Socialite and famed interior designer Sophie Azouaou hosted a cocktail party in San Francisco’s elite Millennium Tower. The event was focused on La Vie, a private club for residents of the Millennium Tower, but for this special night, it was open to a few select guests and visitors to San Francisco. Many of the guests were residence of the high rise, press, international guests, and San Francisco’s VIPs looking to buy a slice of San Francisco’s skyline. Since San Francisco is a mere 7 miles by 7 miles, the only place to build is up, and that is the new trend in the City By The Bay.
Millennium Tower, the 60-story, luxury residential tower in San Francisco has introduced La Vie. It is a monthly events program designed to enhance the Millennium Tower lifestyle and showcase the amenities available to its residents.
Two stunning vacant units were the backdrops for the event with an eco-friendly touch. Residents and VIP guests enjoyed themselves while sipping award-winning wines, savoring exquisite hors d’oeuvres provided by Millennium Tower and delicious organic treats courtesy of Vital Choice Seafood.
Vivian Panou, Green expert and Director of Special Events for Earth Friendly Products who flew up from LA for this event, gave her tips on “ how to detoxify your home” via the use of green home cleaning products. Residents were also shown green and eco-friendly design ideas by Sophie Azouaou, who shared some important steps towards leading a more eco-friendly life.
Eileen Blum Bourgade, Alain Bourgade, Vivian Panou, Philip Claypool, owner of Southern Pacific Smoke House opening in May.
Ochi Tirta, major sponsor and owner of Ochi and Company Showroom & Guest
Joel Goodrich, Beth Schnitzer, Damion Mathews, Teresa Rodriguez, Jason James, Karen Tamblyn and Jolynn Hardiman
Dr Nourredine Azouaou, Maijken Gillihan and Sophie Azouaou
When my dear friend Shaun Saunders invited me to dinner in Berkeley, I was not looking forward to the drive across the Bay Bridge. But, since I had not seen him in months, I thought that catching up with him at a new restaurant he recommended would be a fun adventure. Plus, I knew Shaun’s taste and he would never take me to any place less than fabulous.
We turned onto a dark off ramp that lead us past some old industrial building in Berkeley, California. It was a part of town that I was not familiar with. My mom and brother graduated from UC Berkeley, so I had spent time in the gritty college areas of University Avenue and Shattuck. Honestly, I was not a big fan of Berkeley. I live in San Francisco, so everything that I could ever want is steps away from my front door. Or at least I thought.
ZUT! The new restaurant that we would be dining at was tucked away on 4th Street in Berkeley. Because I rarely crossed the bridge, I had no idea about this sexy, chic part of town. After we passed the spooky industrial buildings, we turned onto 4th Street and it was lit up light like a festive carnival. The trees glistened with bright colored lights and the shop windows shined with lovely merchandise. I was delighted to see all the wonderful shops on the street including Jigsaw London, Anthropologie, Benefit Cosmetics and Zinc Details.
The restaurant was buzzing with filled tables and the aroma of fresh Mediterranean cuisine. Reminiscent of a restaurant that you would find in a major metropolitan area – the atmosphere was energetic yet subtly sophisticated. When it came to the list of libations available, I was impressed with the extensive wine offerings that the manager Michael Petrilla walked me through. They pride themselves on your homemade cocktails created with locally crafted spirits. Jim Wimborough, the famed chef who has worked at Home, Kokkari, Grand Café, Boulevard and Rubicon in San Francisco has now made ZUT! His home. And he was serving up some of his own delicious recipes for us that night. We were lucky enough to enjoy a chef’s tasting menu, which included:
Appetizers:
Scallops with caviar (my all-time favorite dish!)
Stuffed local squid with chorizo, mint, garlic and lemon
White beans roasted red peppers, braised greens and goat cheese
Meze platter of roasted pepper, smoky eggplant & hummus spread, grilled pita, crispy smelt and garlic lemon aioli
Mains:
Chicken rotisserie with roasted brussels sprouts, bacon, lemon and dill
Local halibut served with braised turnips, carrots, parsnips, Turkish bay and aioli
Filet mignon with smashed French fingerlings, escarole and herb butter
Surprise? Indeed! Will I return, you bet. ZUT! Is definitely worth a drive across the Bay Bridge for San Franciscans who tend to stay city side.
Now that the weather is getting better, I would make ZUT! and 4th Street a daylong adventure. Head over in the afternoon, spend the day shopping, and then enjoy a lazy dinner on the patio at ZUT! overlooking the 4th Street shops. Order a glass of champagne and a Meze platter with Scallops with caviar to start, then dive headfirst into a few dished to share. I recommend the roasted beets with the Point Reyes pizza followed by Filet mignon and the Chicken rotisserie.
