Category Archives: Enticing Events

Delicious Times to Look Forward to in 2013

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One of the noshes from last year's Wine & Wishes event. (Photo courtesty of Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area)

Wine & Wishes

Enjoy the offerings from more than 50 Bay Area restaurants and wineries at the 12th annual Wine & Wishes‘ gala, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Feb. 2, on Treasure Island.

All proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area organization, which grants wishes to children suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

The evening begins with a walk-around gourmet wine and food tasting, followed by a four-course wine pairing dinner by nine San Francisco star chefs, including Hoss Zare of Zare at Fly Trap, Jeff Baker of Baker & Banker, Suzette Gresham of Acquerello and Roland Passot of La Folie.

Tickets for the tasting are $150 each; tickets for the dinner (which includes admission to the tasting) are $500 each.

Meet yours truly and some of the best chefs in the country in January in Yosemite. (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

Come Meet the Food Gal In Yosemite

Join me Jan. 20-24 in Yosemite, when I host a couple of events at the Ahwahnee’s annual Chefs’ Holiday Series.

If you’ve never attended one of these events, you’re missing out. For the month of January, 25 chefs from around the country will be featured over a series of eight sessions of cooking demos, receptions and gala dinners.

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Farm-Fresh Teas and A Food Gal Giveaway

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Take a sip of the unusual teas by Grey Dog Tea.

Stinging nettles, sweet peppers and heirloom chiles — in tea?

You bet.

Last year, Baia Nicchia, the 9 1/2-acre farm in Sunol known for its impeccable tomatoes, started selling unique blends of teas, made from its organic herbs, fruits and vegetables that have been dried.

The teas proved so popular that farm owner Fred Hempel has now launched his own tea company, Grey Dog Tea, named for his pet Greyhound.

The teas are available in loose-leaf or bag form. The blends include ones with caffeine, as well as ones without. The actual tea leaves used come from San Francisco’s Five Mountains, which specializes in heirloom organic teas.

The four beguiling blends include:  “Dragon Mint Tea Blend” (heirloom teas, mints, chile pepper flakes and herbs), “Chile Mint Herb Tea” (heirloom chile pepper flakes, mints and herbs), “Citrus Stinger Herb Tea” (yuzu leaf, lemon grass, stinging nettles, sweet peppers, chile peppers, Persian spearmint, nasturtiums and citrus peel), and “Citrus Morning Blend” (heirloom oolong teas, herbs, stinging nettles, sweet peppers, yuzu leaf, heirloom chile peppers and citrus peel).

The signature "Chile Mint Tea.''

All of the blends have a purity of flavor to them, as if you were drinking something straight from the garden. The chiles in the blends won’t make you break into a sweat. They’re quite subtle, lending fruitiness and a delicate warmth.

I’m especially partial to the “Dragon Mint Tea Blend” because of how the gentle tannin of the tea leaves is lifted by the profusion of mint.

The teas sell for $9.99 to $16.99.

CONTEST: One lucky Food Gal reader will win a tin of Grey Dog Tea’s signature “Chile Mint Herb Tea,” plus a refill. You get your choice of loose-leaf or bags, too.

Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST Dec. 22. Winner will be announced Dec. 24.

How to win?

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Eating My Way Through Montreal in the Fall, Part I

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Inside the magnificent Montreal Notre-Dame Basilica.

MONTREAL, CANADA — Bundled up tightly in a trench coat, boots, gloves, scarf and a wooly hat, I have left the still sunny Northern California climate to make my way around Canada’s second largest city in the chill of early November.

I am joined by eight other food writers from around the globe, all of us hosted on this trip by Tourisme Montreal.

Our mission? To eat, drink and get to know Montreal’s vibrant food scene.

Naturally, we are more than up to the task.

I should have realized just how serious Montrealers take eating when I disembarked the plane at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and went through Canadian customs. When the agent realized I was a food writer visiting his country for the main purpose of eating, he asked to see my itinerary, then proceeded to point out which restaurants on the list he had visited and which he particularly liked. If that isn’t an auspicious beginning to a trip, I don’t know what is.

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The Verdict on the New Veggie Grill & A Food Gal Giveaway

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A taste of Veggie Grill's Papa's Portobella Burger.

With no offense to vegetarians, I admit that I have often had a love-hate relationship with wheat gluten products that try to masquerade as bona fide meat.

I love the idea. But I hate the taste and texture, which have always seemed a true letdown.

I can remember once going to a Chinese Buddhist restaurant with friends. After one of the dishes was set down at the table, my friend’s Dad dived in excitedly, then proclaimed that the molded, pressed wheat gluten slices tasted just like Peking duck.

I almost blurted out, “Are you high?” But I managed to restrain myself and just smile in silence.

Now, Veggie Grill is making me eat that thought.

The first branch of the Southern California fast-casual vegetarian restaurant recently opened in San Jose’s Santana Row. As a local food writer, I received a couple of coupons to try a few of the entrees on the house.

I went in with trepidation. But I came out a fan. Yes, even of the wheat gluten.

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Hakkasan To Open in San Francisco, Fugu Sake For Those Who Dare & More

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Creative dim sum offerings at the soon-to-open Hakkasan in San Francisco. (Photo courtesy of the restaurant)

Hakkasan To Open Its Doors Dec. 3

A splashy new, modern Chinese restaurant will debut Dec. 3 in downtown San Francisco.

Hakkasan — with branches already up and running or under construction in New York, Miami, Las Vegas, London, the Middle East and India — will encompass a 170-seat, 10,000-square-foot space on the second floor of the One Kearny building in San Francisco.

Known for its eye-popping prices and gilded interiors, Hakkasan tapped the Parisian design firm, Gilles & Boissier, to create a dramatic V-shaped bar to play off the building’s wedge-shaped design. Look for stone, glass, steel, dark-stained oak, Calcutta marble, colored mirrors, silks and embroidered leather to customize the look.

The restaurant, which will be open daily, will offer Cantonese-style dim sum, as well as an extensive wine and sake list.

Look for beautifully composed dishes like crispy duck salad with pomelo and pine nuts from Executive Chef Ho Chee Boon. (Photo courtesy of Hakkasan)

Executive Chef Ho Chee Boon, who has worked at the original Hakkasan in London, will be crafting dishes inspired by San Francisco’s dedication to organic ingredients. Look for “Jasmine Tea Smoked Short Ribs,” “Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly with Aged Vinegar,” and “Prawn and Pak Choi Dumplings.”

Ame Serves Up Fugu — In Sake

Yes, fugu, the prized Japanese fish that can be lethal in the wrong hands, will be served up at Ame in San Francisco in an unusual sake.

It looks innocent enough, doesn't it? (Photo courtesy of Ame restauarnt)

The restaurant, in the St. Regis Hotel, has taken the fins from the fish, roasted them, then steeped them in sake. The result is a drink that’s unique, rich and complex.

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