Alder at Vinography is in the process of reviewing every darned wine bar in town -- 14 of the 26 have been reviewed so far. What surprised us a little -- we hadn't realized that noted head-to-tail restaurant Incanto is also a wine bar. Well, duh, turns out it's in the proper name ("Incanto Restaurant and Wine Bar"). Our own SFist Mary's piece from a few months ago can give you an idea about the food. We really enjoyed Vinography's expert and entertaining take on the wine bar aspect....

We're back from vacation! Number of heartfelt thank yous from us!: One! Thanks, SFist Mary, for covering for us last week! We're bummed we missed the Vanessa Prada turban, though. Number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 57. Number of people pictured whom we recognize: 8 (including one awesome picture by C.Big of George Shultz with Naomi Campbell. It's probably too much to hope for that Naomi Campbell swatted the tiger tattoo......

Total number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 56. Number of people pictured whom we recognize: 4 (including Ben Fong-Torres and Mark Fainaru-Wada). Minority count: 11 (19.6%, mostly jazz musicians). Hats, capes, tiaras: 6 (4 fezzes, as requested by the SF Jazz party), 0, 0. Getty v. Traina: 3-0. SFist staffer count!: 1! Whoooo SFist Mary! Stanlee Gatti count: 2 -- one in the text and one in the pictured (Gatti pictured......

Chronicle book review editor (and proud member of the SFist Gentlemen's Auxiliary) Oscar Villalon is the reigning three-time thumb-wrestling champ at 826 Valencia. In his honor, the fey letterpressers who bring you McSweeney's publications have released his "The Way Of The Thumb," a slim 16-page how-to manual which demonstrates yet another reason why opposable digits separate us from the animals. We're pleased to see that such a triumph does not go unnoticed at a man's......

SFist Mary Ladd, contributing. We like what we saw and heard from Fog City News owner Adam Smith and suave Chocolatier Michael Mischer today on our lunch break. Fog City News is a nice, clean space on Market Street offering high quality chocolates and confections with a vast assortment of worldly magazines. Today's event was the first in a series of Friday afternoon visits (12 noon to 2 p.m.) from well known chocolatiers, and happens......

SFist Mary Ladd/Jalapeno Girl contributing. We’ve got our things-to-be-thankful-for list ready. Easy peasy! One item shines a bit brighter than others. That would be hanging out with author/chef/TV personality Tony "Cast Iron Stomach" Bourdain after his City Arts & Lectures sold out ($19 a ticket) conversation with Isabel Duffy on Monday night. Some of the meatiest tidbits/quotes Tony offered while chatting with Ms. Duffy? --He couldn’t get over how sweet, nice, and great the US......

We had our excuses (Hangar One Thai Boxer cocktails, delectable nibbles, interesting gossip opps, and supreme people watching) for staying for the entire CHOW launch party at Bix. It was fascinating and delish, which is always a wonderful combo! ...

Please excuse us. We need to take issue with an article, "French roast brews, sip for sip" in today's Los Angeles Times....

SFist Krissy's weekly music review column's not only indispensable for the latest indie rock goings-on around town and those must-hear .mp3s, but also hosts some cool-looking art too. Ratatat! In news, North Beach cracks down on public drunkenness, as the mayor imposes a citywide curfew on kids under 13. Hope that doesn't cut in on his dating life. We've got your hot athletic action too -- SFist sports editor Jon debuts our daily wrapup of......

SFist Mary gives us the tasty carne asada filling to the Chron's grand tour of burrito joints in town! News flash: Chronicle's Bill Addison eats lots of tacos and burritos as "research." Today's San Francisco Chronicle Food section has updated takes on the Bay Area's taqueria scene. As usual, we're interested in what they have to say, and no, it's not just because we used to be a slave in their test kitchen when we......

Although we usually fancy ourselves seasonal eaters, we feel there is really no one marked season for chicken wings ($7.50 for 12 pieces) at San Tung in the Inner Sunset. It's juicy, tasty, and filling eating any time of the year. There is other food at San Tung, but it's really all about the chicken. Evidence Item A? The crazy four hundred pounds a week they go through. That's five eighty pound boxes for you,......

Look how cute these penguins are! In soberer news, we're all still in shock about the Ohmeed Popal SUV incidents on Tuesday. Our condolences go to the family of the man killed in Fremont, we hope for a speedy recovery for everyone who was injured, and we sincerely hope that Popal gets the help he desperately needs. In other news -- Josh Wolf is out of jail; he could probably still make it to Burning......

SFist Mary goes whole hog with our newest food column, Hot Stuff! 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,......

