Category Archives: Enticing Events

Restaurant Specials and Food From the Heart

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Enjoy stuffed squash for half price, if you eat late and in a big party. (Photo courtesy of John Benson)

If you’re a night owl, gather your nocturnal friends for a dining deal at Zare at Fly Trap restaurant in San Francisco.

Its new “Ten After Ten” promotion lets parties of 10 or more who make a dinner reservation for 10 p.m. or later get 50 percent off the cost of food. It’s good Monday through Saturday. Just mention what special occasion you’re celebrating — birthday, anniversary, bachelorette party or something else — when you book.

Meatballs with harissa at Zare at Fly Trap. (Photo courtesy of the National Honey Board)

If you prefer eating earlier, Chez Papa Resto in San Francisco has introduced a monthly changing themed four-course prix fixe dinner menu (with amuse bouche) nightly for $50. Wine pairing is available for an additional $35.

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Celebrate Suds — Big-Time

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Beers galore. (Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pub)

Brewski lovers will rejoice that “SF Beer Week” rolls around, Feb. 6-15.

The 10-day beer celebration will showcase the San Francisco Bay Area’s long heritage with craft beer. More than 150 events are planned throughout the Bay Area. They include beer festivals, beer dinners, meet-the-brewers evenings, home-brewing demonstrations, music, films, and even a museum exhibition.

“We want the public to know that San Francisco is a hot spot for artisan and craft beers. It is an artisan environment,” said Dave McLean, owner and brewer of Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery, and the Alembic bar. “San Francisco has the top examples of artists – from cheese, to wine, to arts and culture – and beer is a part of that excellence.”

Get ready for Beer Week. (Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pub)

After all, beer is considered the oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage in the world. The Bay Area’s connection dates back to the 19th Century, when it had nearly 50 breweries.

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Go Red

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February is American Heart Month, so be good to your ticker.

Alarmingly, heart disease is the number one killer of women. So resolve to eat healthier, exercise more, quit smoking, lose weight, and keep your cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure under control.

The Food Gal will be doing her part in all of this, too. Yours truly will be joining a handful of other women on ABC’s “View From the Bay” ( KGO-TV channel 7), 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, with hosts Spencer Christian and Janelle Wang. We’ll be participating in a fashion show organized by the American Heart Association and Macy’s. Basically, I’m just hoping I don’t trip over my own two feet walking down the runway.

You can do your part, too, by wearing red on Feb. 6, National Wear Red Day. Landmark buildings around the Bay Area, including San Jose City Hall’s dome, will be lit up in red that day for the occasion.

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Meaty Times at Poggio in Sausalito

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Tuscan porchetta every Monday through March. (Photo courtesy of Poggio)

Carnivores will want to head to picturesque Poggio for two marvelous meaty events.

First up, every Monday through March 30, the Italian restaurant will feature a Porchetta Dinner for $16 per person.

Executive Chef Peter McNee learned the Tuscan technique in Italy, in which a small pig is deboned and stuffed with herb sausage. Then, it is roasted in a wood-burning rotisserie until the skin is super crispy and the meat tender as can be.

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Charlie Ayers’ Calafia Cafe Opens

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Inside Calafia Cafe & Market A Go Go. (Photo courtesy of Ben Mayorga)

The long-awaited debut restaurant by the former executive chef of Google has opened for business at Palo Alto’s Town & Country Village.

Calafia Cafe & Market A Go Go is the brainchild of Charlie Ayers, one-time private chef to the Grateful Dead. Although the cafe is open, the market  — with its planned salad bar, rotisserie chicken, and pre-cooked meals to reheat at home — won’t open its doors until February.

The eclectic, global menu of the casual eatery emphasizes fresh, healthy, local, and sustainable. You’ll find everything from brown rice sushi ($9) to Crouching Chicken Pizza (Five-spice chicken, tiger sauce, mushrooms, white sesame seeds, and greens; $9), Chinese Chicken Salad ($7.50), Lacquered Beef Short Ribs ($16), and Vegan Sticky Buns with Maple Syrup ($7).

Carafes of house-filtered still or carbonated water are set on the tables. Lumber from a 1910 Pennsylvania barn was reclaimed for the ceiling. A chandelier of 66 recycled milk bottles graces the front dining area. Other custom table lamps are constructed from a found gas can and dairy can; and counters are made from recycled paper put under immense pressure to create a hard, dense surface.

Pizza -- Charlie Ayers' way. (Photo courtesy of Chris Schmauch)

The cafe and bar are open daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Happy Hour, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily, will feature select wines, beers, and appetizers at a discount.

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