San Francisco Food Blog

Do your karma a favor -- throw back a few.

​Kimpton Restaurants is donating money for each "special" cocktail purchased this month. The Cocktails for a Cure fundraiser is to benefit HIV service organizations, and is part of an ongoing, 20-year commitment by the S.F.-based hospitality chain.

It's easy to participate: Saddle up and order any of the four featured cocktails from master mixologist Jacques Bezuidenhout. A buck from each Cocktails for a Cure purchase goes to the cause (see the list of beneficiaries here). Get your drink on locally at Grand Café, Harry Denton's Starlight Room, Scala's, and others. Bezuidenhout's creations range from the Orange Blossom Fizz, a mashup of Belvedere orange, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, pineapple juice, and sparkling wine, to the more classic Grapefruit Spritzer: Ketel One Citroen with Campari, grapefruit juice, and club soda. The promotion ends Dec. 1, World AIDS day.

Prop. 8 haters, take note: Apparently, Utah is not on board. Kimpton's statement on that is terse: "Cocktails for a Cure promotion not available at Bambara in Salt Lake City, UT." What's that all about?

Andrew St. Clair/Flickr

Bottle lineup at July's Indy Spirits Expo in New York City.

​Like indy movies, indy booze has so infiltrated restaurant bar walls and home liquor cabinets that it might not fit the profile of obscure, exactly. Still, tomorrow's 2009 Indy Spirits Expo at Mighty (119 Utah at 15th St.) offers the chance to crawl deep into one micro-distilled bottle after another -- bottles you can't just pick up at the corner market. Think Tuthilltown vodka, distilled from Hudson Valley cider, or 44° North vodka, distilled in Idaho from local spuds. Or Choya's umeshu, the Japanese fruit liqueur flavored with ume plums. Interesting, right? Locavore spirit infused with the wonky charm of distillers committed to creating something it'd be sacrilege to drown in Ocean Spray and call a Crantini. The Expo is on from 6p.m. to 9 p.m. (doors open at 5). General admission is $50, $75 for VIP (which gets you in an hour early). Buy tix here.

vidiot/Flickr

Deragon is cofounder of the New York bar PDT.

​New York mixologist John Deragon from East Village speakeasy PDT is in the 415, guest bartending tonight at Beretta (1199 Valencia at 23rd St.). PDT, of course, popularized bacon-infused bourbon (an ingredient in its maple syrup-sweetened Old Fashioned).Deragon reportedly met Beretta barkeep Ryan Fitzgerald when Fitzgerald was apprenticing at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans two years ago.

From 8 p.m. to midnight tonight, Deragon will be mixing up five cocktail specials: the Solstice and the Newark (Deragon creations), the Witch's Kiss and French Maid (concoctions devised by Jim Meehan, a PDT partner), and Remember Maine, from ex-PDT bartender Lydia Reismueller. Each is $10 -- sort of a bargain, since the drinks at PDT cost you an extra $3. And a round-trip ticket.

​Heat lovers, wrap your lips around this if you dare. Though the name sounds like a Brian Boitano figure skating event, Monday's Spice & Ice Cocktail party at Cantina (580 Sutter at Mason) is really all about drinks that pack heat. Author Kara Newman will be on hand to pimp her latest book, Spice & Ice: 60 Tongue-Tickling Cocktails (Chronicle Books, $16.95). You'll have a chance to sample cocktails made with jalapeños, hot sauce, and related fiery stuff. Take a turn at creating your own spicy drink, and dig into light refreshments, 5:30-7:30 p.m. On Wednesday, Nov. 11, Newman will again be signing books and presiding over cocktails at Omnivore Books (3885a Cesar Chavez at Church) 6-7 p.m.

