Despite what year-round "spider" crab sushi rolls might tell you, soft shell crabs are a highly seasonal item, available in very limited quantity, especially on the West Coast. Supplies of these freshly molted crabs, a product of Chesapeake Bay shellfish, are usually exhausted by July, so order them up anywhere you see them. We recommend you take this list of Bay Area restaurants serving soft shells, and squeeze in as many dishes as humanely possible in the next few weeks.

Although it might not be brilliantly sunny out today for Memorial Day, barbeque is definitely in the forecast. If a side of ribs or butt of pork didn't make it into an overnight marinade yesterday, not to worry. Several barbeque spots are open today, offering high volume take-out orders to squelch any last-minute party anxiety. Whether or not you reveal who actually made the brisket is your call.

The popular Heart Wine Bar abruptly closed last year when the owner decided to move back to New York, leaving a huge vacant spot on the corner of Valencia and 24th Streets. Not two weeks after opening in its stead, new "wine tavern" St. Vincent is jam-packed nightly, and already seems to be quite the second act at this address. Owner David Lynch trailblazed a $40 fixed price wine list during his last job as the sommelier for Quince and Cotogna, and he's forging into new terriority here at St. Vincent too.

Like it or not, California's state-wide ban on foie gras begins on July 1. If you're one of the many pro-foie types living in San Francisco, you should know that lots of restaurants are making the most of the next seven weeks with plans to serve foie to the bitter end. Many chefs see foie gras as a link to the history of gastronomy, as French greats like Fernand Point started working it into refined cookery in the late 19th Century. Now, our country's two reigning artisan foie gras farms: Sonoma Aritsan Foie and Hudson Vally Foie Gras, are wrapping up distribution to Calfornia. Here, seven top dishes to try before foie ends its timeline.