of Sunset magazine.

* Treat your kids to a hands-on cooking demo at MacArthur Park restaurant in Palo Alto, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. June 20.

The event celebrates the new children’s cookbook by Jerry Ann DiVecchio, former food editor of Sunset magazine, and artist Francoise Kirkman, who also worked at the magazine. “You’ve Got Recipes” (Trafford Publishing) features waterproof, laminate pages, as well as a French-English glossary with a pronunciation guide for French terms used in the book.

The class is $25. The book is $27.95, and will be for sale at the class. Call (650) 321-9990 for reservations.

* The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco is getting its grill on.

June 26 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., get an education in meat from Ryan Farr of 4505 Meats, as he teaches a sausage-making and grilling class. He’ll be joined by meat purveyer, Steve McCarthy of Prather Ranch Meat Co., who will give the low-down on sustainable meat. Mixologist H. Joseph Ehrmann also will show you how to concoct seasonal, fresh cocktails.

Participants will get to sample all those creations, and take home the sausages they’ve created. Tickets for the class, which will be held in the teaching kitchen, are $75 each.

For more grilling fun, return to the Ferry Building, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 27 for the second annual “Iron Chef Grill-Off.”

Four chefs will go head to head in an “Iron Chef”-style culinary competition to create the best burger. The creations will be judged by David Evans of Marin Sun Farms, and Sara Deseran of 7×7 magazine. A third judge will be randomly selected in a drawing. To enter your name, email sarah@cuesa.org. The event is free to the public. Samples of the burgers will be available for $2 each.

* Saturdays are made for enjoying wine at Healdsburg’s Dry Creek Kitchen.

Once a month on a Saturday, the restaurant will host an interactive wine tasting, in which guests will be able to sip varietals, and ask questions of guest winemakers. The “Sonoma County Wine Pioneer” seminars will be 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a four-course dinner. Price is $65. Wines also may be purchased at the seminar, and enjoyed at dinner with no corkage fee.

June 20 features Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel from Nalle Winery, and Dry Creek Vineyard. July 18 spotlights Mauritson Winery, Valdez Winery, and JC Cellars. For a complete list of events, click here.

* For an eye-opening education on our industrial food society, take in a showing of “Food, Inc.

Filmmaker Robert Kenner shines the light on how a handful of corporations largely control this country’s food supply. The film opened last week in San Francisco at the Embarcadero Cinema 5, Nuart Theatre in West Los Angeles, and the Film Forum in New York.

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