SFBG photog Ariel Soto hits the streets each week to scope out SF's best looks. View her last installment here.

Jennifer, Van Ness Muni station

Terry, Mission and Virginia

Kate, Prospect and Cortland

SFBG's Juliette Tang gets a little satisfaction.

What do you do if you find yourself in the Mission District at 4:00 PM, don't want to ruin your appetite for dinner, but really really need a snack, so direly that you're acting like a cranky bitch toward your friends? I found myself in this predicament yesterday, and as I gazed longingly into my purse (as cavernous and empty as my stomach) I knew that plunking down $8 for grilled veggies at Bi-Rite was beyond the realm of possibility.

But budgeting constraints shouldn't mean that my only snack option is a can of Pringles at the Walgreens at 16th and Mission, and lucky for me, San Francisco has a cornucopia of cheap snack options that are as equally appetizing to the palate as they are the bank account.

SFBG's Juliette Tang peeps the best eco-friendly products and boutiques.

It seems that the biggest trend in fashion these days isn't the ankle boot, the harem pant, or the high-waisted jean, but the color green. Everything is being dyed green lately, no? And by green I don't mean the color of that pretty John Galliano dress. I mean green as in producing goods in a socially conscious manner, inflicting as little harm as possible on the environment, and considering the sustainability of the planet as a meaningful paradigm in the relationship between labor, assembly, and production. Green as in the type of clothing one might find in boutiques like Wildlife Works, a green fashion label headquartered in San Francisco whose mission is to save endangered wildlife in Kenya.

Unlike much of the clothing on the market that is labeled 'green,' the products at Wildlife Works are actually green. Sadly, 'green' is often a misnomer used to mislead consumers. It seems everyday we're hearing news of fraudulent eco-friendly products that aren't nearly as green as they claim to be. Says Mike Korchinsky, founder and CEO of Wildlife Works, "Is everything that claims to be eco-friendly really eco-friendly? No, absolutely not. The marketing world has caught onto the green buzz and has been making a lot of hay out of the green movement." From poor quality goods to deceitful advertising, spurious greenwashing is everywhere.

By Natalie Gregory

In the 90’s, there were girls who rocked. Kim Deal, Courtney Love, the girl from White Zombie. I didn’t realize it at the time, but these women were an inspiration. They still are; a big fat middle finger to anybody who says girls can’t rock out and rock hard. This is a big theme in the insightful documentary Girls Rock!: girls today have some pretty commercialized, f&*%#d up role models. It’s about a rock and roll camp for girls in Portland, Oregon and follows a few first-timers throughout their weeklong journey of songwriting, guitar playing, and all the compromises in between. By the end of it, these male directors manage to illustrate the girls gaining confidence and a better understanding of their own capabilities.

By Juliette Tang

.... placemat, at Branch:

If your special Valentine is the type of person who likes getting a desk or a side table for Valentine's Day, it would behoove you to know that Branch, an online furniture store specializing in sustainable, eco-friendly modern furniture, is having a Valentine's Day sale. And, the best part about this sale is that, unlike other Valentine's Day events (like going out for fondue or checking out that new shitty Renee Zellweger movie) you don't even need a Valentine in order to go. In fact, unlike other Valentine's Day events, this one is actually more fun to attend alone, because this beautiful handmade Cortiça Chaise Lounge only seats one, and Branch only has one floor model of it in stock. And this wine pitcher only comes with one cup. I'll be using that cup to drink on my one rubber placemat. So there!

PS: if you mention that you heard about this via the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Branch will offer an extra 5% discount beyond their already discounted prices. You're welcome!

Branch Warehouse Sale
11:30AM to 5:00PM
Saturday, February 7
245 South Van Ness Ave. Suite 304
415-626-1012
www.branchhome.com

SFBG's Laura Peach rounds up local items and experiences to die for

Valentine’s Day gift giving can be tricky. You need to choose something that's romantic and significant, yet appropriate for your relationship status and your budget. These special treats for your Valentine sweet are sure to please.

--------------

1. Stay sexy

The Alanya Room

Book a night in San Francisco’s sexiest hotel rooms, the SugarLuxe and Alanya at Hotel Des Artes ($69-$189). Yes, Playboy and pornography inspired these female artists to paint scantily clad, larger than life women on the walls. Yet nothing about the pop-artesque murals seems sleazy. To us anyway.

The SugarLuxe Room

Hotel des Artes, 447 Bush, SF, 415-956-3232; www.sfhoteldesartes.com

------------

2. Get fresh

All natural, Berkeley based personal care company Nancy Boy has concocted a sumptuous signature body oil that is perfect for massages ($21). Stock up at the clean, calming Hayes Valley store and let your hands get to work.

Nancy Boy, 347 Hayes, SF, 415-552-3636; www.nancyboy.com

------------

LOCAL ARTIST Josh Hagler

TITLE Golgotha (72 by 108 inches, oil on canvas)

BIO Josh Hagler has exhibited artwork in galleries in London, Toronto, New York City, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. He is the recipient of the Wildgift Movement Grant. In the spring of 2010, he will have his first European solo exhibition at Galerie Raphael in Frankfurt, Germany.

