Category Archives: Enticing Events

New Sourdough Specialities, McEvoy Ranch Garden Walk, Wine Crawl & More

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Sourdough gnocchi with lovely lobster. (Photo courtesy of Boudin Bistro)

San Francisco’s Bistro Boudin Offers New Sourdough Dishes

Bistro Boudin at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf has upped the sourdough factor on its summer menu.

A variety of new dishes highlight the tangy, wonderful bread made by the cafe’s Gold Rush-era bakery.

Look for Bistro Shrimp Salad ($14.95) with grilled avocado, tangerines, chopped romaine and cilantro vinaigrette piled into a crispy sourdough cup; Grilled Salmon Al Tagine ($25.95) with clams, spinach, cherry tomatoes, Moroccan olives and capers served with sourdough crostini; and Sourdough Gnocchi ($23.95) with decadent chunks of lobster in a creamy pesto sauce.

Grilled salmon tagine with sourdough crostini. (Photo courtesy of Bistro Boudin)

San Francisco Wine Crawl

Sure, you’ve heard of food truck crawls, where those culinary four-wheelers gather in one spot to ply their delicious wares. Now, get ready for a wine version of that.

SF Wine Crawl, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. July 24, affords you the chance to taste wines from 10 of San Francisco’s urban wineries.

Treasure Island is the location for this unique event — only appropriate since several wineries already make their home there. Sip wine, meet the winemakers and enjoy a breathtaking view of the Bay.

The event is accessible by car and #108 Muni bus.

Tickets are $40 per person; $60 VIP tickets include a VIP shuttle to ferry you around to each winery.

Enjoy a visit to McEvoy Ranch -- complete with lunch. (Photo courtesy of the ranch)

Garden Tour and Lunch at McEvoy Ranch in Marin County

McEvoy Ranch — producers of spectacular estate-grown, certified organic extra virgin olive oils — is opening up its 550-acre property in the hills west of Petaluma for a garden walk plus lunch, 10 a.m. to noon July 22.

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Food Gal Giveaway of Organic California Olive Oil

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Luscious organic, local olive oil from Northern California by Sorelle Paradiso. (Photo courtesy of Daily Gourmet)

The Scianamblo family, who trace its roots to Puglia, Italy, has been farming in Northern California for 30 years. But it wasn’t until recently that their daughter, an integrative health practitioner and educator, convinced her parents to convert their 44-acre olive grove to all organic.

The family business, Sorelle Paradiso, now makes award-winning organic extra virgin olive oils pressed from their Mission, Sevillano, and Nevadillo Blanco olives.

The golden-hued Sorelle Paradiso Sevillano oil has a beguiling aroma of grass and pear, while the Mission Blend is all green apple, nuts and hay.

A 750ml bottle of the Mission Blend and a 375ml of the Pure Sevillano regularly sell for $75 plus $21 in shipping.

But through the end of this week, Daily Gourmet, is offering the duo for $62 plus free shipping (a $34 savings). The San Francisco-based company offers limited-time deals on gourmet products from around the country to its members. Becoming a member is as easy as signing up here.

Win these two bottles of organic olive oil (total value of $96). (Photo courtesy of Daily Gourmet)

Contest: I’m happy to be giving away one bottle each of the 750ml Mission Blend and the 375ml Pure Sevillano to one lucky Food Gal reader. Contest is open only to those in the continental United States. Entries will be accepted through noon PST July 21. Winner will be announced on July 22.

How to win?

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See’s Candies Exclusive Tour, Anthony Bourdain Comes to Town & More

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See's Candies summer-time suckers in root beer flavor. (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

Win a Chance to Visit the See’s Candies Factory

See’s Candies will celebrate National Lollipop Day on July 20 in a big way.

First, stop in at any one of more than 200 See’s locations that day to get a free See’s lollypop.

Second, for an entire week, July 16–23, See’s will be putting all its lollypops on sale at 30 percent off. A box of 30 will sell for $12 (regularly $15.80) and a box of 12 will be $5.75 (regularly $7.15). The cube-shaped lollys come in chocolate, vanilla, cafe latte, butterscotch and the special summer flavor of root beer.