Tiki Oasis/Flickr

Rum meister Martin Cate

​Think tropical for Monday night at Jardinière (300 Grove at Franklin), where rum god Martin Cate will be unpacking his tiki bar theme. Think of it as something of a dress rehearsal for Cate, former mixologist at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge in Alameda -- he's working toward a soon-ish opening for Smuggler's Cove, a rum-centric bar in the Hayes Valley nabe where he'll be Monday. Jardinière's weekly three-course prix fixe goes the way of the pu pu platter, with seafood poke, banana leaf steamed cod, and pork belly with pineapple rice. Wine pairings are included in the $45 price. If you'd rather ditch the wine to focus on Cate's drink magic, he'll be mixing what Jardinière is calling "typically obscure and esoteric vintage tropical drinks," priced at $10 each. Reserve a spot by calling the restaurant: 861-5555.

bloodmeridian/Flickr

Three animals and beer flights? Dude.

​What the hell? Game Six of the World Series is bumping Glee? Make yourself feel better by checking out one of two drink-soaked events in the city tonight:

• City Dish is touting tonight's Dubonnet party at Eastside West (3154 Fillmore at Greenwich). Starting at 6:30 p.m., you get $1 Dubonnet drinks, comped hors d'oeuvres, and the chance to win an Eastside West dinner for six. If Dubonnet ain't exactly your thing, check out other Wednesday food and wine specials, like a Wagyu burger or fried chicken sandwich with a glass of wine or beer for $8, plus bottles of wine are half off. Cin-cin.

• There's also a $45 triple-meat beer dinner tonight at Magnolia Pub & Brewery (1398 Haight Street at Masonic) Rabbit, quail, and pork from Devil's Gulch Farm in Nicasio will be paired with Magnolia's recently launched BRU/SFO beers, a joint project by Magnolia and 21st Amendment. A typical beer flight might include Deep Ellum Dubbel, Tweezer Tripel, and Gris-Gris. Oh, and the regular Magnolia menu will be on offer, as usual.

kawitting/Flickr

Pace yourself -- you don't want to wake up looking like this Tuesday morning.

​On Monday night, explore Day of the Dead, with a splash of Halloween. La Cocina is devising an evening of Yucatecan food by Chaac Mool's Luis Vazques, and there'll be potent mezcal drinks. The mysteries of mescal -- including whether to spell it with an s or a z -- will all be revealed, and chef Vazques is preparing Day of the Dead bread, cochinita pibil, and screaming hot habanero salsa. Mixmaster Duggan McDonnell is the evening's bartender-instructor -- in fact, the festivities are going down at his hot spot, Cantina (580 Sutter at Mason), starting at 6:30 p.m. Tasting, mixing, educating, and some wildness are all likely, or is that the worm talking? The program benefits La Cocina, which offers training and assistance for low-income food entrepreneurs, and held a wildly popular San Francisco Street Food Festival this summer. Remember: 75 percent of the $80 ticket price is tax deductible. Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets, or by e-mailing La Cocina's Caleb Zigas: caleb@lacocinasf.org

gretchen robinette/Flickr

This Jell-O wrestling scene from Bender's isn't even Freaktoberfest. Scared yet?

​The wacky Schmaltz Brewing Company is celebrating its blood-red Halloween lager, Coney Island Freaktoberfest, with an eponymous event at Bender's (806 S. Van Ness at 19th St.) this Saturday, 7-9 p.m.

In case 22-ounce bottles of beer brewed with six malts, six hops, and an alcohol content of 6.66 percent (get it?) isn't quite enough to get your personal freak on, consider this: For Freaktoberfest, Schmaltz has laid on an appearance by the Hubba Hubba Revue. Comedy! Striptease! Variety acts! No less an authority than SF Weekly named Hubba Hubba 2009's Best Burlesque Revue, featuring Bunny Pistol, Pin Key Lee, Sid Scenic, and Honey Lawless.

So make sure you're over 21 and bring money. Five bucks gets you in the door; inside, you'll get $1 off pints of Schmaltz's Coney Island Lager, and find $5 bottles of Coney Island Human Blockhead. Get freaky, people.

joel8x/Flickr

Sometimes, a Coke is just a Coke.

