Self-described as a print magazine of meat culture, Meatpaper celebrates the launch of Issue Zero at Sugarlump coffee lounge tonight in the Mission. Tastings and demonstrations by local restaurants and meat companies like Incanto and Prather Ranch serve up festivities (non-carne nosh will be available for the veggie crowd); drinks will be provided by Trumer Pilsner , Sonnema VodkaHerb and others, along with a gallery of meat-inspired art to feast your eyes on. Adding to the festivities, there will be demonstrations by . A suggested donation of $5-$15 encourages the production of future issues (and future tasty launch parties). Drop by sometime between 7 and 10 at the Sugarlump coffee lounge, 2862 24th Street (between Bryant and Florida). more ›

We have a passion for Duroc pork, one of the new heritage breeds that are becoming part of the fine dining (food snob) rhetoric. You may not yet be familiar with the concept of "heritage" animals (a.k.a.: Why does my pork have a name?). Let us enlighten you: It's the same as "heirloom" but for meat. And as much as our plates and palates benefited in recent years from the arrival of beautifully marbled heirloom varieties of beefsteak tomatoes in a rainbow of colors, so we are now lucky to enjoy beautifully marbled heritage pork. more ›

We can't think of a better way to spend a birthday (our husband's) than eating an entire animal with seventeen fellow carnivores at Incanto Restaurant's private room, in Noe Valley. This is a bit of Laura Ingalls Wilder in the City, for sure. Not only are the food and wine superb at Incanto, it's where we ate offal (Prather Ranch veal testicles, anyone?) with Culinary Bad Boy Anthony Bourdain earlier this year. more ›

I rely on a number of high-quality producers for the Kitchen column. Some I've written about in depth, some make frequent cameo appearances. Here are the unsung (at least at this site) producers I relied on in 2005. more ›