SHOW "72 Virgins to Die For," Thurs/5 through March 1 (reception Thurs/5, 6–9 p.m.). Frey Norris Gallery, 456 Geary, SF. (415) 346-7182, www.freynorris.com

WEB www.joshuahagler.com, www.joshuahagler.blogspot.com

By Juliette Tang

There is some seriously beautiful graffiti in the Bay Area, along with some unbelievably atrocious scribbling as well.

Photographers Steve Rotman and Chris Brennan want you to focus on the beautiful. Their photo book of local street art, Bay Area Graffiti, drops this Friday with a launch party at 111 Minna. The bomb tome offers 208 pages of stunning landscape photos, as well as in-depth artist interviews with major players like JENKS, ABNO, CHUBS, HARSH, NESTA, REYES, CYMES, APEX and more – which "reveal personal stories, insights into inspiration, and harrowing tales of agility, all in the name of getting up."

From Bay Area Graffiti

(The Online Graffiti Glossary, explains "getting up": "Originally, "getting up" meant to sucessfully hit a train. Now it means to hit up anything, anywhere, with any form of graffiti, from a tag all the way up to a wildstyle burner -- although the term implies the process of tagging repeatedly to spread your name. Tagging something once would be getting up, but would not make you an 'up' writer." Etymology!)

Many of the up graffiti writers featured in the book will be making appearances at the launch bash.

Juliette Tang shouts out to local bloggers. Read her last installment here.

There is a particular breed of San Franciscan male who is sensitive, nurturing, and never gets tired of communicating. I know what you're thinking. What's his phone number and why haven't you met him yet? You haven't met him because he's at home, sitting in front of the computer, and taking care of the kids. He is the elusive San Franciscan stay-at-home dad blogger. And one thing's for sure: Stay-at-home dads update their blogs frequently!

SFDad says his "main reason for existence is to provide you with news and information about the most important (at least to us) baby in the world, SFBaby." Before you balk, jaded Guardian readers, first check out his blog. You'll realize that his gushing dad syndrome is actually really heartwarming, even for us. I totally got hooked on the three-part-series of SFDad and SFBaby going to visit SFGrandparents without SFMom. And this story about how SFDad bought mittens for SFBaby at an import store in the Mission because he was on a budget and didn't want to get them at Baby Gap.

Doodaddy is the kind of father who wants "dump a gallon of pond slime on a 7-year old girl" because she wouldn't let your daughter play with her (ostensibly because the 7-year old was raised by "sociopathic coyotes in a cave somewhere"). He chronicles the lives of Blueberry, his 9-month old, and Boo, his 3-year old, and states "part of my very existence orbits around ways to pawn my children off on other people". Now this is the kind of parenting blog we can all relate to! Though he claims he's "just not much of a parent," his blog reveals that he cares deeply about his children (I mean, his life literally revolves around them, attempted pawning notwithstanding), and he is dealing with it the way any young San Franciscan urbanite would: with a lot of befuddlement, some apprehensions, and a whole lot of love and patience.

It's something like an Obamanenon, the way his campaign catchphrases have infiltrated the wholly commercial realm quicker than you can say, "Yes we can!"

We all know the most obvious instance, the fusion of Pepsi and Obama. Perhaps he triggered it by adopting a remarkably similar campaign symbol:

But Pepsi is determined to consume him -- and us. It's impossible to walk through certain BART/Muni tunnels downtown without the special form of mind control that comes from placards that tease the corners of your eyes no matter which way you turn:

Yet, without a doubt, my favorite Obama-imitator is a much smaller commercial entity, the TV ad specialist Roni Deutch. There's something very Peppermint Patty about Roni. Yes you can fight the IRS, Chuck!:

I'm sure there are dozens of other Obama-influenced jingles out there. Yes you can tell us about them!

SFBG TV goes to Le P'tit Laurent restaurant in Glen Park. Video slideshow by Ariel Soto

By Marke B.

To a slightly lesser extent than the invasion of Afghanistan -- where Taliban assholes are still spraying young girls' faces with acid -- the occupation of Iraq was touted as a women's liberation project. We were the white knights coming to tear the veils off and throw open wide the doors to fancy new schools, theaters, community centers, and business opportunities.

Boy, that turned out to be quite a bit of presumptive hash. In the giant WTF that followed "shock and awe," many learned the limits of such blanket assertions -- but of course the deaths of tens of thousands are still seen here as nothing but a big fat lesson for Westerners. What about the people who had to live through it all?

One incisive complaint is that the West has failed to include enough voices from Iraq to give a fuller picture of the occupation's effects -- both the disastrous and the hopeful. Iraqi women, especially, seem even more invisible now than before the invasion.

Co-authors Nadje Al-Ali, Reader in Gender Studies at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies and Nicola Pratt, Lecturer in Comparative Politics and International Relations at the University of East Anglia, just released a new UC Press book that attempts a corrective. What Kind of Liberation?: Women and the Occupation of Iraq is the first book to examine how Iraqi women have fared since the invasion, and attempts to "expose the gap between rhetoric that placed women center stage and the present reality of their diminishing roles in the 'new Iraq.'"

