A very eclectic and fun tasting!…read more Hendrick's Gin did an awesome job with this tasting. Instead of a stuffy, snobby, and ultimately cheesy event they went for a wacky, English carnival themed extravaganza at the cool location of the Old Mint. Small groups were pushed along a self-paced tour through different rooms with cool decor and characters. Some highlights included hands popping out of picture frames giving random handshakes or maybe handing out swag and a modern song medley accordion singer that covered everything from Ice Ice Baby to Barbie Girl. The British accents weren't always perfect, but they added to the charm. In addition to a Gin Tonic, you could get two additional cocktails. Did I mention the event was free? The cocktails were all surprisingly good. I'll definitely try to mix a Cucumber Southside soon. If you didn't get a chance to sign up this time definitely stay on the lookout for future events!

I love it! All of it!…read more The decor, the drinks, the food, people working at the event, and the concept itself. I really liked that the event gave each person was given ample time to walk around, enjoy the eccentricities, and of course the gin. There were 4 main rooms. The first room is the welcome room where we were given our first tasting of gin, and 2 tokens which can be redeemed for 2 more drinks of choosing. The next three rooms each featured its of own drink of choice and fun characters. There were also small bites (fried chicken, mushrooms) being served in each room. I highly recommend this event overall. I've never had Hendrick's before so not only was it was fun to try their drinks, it was a really fun event and experience. I had a great time with my friends and the people there were charming. Easy 5 stars!

5/18/08 Update So a…read morefriend went to the Las Vegas Premier Tasting and says that one is even better than the one in San Francisco. All vendors can only bring one wine from their line, so everyone brought their best. There was also a nice spread of food, with an impressive line-up of vineyards. He also talked to a couple from New York who had gone to the TOTT in NYC and said that though the Vegas one was good, nothing beats the NY version. So if you can make it out there, that one seems to be the one to go to. Now back to the original review: Imagine covering a load of wineries from Napa, Sonoma and all over the world by simply navigating four floors of the War Memorial Opera House. THAT is exactly what the annual Toast of the Town event is all about. There are two tastings. The first consists of the reserve tasting which runs from 5 pm to 7 pm. The second round is the general tasting from 7 pm to 10 pm. My friends and I are wine freaks, so of course we splurged and plunked down $200 per ticket for the reserve tasting. That'll get you two extra hours of sheer bliss as vendors pour their best, followed by entry into the general tasting (included in the price of our ticket, but $100 on its own). I know what you're thinking...$200 is a lot to pay to sample wine. But we're talking reserves here; wineries often charge about $25 for reserves in the tasting rooms. Here you can sample select reserves from many producers. On top of that, you get an electronic wine buyers guide that's exclusive to the reserve ticket holder's goodie bag. And you'd think after four hours of tasting, we'd all be plastered. But throughout the event from 5 to 10 pm, there were plenty of restaurants offering tasty bites like TWO's foie gras or Ana Mandara's tuna tartare. Even Plumpjack was there with their seafood cones. To-Die-For! But eat early, because, as can be expected, the food runs out towards the last hour of the evening. One of the highlights for me was having the opportunity to try wines from other countries that I wouldn't normally have the chance to taste without buying the bottle. It was really interesting to experience how wines differ from one region of the world to another, and to learn about the varietals unique to each country. The vendors were all very friendly and carried on about their product as they would behind the bar at their respective wineries. And they definitely enjoyed watching the crowd get progressively happier as the night wore on. It's like one big party with a decidedly mature crowd...one filled with foodies and wine fanatics like us. But it was never overcrowded, which was nice, because I never felt like I had to fight a bunch of people to get a pour. As far as I could see, there wasn't much advertising done for the event and it still sold out. Identical events are held in New York and other major cities, and there's also a reserve tasting event being held in Las Vegas this year on May 3 at the Venetian. Tickets are available via the website at www.winespectator.com.