But save room for dessert! Jim’s wife joined the team as their dessert chef and her creations are phenomenal. We shared a few and my favorite was the Chocolate torte of bittersweet chocolate, whipped crème fraiche and seasonal berries. Ask about the extensive list of aperitifs and dessert wines to accompany your sweets – you’ll be quite impressed with the ZUT! experience.
LOCATION
Zut! On Fourth is located at 1820 Fourth Street, just off Hwy. 80 at the University exit between Hearst and Delaware Streets, in Berkeley, California. There is free parking in an adjacent lot. Get directions. Hours
MONDAY-THURSDAY
Lunch 11:30-3:00pm. Bar Menu 3-5:30pm. Dinner 5:30-9:30pm.
FRIDAY
Lunch 11:30-3:00pm. Bar Menu 3-5:30pm. Dinner 5:30-10:30pm.
SATURDAY
Brunch 10:30-3:00pm. Bar Menu 3-5:30pm. Dinner 5:30-10:30pm.
SUNDAY
Brunch 10:30-3:00pm. Bar Menu 3-5:30pm. Dinner 5:30-9pm.
Reservations
For more information or for reservations call (510) 644-0444.
Email info@zutonfourth.com.
ZUT!
1820 FOURTH STREET · BERKELEY · CA · 94710
TEL: 510.644.0444 ·
American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) continues its 2010–11 season with the West Coast premiere of adamant provocateur Bruce Norris’s Clybourne Park, winner of the prestigious London Evening Standard Award for Best New Play in 2010. Marking the A.C.T. mainstage debut of director Jonathan Moscone—longtime artistic director of California Shakespeare Theater—this “buzz-saw sharp new comedy” (The Washington Post) cleverly spins the events of A Raisin in the Sun to tell an unforgettable new story about race and real estate in America.
Act I opens in 1959, as a white couple sells their home to a black family, causing uproar in their middle-class Chicago neighborhood. Act II transports us to the same house in 2009, when the stakes are different, but the debate is strikingly familiar. Amid lightning-quick repartee, the characters scramble for control of the situation, revealing how we can—and can’t—distance ourselves from the stories that linger in our houses.
The Evening Standard Award was merely the tip of the iceberg of accolades for Clybourne Park: Following a critically acclaimed premiere at Playwrights Horizons in New York City, the show received a production at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. (which, in response to popular demand, will revive the production as part of its new season next year), and the acclaimed Royal Court Theatre production in London will move to the West End in 2011. During its various incarnations, the play has received raves from critics: Entertainment Weekly called it “completely audacious, architecturally ingenious entertainment,” while the New York Times hailed it as “a spiky and damningly insightful new comedy.” London’s Independent found it “outrageously funny and squirm-inducing,” and New York Magazine noted that its provocative subject matter “goes for the jugular of P.C. liberals.”
Clybourne Park, was extended by popular demand, and plays January 20–February 20, 2011, at the American Conservatory Theater at 415 Geary Street, San Francisco
Tickets (starting at $10) are available by calling the A.C.T. Box Office at 415.749.2228 or at www.act-sf.org
We all like to save money and with Mobil Spinach you can save an additional 25% on the Fillmore Street Stroll.
$15 for $20 tickets to Fillmore Street’s 7th Annual Holiday Stroll. Dec 5th 1-6 pm!
Sign up for Mobile Spinach for free and get your discount plus deals on tons of stores on Fillmore Street!
Mobile Spinach offers deals on local restaurants, spas, bars, events, hotels, boutiques & salons all on your mobile device.
Sign up for free at http://m.mobilespinach.com and receive deals via SMS text if you want or browse for deals to buy from your mobile device. You’ll then get your Mobile Voucher to be redeemed at time of purchase.
Check out these great deals you can get on Fillmore Street:
• $20 for $40 of food and drinks Elite Cafe! CLICK HERE
My dear friend Sophie Azouaou, owner of Sophisticate Interiors has created a class for those who want to learn how to decorate their urban pads without spending a fortune. Her class, “High Rise Design On A Budget,” now offers High Rise Interior Design Clubs through out the city of San Francisco.
Each session covers a topic from general design tips, to specifics on the Dos and Don’ts in small space planning, creating clever window coverings.
“We take field trips, where we point to residents what they can do or have done in their condos. We show them the finishes that work for them and the final results on units we have designed in their buildings. We also take them to showrooms at the San Francisco Design Center, so they can see the design trends and what works for them”, says Sophie.
Art Galleries such as Bond Latin Micaëla Gallery, bring special art as well for all to see, and we introduce new artists.
The clubs are about sharing ideas, entertaining and educating. Residents have fun and bring friends. Session usually end with a final round of questions and answers.