Text and photos by Ariel Soto

The Year of the Ox started with a bang of firecrackers and a gigantic parade that made its way through downtown San Francisco. Families lined up early to get a prime viewing spot along the parade route, while munching on steam buns and pot stickers to keep them warm. Colorful dragons pranced along with dancers and fanciful floats. Happy New Year ... Gung Hay Fat Choy and Gong He Xin Xi!

SFBG photog Ariel Soto scoops SF street fashion. See her last Street Threads installment here.

Today's Look: Michael, 18th St. and Castro

Tell us about your look: "My fashion philosophy is all about layers. The weather is so unpredictable; I just always layer up in the morning."

By Molly Freedenberg

It’s finally time! We’re announcing the winner to our Shop Local contest, in which we challenged readers to send us stories about how they spent at least $100 at locally-owned and operated businesses during the 2008 holiday season. We received so many fantastic entries, we extended the deadline way beyond Christmas day. But lucky for you, we’re publishing some of our favorites just in time for Valentine’s Day. When getting gifts for that special someone, don’t forget to send the local economy a bit of love too!

(And by the way, for those inspired to continue the shop local initiative throughout the year, please keep in mind that the plan is not only to buy things near your home, but from businesses that are based in San Francisco. The Starbucks or Target on the corner may be nearby, but they ain’t local. Now, commence your shopping.)

First up, our contest winner etristan, who will receive $500 in gift certificates to local businesses. We like this entry because the writer took shopping local to a fantastically micro level, keeping cash not only within San Francisco but within the writer’s own neighborhood. Plus, we like all the specific ideas for creative gifts.

Diana Dunkelberger gets the scoop on yummy local edibles. View her last installment here.

For this week’s installation of The Larder, we’ve gotten some help from Sylvan Mishima Brackett, the longtime assistant to Alice Waters at Chez Panisse, and the owner of Peko-Peko, a fantastic Japanese catering company that specializes in the robust fare of the izakaya (Japanese tavern). Sylvan, who was born in Kyoto, named his company after a rather onomatopoeic Japanese word that means “really really hungry, like spikes of pain are ripping through your body.”

These days, when Sylvan is “peko-peko,” he prepares Rex Sole Karaage. (“Karaage” is a Japanese cooking technique that involves marinating meat and then deep frying it. In this case, Rex sole, a delicious type of fish.)

The king of sole, delightfully fried. Photos by Aya Brackett

Sylvan’s favorite place to buy fish is the eco-conscious Monterey Fish Market at Pier 33, which sells sole caught 150 miles up the coast in Fort Bragg for the very affordable price of $5.99 per pound. Sylvan first discovered this recipe while he was working at a Japanese restaurant in the countryside, two hours away from Tokyo, surrounded by rice paddies. For him, the best part of this dish is that you can eat the entire sole -- crispy, crackly bones and all.

RECIPE: REX SOLE KARAAGE

By Molly Freedenberg

Photo (and shirt) by www.thinkgeek.com.

Thanks to my geeky roommate, I’ve discovered my favorite new time-waster: the Binary-to-Text translator.

And yes, it’s just what it sounds like it is. Using the same format as classic online translators, which convert a block of text in one language into a block of text in another, Binary-to-Text converts words or phrases (in any language, it seems) into a series of 1s and 0s – and everyday people into super-nerds.

By Laura Peach

Although San Francisco kisses the Pacific Ocean, the possibility of cold, fog and rain keeps its residents from looking like they live by the sea. Flip-flops rarely graze the sidewalk, and sheer sundresses are often eschewed in favor of warmer, more substantial fabrics and garments.

Petaluma native Meggie White wants to change that. Her breezy, beautiful new Union Street boutique, .meggie. -- which is having a special sale event this Friday (see below) -- is breathing fresh, sea-salty air into San Francisco’s shopping options. Walking into her shop is like walking into a beach house, bathed in bright pastels and punctuated by bleach white starfish and seashells scattered about the shelves.

Better yet, this beach house is a giant closet. Seersucker shirts with embroidered hems hang off cabinet corners. A rainbow of light, oversized scarves filters the sunshine pouring in the window. Shoes and boots trot up a stepladder. Loose knit throw sweaters hang beneath wooden picture frames. Delicate gold earrings dangle from white branches.

Those glittering hoops are what inspired White to open her beach house boutique. She wanted to stop selling the jewelry she designs and makes through stores so she could bring the prices down. And she wanted to create a space where other small, independent lines could thrive. “I know how hard it is to go knocking on store’s doors and get your label in there,” says White. “I have fun building relationships with local designers, I love hearing how excited they are when what they make flies out the door and I have to order more.”

SFBG photog Ariel Soto scoops SF street fashion. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Marianna, 19th St. and Castro

Tell us about your look: "My whole outfits is from a bunch of different thrift stores ... the shoes, the jacket and the shirt."

By Juliette Tang

Could it happen here?

Ever since the San Francisco Planning Commission denied American Apparel's request to set up shop in the Mission by a 7-0 vote because of you wonderfully protest-happy people of San Francisco, I've been wondering if the battle is really over. American Apparel is already trying to kill us with kindness, by offering anyone with a valid Mission address on their California driver's license 25% off anything in the store until March 15, possibly because they know that they'd lose approximately 75% of their business in San Francisco if Mission hipsters suddenly decided they didn't have a fondness for unisex slacks anymore. It's a nice offer, surely, but personally, I'd feel hypocritical for using it.