​The New York Times isn't always on the ball. Lately we've read some seriously Onion-esque doozies, like last month's recession-friendly human interest story about a young, high-earning Brooklynite redecorating her new downtown loft -- "on the cheap" -- for $5,000. That was a howler. Nor does the Times mind coming a little late to a party. Blogs can bloviate within minutes of something going down, and the Twitterati can tweet the very second something happens, but at the end of the day, on some level, news isn't really news until The Gray Lady weighs in, blowing up trends and illuminating subjects -- often years after they've surfaced -- but with authority and insight nevertheless. On Sunday, Mexican Coke had its moment, courtesy of Rob Walker's Consumed column. Walker initially tried Mexican Coke because he preferred its sleek glass bottle. Now, even as he acknowledges the fizzy little cult the product has spawned -- Web sites devoted to pinpointing where it can be found, a Facebook page, etc. -- and relays a crushing quote from a Coke spokesperson ("All of our consumer research indicates that from a taste standpoint, the difference is imperceptible"), Walker seeks out Mexican Coke whenever he can, not because it's cane sugary instead of corn syrupy, or for any clear rational reason, but because he believes "it tastes better."

The San Francisco Chronicle tried to figure that out in 2007 with a blind taste test, and results, while inconclusive, did in fact reveal perceptible differences in taste between Mexican and American bottles. Senior critic Michael Bauer and wine editor Jon Bonné sided with the stars and stripes, citing its "cleaner finish" and mellowed sweetness. Former drinks writer W. Blake Gray and editor Miriam Morgan preferred theirs hecho en Mexico, trumpeting Mexican Coke's "finer mousse of bubbles and straightforward sugar flavor" as well as generally fuller taste.

Toward the beginning of his piece, Walker shares Andy Warhol's famous cola quote: "A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it and you know it." We would wager that the normally soda-phobic citizens ordering Mexican Coke at San Francisco's taquerias, bars, and upscale restaurants would disagree. As Walker suggests, devotion doesn't always require a rational explanation.

Swig enough free shochu, and the ceiling spins for real.

​Free booze alert: Tomorrow night at 5A5 Steak Lounge (244 Jackson at Battery), there'll be an hour-long complimentary tasting of Haamonii shōchū. Last time we tasted Japanese-distilled Haamonii, we liked its smooth feel and crisp, clean flavor. Here's your chance: From 10 to 11 p.m. tomorrow, 5A5 will be offering free pours of neutral-tasting Haamonii Smooth and citrusy Haamonii Smooth Lemon. Want to attend? You'll have to RSVP, since the guest list is limited.

Impersonate the original big-nosed rapper, get sloshed.

​Eater SF reports on a pretty funky freebie in its "Dealfeed": Head on over to Showdogs (1020 Market at 6th) today, perform the "Humpty Dance" (as imagined by legendary Oakland rap group Digital Underground), and you will score a beer on the house. If you don't know the dance, it's real easy to do.

"First, I limp to the side like my leg was broken/Shakin' and twitchin', kinda like I was smokin'/Crazy wack funky/People say, 'You look like MC Hammer on crack, Humpty . . .'"

For more pointers, check out the "Humpty Dance" performed live on The Arsenio Hall Show (featuring a young Tupac Shakur) after the jump.

Mary Ladd

Spirits snobs may gag over the notion of spicy tequila, but heat lovers (including this blogger) have definitely warmed up to the notion of adult drinks with a kick.

Tabasco's premium tequila is labeled hecho en Mexico. It adds a touch of heat to the usual margarita, Bloody Mary, or shot. Expect to feel the burn on the back of your tongue within seconds of imbibing. On a heat spectrum of one to ten (ten being unbearably hot), Tabasco tequila ranks a respectable six or seven. And it does settle once and for all the question, "Why add a dash of hot sauce if it's already in the bottle-o'-booze?" Of course, part of the fun of spicy eating and drinking is the bragging rights. Just remember to play nice -- warn your friends before mixing or serving up this spirit.

