If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That being said, it never hurts to shake things up a bit. With their "Odd Beers for Odd Years" series, Stone Brewing is making the best of both approaches. Every other year, the crew takes one of their classic brews and releases it alongside a new, souped up version.
See also: Beer of the Week: Speakeasy Barrel-Aged Scarface
"Nothing here was thought out at all," says Paul Canales, sweeping his arm across the massive, airy space of Duende. It's hard to believe. Duende in the mid-afternoon is beautiful--washed in daylight, the walls a raucous mash of beautiful and hectic Basquiat-esque canvases by Raymond Saunders (a friend of Canales), racks of house-pressed olive oil, and the rest an eclectic mélange of exposed brick, reclaimed wood, and roughed up stucco--an accidental byproduct of demolition that Canales loved. And there's something special about Duende, it's available in the daytime in a way few restaurants are. Meet the bodega: Duende's wine bar/café/social space that always feels like you've arrived to a friend's party just a little bit early.
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The Evolution of Mission Chinese Food's New York Counterpart
Where: SF Belle, Hornblower Yacht (remains docked), Pier 3 Embarcadero
When: Sat., April 6th, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Cost: $120, tickets available online
The Rundown: Perhaps it's a reaction to the Atkins Diet era, a slingshot effect that took our national focus from avoidance of grain products to a fetishistic lust for them. There is a new wave of craft beers, bakeries, and whiskies that wasn't there three or four years ago. While getting into new beers and baked goods doesn't require more of a guide than your taste buds, whisk(e)y with its the orbit of fanatical fans, high price tags, and challenging flavors, can seem a little daunting. But you can take yourself to whisk(e)y school next weekend at Whiskies of the World.
See Also:- Brush Up with Our Whisk(e)y Primer