As we've seen in this struggle, American Apparel is an aggressive corporation with a lot of muscle. It's nice that they're appeasing Mission residents with this 25% off offer -- though in these tough times, even with the discount, I don't know many people who want to spend $25 on a disco unitard. [Ed Note: And the offer will drive business out of the Mission! Clever, clever.] But what if the assault doesn't end here? What if the olive branch is just a way for American Apparel to pull the wool over our eyes, while they hatch their plot to punish San Francisco for denying them access to Valencia Street? Remember that the term "kill with kindness" originated in Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, from Petruchio's line: "This is a way to kill a wife with kindness," and ultimately refers to the following tactic: divert attention, then attack.

I'm not saying we should boycott American Apparel. I'm saying that if we have to go into battle once again, we need to be just as prepared as we were for the last one. After much study and consideration, I present to you a countdown of eight possible revenge attacks by American Apparel, after the jump.

Grab a hold of your honey (and hiney) and dive into the plush heart-shaped bed of these events ...

Alexander Warnow's "I love you because..." See Art/Fashion Events, Sat/14

PARTIES, EVENTS, AND BENEFITS

Black Valentine Masquerade Club Mighty, 119 Utah; www.mighty119.com. Feb. 13, 10pm-3am, $15. Sunset Promotions and Blasthaus present this all-out party extravaganza, featuring UNKLE's leading man James Lavelle, Evil Nine, and revelers dressed in dastardly dark costumes.

Bootie — A Special Valentine's Party DNA Lounge, 375 11th St.; www.bootiesf.com. Feb. 14, 10pm, $12. Celebrate the holiday mash-up style with DJ Freddy, King of Pants, twisted love songs by house band Smash-Up Derby, and a midnight mashup show by Valentine.

CockBlock Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell; 861-2011, cockblocksf.com. Feb. 14, 10pm, $7 . Get your Valentine's groove on at this queer dance party for lezzies, queers, lovers, and friends, featuring DJ Nuxx.

Date and Dash Noc Noc, 557 Haight; www.dateanddash.com. Feb. 14, 8pm, $35 (free to first 20 people). Speed-dating with a Lower Haight twist. RSVP for red drinks, trendy beats, and a faux auction.

I Heart the Utah Hotel Utah Saloon, 500 Fourth St.; 546-6300, www.thehotelutahsaloon.com. Feb. 14, 9pm, $8. Celebrate the kind of love that lasts — that between a bar and 100 years' worth of patrons — with oyster shooters, champagne, a costume contest, and live music by El Capitan and Let's Make Something.

Love on Wheels Dating Game Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell; 861-2011, www.rickshawstop.com. Feb. 13, 6-9pm, free for SFBC members. Join this dating game exclusively for two-wheelers, where bike bachelors and bachelorettes quiz a panel of three cyclists to select their date — and then roll to hip local spots.

Milonga de Amor Ferry Building; 990-8135. Feb. 13, 5:30-8pm, free. Celebrate V-Day, sensuous tango, and slow food.

Sexy Tour of SF Strip Clubs for Singles or Couples (510) 291-9779, www.slinkyproductions.com. Feb. 13, 6-10pm, $99/person or $190/couple, includes entry to all clubs, two drinks, and full-course dinner. Peek into a world of fantasy, glamour, and intrigue with the safety of a fun group and a guide whose expertise is leading women and couples.

LOCAL ARTIST: Jane "In Vain" Winkelman

TITLE The Morgue — Welcome (1996, 16 by 20 inches, acrylic on arches paper)

STORY "The constant violence, chaos, stress, rootlessness, illness, death that folks under poverty endure 24/7 ... the fact that chronic crisis is the nightmare that is our life ... and instead of society lightening this barrage for us, it seems that public policies blame the victim and heap even greater sadistic mockery our way, not helping but actually creating even greater torturous injuries ... like sending the menial low-paying jobs to even lower-earning workers across this cesspool planet ... or giving the super mega-millionaires and billionaires even bigger bonuses while we struggle to stay alive."

WEB www.janeinvainwinkelman.blogspot.com

SFBG photog Ariel Soto scoops SF street fashion. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Mauricio, Valencia and 21st St.

Tell us about your look: "No comment ... "

SFBG's Diana Dunkelberger digs her fork into a deliciously local low-price menu every week. Check out her most recent installment here.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. But a free dinner? At Laïola, yes siree.

A few weeks ago, an odd email tumbled into my inbox. In my experience, most restaurant promos don’t divulge much private information about their customers. This one did. It came from Joe Hargrave, the owner of Marina tapas restaurant Laïola, who apparently tracks his regular customers’ employment status as closely as he does his potato shipments. One regular, he told me, has lost all her clients. Another was laid off a few weeks ago. Now neither has the money to eat at his restaurant, or any restaurant for that matter. "The six degrees of recession separation," Joe reported glumly, "is down to zero."

