About the It List:
The It List is San Francisco Magazine's new weekly e-guide. The new It List has a week's worth of can't-miss, must-go places to taste, shop, party, and escape-sent every Thursday.
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San Francicso Magazine's It List
Taste Now:
Cold beer and hot dogs may not leap to mind when you think of the Slow Food movement--which is why you should check out the Slow Beer Festival at the County Fair building in Golden Gate Park. Enjoy a daylong tasting from eight local breweries and seven artisanal food producers (including the Fatted Calf, the source of those fancy dogs). $50-75. Mar. 1, 12-4 PM.
www.slowbeersf.com
County Fair Building
Lincoln Way and 9th Ave.
Golden Gate Park
(415) 753-7090
The Runner-Up:
San Francisco's InterContinental outpost opens today, bringing with it a Cal-Italian restaurant of the same caliber, Luce. The menu should entice even locals with dishes like fish cacciucco in lobster and saffron jus, plus four-course "Farm to Table" and six-course "From Ocean to Land" dinners.
888 Howard St.
SoMa, San Francisco
(415) 616-6566
www.intercontinentalsanfrancisco.com
Shop Now:
You won't be able to ignore this elephant in the room. The Oakland Museum's annual White Elephant Sale is the rummage sale to end all rummage sales. Browsing 17 departments spread across 96,000 square feet, you're sure to find a one-of-a-kind sculpture to fill that bare corner of your living room, or an antique tablecloth for the in-laws' next visit. The White Elephant also offers everyday items like sports equipment, clothes, and toys. Mar. 1-2, 10 AM-4 PM.
www.museumca.org
White Elephant Warehouse
333 Lancaster St.
Oakland
(510) 238-2200
The Runner-Up:
After 60 years of firing up the Bay Area's best pottery, Sausalito's Heath Ceramics just made it easier to shop its housewares collection with an expanded online store. You can even buy the same dishes they use at:
Chez Panisse
400 Gate Five Rd.
Sausalito
(415) 332-3732, ext. 13.
www.heathceramics.com
Party Now
What better way to celebrate Fido than to paint his nails, put him in a bow tie, and bring him to the Bark & Whine Ball? You'll get to socialize with other cross-species couples while enjoying live music from the Dick Bright Orchestra, a silent auction, and munchies. All proceeds benefit the Cinderella Fund at the San Francisco SPCA, which helps the shelter's neediest animals.
Mar. 6, 2008
7-10:30 PM
$150 per human, $20 per dog
Call (415) 222-3535 for tickets
www.sfspca.org/barkandwhine
San Francisco Gift Center
888 Brannan St.
SoMa
(415) 861-7733
The Runner-Up
Once upon a time, in your wildest dreams...the Moody Blues made a comeback! Next week, the sugarcoated, acoustic-electric stylings of those '60s U.K. imports will perform classics like "Nights in White Satin" at the Orpheum Theatre. Mar. 4 and 5, 2008. 8 PM, $68-88 at:
Moody Blues
ticketmaster.com
1192 Market St.
Downtown, San Francisco
(415) 551-2000
www.moodyblues.co.uk
www.shnsf.com
Get Smart Now:
"If a modern classical work could ever crack the Top 40, this is it," wrote the New Yorker of the 2004 premiere of Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov's magnificent song cycle, Ayre, which Cal Performances is presenting this Saturday. Sung by powerhouse soprano Dawn Upshaw, it weaves back and forth between 15th-century Spain and the modern world, spinning melodies that have been described as "ecstatically beautiful," "glowing," "bloodcurdling," and "disorienting."
Mar. 1, 8 PM, $36/$48/$68
http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/presents
Zellerbach Hall B
Across from 2430 Bancroft Ave.
UC Berkeley
(510) 642-9988
The Runner-Up:
Annie Leibovitz's famed celebrity shots will be on display in her exhibit at San Francisco's Legion of Honor, but so will very personal photos of her family and former partner, Susan Sontag. Critics have said these candids are too personal or lacking in artistry, but you'll have to decide for yourself.
Mar. 1-May 25, $15
34th Ave. and Clement St.
Lincoln Park
(415) 750-3600
http://www.famsf.org/legion/exhibitions
Escape Now
Palms Place, a new 47-story hotel and condo tower, proves yet again that luxury amenities--not gambling--are the big moneymakers in Vegas. Following a trend set by the Signature at MGM and TheHotel at Mandalay Bay, Palms Place has no gambling, though a "SkyTube" connects it to the Palms Casino. Instead, it features luxurious suites and a spa with Vegas's only hammam (a Turkish wet sauna), for those who go to Vegas to pretend they're not in Vegas.
www.palmsplace.com
Palms Place
4381 West Flamingo Rd.
Las Vegas
(702) 932-7777
The Runner-Up:
Celebrate spring snow with Kirkwood's guided moonlit snowshoe trek, which rewards you with views of the Sierra Ridge and stars so bright you won't miss electricity. Afterward, warm yourself with a hot toddy at the historic Kirkwood Inn. Mar. 15, 7 PM, $25, plus $6 snowshoe rental, preregistration required.
Kirkwood Cross Country Ski Area
(209) 258-7248
www.kirkwood.com/winter/crosscountry.php
About Gina Kessler:
Bay Area native Gina Kessler got her foot in the door at San Francisco magazine as an editorial intern the summer after she graduated from Tufts University. Following her internship, she continued writing for San Francisco magazine on a freelance basis, penning travel pieces, local neighborhood profiles, and items for San Francisco's beloved annual Best of the Bay issue. She came on staff as assistant editor for San Francisco magazine last fall and has served as managing editor of the It List, San Francisco's new weekly e-newsletter filled with its editors' recommendations for the hottest spots and happenings in the Bay Area. Gina lives in the Mission District of San Francisco, arguably the city's most dynamic neighborhood, where she indulges her passions for cheap eats, Belgian beer, used bookstores, and people-watching in Dolores Park.
