1. Who's on Top?
The season premiere of Top Chef airs tonight at 10 p.m. on Bravo, and this season has four local contenders. So pull up a chair, order some take-out and get ready to play favorites. Wonder who we think won? Click here for our completely uninformed spoiler.


courtesy of Stefanie Michejda

2.What’s in Your Flask?
The last weekend of March, SF will become an international top-tier spirits epicenter when the 9th Annual Whiskeys of the World Expo comes to town.  A full day of distiller-led seminars at Le Meridien hotel on Friday will precede an evening of music, crafts, food and drink samples on Saturday at Pier 3, next to the Ferry Building.

3. Toastier Weather
Celebrate spring with a hike, picnic and a few sips of wine.  On Sunday the 23rd   (at 9:30 a.m.) join California Wine Hikes for “Butterflies, Wildflowers and Wine,” a naturalist-led walk through Golden Gate National Recreation Area, followed by a relaxed picnic lunch and a well-deserved wine tasting.

4. Jamming Out
Leave it to the Australian experts to throw a “Shiraziganza.”  This Sunday the 16th, South Food + Wine Bar hosts its first in a series of wine events, offering tastes of Shiraz from top-notch producers, paired with copious snacks for $35.



5. Chinese Food for Thought
This Saturday, March 15th (at 2 p.m.) at the Chinatown branch of the public library, culinary legend and pioneering Chinese food authority Cecilia Chiang will lead a bilingual (English and Mandarin) discussion about her book, The Seventh Daughter: My Culinary Journey from Beijing to San Francisco, a collection of recipes set in the framework of her made-for-the-movies life story.

6. No Picky Eaters
Grab a bottle of wine and cross over the bridge for Canvas Underground’sThe Omnivore’s Table, an Oakland-based dinner series for food fans, held this Sunday at 6:30 p.m.  Chef Peter Jackson will serve braised Berkshire pork belly with frisée, roasted cipollini onions and a whole grain mustard vinaigrette in a private Oakland home setting.



7. Tap Recital
For World Water Week, March 16th-22nd, Unicef and local restaurants are making it extremely easy for us to help provide clean water to children around the world. The Tap Project asks patrons to donate $1 for every glass of tap water consumed while dining at participating eateries. Each dollar donated supplies fresh drinking water for 40 days.