Just when I‘d decided never to set foot inside Laïola, for fear my full employment history would instantly and mysteriously become known, I discovered that there is, in fact, a very good reason to spill the beans: a free dinner. On February 15, you can bring in a friend who was recently laid off (and chances are you have such a friend, or could easily make one up), and Laïola will comp their meal. To make the reservation, just email Joe@Laiola.com.

I felt pretty certain that one or two of our unemployed readers would be interested in free food that didn’t involve pizza and a dorm hall association meeting. So I flashed my Guardian credentials and set out to see for myself what free food, served with pretty garnishes and silverware, tasted like.

It tastes good.

Photo of Donny Vomit by Laurie Leber

1st Annual Coney Island Pub Crawl
Freak your foam with the infamous Donny Vomit, a.k.a. Coney Island’s “Human Blockhead,” as he nails SF Beer Week up through his nostril and leads a Mission District pub crawl in celebration of his new Schmaltz Brewery namesake beer. Monk’s Kettle, Amnesia, and Elixir are all on tap. Time to get hammered -- with Coney Island Lager, of course!
Fri/13, 5pm-11pm, free ($6 at Amnesia)

Part 1: 5:00 pm - 6:45 pm
Monk's Kettle
3141 16th St., SF. (415) 865-9523, www.monkskettle.com

Part 2: 7:00 pm - 9:00pm
Amnesia Bar
853 Valencia, SF. (415) 970-0012, www.amnesiathebar.com

Part 3: 9:30 pm - 11:00pm
Elixir
3200 16th St., SF. (415) 552-1633, www.elixirsf.com

SFBG photog Ariel Soto scoops SF street fashion. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Evelyn, Mission and 25th St.

Tell us about your look: "I'll wear anything as long as it's black."

SFBG's Laura Peach checks out local fashion you can afford. Check out her latest installment here.

A tear for the purses of our futures, and a smile for our slimming wallets: San Francisco’s own luxury bag company, Goldenbleu, is dissolving. They are having a huge going out-of-business sale at the Mission Street warehouse tonight, tomorrow and Saturday. Get down to get the very last Goldenbleu goods—sexy strappy sandals, clever double-fold clutches, hot heels and of course those lovely large hold-everything bags—ever to be produced.

SFBG photog Ariel Soto scoops SF street fashion. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Jaquayla, Church and 17th St.

Tell us about your look: "I'm in fashion school at the moment, and I've been sewing since the 6th grade. I love making my own clothes and I also make outfits for my kids."

SFBG's Juliette Tang peeps the best eco-friendly products and boutiques. Check out her most recent installment here.

Like The Pub, La Taqueria, The Bar on Church, Cheese Boutique, Cheese Steak Shop, and Burger Joint, Eco Boutique falls into a long standing tradition of San Franciscan businesses whose names and exact definitions are 1:1. Nestled in the Castro and owned by a bona fide porn star, Eco Boutique specializes in eco friendly home, baby, and gift products that are elegant and affordable, like Wee Go glass baby bottles ($10.50), beautiful Glass Dharma drinking straws ($3.99), and writing paper made out of recycled elephant dung ($5.50). According to the owner, John Melecio, cow dung paper is coming soon!

SFBG photog Ariel Soto scoops SF street fashion. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Katie, Mission and 24th

Tell us about your look: "I get most of my clothes at vintage thrift shops. At the moment I'm obsessed with 80s LA style, the Goth look coming out of Spain, and anything resembling Siouxsie and The Banshees.

Oakland's Sidebar Restaurant

By Virginia Miller

Welcome to Appetite, a new column on food and drink. A long-time San Francisco resident and writer, I'm passionate about this incomparable city, obsessed with finding and exploring its best spots, deals, events and news. I started with my own service and monthly food/drink/travel newsletter, The Perfect Spot , and will pass along up-to-the minute news.

Openings:
Sumi Sushi reinvents a Castro classic
Sumi Hirose's restaurant, Sumi, was a Castro stalwart for over 20 years, only recently shuttered. But Sumi is back in the same cozy space, reincarnated as Sumi Sushi, a 20-seat sushi joint with a gold and black color scheme. The menu offers playful rolls like "The Spicy Girl," plus sashimi or savory cooked plates like bacon-wrapped scallops, and 20 sakes show up on the drink list to pair with sushi. It feels right that the space should stay with the same person - we all need a little reinvention from time to time.
4243 18th Street
415-626-7864

Cocktail events
Feb. 18 - Winter Farmers' Market Cocktail Night at the Ferry Plaza

The Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture is hosting an event this Wednesday that gets cocktail fiends like myself all worked up. The all-star bartender line-up: Elixir's H. Joseph Ehrman, Sierra Zimmei of Seasons Bar at the Four Seasons, Jardiniere's Brian MacGregor, Greg Lindgren and Jon Gasparini of Rye and Rosewood, 15 Romolo's Scott Baird, Eric Castro of Bourbon & Branch, Thirsty Bear Brewing Company's Alex Smith, and more. ...

