Free Stuff: San Francisco Culinary History Series

This Wednesday, August 13, at 6:00 p.m. Chef David Lawrence of 1300 Fillmore will serve one of his signature refined soul food dishes, accompanied by a glass of wine compliments of The Jug Shop -- and it's free. All you have to do in exchange is sit in the Macy's Cellar (170 O'Farrell) for a few hours and -- god forbid -- learn something. The occasion is food writer GraceAnn Walden's four-part San Francisco Culinary History Series, and the Fillmore District takes the hot seat this time around. Walden will address the neighborhood's history and more recent transformation, for better or worse, into the Fillmore Jazz Preservation District. But again, stay focused: free food, free wine.

-- Brian Bernbaum