I went to the 17th Annual World Veg Festival yesterday Sat Oct 8, 2016 in San Francisco put on by…read morethe the San Francisco Veg Society. For 17 years, the San Francisco Veg Society sfvs.org has been organizing the World Veg Festival to educate & inspire more people about the benefits of vegan, plant-based lifestyle for healthy, ethic, & sustainable living. A group of the best speakers, chefs & presenters on the topics of vegan health, ethics, animal rights, good eating & more to present to festival goers. The two day festival runs on a Sat & Sun from 10am to 6:30pm featuring fun, food, entertainment & activities for the whole family! Updated info worldvegfestival.com $10 general admission. $5 students w/ ID, seniors 62+, & youth under 18. Free for SFVS members w/ valid membership card. Tickets sold at door & on eventbrite I started the day going to a culinary demo on how to prepare raw snacks by author & raw food chef Cherie Soria. Cherie is the founder & co-director of the Living Light Culinary Institute & author of numerous books. Although I personally incorporate raw vegan foods into my diet. I have yet to invest in a dehydrator which some of her demo involved the use of. I found her raw snacks tasty & she is an inspiring figure of someone who adheres to a raw vegan lifestyle as she is in great shape at 69 years old planning to do her first triathlon when she turns 70. Patricia Koot gave a wonderful cooking demo on preparing sauces & she is a fan of using slow cookers as am I. Patricia runs the Wed night vegan gatherings in San Francisco that I have enjoyed attending at the SF Opera Plaza that one can find more about at the vegan meet up San Francisco page. Richgail Enriquez gave a great cooking demo on Vegan Filipino Food. She is Filipino heritage & after becoming vegan wanted to keep the essence of her culture as Filipino cuisine is heavy on animal products. I thought Richgail did a great presentation using an array of mushrooms to replace a pork dish & kept the soul of Filipino cooking by using coconut milk along w/ flavorful spices that were great to sample. Prof. Johanna Sophia from the Hudson Valley in NY is another longtime raw foodist who gave some solid theory on the raw foods lifestyle coupled w/ a raw foods demo making a savory nut & veggie pate along w/ a sweet mousse made from dried fruits, fresh fruits, & nuts. Sophia was lively in her presentation & her recipe was truly DIY not following to any recipe allowing one to create a dish according to their personal liking. The last presentation I went to was a history of the vegan & vegetarian movement led by Andy Mars. It traced the roots of the movement & where we are going as well. Mars was very lively & loved his fact based informative lecture that showed how long we have come as a movement. The World Veg Festival was held on the outskirts of Golden Gate park in a beautiful setting in the pleasant neighborhood of Sunset. I look forward to returning next year!

I think they need a new venue next year…read more Buying tickets to enter was painfully slow and then you could see people easily sneaking in without paying. It felt extremely unorganized. The ability to walk thru the event was very difficult. Several times I got caught in human gridlock and could not move. Especially in the area where free samples were given out. I heard awesome speakers. But in the large auditorium most seats were empty and there was constant noise from the doors slamming as people walked to the smaller rooms to hear other speakers And when I went to hear a speaker in the (smaller) room, it was packed and over 50 people had to stand and many crowding around the door. Although I love the golden gate park location, I really feel the veg fest has outgrown it.

Iris is simply fantastic. I accompanied my mother to what I thought was going to be a standard…read more"Step one. Step two" jewelry workshop and walked out feeling inspired and confident...oh and with some gorgeous rings on my fingers (this from a girl who cannot manage to knit even one inch of a scarf). The class was F.U.N. Iris is not afraid of mistakes and can even help you transform them into art (Yes, I had more than a few extra special "artistic" pieces to take home). Oh, and did I mention that you get to work with fire AND hammers? 'nuff said.

Blasphemy never looked so good. Bring a blanket some sun block, your favorite four legged friend,…read moreand plenty of booze! You will need it in order to sterilize your soul after what you will see here. The sisters of perpetual indulgence put on a good show come easter sunday. They go around asking for donations and pick up your garbage too. Next year we plan on entering out friends dog chewy. We are thinking of entering him as sweet baby Jesus. It should be a whole lot of fun. there is some youtube clips of the pageant, just look for them.

JESUS H. CHRIST is right!!! I am SO going to hell now (like I wasn't before?) after witnessing this…read moresacrilegious event! I was waiting for lightning to strike me down, but thank goodness I was spared. Sean S. did a fine job describing last year's event, so I'll spare you the details of this year's event. You just need to check it out for yourself.... Just one more reason why I love this goddamn city.....with a passion!!