For a $25 admission price (buy tix online), the bartenders will prepare and serve you two full-sized cocktails (a John Collins and an Old Sydneytown Winter Punch) plus 12 samples of seasonally-inspired cocktails while you nosh on bites from restaurant greats like Beretta, Michael Mina, Conduit, Globe and Zuppa. You'll even be eligible to win bartending and farmers' market prizes by casting a vote for your fave drink.

Ferry Plaza Building
San Francisco
415-693-0996
Or contact Christine Farren, 415-291-3276 x 103

Feb. 21 - Hands-on artisanal cocktail class with Scott Beattie at the Ferry Plaza

As if Wednesday night's Ferry Plaza cocktail event wasn't cool enough, Saturday brings author Scott Beattie and distiller Marko Karakasevic for a $25 interactive class on creating three citrus-based drinks (Meyer Beautiful, "Pelo del Perro or "Hair of the Dog" and Bleeding Orange) while learning about small-batch distilling. Beattie, the man behind the masterpiece cocktails at Healdsburg's best restaurant (and, I think, one of the country's best), Cyrus , has also written what has quickly become the industry standard on artisanal cocktails: "Artisanal Cocktails: Drinks Inspired by the Seasons from the Bar at Cyrus" (signed copies if you want 'em at the event). Scott doesn't just throw together a drink, he creates beauty, perfecting the art of the cocktail with cutting edge garnishes, foams and sugar/salt rims (using seasonal fruit and ingredients from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, of course). Karakasevic brings decades of experience as master distiller (and founder) of Domaine Charbay in Napa, well known for their flavored vodkas but also for whiskey, rum, grappa, ruby port, etc. ... Sounds like an ideal Saturday afternoon to me.
2-4 pm Ferry Plaza Building
(in CUESA's Dacor Teaching Kitchen in the North Arcade)
415-693-0996

Deals
Feb. 19: Learn about tequila for free: Cortez starts its first Coctail College

Cortez's chic restaurant and bar is the location for a special kind of cocktail class: the free kind! Pay for drinks ordered but otherwise, education is free every third Thursday of the month, starting this week. They're on the right track with the first workshop: Tequila is the "subject" and bar snacks are supplied to munch as you "study.” Sorry, but you can't get course credit for this one.

5:30-7 pm
Hotel Adagio
550 Geary
415-292-6360

East Bay News:
Zax Tavern morphs into Sidebar

It wasn't without a sense of loss that locals saw Berkeley long-timer Zax Tavern, close in 2007. But now, after a wait, the Zax crew just opened Sidebar, a gastropub serving surprisingly affordable plates (like stuffed portobello mushrooms, oven-roasted poussin, double-cut pork chops, all in the $6-19 range). The place wins further points by being open pretty much all day. The bar is stocked with plenty of beers on tap or by the bottle and a cocktail menu from none other than Absinthe's master-mixologist, Johnny Raglin.

542 Grand Avenue Oakland
510-452-9500

Peninsula news:
Palo Alto is spruced up with Mayfield Bakery & Cafe
Spruce is the kind of SF restaurant that shows up on Top 10 lists and gets rave reviews. Palo Alto locals or those who head down the Peninsula can hit a brand new second restaurant, Mayfield Bakery and Cafe. It's a French cafe-style bistro serving lunch and dinner, as well as a cafe issuing coffee and pastries all day long. Yes, Spruce's quality level remains but the vibe is decidedly more low-key.
Town & Country Village
855 El Camino Real
Palo Alto
650-853-9201

Ransom news:
SF's first urban hunting club? The Bull Moose Hunting Society is here

Um, a club where for only a $50 one time fee to be a part of the club for life, you can learn the ins-and-outs of safe gun use, the permit process, how to clean, gut, butcher and vacuum-seal your meat... and share quality meat tastings with fellow hunters? Can this be San Francisco? If the Bull Moose Hunting Society has anything to say about it, this'll be a new kind of breed: the urban hunter who conscientiously prepares and shares his/her spoils of wild boar, pheasant and deer. Join BMHS this Thursday, Feb. 19, for their very first 'meat and greet' (yes, I know) at the society's headquarters.

8-10 pm
561 Baker Street # 8
San Francisco
Contact Nick Zigelbaum with questions: nick@bullmoosehunting.com

(1) Flautas, Roosevelt Tamal Parlor, SF

(2) Curry lamb pies, Crolls, Alameda Island

(3) Grilled cheese and meat heads, Pinecrest Diner, SF

(4) The Fedora, Dianda's, SF

(5) Fried chicken, brussels sprouts, and limeade, Front Porch, SF

(1) Stairwell Sisters, Black Crown String Band, Mad Cow String Band, Café Du Nord

(2) Master Musicians of Jajouka, Yoshi's

(3) SECA opening, SFMOMA

(4) YouTube star and "everyday normal guy" Jon Lajoie, Cobb's Comedy Club

(5) P.O.S., Bottom of the Hill

LOCAL ARTIST Inga Dorosz

TITLE Mountain (14 by 11 inches, pen and pencil on ink)

STORY This piece is from a series devoted to transitional spaces. The basic construction units for these drawings (which include some nine-foot scrolls) are parallel lines. For those classic prose lovers who are adept in Morse code, some of the resulting mountain planes also provide a bit of reading pleasure.

