EVENT: ILLUMINATIONS & MOON ALICE
Popular Bay Area band Moon Alice will be howling in the full moon at the Bandstand in Golden Gate Park this Saturday. Allen Ginsburg’s book HOWL will also be read in parts by famous friends. Join in the howl and enjoy the music Saturday from 4:30pm in the park. See you there and HOWWWL!!
TV EVENT: KENNEDY CENTER HONORS
Legends of the arts are being celebrated on CBS next Wednesday at the Kennedy Center Honors. Motown founder Berry Gordy along with icon of stage and screen Bette Milder, SNL creator Lorne Michaels, the great Justino Diaz and music icon Joni Mitchell. That’s Wednesday 8 p.m. on CBS.
COCKTAILS: PIED PIPER
The historic Palace Hotel invites you to celebrate the holidays at the Pied Piper bar with their new festive menu of yummy cocktails. Bartendar Joel has been mixing cocktails in the Pied Piper for more than 25 years. His holiday menu pays tribute to the rich history of the Palace and celebrates this joyful season. Featuring the Hot Apple Pie, 120 over 80, Pear for Clara, Uncle Drosselmeyer and the Lady in Red – these cocktails are fun, festive and expertly crafted. The Palace always brings the holiday cheer and those knockout cocktails are the cherry on top.
EVENT : GINGERBREAD HOUSE & HOLIDAY TEA
What is 22 feet high, 23 feet wide and full of thousands of bricks, a ton of royal icing and candy décor? The famed and much beloved two-story-high Victorian Gingerbread House in the lobby of the historic Fairmont Hotel. The Gingerbread House will be on display throughout the entire holiday season. Elves will be on hand with holiday magic for the kids and the kids in all of us during lunch and tea service. Want to dine inside the house for lunch, dinner or Holiday Tea? Private dining is available for booking via the website.
MUSIC: METALLICA AT 40
Bay Area hard rock band Metallica celebrates four decades in music with a host of local events from concerts to book signings and more. Mayor London Breed declared Thursday Metallica Day in San Francisco. Rock on to the rockin’ foursome still crushing it four decades on. For more head bang on over to their website at Metallica.com
MOVIE PREMIER: MATRIX RESURRECTION
San Francisco’s Castro Theatre is the venue Saturday for the world premiere of the latest Matrix (Resurrection) movie. It is invite only and there are tight COVID protocol restrictions. The film opens in theaters nationwide Wednesday. Keanu Reeves returns as Neo and San Francisco shines as the location and scene setter for this latest Matrix cinematic outing.
HOLIDAYS: TUNNELS OF JOY
La Costa Drive, Brentwood is the place to be for some holiday cheer and magic by way of the Tunnels of Joy. For five years this East Bay neighborhood has been lighting up for the holidays in honor of those battling cancer. It takes 45 minutes to walk through the Tunnels of Joy; illuminated arches of illumination with brightly lit up homes along the way. A thousand people show up each night so plan accordingly.
DAUGHTER’S DINER
Know someone who needs a break from cooking Christmas morning? Uptown brunch spot Daughter’s Diner has a Christmas Day breakfast gift box for two ($78) that includes frittata, French toast, house-made sausage, applewood smoked bacon, smoked trout sour cream, a fresh fruit cup, lavender yogurt with pomegranate and Martinelli’s sparkling apple juice. Order in advance; pick up on Christmas Eve.
FOOD TO GO: HORN BARBECUE
Preorder your Christmas barbecue feast for pickup on Christmas Eve between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The full menu includes brisket, beef ribs, ham, duck and sides of spiced pumpkin, mac and cheese, and potatoes, along with two desert choices: eggnog bread pudding and banana pudding. Menu is a la carte and ranges from $45 to $250 (serves 10-30 depending on items ordered).
EAT VEGAN: SOULEY VEGAN
Jack London’s Souley Vegan has Christmas Eve feast available including vegan braised oxtails, jambalaya, creamed mozzarella spinach, pesto mac and cheese, garlic “Parmesan” mash potatoes, “buttered” cabbage, dinner rolls and pumpkin cheesecake, $29 per person. Trays of these dishes are also available for larger groups. Order online for pickup between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Dec. 24.
TASTE OF MEXICO: NIDO’S BACKYARD
Get your Christmas tamales at Nido’s, Oakland. They have pulled pork, pulled chicken with red mole sauce, and vegan eggplant barbacoa, cost is $35 for six. You can also order extras like crema, salsa, pickled onion and cotija cheese. You’ll pick them up fully cooked and cold, and will heat the tamales up when you’re ready to eat. Order online for pickup Dec. 23 or earlier.
Enjoy your weekend and Happy Holidays!
Liam's List premieres Fridays on KPIX and is also available to download in a podcast via iTunes. Please email ideas to me at liam@liammayclemproductions.com.
Facebook: @liammayclem
Instagram: @liammayclem
Twitter: @liammayclem
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