Taste of the Nation Napa

Should you be the spontaneous type and fancy a trip to Napa this Thursday, August 5, we have the event for you. The annual Taste of the Nation Napa is taking place at Silverado Resort, featuring an impressive roster of restaurants and wineries that includes La Toque, Go Fish, Cakebread Cellars and Silver Oak. Plus, it's sunny there! Tickets are normally $75, but if you use the promo code FFNAPA2010, they're only $60, and proceeds go towards fighting hunger in America.

Zero-Zero Opens

The latest restaurant from Bruce Hill (Picco, Bix), Zero-Zero opened in SoMa this week. "Calipolitan" pizzas? Yes. Organic soft-serve, a la Pizzeria Picco? Affirmative. Reservations? Not unless you're a party of 5 or more. Round up your friends and be among the first to check it out.

Save the Gravensteins

Over at SF Foodie, Jonathan Kauffman revealed the plight of the Gravenstein apple, which is fast disappearing from Sonoma orchards. In this case, to save an apple is to eat an apple, and Kauffman summarizes how:

"The Fruit Guys is working with Slow Food Russian River this year to bring Gravensteins to the public. The cost for a five-pound box is $20, and the proceeds will go to the 20 participating farmers. If you have the apples delivered to your workplace, the Fruit Guys will ship the box for free (great advertising for its services), but to ship the apples to your residence only costs $2 extra. Order a box by calling (877) FRUIT-ME (877-378-4863) or e-mail info@fruitguys.com. The fruit will be delivered either on Wednesday, August 18, or Wednesday, August 25."

Good Food Awards

Consider the Good Food Awards the Oscars of the gastronomic world. The awards, which will be given out in a ceremony presided over by Alice Waters herself, will recognize American artisanal foods in 7 categories: chocolate, coffee, beer, cheese, charcuterie, pickles and preserves. Though the winners won't be announced until January, the call for entries has just gone out--if you think you know a worthy artisan producer, tell them to throw their hat in the ring.