As of now, you'll have to score Tabasco tequila online at Binny's. The cost is $22.99 for a 750 ml bottle, or, for truly flush heat freaks, $262.09 for a case.

Shotwell's via Flickr

This is going to look something like an ice cream parlor on Sunday.

If you're looking for a bar where everybody knows your name, it might not be Shotwell's (3349 20th St. at Folsom). But you should go there this Sunday, July 12, from 4 to 7 p.m. if you think you might like to combine drinking with dessert in one smart, swift move. The folks from Humphry Slocombe will be there to scoop their Double Chocolate Stout ice cream and plopping it into tall, frosty glasses of Double Chocolate Stout beer, yielding a float with a serious parental advisory warning. How's that sound, Norm?

Victorcab via Flickr

This just might save you from going home with your ex

We remember attending a party years ago at which a guest pulled us aside and muttered, "What do they have here for the alcoholics?" Inquiries were made. The answer was water. Not even the fizzy kind. And perhaps said guest would have been witnessed pouring half a bottle of wine into a Styrofoam cup later in the evening before woozily disembarking, regardless of beverage options, but still: What with guests who have complicated relationships to alcohol, and guests who are going through laborious and elaborate cleanses that you absolutely do not want to hear the details of, and guests who just aren't in the mood to get tipsy because their ex is there and they're worried that they'll accidentally wind up going home to engage in Guitar Hero followed by sloppy sex, it's good to be prepared.

Which is why we're pleased that San Francisco has delivered up at least one solution, in the form of Golden Star Tea. It looks like champagne. It tastes like champagne (the fermentation process involves champagne yeast.) It even costs as much as champagne, so your non-boozing guests won't feel all low-status. (Clarification: it's as expensive as the bad stuff. Compared to the good stuff it's a bargain.) Rigorous testing recently conducted under highly scientific conditions have shown it to be delicious with Indian food. And it's made by locals, so one can feel all smug and carbon-neutral for supporting the region's jasmine silver needle carbonated tea economy. I know. It's a particularly Bay Area kind of smug, and doesn't come easily at first. But it starts to feel natural after awhile.

Find Golden Star Tea at Whole Foods and other stores, and on restaurant bev menus.

Friday, 5/8:

• 8:00 p.m., One Market (1 Market at Steuart): five-course meal of chef Mark Dommen's signature dishes including Dungeness crab salad with avocado, cucumber, and lemongrass sorbet, sous-vide Alaskan halibut, and beef cheeks braised with Guinness, $64 with beer pairing, $74 with wine pairing; to reserve, call 777-5577 and specify "Zagat presents"
• 6:00-8:00 p.m., The Jug Shop (1590 Pacific at Polk): Napa Smith Brewery, details TBA
  

The Press Club

Saturday, 5/9:

• noon-3:00 p.m., K&L (638 4th St at Bluxome): Central Coast Pinot Noir, details TBA
• noon-4:00 p.m., Press Club: fundraiser for Spark, tickets $35 (advance, $45 at door) includes tastings at all eight winery bars and hors d'oeuvres
  
• 2:00-5:30 p.m., SF Wine Trading Co. (250 Taraval at Funston): tasting of ten wines under $10, $10

Sunday, 5/10:

• 3:00 p.m., The Jug Shop (1590 Pacific at Polk): Australian wine tasting and book signing with author Matt Skinner, $10 (happy Mother's Day, moms, you get in free)
  

Monday, 5/11:

• 6:00-9:00 p.m., California Wine Merchant (2113 Chestnut at Steiner): tasting of wines from Benton-Lane Winery, $20
• SF Cocktail Week begins
  

Starting Monday, the Barbary Coast Conservancy of the American Cocktail presents its third annual celebration of boozy elixirs at various spots around town. All events are 21 and over (natch).

