Kenn Wilson/Flickr

Elixir is one of about a dozen S.F. bars hosting whiskey-spiked events next week.

​There's no better place to celebrate the upcoming sloshfest that is WhiskyWeek 2009 than bellied up to the bar of one of San Francisco's oldest and most passionate advocates of the hard stuff. Mission saloon Elixir (3200 16th St. at Guerrero) is hosting a series of whiskey seminars beginning this Sunday, October 11, and running through Friday, October 16, when the festivities culminate with WhiskyFest at the Marriott (55 Fourth St. at Market).

Each Elixir seminar promises to lead willing tipplers through a globe-spanning breakdown of distillation methods, with tastings to match with some of today's foremost whiskey experts. Events kick off Sunday with Glenmorangie brand ambassador David Blackmore holding forth on the aging process of one of the best-selling single-malt Scotches in the world. He will lead a tasting selection that promises "a full sensory analysis of the components found in Glenmorangie whiskies." The seminar proper runs from 6 to 8 p.m., but the, ahem, tasting portion will continue (in true Elixir form) until 2 a.m.

On Monday, October 12, the fun starts all over again at Elixir with Charbay Winery and Distillery 13th-generation master distiller Marko Karakasevic. As the name suggests, he knows his booze (the family business includes whiskey, vodka, tequila, grappa, and several wine varietals). A few fantastic cocktails will be available, as well as tastes of a rare bottle of Charbay Pilsner Whiskey II. The seminar runs from 7 to 9 p.m., with Charbay cocktail specials served all night.

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R. Lauriston

Terroir: Talking up the benefits of natural.

​If you're a bit fuzzy on the term "natural wine," you're not alone. Here's a brief explanation, just in time for the San Francisco Natural Wine Week (August 24-30).

Natural wine is similar in principle to biodynamic and organic wines, produced by winemakers who follow natural practices and take the route of minimal intervention in their vineyards and cellars. There are a few differences, though: First, producers of natural wine haven't received (and often haven't sought) official designation as organic or biodynamic. Second, and more importantly, natural winemakers use ambient or native yeasts, which occur naturally in the vineyard. In the absence of pesticides and packaged yeasts, these indigenous yeasts are what cause fermentation, producing wines that (as the winemakers will tell you) truly reflect the land.

SOMA wine shop Terroir will focus on natural wines from France, mostly, with a few Italians thrown in. Shop owner and wine buyer Guilhaume Gerard told SFoodie the natural movement has been gaining ground in France over the past decade. "It's still not a huge market, but definitely a niche," he said. On Monday, August 24, Gerard will lead a tasting of unsulfured wines. "The same care given to the grapes during the growing season has to be applied in the cellar as well," he explained "Natural wines should not be obstructed by things in the cellar -- no innocultaions, low amounts of sulfur, and no filtration."

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Mad City Chickens

Mmm, chicken-y.

The folks at Slow Food on Film continue to spread the local-farm-to-table word with a screening this weekend of the fascinating documentary Mad City Chickens at the Delancey Street Theater (600 Embarcadero at Brannan). The film tells the story of the so-called Chicken Underground, a group in Madison, Wisconsin, that raised urban birds before chicken-keeping in the city was legalized. The intertwined stories chart the recent (and very Slow Food-friendly) resurgence of poultry as a universal food source -- the chickens themselves, and their eggs. Once a common feature of American life, the practice largely vanished with the rise of industrial farming, but has been gaining ground with foodies nationally.

Following the movie will be a reception with tapas and wines by the glass. It's happening Sunday, August 9, at 6 p.m., and costs $15 per person. Buy tickets online.

Christine C./Yelp

So big already?

​Anyone who follows the restaurant business in this town knows that thriving for two years (hell, even surviving) is no small feat, especially for a fine-dining establishment. To celebrate its second birthday, New American spot Spruce (3640 Sacramento at Spruce) is throwing a special dinner this Sunday. Chef Mark Sullivan's Celebration Menu rings true to the Spruce mantra of local, local, local. Its three courses focus on local farmers and their products, with each course getting the "two-way" treatment.