SHOWS "Land — Morse Code," through March 12. Tues.–Sat., 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Michael Rosenthal Gallery, 365 Valencia, SF. (415) 552-1010, www.rosenthalgallery.com. Upcoming projects include showing a selection of drawings at Mountain View's Community School of Music and Arts and taking part in a residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Fla.

WEB www.ingadorosz.com, www.irreverentart.com

SFBG photog Ariel Soto scoops SF street fashion. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Luka, 22nd St. and Bartlett

Tell us about your look: "I'd say my style is all things ripped. I get most of my clothes off the streets of San Francisco."

By Laura Peach

This year, our favorite star of the Fashion Week runway happens to be both an international style icon and an old childhood friend: Barbie.

To pay tribute to the famous doll’s golden anniversary, designers such as Tommy Hilfiger, Nicole Miller, Derek Lam, and Nanette Lepore created dreamy doll designs for Barbie's runway debut.

SFBG photog Ariel Soto scoops SF street fashion. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Shaughn, Valencia and 20th St.

Tell us about your look: "I'm from Southern California so I'd say my style is mostly from LA."

By Diana Dunkelberger

During the next few months, if you wander down to the lower level of the main library, you’ll see Pat coming by to pour you a glass of ice water and take your order. Jean will be there, too, over by the gumball machine, handing out sweets. And that blond, pink-sweatered waitress you see rushing around with four plates of food and the focus of an Olympic sprinter? That’s Sondra.

Pat, Jean, and Sondra—photographs of them, that is—are on display at the Jewett Gallery’s current exhibit, called “Dishing It Out: Career Waitresses Across the U.S.A.” The work of Candacy Taylor, a Bay Area photographer and a former waitress, this collection of color photographs, displayed alongside short, chatty interviews, pays tribute to 14 seasoned diner waitresses from Gibsonia, Pennsylvania to Napa, California, with many pit stops in between.

SFBG photog Ariel Soto scoops SF street fashion. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Rena, Mission and 19th St.

Tell us about your look: "My style is casual but fun. I got these sunglasses in Brooklyn. I was still in high school and I saved up my allowance for months just to buy them."

SFBG's Juliette Tang gets a little satisfaction.

The free samples is how they get you. The sample is a gateway drug. Once you try a bolani, you'll be hooked for life. They're that good.

If you've ever been to any of the San Francisco farmer's markets (or to any of the San Francisco Whole Foods stores), you might have passed an East and West Gourmet Afghan Food stand. And if you have, I'm sure one of their spectacularly convincing salespeople has handed you a free sample of bolani. Like I said, it's all about the samples.

I remember my first sample as if it were yesterday.

I was at the Alemeny Farmer's Market. I was minding my own business, filling my tote bags with fruits and vegetables, when -- from the corner of my eye -- I notice a small crowd milling about a nondescript, ubiquitous food stand shepherded by a pretty Middle Eastern girl. Out of curiosity, I head over to check out the action.

Welcome to Appetite, a new column on food and drink. A long-time San Francisco resident and writer, Virginia Miller is passionate about this incomparable city, obsessed with finding and exploring its best spots, deals, events and news. Miller started with her own service and monthly food/drink/travel newsletter, The Perfect Spot, and will continue to pass along up-to-the minute news to us. View her last installment here.

By Virginia Miller

Luke Magnan of South is raising money for Down Under

New openings

FiDi's A5 Steak Lounge for the urban-chic carnivore

Frisson was one of the coolest restaurant spaces I've seen: a modern-day-chic meets the '60's vibe with orange couches, a round room and striking dotted-lighting ceiling. Though closed awhile, the space is now reincarnated. The same round, dome ceiling remains, though this time the room is redone in softer, sleeker hues with faux-alligator chairs and cream-colored booths. Steve Chen and Albert Chen (not related), are the new owners, creating a current-day steakhouse for the urban carnivore, A5 Steak Lounge. A5 refers to the highest grade of Japanese Wagyu beef, which, yes, will be served along with some choice US Prime beef. Chef Marc Vogel helms the menu, which refreshingly offers a range of sizes and prices in steak cuts - even those who just want a taste can order, let's say a 4 oz. rib-eye (around $12), an 8 oz. slab (low $20's), on upwards. You can have your steak and eat it (all), too.
A5 is in the middle of a soft opening until the official launch date of March 10. Be the first to try it out (with reduced prices) during the limited, four-nights reservations, with the caveat that you provide feedback as the staff hones the menu and service prior to opening.

244 Jackson Street
415-989-2539
Email for reservations: rsvp@a5steakhouse.com

Tipsy Pig gastrotavern debuts in the Marina on Feb. 24

The Marina restaurant take-over of Nate Valentine, Sam Josi and Stryker Scales (behind Mamacita, Umami and Blue Barn Gourmet) continues with The Tipsy Pig , opening today in the former Bistro Yoffi space. The Tipsy Pig will start out only with dinner, but will eventually serve brunch and lunch as well, and the bar will be open till 2 a.m. I hear it's a rustic, wood space separated comfortably into a Living Room (with bar, leather booths, wood tables), the Library, and an inviting back patio pleasantly aromatic with citrus trees, seating up to 50 people at communal picnic tables. Produce will, by-and-large, be sourced from Sonoma's Oak Hill Farm for a locavore nod, while over 50 artisanal beers are available on tap or by the bottle along with -- what else? -- classic american cocktails. Menu items include a Spinach Salad with kabocha squash, plenty of pig dishes and a Brussel Sprout/Apple Hash. Whether or not we need another gastropub, the Marina doesn't have one and I think all things combined (patio, beers, yummy-sounding menu, open all day...), it sounds well worth checking out.