The 1st ever San Francisco Vegan [Beer] & Food Festival mustered through the entire day without too…read moremuch incident, serving up delectable treats and vegan goodies, but the term "festival" has me wanting something more to be desired. I arrived right at opening at 11am. One of the first to arrive, as well as FTR (Sorry John B., you know I love ya!). Some tents were still setting up, and while trucks were already serving food and lines were short, you can tell they were still trying to finish finish prepping as it still took some time to get the first 2 dishes I ordered. My first stop was No Worries Filipino food. Always heard great things about them and have been on "to-try" list for a long time. I think I've only had Filipino food about 3 times in my life since it is usually features un-veg friendly cuisine. No Worries blew me away with their oversized sampler portion. Their Lumpia was perfectly crisp, yet still fresh. Their Adobo kept my watering and wanting more. Also featured was their Mungo, Apritada, and Pansit. 2nd stop: Southern Fried Vegan. Tried the Mac & Cheeze, with Fried Chicken and Collard Greens. The M&C was quite good. Nice and gooey with a good cheese flavor and texture. Their fried chicken seemed fried ahead of time sicne it had gotten tough and less of a fried texture. 3rd Stop: Life Foods. They were serving up veggie burgers and nachos! I tried the nachos and felt very underwhelmed. They used their veggie burger patties and sauteed it up with onions, peppers, and seasoning and tossed it on a bed of tortilla chips. It was hardly 'nachos' since there was no sauce, tomatoes, jalapenos, cream, etc. etc. It was very dry, very salty, but still lacked a wholesome flavor. It made for a good crunchy snack though. 4th stop: Lil Burma. Their tea leaf salad-pricey at $11 a plate, was luckily a large portion and very tasty. Fresh, crunchy, with the right amount of nuts. Unfortunately, Lil Burma quickly ran out of 3 out of 4 of their items within the first few hours. 5th Stop: Rhizocali Tempeh and their Buffalo Wings. I hardly eat tempeh-I'm not the biggest fan of the texture. But they have amazing quality tempeh here! Too bad the buffalo sauce was not spicy at all and didn't stick too well to the tempeh. I wish it was spicier! The cashew cream sauce was quite delicious though. 6th Stop: Republic of V. Selling vegan goodies, snacks, and treats! I bought some coconut bacon flakes and I can't wait to put it in baked potatoes, salads, and more! Last stop before I slipped into a food coma: Timeless Coffee! These were probably my favorite right behind No Worries. I didn't think Moon Cake was something I would ever be able to eat again going vegan. These folks proved me wrong with their DELICIOUS rendition of it! Also, their grave digger chocolate mousse is to "Die" for, and their pumpkin roll was so tasty that I caught myself eating it for dinner later that night. Yum! *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* About the event itself: I enjoy going to Soma Streat Park, but there's always a lot of oversights. They advertise as a "Beer & Food Festival," but there was hardly a beer selection! Where was the craft brews, the ciders, etc as advertised? There was the same ol Anchor, Lagunitas, and about 3 other choices. Many of which sold out by 3 pm. Poor poor advertising. BOO! They also advertised live music. There was none. In fact, the only music they played was 90's hip hop/R&B for 5 STRAIGHT HOURS. It did not go well with the atmosphere, it made it boring, and the demographic was completely wrong for the kind of music. I think they didn't think about the music at all and just put on someone's old IPod Playlist. BOO. The TV's. Ohhh this one made me very irritated. As I sat at my table to eat, the many tv's surrounding us were either showing sports or....Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. That's right folks. As you were at a Vegan Festival, eating tasty Vegan Food, the tv's were showing dead animal carcasses being butchered, cooked, and eaten right in front of you. It was very unsettling to say the least and I was very upset. I talked to one of the workers and they changed it for us. I know it was a small mistake, but really...they should have thought about it a little more. BOO. I didn't make it to Hella Vegan Eats since the line was about an hour long. I think it was poor planning to put them next to Southern Fried Vegan-probably 2 of the most popular tents there that day. All in all, still 4 stars because for the first time doing it, it was ok! Just very very poor marketing and planning from the guys from Streat Park. I also know there are so many more vegan food trucks out there and they were all missing. This is what happens when you put carnivores in charge of a vegan event. SMH. Food: 4.5 stars Vendors: 4 stars Atmosphere: 2 stars Beer: 1 star Music: 0 stars Still thankful to have a vegan event with no chance of cross contamination or yucky BBQ smell. Thanks John B. and Rachel C. for hanging out with us!

