A votre santé!
Tomorrow is the third Thursday of November, an important date for Beaujolais Nouveau fans, as the wine will be released at 12:01 AM. Some say by the time that tomorrow is over, nearly half of the region's total annual production will be distributed and drunk around the world.This year’s Beaujolais Nouveau celebration is on November 15th and the cafes along Downtown’s so-called French Quarter, around Belden Alley and Claude Lane, such as Cafe Bastille and Café Claude, are the most popular places to knock back one of the hastily bottled vintages. However, several more formal Francophile restaurants throughout the Bay Area are also hosting special events for the occasion.
Over at the Grand Café, the fete begins at noon in the Petite Cafe, with a tapping of the nouveau wine barrel, freshly arrived from Burgundy. For the remainder of the day, guests will be greeted with complimentary toasts of the 2007 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau while live music throughout the evening will provide a celebratory background. In addition, Grand Cafe’s executive chef, Mauro Pando, and pastry chef, David Thompson, have created a four-course prix fixe menu celebrating the Flavors of Burgundy, featuring Burgundian classics such as escargot, bœuf Bourguignon and quenelle Lyonnaise. The menu will be offered in the Grand Cafe during regular dinner hours ($55 per person; $90 per person with wine pairings; 415-292-0101).
In the Mission, La Provence Restaurant will offer a special three-course prix fix menu, starting with a complimentary glass of Beaujolais Nouveau. The menu, which is full of choices, features several traditional items such as rillettes de canard, frog’s leg “ragout” in a puff pastry, coq au vin and clafouti framboise ($40 per person; 415-643-4333).
Revelers at the Left Bank brasseries (various locations) will swill and celebrate the young gamay grape for three days (November 15–17) in a Moulin Rouge, cabaret-like atmosphere replete with can-can dancers, accordionists and live jazz groups. In addition to the regular menu, the kitchen will prepare some special à la carte plats including quenelle de coquille de Saint-Jacques et saumon (sea scallops and salmon mousse, mushrooms and lobster bisque) and côte braisé au chiroubles (short ribs). For reservations and individual location details, go to www.leftbank.com.
And for the grand-mère of all soirees, join 1,000 other estimated guests at La Soiree at the 26th Beaujolais and Beyond Festival, the annual fund-raising event organized by San Francisco’s French-American Chamber of Commerce, which will be held at the Hyatt Regency on Saturday, November 17th. Early bird shoppers can hit La Marché, a holiday market showcasing products with a “French touch,” open from 1–6 PM (no admission fee). The wine-and-food extravaganza itself features French food and wine tastings, a silent auction, music and dancing, courtesy of a DJ who will spin French and American tunes (5:30–9:30 PM; $60 per person in advance, $70 at the door; 5 Embarcadero Center; for tickets, go to www.faccsf.com or call 415-442-4717).
– Meesha Halm