“We have sponsors who give away samples and treats such as high end organic beauty products SUKI, Vaska, Earth Friendly Products, Living Tree Community Foods, Vital Choice, Shear Miracle Organic Salon Products by Robyn and many more. To top it off we form partnerships and offer promotional club advantages”, adds Sophie.
Design showrooms get involved as well, such as Ochi and Company, DJ Melher, Mc Gary and Co who bring complimentary raffle prizes, and it is way for them to introduce new products and accessories.
“It is all free”! ends Azouaou.
All in all, this new concept is fun, attendees enjoy themselves, and it brings an incentive to High Rise community living.
The design club series is snowballing, High Rise residents are asking for more and are even suggesting topics they wish to have covered. Sophie who works hard to organize it all, is delighted with its success.
Saturday night there is a super important event for the American Cancer Society in Marin.
LIVE Jazz, Savory, h’orderves Wonderful Sonoma Wines, Fabulous Silent Auction items! wearing your favorite White cocktail attire
…This will be a great event!
What a good cause to sip wine and wish good fortune to those that have and had the big bad C and the hope that it will be conquered soon.
Tell some one you Love about the Event!
This Saturday Evening Entrance Fee will be a “Suggested Donation” Our Focus will be on AWARENESS.
~Let’s Create Cancer Awareness Together~
This event is planned to start at 6:00 pm on Oct 2, 2010 at Marin Civic Center ~ Marin Center North Lawn ~
10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael
The Lanesborough, a swank destination where the global glitterati hide away when they are in London, announces an exclusive partnership with Laurent-Perrier, esteemed brand and avant-garde creator of unique and elegant Champagnes. On 28th September, The Lanesborough will host a unique tasting of Laurent-Perrier champagnes presented by David Hesketh, Managing Director of Laurent-Perrier UK and distinguished Master of Wine.
The master class features the world’s finest champagnes including the Grand Siècle prestige cuvée, Laurent Perrier vintages from 1999 and 1993, as well as an extremely rare offering from 1982. In addition, the champagnes are paired with an 8-course menu designed by Michelin starred chef Heinz Beck.
Blue Lobster, papaya, mango and avocado
Ultra Brut
Langoustine potato and black olive dust
Grand Siècle
Risotto with oyster and champagne
Grand Siècle
Gnocchi with chive and caviar
Laurent Perrier 2000
Cod fillet with “Spellos” beans
Laurent Perrier 1996
Composition of turbot, scallops and shellfish
Laurent Perrier 1993
Lamb variation
Laurent Perrier 1982
Parfait with wild berries, marshmallows and chocolate cannoli
Demi-Sec
Yes, it’s a painful truth that not all asses were created with the same je ne sais quoi as
J Lo’s. And because of that dreadful truth, ladies like me avoid the wearing of jeans – except those really hot ones that I buy in Stockholm. But, since I don’t get to Stockholm very often, I was hoping to find a jean that would actually fit my truck. You see. I don’t got a big truck, but I don’t really have a cute, sexy waste either. So wearing jeans while traveling has been totally out of the question. Well, until now.
I went on over to the Levi’s store in San Francisco where they were hosting a private party with Levi’s SVP of Women’s Design, You Nguyen. It was super cool because they had three different women who had a size 27 waist, but the amount of junk in their trucks were completely different. One girl had legs that could wrap around the moon, while another was a bit short and athletic. So, You Nguyen explained why ladies like me don’t wear jeans very often – and definitely never on a flight somewhere. It’s because our asses don’t fit the jeans we are wearing.
So, I had someone from Levi measure me, and I ended up being measured as a “Demi Curve.” After a few rounds of trying on jeans, I found a killer pair of rock star Levi’s that fit me like a glove – oh and did I mention – they are size 26. Hell yeah!
So now when you see me strutting through the airport, you might actually see me in a pair of jeans that don’t give me a plumber’s crack when I sit down. At last.
For more information about where you can get your pair of jeans click here.
We are all about giving back to the world, and this time we are working with a great foundations doing amazing work in Laos. Join me and some very generous and important people at this event:
Featuring a rare appearance by award-wining Winemaker Genevieve Janssens, best known for her collaboration with Chateau Mouton-Rothschild and Mondavi Winery, creators of the celebrated OPUS ONE.
The Event: An intimate evening of conversation with amazing Bay Area chefs and winemakers. There will be a live auction of magnums of wine and artwork as well.
Location: A private mansion in Pacific Heights
Date: Saturday, September 4, 2010 from 6pm – 9 pm
The Story: Luc Janssens, founder and president of the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation -501(c) (3) charitable organization – has been going to Laos for over a decade to build health care centers, schools, and provide medical and dental services in remote areas. He organizes medicals missions and coordinates teams of U.S. doctors, nurses and dentists for Laotians in need.
CHARLES PHAN – OTD – ROBERT MONDAVI – DANIEL FETZER – PETER HALL