Monday, 5/11:

• 6:00-9:00 p.m., Le Colonial (20 Cosmo Place near Taylor): kickoff party, $25 admission includes two drink tickets and light food, additional drink tickets $5 each. The after-party happens at 15 Romolo (15 Romolo near Broadway).

Tuesday, 5/12:

• Harry Denton's Starlight Room (21st Floor, Sir Francis Drake Hotel, 450 Powell near Sutter): United States Bartenders Guild competitions, SF local at 11:00 a.m., national at 5:00 p.m., free (norcalusbg@gmail.com has more info).
• 9:00 p.m., Cantina (580 Sutter near Mason): Industry Appreciation Night featuring Barbary Coast cocktails.

Wednesday, 5/13:

• 5:30-8:30 p.m., CUESA Kitchen (Ferry Building): cocktails featuring cane-based spirits and market ingredients, $30 ticket includes two full cocktails, tastes of all demonstrated cocktails, and passed appetizers. After-party at Elixir (3200 16th St. at Guererro) to benefit The Museum of the American Cocktail.

Thursday, 5/14:

• Various times and venues: "Bar School" serves up classes on various cocktail-related subjects; go here for the nitty gritty.
  
  

Last week, we conducted a blind taste test and determined that of the two energy drinks dedicated to the late local rapper Mac Dre, Thizz Juice was the superior product. Now, it's time to pit two more Bay Area rap-related energy drinks against each other: Hyphy, from Oakland's It's Good Beverage Co.; and 2Pac Energy Drink by 100 Racks Inc., also of Oakland.

100 Racks makes the Mac Dre drink that lost our first challenge, so how will its Tupac Shakur-branded beverage fare against Hyphy, the drink named for a youth movement that pretty much came and went already?

In the "Bubbles & Belgian Beer Garden," Wednesdays and Fridays from 4-8 at The Cosmopolitan (121 Spear), $4 will get you a glass of cava or a bottle of Affligem Blond, Duvel, Grimbergen Dubbel, or Unibroue La Fin du Monde (regularly $8-9). You can get a free taste to see if you like a beer before ordering a whole bottle. (I confirmed this with owner Mick Suverkrubbe, since I overheard another customer ask about it and the server hadn't heard about that.)

There are also some special snacks on offer. I tried the tempura-like beer battered asparagus ($2) and the smoked ham and gruyere pressed sandwich ($4). Both were good and went well with the beer.

Despite the name, the beer garden menu is available both outside and indoors at the bar. You can also order from the regular Monday-Friday 3:30-7 happy hour menu, which offers $3 Bud, $4 house wine and well drinks, $6 Cosmos and Herradura margaritas, and $4-6 snacks.

Tequila is big business. Worldwide sales exceed 10 million cases a year, and the US consumes about half of those. That explains how Don Julio / Diageo could afford to host a four-course dinner at Cortez (550 Geary) for local food writers featuring tequila cocktails invented by mixologist Brandon Skaggs and dishes created by chef Jenn Puccio.

The idea was to promote cocktail pairing along the lines of wine pairing. With one big exception, that didn't work for me. The food was great--particularly squash ravioli with smoked brussels sprouts and a crispy Kurobuta pork belly, both on the regular dinner menu--but the drinks were too sweet to go with it. I'd have preferred the tequilas straight, or better yet a few glasses of dry wine from the restaurant's excellent list.

The exception was the Cesar, Skaggs's radical, jalapeño- and cilantro-spiked variation on a Margarita. This not only paired well with various appetizers: it was one of the most delicious cocktails I've ever had. The drink is $11 at the bar. For the next couple of weeks, order one and you can get one of the snacks from the Bar Bites menu for another $2.

The recipe in the press handout was clearly wrong--the drink didn't include Grand Marnier, and six slices of jalapeño would have made it too spicy--so I visited Skaggs recently to get the real recipe, as well as a video demonstration of its preparation.

