These three books (one factual journey, one memoir, one cookbook) have two things in common: they're all new this year and centered around food. Read more »

Wednesday  through Saturday nights there's a ready-made date if you want romance without having to think too hard. At $80 a person, it's a package deal between Luce Restaurant (which I've written about more than once) in the Intercontinental Hotel and Top of the Mark. Choose the order - three course dinner or cocktails first - with a cab ride included to the second location. Read more »

Absinthe is on the move from its initial novelty phase once finally legalized in the US in 2007 into an era where appreciators of fine drink are gaining greater education and refinement on the subject. No, it is not a hallucinogen (more on that in a minute), and no, it's not the artificially sweetened and colored liqueurs flooding the market (but labeled as absinthe). When made as it has been historically, it's a natural, herbal spirit with a rich culture surrounding it. Read more »

That fizzy, magical week during which cocktails take over our fair city has just washed over us. Here are more highlights -- check out part 1 here.

9/26 - Cocktail Cookout on the Island  Read more »

tiredmond@sfbg.com

BEER I saw a great T-shirt in upstate New York this summer, and it's become my official motto: "You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning."Read more »

culture@sfbg.com

Whether you're unemployed, underemployed, or squirreling away your, ahem, nuts in terror of the post–American Empire Mad Max economapocalypse to come, these are hard times for beer lovers who like their pints out in public. You need cheap suds. Here's a guide to staying within your meager budget while enjoying an oat soda or 10 to help you swallow the bitter pill that is the Bay Area economy. And cheer up, you ol' bugger: it's beer o' clock!

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The magical settings, moments and drinks were many in the 4th Annual SF Cocktail Week, which set the bar high for all future Cocktail Weeks... consider attending next year, as it's far from being just for drink aficionados. It's for those who love a memorable party done in true San Francisco style.Read more »

10/3 CUESA 8th Annual Sunday Supper Fundraiser -- CUESA (The Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture), which runs the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, is throwing its 8th Annual Sunday Supper on October 3. It's a CUESA fundraiser, whole animal feast, chef gala and drink event all rolled into one. Not to mention a night where local farmers and purveyors mingle to enjoy a meal made from local ingredients and sustainably raised meats. Read more »

paulr@sfbg.comRead more »

Vodka -- it's a spirit that in sophisticated drink communities like San Francisco can sometimes elicit more scorn than love, even if most of the country drinks it well above other spirits. I'm not alone in saying it tends to be the last spirit I'd order at a bar. Read more »