It's that time of the year again for San Francisco magazine's Best of the Bay party. The annual bash features lots of eats, drinks and chances to win prizes. Be prepared to fork over nearly a bill for your ticket here -- but as an added bonus it will also get you into the afterparty at Slide. San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center, 635 8th St. Come watch contenders for the Air Guitar championship title......

The scene: everyone is standing around the bar, taking sips from wine glasses. One of the attendees comments that she can't believe that a room of (mostly) journalists, even after being offered free booze, is predominately drinking water. We were fortunate last night to attend what was basically a book launching party to celebrate "Fine Waters: A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Most Distinctive Bottled Waters." Appropriately, the event centered around tasting bottled water, many different types of it. The event was co-sponsored by Quirk Books, the publisher, and Chow. ...

Last week's winner, the East Bay Express. DAMN Choreography objects to an article about them with the title "Tits and Assets." It's their special East Bay politics issue! Political bloggers wreaking havoc in Alameda, that Democrat running against Pombo might actually win, hipsters are voting for Aimee Allison. The EBX recommendations, plus a genius move -- polling people about fake propositions. We liked the school vending machine tax to go to anti-bullying programs, and the......

Our occasional series on the District 6 Board of Supervisors election! This week's episode: Everybody Hates Varnish. Yesterday, we were wandering with some friends in SoMA trying to find a place to get some post-work libations. As we entered the Varnish art and wine bar on 77 Natoma Street, we noticed a sign in the window: DRAKE '06, www.drake2006.com. Could it be? Could it be another candidate running against Chris Daly? After we ran through two, maybe three, glasses of Varnish's fine red house wine and shamelessly eating all the tasty chex mix they offered, we staggered home, logged in, and can report the following information! Candidate Matt Drake is a former mechanical engineer turned lawyer. Man, everyone running against Chris Daly is a lawyer! Drake doesn't say where he's working now, but says he's never worked in government. Other than that, he's an enigma. We're piecing this together from his (kind of boring) website and blog, but it looks like Drake supports pretty much everything Newsom supports, wants to build more market-rate housing in the Mission, wants a Home Depot in Bayview, and wants them to berth the USS Iowa here. Also, he loves trees and wishes more people filmed movies in town. Drake's throwing a fundraiser next Thursday at Varnish if you want to stop by; your suggested minimum donation is $30. If you go, get the house wine; it was pretty tasty. ...

Hey, SF Mike at Civic Center went to the Three Gorges Project reception we've been telling you about. Check out his post on it here! Varnish Fine Art (77 Natoma Street at 2nd Street) 3 to the Third April 18th to June 3rd, 2006, Opening Reception: Saturday April 22, 7-11pm This third anniversary show at Varnish features cast metal sculptor Brian Elliott, intaglio printmaker Kevin Evans and ceramic sculptor Liz Orleans. Each of Brian......

In case of Wednesday, this car will be unoccupied. Tonight! The group NetSquared is holding its monthly get-together at Varnish Art Gallery at 77 Natoma Street (at 2nd). NetSquared's mission is effecting social change through the Internet, and tonight's topic is how blogs can save the world (really!). 6-8 p.m., free admission, RSVP required. Thursday: We are so psyched for the Asian-American Film Fest this year! We're (seriously) thinking about taking the whole week of March 16-23 off from work! Help kick off the festivities at their launch party, running from 9-12 at 111 Minna. Music from DJ AJAX from NRG 92.7 and they'll be showing film clips. Oooh, show something from Chinese Restaurants!! $5 admission, free for Center for Asian-American Media members. and Friday: The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra is dedicated to free performances of chamber music for the public. Tonight's theme: "Valentines to a Cello." Acclaimed cellist Matt Haimovitz will be performing an unaccompanied Bach suite (you know, the famous ones, like Yo-Yo Ma played on the West Wing) and one of Schoenberg's last tonal pieces before he went all serialist screeek-schronk-schreek on us. Free! ...

Sitcoms -- live and in person!...