The happy hour at EZ5 (684 Commercial, off Kearny between Sacramento and Clay) has several big plusses. It runs from 4 (opening) to 8, an hour or two after most other happy hours have stopped. You can get a Sierra Nevada or glass of wine for only $3. It's right next to the Financial District, handy if you work there, but not actually in the FiDi, so you're already out of work zone. And it's a friendly place that draws a lively, happy crowd.

On the minus side, if you're hungry a helping of the free appetizers may be better than drinking on an empty stomach, but they're not a draw. The crowd is very young--when I took these photos, nobody looked much over 25--which could be a plus or minus depending on your demographic.

There is vibrant life beyond Red Bull in the energy drink market, and the Bay Area rap music scene in particular has inspired several of these beverages. In fact, two local brands offer cans inspired by the same beloved rapper, the late Mac Dre of Vallejo, whose life was tragically cut short in a drive-by shooting in Kansas City, MO in 2004. Oakland company 100 Racks Inc. (aka Hunid Racks) has "Mac Dre Feel'N Myself," while Fairfield's Hyphydration Beverage Co. offers "Thizz Juice."

The studio of local producer/energy drink enthusiast Meechy of Center of Attention Recordings (aka COA) was a great place to set up a blind taste test in order to get to the bottom of which Mac Dre drink is the best.

Wine Jar (1870 Fillmore), a cozy and friendly neighborhood hangout, is what I call a real wine bar, as opposed to a restaurant that doubles or poses as a wine bar. They sell some nuts, olives, and cheese to snack on, and have a small selection of good bottled beer, but the focus is on the wine.

The thoughtfully chosen list includes around 50 wines, more than half available by the glass ($4-18) or half-glass, and many of the rest in half (375ml) bottles. The selection favors boutique California wineries, but also has some nice choices from France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand.

Doesn't it seem backwards that a Mexican restaurant in Manhattan would open a branch in San Francisco? That's the story of Maya (303 2nd St.), a spin-off of chef Richard Sandoval's New York establishment of the same name. His upscale take on regional traditions clearly found a local following, since the SF branch celebrates its tenth anniversary this month.

Maya's prices are generally quite steep compared with your average Mexican place. For example, at dinner, appetizers are $8 to $15 and entrees $17 to $26.

Happy hour (5-7pm Mon.-Fri.), though, is a great deal even by Mission District standards. Order a $5 cocktail, glass of wine, or sangria, and you get an assortment of free appetizers. (Click the image for a larger version.)

Janine Kahn

Samovar's third SF location is built into a Hayes Valley Victorian.

The piano bar at Marin Joe's harkens back to an era of three-martini lunches, avuncular barkeeps, faux-rock decor and world-weary lounge lizards tickling the ivories. In other words, it's our kind of place. Leave your Corvette with the valet, wink at the doll behind the cash register and make your way into the pleasing chiaroscuro of the lounge. Find a stool at the baby grand in the corner and order a Dewar's (neat) from the waitress. Tuck a five-spot in the brandy snifter and ask the piano man for a little Rodgers & Hart - "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," say, or "Spring Is Here" if you're feeling suicidal. Sing along if you know the words, as of course you do. A dish of crackers and beer cheese appears at your elbow. The scotch slithers down your throat like Ava Gardner in a silk jumpsuit. The aroma of woodsmoke beckons from the kitchen and the second drink is on its way. Man, this is living!

(Marin Joe's: 1585 Casa Buena Dr.,Corte Madera; Call 924-2081)

Friday, 2/27, 4-6:30pm, Wine Club (953 Harrison): Loire tasting, $10

Saturday, 2/28, 2-5pm, Fort Mason: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition public tasting, advance tickets $60: reportedly the largest tasting of American wines in the world (the Chronicle's relationship with this tasting is similar to AT&T's relationship with the Giants)