SFist Mary reports on some strange goings-on on her Mission street! Last night, it was weird to see an unmarked white work truck show up on our street after 10 p.m. We have long held fantasies about being a private investigator or lately, a bounty hunter (hence our Dog the Bounty Hunter pic. Wish you were here to help, man). But last night, crime went down in a way that only left us filled with......

Thanks, everyone, for making our second birthday party such a blast! (and sorry to do this to you, Chris Daly, after you were nice enough to come to our party and sign all the bingo card squares offered to you, in the space labeled "Political Candidate" -- but we couldn't resist!) An extra big thank you to Varnish Bar and IODA for all their help putting the party together, and to DJ Ted for......

Are you on the hunt for a local slice of Burning Man? You're in luck. Tomorrow, the Duck Pond Crew is offering up Burn-style fun in Dolores Park. Sounds like it will be cheap, fun and crazy. For only five bones, take endless rides on a custom built (!!), giant Slip 'N Slide, rumored to have more curves and thrills than any store bought Slip ‘N Slide. (This Crew is expert at setting up Slip......

As our summer weather continues to wear us down, beaches, parks, and other SFist open spaces beckon. We’re especially pining for the pictured Avalanche Picnic Cooler on wheels, but our trusty Coleman cooler will do. Insider Tips: steer clear of melty items like chocolate, candy, and frosted cakes. Don’t bug out, either; store food in airtight containers to avoid ants taking over. Seeing ants swarm all over your beautiful cupcakes can make even the strongest......

Everyone welcome our newest food contributor, SFist Mary! SFisters are forced to lighten up our menus as the warm weather continues. The burning questions on what to eat and drink looms large. Our answers: Eat it: blender soups, savory or sweet. Just in time for tomato season, rev up the blender and make gazpacho. Combine in a blender 3 cups or more tomato juice (or you can do a 50-50 combo of veggie stock), 2-3......

Special Noise Pop 2006 edition Noise Pop '06 is already proving to be memorable. Tuesday night's Feist show was among the best shows we've ever seen, despite the relentless sound problems at Bimbo's, and last night we went backstage to witness a saucy embrace by Britt Daniel and John Vanderslice. Luckily our new favorite photographer Julie Schuchard was there to document the love; look for her photos in our show reviews! See another hot indie......

Our broker is E.F. Wednesday, and he says.... Tonight: Intersection for the Arts is sponsoring "Battle From The Margins," a short film and video festival featuring works by queer women of color. $5-15 sliding scale, show starts at 7 at 446 Valencia (between 15th and 16th). Thursday: Remember when SFist Mary-Lynn profiled the Princess Project, a group that provides free prom dresses and accessories to teenage girls who can't otherwise afford them? They're having their annual silent auction benefit at Dolce SF. Auction items include items from the Giants, the Gap, Plumpjack (maybe it's a date with Gavin!), and 24 Hour Fitness, among others. Also, a raffle! 6:30-9:39, $5 suggested entry fee, $5 for a raffle ticket, at 440 Broadway (between Montgomery and Kearny). and Friday: You've got your choice of hip-hop events tonight -- the SF Public Library, Colored Ink, and the Brava Theater are sponsoring "The Streets Have Spoken," a hip-hop theater piece inspired by the number of unsolved murders in San Francisco at the Bayview Opera House on 4705 3rd Street (near Oakdale) at 7 p.m. Or you can check out Asian-American hip-hop performers courtesy of Locus Arts at Space 180 (180 Capp Street, between 16th and 17th), 9:30-12. ...

SFist Mary-Lynn's on vacation, but we're sure she'll be thrilled to hear that the white knights of Menlo Park may actually be coming to the rescue of beloved independent bookstore Kepler's! A group of about 15 investors has come together to work on reopening the store, which could no longer make their rent payments in their prime real estate space on El Camino Real. The store had been forced to renegotiate its lease in 1999, when, as we all know, real estate was so cheap and plentiful down in the Valley -- and Kepler's landlord, the Tan Group, has been unwilling to renegotiate now that the dot-com boom has ended. The Tan Group will not respond to media requests for comment, but owner Clark Kepler is "optimistic" that something might be worked out. "I don't think any other attitude than optimism is appropriate," Kepler told the Merc News. "It's just an incredible outpouring, and I want to do everybody right by making it work." Follow the news on SaveKeplers.com, and/or write a letter about why you love Kepler's to the Tan Group at 3630 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306. Picture by SFist Mary-Lynn...