2231 Chestnut Street
415-292-2300
www.thetipsypigsf.com

Special events

Tuesday, 2/24: South Fundraiser for Australia's bushfire victims

Dine for a cause tonight at our local Australian/New Zealand gem, South. Aussie chef Luke Mangan wanted to help his homeland and is doing so with a special, four-course dinner benefiting victims of the Victorian bushfires. For $125, there's dinner, wine pairings (from South sommelier Gerard O'Bryan) and a live auction with proceeds donated to the Australian Red Cross Bushfire Relief Fund . The menu is listed on the website with Down Under-influenced dishes like Victorian Lamb with rhubarb, nettles and parsley puree, or for dessert, Creme Fraiche Panna Cotta with kumquats and caraway. Seating is limited, so RSVP -- and note a credit card is needed to hold your place.

7pm

330 Townsend Street, Suite 101
415-974-5599
RSVP to: info@southfwb.com

Dungeness Crab Week runs through March 1st
So it's been a lackluster crab season, but what's there is sweet and succulent as ever... and 44 SF chefs from 54 restaurants (do the math?) are featuring signature crab dishes on their menus this week. Visa is a sponsor, so if you pay with a Visa Signature card, you'll get a complimentary cookbook featuring a slew of crab recipes from some of the chefs and restaurants involved. Some of my faves are participating (like Incanto, 1300 on Fillmore, Bix, Jardiniere, Pesce, Shanghai 1930, etc... and there's no meat I'm more crazy about than crab, particularly our West Coast Dungeness.

For added fun, there's the annual Crab Cracking Contest in Union Square on Saturday, 2/28, from noon-3pm. It's free, though you'll need to purchase tickets for food, beer and wine tastings. There'll be Union Square chefs (like Jen Biesty of Scala's and Adam Carpenter of Ponzu) and San Francisco 49ers (yeah, you heard right) crackin' crabs together, with live music from Diego's Umbrella, who myspace lists as Experimental-Flamenco-Rock, booths for kids, and plenty to drink.

Details and list of participating restaurants here:

Make reservations here

Bar news

Cocktails and small plates at Pisco

Get sultry with Brazilian Wednesday Nights at Pisco Latin Lounge

In these rainy days, one of the best ways to warm things up is a well-crafted drink and lively music. Pisco Latin Lounge offers you both in weekly Brazilian-themed Wednesdays. I recently enjoyed an ideal end to a long day here, sipping the El Carajo cocktail ($12, made of Veev Acai Liquor, St. Germain and Aji amarillo pepper), while watching spicy Brazilian music videos on the flat screens. DJ Anjo Avesso spins while you sip a specially-priced $7 Caramelized Caiparinha and chow down on Latin small plates. This Wednesday, 2/25, bring your business card or email address to possibly win a magnum (double-sized) bottle of Cachaca. Lindo maravilhoso!

Wednesdays, 7-11:45pm
1817 Market Street
415-874-9551
www.piscosf.com

Deals

Foreign Cinema's three-course prix-fixe honors 10th anniversary
Foreign Cinema may not be the latest hotspot anymore, but it still packs 'em in with the mystique of being located on a dodgy Mission block, down a candlelit hallway, into an oasis of foreign film, a roaring fireplace and quite tasty food (I've long been partial to the pot de cremes for dessert). In honor of the restaurant’s 10th anniversary, a special prix-fixe menu is available every night of 2009 (!) for $36 per person ($55 with wine pairings, including a dessert wine pour), though menu items and wine flights change daily (I hear so far the Pot de Creme has been seen on the prix fixe menu, along with dishes like Fried Oysters with spinach, smoked bacon and preserved lemon).

2534 Mission Street
415-648-7600
www.foreigncinema.com

Mission Beach Cafe ushers in Pot Pie Sundays and Let Them Eat Cake!

One of my favorite cafes for its eclectic decor, friendly service, and, best of all, Blue Bottle coffee and amazing house-made pastries, Mission Beach Cafe further sweetens the 'hood with two new specials. Pastry chef Alan Carter is already known at MBC for his flakey pot pies - that's what baking and living in Paris did for him. Lucky us, he's sharing his pot pie magic skills every Sunday night creating pies filled with rabbit, beef, duck or veggies. Sounds like a perfect winter dinner to me. On Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, you can further rack up the calories (happily so) with a Let Them Eat Cake offer from 5:30–6:30 pm: a free slice of cake with each entrée ordered. Knowing how decadent the pastries and pies are, I've no doubt the cakes will give you sweet dreams, too.

198 Guerrero Street
415-861-0198

Diana Dunkelberger gets the scoop on yummy local edibles. View her last installment here.