Single Guy's Planner

Hard to believe but summer is almost over, and as we make that mad rush toward the Labor Day weekend, there are a ton of food events to keep you happy and full along the way. Just a reminder, if you follow me on Twitter, you’ll get a heads up on which events I’m probably heading to (sometimes I don’t really know until that day). Happy eating!

Aug. 5 (Thursday): Taste of the Nation in Napa Valley. This event that supports the efforts of Share Our Strength, which fights childhood hunger, heads to beautiful wine country for a night of tasting from the area’s restaurants from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Silverado Resort. Tickets are $75, but you can get $15 off when you purchase online by entering the code: PRETZELCRISP. (Yep, they’re one of the event sponsors, and the code is case sensitive so be sure to cap everything!) Tickets can be purchased online here or by calling 1-866-26taste.

Aug. 7 (Saturday): East Bay Underground Market. The popular home-made goods market from San Francisco makes it to the East Bay, and after months of looking for the location, it's finally set for the vacant parking lot on the corner of 24th and Broadway in Oakland. The market runs from 5 to 11 p.m. Since this is a ground-up kind of movement, they'll be collecting $2 at the door (and you also have to register here for a free membership).

Aug. 7-8 (Saturday to Sunday): Aloha Festival at the Presidio. This annual event is a major fair that always brings a little bit of home (Hawaii) to the Bay Area. Along with all the craft booths and hula dance performances, you can also get some Hawaii grinds, so expect a lot of kalua pig and Spam musubi. The event is free and runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days a the Presidio parade grounds. For information, go to the event website.

Aug. 13-15 (Friday to Sunday): SFChefs 2010. This major food event at San Francisco’s Union Square offers a huge range of events, from workshops to grand tastings. You’ll see several of the Bay Area’s celebrity chefs, from Tyler Florence to Elizabeth Falkner, doing demos or plating up delicious food. I have to admit, I’ve had mixed feelings about this event when it was launched by the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, mostly because the ticket prices were outrageous. But it looks like you can attend some events now for just $20 (they’re mostly the classes). And some of the after parties are going for just $45, but you can still go all out if your budget allows and pay $125 for the Saturday Grand Tasting Event. If any of you have those fancy Visa Signature credit cards, you can purchase advanced tickets now and get a 20 percent discount on all the tickets by using your card. For more information and ticket buying, visit the website.

Aug. 15 (Sunday): Farm to Fork Tour. Bay Area Green Tours and Berkeley’s Gather restaurant will offer you brunch and then a tour of local farms to show how the restaurant sources locally. Event runs from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $85 (includes brunch and tour) and can be purchased here.

Aug. 19 (Thursday): Sausage Making Class by Urban Kitchen SF. Love sausages? Well, learn to make your own from Dave the Butcher, who will teach you home techniques without the fancy equipment. The class runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the San Francisco Ferry Building’s CUESA Dacor Teaching Kitchen in the North Arcade area. Cost is $48. Register at the website.

Aug. 21 (Saturday): SF Street Food Festival 2010. This block party is back for a second year, promising to be bigger and better. If you went to last year’s fete outside the sponsor La Cocina’s offices in the Mission, you probably remember the long lines and the pressing of humanity as people tried to squeeze into a two block radius. Supposedly there will be more blocks along Folsom dedicated to this street fair, that features popular street food from popular city restaurants and food carts. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Folsom, Shotwell and Treat all near 24th to 26th streets. Admission is free but you pay for the food you buy at the booths, where all the funds go to support La Cocina. For more information, go to www.sfstreetfoodfest.com.

Aug. 27-29 (Friday to Sunday): Eat Real Festival. This is Oakland’s version of the street food party, and if it’s like last year’s inaugural event, expect a lot of food cart, people, demonstrations and fantastic weather (it is at Jack London Square, after all). And this year the event is growing with a Lit Fest and an Eat Real Bike Tour. For more specifics about the weekend of events, visit www.eatrealfest.com.

Aug. 28 (Saturday): Soy & Chocolate with Michael Recchiuti and Minh Tsai of Hodo Soy Beanery. OK, I have my doubts about this but local chocolatier Michael Recchiuti makes fantastic chocolate so if he thinks he soy (which is used to make tofu) can go with chocolate, then I’ll keep an open mind. Recchiuti is teaming up with Tsai of the Oakland-based organic tofu maker for his Taste Project. At the Recchiuti kitchens in San Francisco, Rechiuti and Tsai will create five to six courses for a special tasting from 2 to 4:30 p.m.. Cost is $75 advance/$80 at the door and is limited to 25 seats. Go to Recchiuti’s website for information and to pre-register.