First: Dirty Girl heirloom tomatoes, prepared in a tomato salad with Gioia burrata and rice-wine vinaigrette and in a gazpacho. Next: Grimaud Farms guinea hen, the breast wrapped in Hobbs applewood-smoked bacon, and the leg prepared confit style with summer vegetables and jus. Dessert: Hamada Farms two stone-fruits crostata with vanilla bean ice cream. Word has it that there'll also be a special birthday surprise.

It's happening Sunday, August 2, $55 per person, plus $20 for wine pairings. Spruce's regular menu will also be available. Call 351-1212.

human companion/Flickr

If you've never had the pleasure of drinking with a crew from Australia or New Zealand, Saturday might be the perfect time. Australian outpost South Food + Wine Bar (330 Townsend #101 at Fourth St.) is hosting a Nautilus wine lunch with Kiwi winemaker Clive Jones, one of New Zealand's most celebrated vintners.

On Saturday, August 1, from 1 to 4 p.m., South will be offering a three-course, four-wine lunch, packing a summer menu of chilled heirloom tomato soup with prawn ceviche (paired with a Nautilus Pinot Gris 2008), confit trout with shallot marmalade (with a Nautilus Chardonnay 2006), and organic chicken breast with bacon and figs (with a Nautilus Pinot Noir 2008).

As a door prize, one guest will take home a bottle of Nautilus' top-tier Four Barriques Pinot Noir. Cost: $45 per person (which includes wine). To reserve seats, e-mail info@southfwb.com with "Nautilus" in the subject line.

Michele Wilson

Delayed gratification: Wilson's chicken and waffle.

In a city where soul food options remain patchy at best, there's big buzz building around the scheduled opening next week of Gussie's Chicken & Waffles (1521 Eddy at Fillmore). Helmed by Michele Wilson, a veteran of the much-written-about L.A. and Oakland outposts of Roscoe's, Gussie's is poised to unleash the sweet 'n' salty goodness of fried chicken and waffles, a duo that received new attention in May with the opening of Little Skillet.

Wilson had hoped to open earlier this week. In a tweet yesterday, she suggested that the opening might be on track for next Monday, July 27: I am waiting on a custom door to be installed. Once that happens we are ready to rock and roll! Hold tight! Thanks for being so patient. Keep up with news of Gussie's opening on Wilson's Twitter page.

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Italy in SF/Flickr

Bar Bambino has been trying to attract customers on Monday nights with spcial prix-fixe menus.

Incanto isn't the only restaurant in town cooking up affordable, easy-going concepts to try to attract diners to the traditionally slow nights at the beginning of the week. When the Mission's Bar Bambino (2931 16th St. at South Van Ness) decided to open on Monday nights a few months ago, it launched a menu mellower and more casual than its standard dinner offerings. The family-style Monday Night Regional Suppers have been open-ended explorations of Italian regional cuisine in four courses.

This Monday, July 6 (just about the time you'll be sick of ribs and corn-on-the-cob), the menu lands in the northern region of Veneto. "Traditionally you find a lot of rich, spiced game meats," Bar Bambino owner Christopher Losa said. "You'll have a soft touch of citrus and cinnamon, a very subtle sort of sweet- and-sour component."

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FogCityFog/Flickr

H. Joseph Ehrmann of Elixir will demo Perfect Punch.

The Center for Urban Education About Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) is up to its delicious tricks again with a summer-friendly event this Friday, June 26. The Summer Sausage and Perfect Punch class features three of the Bay Area's experts in meat and booze: chef Ryan Farr (4505 Meats), H. Joseph Ehrmann (proprietor of Elixir), and Steve McCarthy (Prather Ranch Meat Co.). Farr will lead a sausage-making and grilling demonstration using heritage Berkshire pork. Guests will get a crash course in making four types of sausage, including tips on cuts of meat and how to grind it, season it, and stuff it. McCarthy will discuss the topic of sustainable meats, while Ehrmann will have the all-important duty of showing participants how to mix farmers'-market-inspired cocktails with organic spirits from local distiller Square One.

The drink menu includes that Perfect Punch of the class name, alongside variations on summer cocktails. Guests will gather for a family-style meal and go home with recipes and their own homemade sausages.

It all starts at 5:30 p.m. at CUESA's Dacor teaching kitchen at the Ferry Building. Space is limited to 25, and costs $75 per person. Visit the CUESA Web site for tickets and more information.