Save Kepler's! The Menlo Park community is rallying around the storied independent bookseller, who recently announced that it would have to shut down due to increasing rents. SFist Mary-Lynn was one of the two-hundred plus bibliophiles in attendance, and reports "TONS" of kids and signs, and that the car horns of support from El Camino were sometimes so loud that you couldn't always hear what people were saying. After the rally (at which owner Clark Kepler himself, along with good neighbor Mr. Baronne from Cafe Baronne next door to Kepler's, spoke), business types went into City Hall for a brainstorming session. Ten to fifteen investors have already been lined up, and other people have suggested that they work with Menlo Park neighboring town's Stanford Business School for help. Check out more of Mary-Lynn's awesome photos on Flickr or after the jump. ...

How do you decide what to read? We admit that we sit down each week with the New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly and the SFPL's online reserve system. In addition, we get a lot of referrals from friends (especially our fellow SFist, who always seem to be reading something interesting), and we do a lot of browsing at our fine local independent bookstores. How about you? SFist Mary Lynn is reading Candyfreak......

SFist Mary-Lynn gives us all the lowdown on Blogher, and SFist Rain gets the 'get' with Paula Kamen. There are places you can go for unverified rumors, anonymous vitriol and mysteriously funded local political news -- but only SFist offers you the vain popularity contests that you crave! Speaking of cravings, SFist Derrick shows us that money can't buy you good taste. The Office of the Ombudsman is closed until fall, but he leaves......

We always try to have something for everyone at SFist, and last week we feel we really hit it out of the park. Some examples: Last week offered continuing coverage of two local film festivals, from one-woman reviewing machine SFist Mary-Lynn's final Cinequest coverage to the beginning of our coverage of the San Francisco Asian American Film Festival. Our food coverage just gets better and better, with reviews of reataurants swanky and not, with......

SFist's online reserve queue from the SF Public is at a standstill these days, as we haven't heard about any books intrugoing enough to reserve. Please make some suggestions in the comments, so we can reserve or buy some new or used books from one of our local independent bookstores. We need MUNI reading! Help! At the Centre Pompidou bookstore, Jet-Setting SFist Mary-Lynn picked up Sophie Calle: Did You See Me? which is a......

SFist Cares is a great, great feature, profiling various ways you can volunteer or give back to the Bay Area community. Plus, SFist Mary-Lynn's funny as all get out. Political Junkie, by contrast, is filled only with low-quality writing and schadenfreude. But darn it, just because we snicker doesn't mean we don't have a heart as well! So we urge you to give, give, give -- to Kevin Shelley's legal defense fund. Kevin Shelley is California's beleaguered secretary of state, who's beloved by millions, especially his staff. So how strange that the legal defense fund he started back in November 2004 should only have collected $250, from one donor. The one donor is Tony Miller, the Shelley employee who was in charge of running the program that's under attack for misusing federal funds (and was sent to testify before the State Senate in Shelley's stead a few weeks ago). Dude, that's like making your little brother buy your quota of stained-glass ornaments for the school band's sale drive out of his own allowance. Shelley claims he hasn't been able to raise money because he "hasn't had time during the past half-year to call people and ask for their assistance." Funny, that never seemed to have stopped him before. The Kevin Shelley Legal Defense Fund doesn't seem to have an online donation site, so no, we suppose they don't take Paypal. So send those checks, wadded-up five dollar bills, Safeway coupons, and free AOL CD-ROMs straight to Sacramento -- remember, every cent counts -- and every political junkie cares. ...

We reckon a good percentage of San Franciso music-lovers will be at Great American Music Hall this week, whether it's at one of the three sold out Arcade Fire shows or Saturday's sold out X show. We commend you, SF, your taste is impeccable. While you're down at Great American, SFist Emily recommends stopping by the box office to purchase your ticket for the Tsunami Relief Benefit on January 28th. A $20 donation gets you......

Shortly after the terrible tsunami in the Indian Ocean, SFist Mary-Lynn put together a great SFist Cares feature. But as the extent of suffering has begun to become fully apparent, we felt that we weren't necessarily doing enough. The scale of this tragedy will probably not be matched in our lifetimes. At least we sure hope not. Of course, we're not George Bush, so we don't have $10,000, or two weeks presidential pay, to offer......

SFist was geting a manicure last night, and found herself explaining how to reserve books online from the SF Public Library to a group of raptly listening fashionistas. We also threw in a plug for our local independent bookstore. Bookishness validated by the cool crowd? Priceless. SFist Mary Lynn has been reading Don't Think of an Elephant which is scary and good and she has to keep putting it down so she's been working through......