Category Archives: Enticing Events

A Food Gal Giveaway: Two Seats at A Special Tomato and Wine Pairing Dinner in Los Gatos

Indulge your summer tomato cravings.

Two of my favorite places in Los Gatos are joining for one night to celebrate “Fruits of the Vine,” a salute to summer heirloom tomatoes and stellar wines.

Sept. 15, the owners of Enoteca La Storia wine bar will be supplying copious amounts of their 25 varieties of home-grown, organic tomatoes to Restaurant James Randall for a vine-to-table five-course feast.

Chef Ross Hanson’s menu will include dishes such as Dungeness crab croquettes with tomato relish; tomato braised beef with creamy polenta and Pecorino; and roasted tomato and peach shortcake.

The  6 p.m. dinner is $95 per person, which includes wine pairings. Tax and gratuity are not included.

Advance ticket purchase is required.

Contest: One lucky Food Gal reader will get a chance to attend the dinner with a guest — for free (though a tip for the servers would be appreciated, I’m sure). Entries, limited to those who can make it to Los Gatos on the evening of Sept. 15, will be accepted through midnight PST Sept. 8. Winner will be announced Sept. 10.

How to win?

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Chocolate Fest, Chef Craig Stoll Cooking Demo & Chefs of Compassion Event

A decadent Ghirardelli milk chocolate caramel square. (Photo by James Hall Photography)

17th Annual Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival

It’s a total chocolate weekend in store, noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 8-9, when the 17th Annual Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival rolls into San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square.

Take part in an ice cream eating contest, in which contestants will have to down a famous Ghirardelli “Earthquake Sundae.” Join the chocolate scavenger hunt. Watch chef demonstrations. And enjoy the first ever festival bake-off with treats made from Ghirardelli products.

The chocolate extravaganza is a benefit for Project Open Hand, which provides meals to those who are homebound.  Last year, $63,000 was raised.

Tickets are $20 each, which will get you 15 samples.

Deep dark chocolate squares from Ghirardelli. (Photo by James Hall Photography)

Chef Craig Stoll Cooks at Bloomingdale’s San Francisco

Craig Stoll, chef-proprietor of Delfina, Pizzeria Delfina and Locanda, all in San Francisco, will be whipping up some delicious dishes at Bloomingdale’s in downtown San Francisco, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 8.

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Fresh, Local Produce Delivered to Your Door & A Food Gal Giveaway

A peek at what a Full Circle produce delivery box contains. (Photo courtesy of Full Circle)

There’s a new organic produce delivery company in town.

And its name is Full Circle.

You may remember reading a couple months ago about how I got to try out the service for a test run. It was definitely convenient to find a box on my doorstep each week, brimming with seasonal veggies and fruits.

The company, which started in Carnation, WA, launched its service in the Bay Area earlier this summer. It delivers as far north as San Rafael, east to Concord and south to San Jose.

You choose the size of box to be delivered each week, depending upon the size of your household. I chose the smallest option, the “Seed Box” ($20.95), which is perfect for one or two people and comes complete with enough produce for about 15 servings total.

What’s particularly helpful is that you can customize your box. If there’s someone in your family who hates beets or broccoli, you can opt never to have that included in your delivery.

You also can check your online account a few days before each delivery to see what your next box will likely contain, making it easier to plan your meals or shop for additional accompaniments at your local grocery store.

What’s more, you can add gourmet grocery items to your box at an additional cost. Full Circle collaborates with a host of artisan producers, many of them organic, to sell everything from bread to artisan jams to fresh, pasture-raised chicken. I ordered the wild shrimp once and they were nearly lobster-like in their succulence.

Moreover, you can put your deliver on hold or cancel your subscription at any time.

Want to give it a whirl? Keep reading…

Contest: Five Food Gal readers will get a chance to win two weeks’ worth of Full Circle produce deliveries for free. Essentially, you’ll win an $84 credit to use after creating an account. The credit is enough for two free boxes of the largest-size delivery, the “Harvest,” which will feed 3-6 people. Or if you have a smaller household, you can stretch the credit out for a longer period of time by choosing a smaller-size box of produce. After your credited amount runs out, you can either choose to continue the service by paying for it on your own or you can choose to cancel your subscription.

Entries are limited to those who live within Full Circle’s delivery areas in California, Washington state, Idaho and Alaska. Click here for more details.

Entries will be accepted through midnight PST Sept. 1. Winner will be announced Sept. 3.

How to win?

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Introducing the Updated Version of Food Gal’s Bay Area Dining App & A Giveaway

Introducing my new, improved app.

Drum roll, please.

Just as I am my own person, I’m also my own app now.

If you remember back to February, I proudly launched my “Food Gal’s Ultimate Guide to Bay Area Dining” for iPhones.

Back then, it was under the umbrella of the new venture, the “Know What” network of apps for favorite bars, food, hikes, museums and more. So, you had to buy the “Know What Essentials”  app first, before you could add on more specific modules, such as my own.

Now, with the blessing and help of the team behind Escape Apps, which created the “Know What” network, you can bypass that step and just buy my app alone for $1.99.

My app has been updated to  feature more than 75 restaurants, bakeries and wine bars to check out in the Bay Area — from the tony to the hole-in-the-wall.

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A Fashionable Foodie Time & A Food Gal Giveaway

What could be better after a day of shopping at Santana Row than popping into Citrus restaurant for some fresh, warm donuts?

If you’ve strolled around San Jose’s Santana Row, you know it’s a mecca for designer boutiques and happening restaurants.

And what could be better than shopping at your leisure for an afternoon, then resting your weary feet and arms afterward at a swank table set with wine and food?

Fashionable foodies can enjoy both those pastimes at Santana Row’s “Fall Fashion in the Park” on Sept. 8. Two runway shows will take place, at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sept. 8, showcasing autumn and winter looks for men and women from Santana Row retailers.

A wine and hors d’oeuvre reception will precede the fashion show, which also will feature a private shopping boutique and post-show bash.

Meet Whitney Thompson, winner of “America’s Next Top Model,” who will lead a fashionista “walk-off” competition.

General admission tickets are $40 each. VIP tickets, which include reserved front-row seating, complimentary champagne and valet parking, are $60 each.

The event is a benefit for the Junior League of San Jose and the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation.

Contest: One lucky Food Gal reader will win a pair of general admission tickets to the 3 p.m. fashion show at Santana Row. Entries, limited to those who can make it to Santana Row that afternoon of Sept. 8, will be accepted through midnight PST Aug. 25. Winner will be announced Aug. 27.

How to win?

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