I've got to admit, I thought this might be a disaster after the east bay vegan beer fest didn't…read morequite meet everyone's expectations. However, if you came relatively early, there were more than enough food vendors to keep you satisfied. My personal favorite was No Worries; they need to bring their delicious vegan Filipino food to SF more often. Also, there was a vendor in the covered area who was making buffalo tempeh that was incredible. Next time, I'm hoping that there might be a little more focus on the beer side, since the selections were nothing out of the ordinary. I also hope it's not so damn hot - that concrete really roasts.

Some newly-met friends while on a recent road (foto) trip told me about this event, and being the…read moreover-worked lizard I am hauling boxes up and down many flights of steps, plus being on a laptop all day organizing and archiving image files, I jumped at the chance of going to a SCOTTISH HIGHLANDER event... complete with tradition games plus more. Plus the Marine Band from San Diego will be there and even performance together with the L.A. Scottish Pipe Band - and I just looove hearing bagpipes, so I went! Needless to say (and to make a loooong story shorter), I went using GPS to get me to the event site at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton (only an hour and half in nice traffic leaving VERY early Saturday AM) for this two day event over the long Labor Day weekend. Considered largest Scottish celebration in the world, celebrates 146 years of continuous Celtic presentations by members & volunteers of the Caledonian Club of San Francisco. Major events consist of more than 30 pipe bands from the U.S. and Canada, three world-class Grade I bands: The L.A. Scots of Southern California, joined by two famous Canadian bands the Alberta Caledonian band fm Edmonton, and the Triumph Street band from Vancouver, BC. The U.S. Marine Band San Diego in Pleasanton is the only venue in the world where a U.S. military band performs & marches with a Grade I pipe band as a single unit. Athletic fans appreciate the Heavy Events, including world-top professional athletes competing in Team Championships with six two-man teams, representing the U.S., Canada, Scotland, England, Poland and Holland and sanctioned by the International Highland Games Federation. Additionally, the men's and women's amateur athletes represent more than 20 U.S. states. Heavy Event competitors in all classes are required to compete in all eight athletic disciplines, including the fabled caber, weight-for-height, hammer, stone putt and weight-for-distance. Also featured is the Highland Dancing competition with the Western U.S. Open Championships on tap. Entertainment abounds w/ 7 stages of continuous activity featuring everything from traditional balladeers and vocal groups to Celtic Rock, plus the Fiddler's Rally, Harping and Scottish Country Dancing venues. Among the favorites are internationally recognized Tempest, Australia's Brother and Scotland's tribal Albannach. Molly's Revenge, the Browne Sisters, Golden Bough, Peter Daldry and Neil O'Neill, plus Scotland TV personality, singer Isla St Clair entertain throughout the weekend - addition to the events will be Living History, recreating Mary Queen of Scots and her entourage, the Highland Warriors, the Roman Legion and the invading Vikings. Birds of Prey on display includes exotic birds and their accredited handlers while the Sheep Dog Trials portray the intricacies of Border Collies herding sheep via the whistle commands. The Children's Glen offers children many games and prizes. British automobiles are displayed and a team of Clydesdale horses and wagon tour the grounds. These Games have 100+ vendors located in five bldgs, also offering british food, including bangers, meat pies, Scotch eggs and more, along with traditional American fair food and drink. BRING PLENTY OF VIRTUAL FILM!!!

This is a fun event for the whole family ! From music, re-enacting the past , sporting to whisky…read moretasting there is something for everyone ! Highly recommend

Unbelievable Preformance! He entertained for our son's party and all the guests were amazed with…read morehis talent!

Brokar's show for Lafayette Recreation was amazing. He was so easy to work with. He entertained a…read morecrowd of over 150 kids and adults. His high energy and grand stage presence captivated the audience. We had a crowd with ages ranging from 3 to adults and I would reccomend Bronkar for any age. Bronkar is a must see!