Since San Francisco and the Bay Area are over-populated with foodies, while the rest of the country is dieting in January as penance for holiday gorging, we are most definitely not. In January, in fact, we highlight great food and eating with the annual Dine About Town program in San Francisco, the Good Food Awards, Oakland Restaurant Week and the Winter Fancy Food Show. The latter is a trade show for the specialty food industry, but all foodies are welcome to partake in the other food celebrations. Here's a run-down on their 2012 editions, in chronological order.
DINE ABOUT TOWN LAUNCH PARTY
January 12, at 6 pm
Sample food from many of the restaurants participating in Dine About Town, plus specialty cocktails and drinks from the likes of Thirsty Bear Brewing and Wente Vineyards. The party benefits Meals on Wheels of San Francisco.
At City View at Metreon, 101 4th Street. Tickets: $40; must be bought in advance.
GOOD FOOD AWARDS
January 13 & 14
Founded in 2011 by mostly Bay Area food specialists, these awards honor American food producers who make delicious food while being socially and environmentally responsible. The awards cover eight food categories, beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, pickles, preserves and spirits. Foods that are bestowed the Good Food seal of approval are certified organic and sustainably produced, mostly by small and medium-sized businesses.
This year, the competition attracted 926 products, which were winnowed down to 144 finalists and then 99 winners. That required an army of 130 judges who included former Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl and culinary pioneer and Chez Panisse founder Alice Waters. Based on the finalists list, perhaps coffee could become a signature California export: Of the 11 coffee finalists, five are in-state (and strangely, two are from Missouri). Meat, however, seems dominated by Oregon, which boasts five of the 18 charcuterie finalists.
San Francisco, the Bay Area and Northern California did well overall, producing 27 finalists spanning all of the food groups:
Beer: Almanac Beer; Drake's Brewing; Lagunitas Brewing.
Charcuterie: Adesso; Café Rouge; Columbus Foods; Fatted Calf.
Cheese: Achadinha Cheese; Bellwether Farms; Cypress Grove Chevre; Garden Variety Cheese; Saint Benoît Yogurt.
Chocolate: Bittersweet; Dandelion Chocolate.
Coffee: Equator Coffees & Teas; Flying Goat Coffee; Sightglass Coffee Roasters.
Pickles: Emmy's Pickles and Jams; Farmhouse Culture; Let's Be Frank.
Preserves: Artisan Preserves; Chez Pim; Plumline; Wine Forest Wild Foods.
Spirits: 1512 Spirits; Marian Farms; Wylie Howell Spirits.
The winners, who come from 26 states, will be announced during a ceremony on January 13 at the Ferry Building. A post-ceremony reception features bites of the winning products as well as creations by Boxing Room, Foreign Cinema, Bar Agricole and other chefs that incorporate the products.
The following morning, coinciding with the regular Saturday farmer's market at the Ferry Building, the winning producers will sample and sell their wares. Some of these products are not readily available in the Bay Area, so if you taste something you like, this is a prime time to stock up.
- GOOD FOOD AWARDS GALA RECEPTION
January 13, at 8-10 pm
Mingle and nosh with the 2012 Good Food Award winners and judges (including Alice Waters and Ruth Reichl) and local chefs. Includes open bar.
At the San Francisco Ferry Building, Main Hall. Tickets $100. - GOOD FOOD AWARDS MARKETPLACE
January 14, at 8 am-2 pm
Taste and buy the 2012 Good Food Awards winners and meet their producers.
At the San Francisco Ferry Building, Front Alcoves. Tickets: $15 for exclusive early access (8-9 am), sold online in advance; $5 at the door for admission after 9 am.
DINE ABOUT TOWN
January 15-31
Dozens of restaurants in San Francisco, literally from A (Absinthe Brasserie & Bar) to Z (Zingari Ristorante) are serving two-course lunches for $17.95 and/or three-course dinners for $34.95. Now's the time to dine at places that you might normally reserve only for special occasions, such as Spruce or Kuleto's.
OAKLAND RESTAURANT WEEK
January 20-29
It's actually ten days, during which more than two dozen restaurants (including Bay Wolf, Plum and Yoshi's Jazz Club & Japanese Restaurant) offer prix fixe lunch and dinner menus at $20, $30 or $40. The website has links to menus and to make reservations.
