El Esposo and I tried something new for Valentine's Day this year... something relatively adventurous (though perhaps not as lusty as that intro makes it sound). We went to an underground dinner. This one was hosted by ForageSF, an organization that promotes our local food economy in the most direct way I can imagine… through foraging ingredients from locations like my neighbor's backyard, Golden Gate Park, and San Francisco Bay. They also collaborate with very small local producers, like Local Brewing Co. and Two Mile Wines, who provided the beer and wine pairings for our meal. The location was undisclosed until the morning of the event (because these types of dinners aren't strictly legal and/or just to add to the allure of the whole thing). It ended up being right here in the Mission District at a warehouse art space, which was transformed with fairy lights, flowers, candles and live music into a surprisingly intimate and romantic venue. We sat at one of two huge communal tables and enjoyed a really great evening of food and conversation. Some of my favorites were the oysters (with roe from herring netted by our host, Iso Rabins; the herring make a 6-day spawning stop in our Bay each winter) and the dessert, which was an indescribably luscious mix of flavors and fragrances.
