San Francisco magazine invites you to fête all the best in local food, wine, and spirits at ~FALLFEST 2011~ on Sunday October 9th. As in previous years, the local restaurateurs, winemakers, food artisans, eco experts, and bartenders you’ve seen in the pages of San Francisco magazine will be turning Justin Herman Plaza into a fab European-style marketplace from noon-4pm.
FallFest features quite a few fun and interactive events. In the Eco-Cocktail competition, six Bay Area mixologists will use local ingredients to make seasonal cocktails for FallFest attendees, who’ll get to choose the best of the Fest by popular vote. Competitors include Jeff Hollinger (co-owner/bartender, Comstock Salon), Allison Webber (bar manager, Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen), and Aaron Smith (owner/bartender, 15 Romolo). Learn more about locally sourced cuisine in chef demos by Josh Skenes (executive chef, Saison) and Bill Corbett (executive pastry chef, Absinthe group). Attendees also get access to wine seminars hosted by Jordan Mackay (San Francisco wine and spirits writer) and co-moderated by David Lynch (wine director, Quince) with participants Duggan McDonell (bartender/founder, Encanto Pisco), Gil Payne (co-owner, Nombe), Andy Peavy (Peavy Vineyards), and Alex Fox (sommelier, Bar Tartine).
Some of the restaurants showcasing the benefits of eating local include A16, Absinthe, Bardessono, Boxing Room, Café des Amis, COCO500, Compadres Rio Grille, Comstock Saloon, The Lakehouse at Calistoga Ranch, Mayfield Bakery and Cafe, The Moss Room, Nombe Izakaya, Pizza Antica, The Plant Café Organic, Salt House, The Slanted Door, Spruce, Tacolicious, Trace at the W Hotel, and The Village Pub.
Pair the local cuisine with wine, ale, and spirits. Participating wineries include Buena Vista Winery, Cameron Hughes Winery, Cobb Wines, De Loach Vineyards, Don Sebastiani & Sons Winery, Flora Springs Winery, Frei Brothers Reserve, Ghost Pines Wine, Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards, Gundlach Bundschu Winery, Hagafen Cellars, Handley Cellars, Harrington Wine, JAQK Cellars, Macrostie Winery and Vineyards, Meteor Vineyards, Olson Ogden Wines, Raymond Vineyards, Sonoma Valley Portworks, and William Hill Estate Winery. (You can buy wines direct from some wineries—go with the eco theme and bring your own re-usable wine totes.) Additional liquid purveyors include Distillery No. 209, VeeV, and SKYTea.
There will also be live music from Joey Altman and the Soul Peppers (wouldn’t be an SF food event without them), a raffle to win one of three great getaways (winners need not be present to win), and a silent auction for wine, food, and travel packages.
Tickets are available online and benefit Meals On Wheels of San Francisco, providing homebound seniors with nutritious meals, daily human contact, and supportive services.
Marcia Gagliardi is a freelance food writer in San Francisco. She writes a weekly column, Foodie 411 for the SFCVB on their “Taste” site; a monthly gossip column, “The Tablehopper” for The Northside; and regular features for Edible San Francisco. Her first book came out in March 2010: The Tablehopper’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco: Find the Right Spot for Every Occasion.
