There's more to this week than just Valentine's Day.
Tawla does brunch.(Courtesy of Tawla)
Monday, February 12th: Beer and Whiskey Tasting
When: 7pm, 8pm, and 9pm
Where: The Douglas Room, 345 Taylor St. (Tenderloin)
Why: Learn about different techniques and production processes while sipping on four separate beer and whiskey parirings with Fort Point's Head Brewer, Mike Schnebeck, and Edrington's local Macallan Ambassador, Eric MacDonald. // Tickets ($20) are available at eventbrite.com.
Tuesday, February 13th: Try a Qi Gong Class
When: 5:45pm
Where: Levy Studio, 19 Heron St. (SoMa)
Why: You've done yoga and a sound bath, but have you tried Qi Gong? The dynamic flowing movements help you to relax and strengthen the body...while increasing internal power. // $20, qiwitheli.com.
Tuesday, February 13th: Attend Carnivale, a Gala at Grace Cathedral
When: 6:30pm to 10pm
Where: Grace Cathedral, 1100 California St. (Nob Hill)
Why: Indulge in a night of splendor and music. Enjoy a cocktail reception, seated dinner, live auction, and performance by SF songstress Paula West, all for a great cause. // Tickets (starting at $250) are available at gracecathedral.org/carnivale.
Tuesday, February 13th: Fat Tuesday at Alba Ray's
When: 5pm to 11pm
Where: 2293 Mission St. (Mission)
Why: Celebrate Fat Tuesday at Alba Ray's—they'll have a special mardi gras menu that includes andouille corndogs, jambalaya cones, po'boy sliders, and more. There will of course be sazeracs and hurricanes a plenty, as well as live music. // albarays.com.
Wednesday, February 14th: Offbeat V-Day Events You'll Actually Enjoy
When: Multiple times
Where: Multiple locations
Why: Valentine's Day doesn't have to be cheesy. There are a slew of great events going on that are 1) inexpensive or free 2) actually fun. Head to a drag king cabaret, an ice cream tour, or see Erykah Badu in concert. // See our full list of offbeat events at 7x7.com.
Wednesday, February 14th: Lonely Hearts Club Happy Hour at Delarosa
When: 4pm to 11pm
Where: 37 Yerba Buena Ln. (SoMa) and 2175 Chestnut St. (Marina)
Why: Looking for a little extra love? Head to Delarosa for an all night happy hour with $4 beers, $6 glasses of wine, and $6 cocktails. There'll be plenty of special bites, including burrata pizzetta bites, fried artichoke hearts with lemon aioli, mushroom arancini, and more. //delarosasf.com.
Thursday, February 15th: Nyum Bai Opens in Oakland)
When: 11am to 2:30pm (lunch), 5pm to 9pm (dinner)
Where: 3340 E. 12th St, Ste.11 (Oakland)
Why: Nyum Bai—Cambodian street food sensation and La Cocina graduate—is opening up her very own brick-and-mortar in Fruitvale District, where she'll be offering classics like banana blossom salad, caramelized pork belly, and bon chao, a savory crepe from southern Cambodia with coconut, turmeric, and pork belly. // nyumbai.com.
Friday, February 16th: Learn to Make Sushi
When: 6:30pm to 9pm
Where: Pop up space in San Francisco
Why: Learn the basics of sushi making, from mastering the rice, to knife cuts and then actually rolling maki. There will also be tasty passed bites, and two small dishes with spicy tuna and crab with avocado. Yum! // Tickets ($65) are available at eatfeastly.com.
Friday, February 16th: Celebrate Chinese New Year by Binge Eating
When: Multiple times
Where: Multiple locations
Why: Because what better way is there to ring in the Year of the Dog than by gorging on hand-pulled noodles, sipping on Chinese zodiac cocktails and indulging in a tea ceremony? // See all the best places to eat and drink for CNY at 7x7.com.
Saturday, February 17th: Brain Power Food Festival
When: 11am to 4pm
Where: Campsyt, 7 Freelon St. (SoMa)
Why: Stimulate your mind and your stomach with food tasting, music, brain games and free private nutrition/mental health coaching sessions at the retro-colorful Campsyt in SoMa. If you haven't yet started on your 2018 health resolutions, this is the place to start—there will be curated healthy food vendors and brain health professionals to help you get on track. You'll even get a goody bag with healthy treats. // Tickets (starting at $25) are available at brainpowerfoodfestival.splashthat.com.
Saturday, February 17th: Take a Light Saber Combat Class
When: 1:30pm to 3:30pm
Where: Studiomix, 1000 Van Ness Ave., 3rd Floor (TenderNob)
Why: Fulfill your dreams of becoming a Jedi master with a two-hour session of light-sabering techniques. You'll learn basic stances, movement, offensive and defensive techniques. // Tickets ($350-$50) are available at eventbrite.com.
Sunday, February 18th: Brunch at Tawla
When: 11am to 2m
Where: 206 Valencia St. (Mission)
Why: Eastern Mediterranean Californian restaurant Tawla has launched brunch. There'll be a spread of house made breads, dips, mezze spreads, and eggs of course in the form of omelet levan with za'atar, sweet onions, and feta as well as shakshuka, a bright red baked egg casserole. // tawlasf.com.
Sunday, February 18th: Noodle Girl Pop-up at Belcampo
When: 3pm to 8pm
Where: 1998 Polk St. (Nob Hill)
Why: For the month of February, Noodle Girl, one of La Cocina's newest stars, will be popping up at Belcampo serving up big bowls of beef broth in the form of pho, as well as fresh spring rolls, mango kelp noodle salads, and more. // facebook.com.