Saturday, 2/28, noon-3pm, K&L (638 4th St): California vs. Oregon tasting, $20 (2007 Bethel Heights Oregon & Etude Carneros Pinot Gris; 2004 Anderson Family Vineyards & 2006 Stony Hill Estate Chardonnay; 2006 Hamacher Willamette Valley, 2007 Paul Mathew Vineyards, 2006 Resonance Vineyard, 2006 Toulouse Vineyards "Estate,"2007 Lion Heart, & 2005 Domaine Serene "Winery Hill" Pinot Noir; 2003 Argyle Willamette Valley & 2002 Roederer Estate l'Ermitage Brut)

Saturday, 2/28, 2-5:30pm, SF Wine Trading Co. (250 Taraval): Languedoc tasting, $10

Saturday, 2/28, 1-4pm, Wine Club (953 Harrison): California Cabernet tasting, $25

Sunday, 3/1, 5pm, Bar Bambino (2931 16th St): four-course dinner with wines from Biondivino

City Beer (1169 Folsom) is doubly unique. First, it's SF's only beer-and-nothing-but-beer store: 350 bottles from around the world, all craft brews, no Bud, Miller, Coors, or other macrobrews. If you're looking for a hard-to-find beer, this is the first place to check.

Second, it's a small but great beer bar, with a rotating selection of six beers on tap and about half of the bottled beers in two refrigerators. Drafts are $4 & up, bottles consumed on premises are $1 over the retail price. Every Thursday night from 5pm until the beer runs out there's a theme flight of three or four 4-oz. tastes for $5-10; sign up for the weekly email newsletter to find out what they're pouring in advance.

The only problem with the place, from the prospective drinker's point of view, is that it's so small that it's often full. Best times to find a free stool are weekdays before 4:00 and Tuesday and Saturday evenings.

updated 2/24 with more details on 2/28 K&L event

Friday, 2/20, 6:30-8:30pm, Crushpad (2573 3rd St): "America's largest tasting of Victorian wine" includes wines from Balgownie, Coldstream Hills,  Kooyong, Innocent Bystander, Jasper Hill, Stonier, Taltarni, Yabby Lake, and Yering Station, tickets $30 (all proceeds go to Australian Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Relief Fund)

Saturday, 2/21, noon-3pm, K&L (638 4th St): tasting of newly arrived Bordeaux, $20

Saturday, 2/21, 2pm, CAV (1666 Market): introductory wine class, $45 includes tasting

Saturday, 2/21, 2-5:30pm, SF Wine Trading Co. (250 Taraval): tasting of organic and biodyamic wines, $10

Monday, 2/23, 6:30-8pm, Sebo (517 Hayes): seven new-release nama (unpasteurized) sakes from True Sake, plus snacks, $25 (reservations required)

Tuesday, 2/24, 7pm, South Food + Wine Bar (330 Townsend): four-course meal with Victorian wines, $125 (all proceeds go to Australian Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Relief Fund)

San Francisco has a longstanding tradition of bars offering free food to customers. In the hard-drinking Victorian era, the "free lunch" was a staple of the city's saloons. By the 1970s, the free buffets had shifted to happy hour, and poor SF State and City College students flocked to places such as the Iron Pot (torn down for a high-rise office building) and the Assay Office (now the far-from-free Bix), where they could get an ample dinner for the price of one beer.

These days, free food is hard to find. One place that keeps up this noble tradition is Schroeder's (240 Front). On Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from 4-6pm, happy hour customers can help themselves from a rotating selection of appetizers, usually including delicious spicy meatballs, decent garlic fries, and edible fried chicken, while enjoying selected German draft or bottled beers at reduced prices.

The Santa Maria cocktail at La Mar Cebicheria Peruana (Pier 1 1/2) is a welcome reminder of sunnier climes during this present chill. Comprised of Pisco, pomegranate-infused tequila, lemon juice and ginger syrup, there's a solid balance of tart, spice and a delicious burn that seems to intensify with each supple sip. This accompanied artful bites of ceviche and lomo saltado, but the ample bar would be a good destination to drink whether or not a (fairly pricey) meal is on the agenda.