Lastly, you and a guest can win a VIP tour of See’s South San Francisco candy factory, which is not normally open to the public. As one who has had the sweet pleasure of going on such a tour, take my word that it’s an unforgettable experience. Included in this prize package is round-trip airfare for two, four nights at a San Francisco hotel, ground transportation and a $100 per diem per day. Entrants also will have a chance to vie for $50 See’s gift cards. Contest is open through July 23. Winners will be selected in a random drawing.

The one and only Anthony Bourdain comes to Oakland. (Photo courtesy of the Travel Channel)

Anthony Bourdain Comes to Oakland

Culinary bad boy and host of the popular, award-winning show, “No Reservations,” Anthony Bourdain will be making a one-night appearance at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland at 8 p.m. Oct. 21, in which he’ll be lobbing his trademark barbs and thought-provoking insights in a lecture-style setting.

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Bay Area Barbecue Championship and Quick Food Gal Giveaway

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Barbecue chicken and more await you at the Bay Area BBQ Championship. (Photo courtesy of the event organizers)

If you love barbecue, you are destined for one smoke-a-licious time at the Bay Area Barbecue Championship on July 16 at the Oakland Coliseum.

Starting at 9:30 a.m., 32 teams will square off in four categories: Chicken, Brisket, Pork and Ribs.

Celebrity judges — including Bay Area Chef Joey Altman and everyone’s favorite retired pilot, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger — will determine the winners. But there also will be a People’s Choice Award for members of the public to cast votes on whose ‘cue they believe clobbers all the rest.

After you’ve had your fill of smoky, charred meat, take a seat inside the Coliseum for the A’s only double-header of the year as they take on the Los Angeles Angels.

General admission tickets are $48 each, which gets you five food/drink coupons for the Barbecue Championship and one plaza outfield seat for the double-header.

VIP tickets are $78 each, which includes the food-drink coupons, plus a field level seat and access to VIP hospitality.

All tickets must be purchased in advance.

The event benefits Alternative Family Services, which provides services for foster children in Northern California.

Contest: I’m happy to be giving away three general admission tickets to the barbecue fest and baseball game (a value of $48 each) to one lucky Food Gal reader. Contest is open only to those who can make it to Oakland on July 16. Since the event is this Saturday, this will be a quick contest. Entries will be accepted only until noon PST July 13. The winner will be announced on July 14.

How to win?

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Anzu Gets A Fresh Look, New Campbell Eateries, Half-Off Wines & More

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Anzu's new glam look. (Photo by Matthew Millman)

Restaurant Anzu Gets Glam

The Hotel Nikko’s Restaurant Anzu in San Francisco has debuted a chic new look with its bold citrine, black and white decor.

Jewel-like chandeliers, beaded pendant lighting, a black wall treatment, heavy, damask curtains and oversized white banquettes add an even more luxurious feeling.

You can still enjoy an array of sushi there, but the restaurant also has added a new emphasis on prime meat with  Kurobota double pork chop ($33), local rack of lamb ($34) and Wagyu beef that’s cooked tableside on a sizzling hot Japanese river stone ($34).

Campbell Welcomes Tasty, New Businesses

Downtown Campbell is hopping lately with new foodie places, including an intriguing Austrian-California restaurant, Naschmarkt (pronounced “nash-marked”), which just opened.

Long-time South Bay foodies may fondly remember the now-shuttered Cafe Marcella in Los Gatos. Those owners, Alain and Martine Staebler, have partnered with their son-in-law, Austrian chef, Matthias Froeschl, to open this restaurant that is named for Vienna’s largest open-air market.

Look for classic wiener schnitzel with lingonberry sauce, Hungarian beef goulash, steamed Scottish salmon with baby artichokes, and apple strude — but of course.

Soda pop buffs will get a kick out of Rocket Fizz, which also just opened downtown. Owners Chris Dunn and Lisa Pelgrim sell more than 500 varieties of soda, including more than 50 root beers. They’re all sold in glass bottles, which can be purchased individually, by the pack or by the case.

Don’t miss the candy selection, either, that boasts more than 2,000 kinds from around the world.

Finally, if that wasn’t enough sugar for you already, wander over to the new downtown Frost Cupcake Factory.

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