Category Archives: Wine

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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Days of Wine and Crab

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Enjoy the chance to sip some of Sonoma's best wines.

Wine lovers will want to head to the Dry Creek, Russian River, and Alexander valleys in Sonoma, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 17-18, when bottles will be uncorked for exclusive tastes.

The 17th annual Winter Wineland event will have more than 100 winery owners opening their cellar doors for a post-holiday celebration that will allow guests to taste limited production vintages, both old and new. Food pairings and tours also will be offered. Look for special discounts on bottles and cases, too.

Among the wineries to visit are De La Montanya, De Loach Vineyards, Siduri Wines, and Korbel.

Price is $40 for both days; $30 for Sunday only; and $10 for designated drivers. To purchase tickets and to see a list of participating wineries, click here or call (888) 251-0560.

Brewery Gulch Inn

If you want to enjoy some crab with all that wine, you won’t want to miss Mendocino County’s Wine & Crab Days at Brewery Gulch Inn in Mendocino, Jan. 30-31.

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Martini Madness

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Martinis galore at last year's cocktail celebration. (Photo courtesy of Douglas Thompson)

If you’re feeling a little hung over from all that revelry on New Year’s Eve, martinis might not be exactly what you want to see right now.

But just think: You have eight days to recover before the Martini Madness Challenge 2009 rolls around at the Saddles Steakhouse at MacArthur Place Inn & Spa in Sonoma.

The Jan. 9 event (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.), part of the Sonona Valley Olive Festival, will feature 10 bartenders from various Sonoma Valley restaurants and bars presenting their top martini for judging.

Enjoy the fruits of their labor (shaken or stirred?), along with appetizers and live music. Tickets are $40 per person ($45 at the door). There’s also an $85 option that includes entry to the Martini Madness festivities, plus a three-course dinner at Saddles.

Purchase tickets here.

For more fun Sonoma Valley Olive Festival events, head to Ramekins Culinary School’s Vineyard Room in Sonoma on Jan. 24 to partake in the annual Feast of the Olive Dinner. A host of chefs will prepare a five-course feast inspired by olives, with matching wine pairings. The chefs will work in teams of two to prepare each course using local, artisan olives and olive oils.

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New Dessert Shop, New Kids’ Menu, New Wine

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Frozen yogurt with Valhrona chocolate rice pearls and sunflower seeds. (Photo courtesy of Chill).

There’s a chill in the air in San Francisco — in more ways than one.

Chill is a new dessert cafe, 125 Kearny St. in downtown San Francisco across the street from the Crocker Galleria. Owner Trang Nguyen, who sports an MBA and work experience at Kraft Foods and Revlon, serves up unique sweets with global influences.

Low-fat, all-natural frozen yogurt comes in flavors such as original tart, black sesame, and rooibos red tea. There’s also vanilla frozen custard to give you goose bumps. Choose from toppings such as chocolate agave, black sugar, and dulce de leche.

Crispy crepe cone with frozen custard and strawberries. (Photo courtesy of Chill)

Or enjoy those offerings in concoctions such as Black Sesame Fig ($5.25), a mix of fig puree, grape syrup, organic condensed milk, and black sesame fro-yo, all on a bed of shave ice. Or have it all stuffed in a crispy crepe cone. How about Banana Walnuts ($5.75), a crepe cone filled with banana chips, walnuts, dulce de leche syrup, and frozen yogurt?

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