Why haven’t I visited this spot sooner?

This was the first thought that entered my mind. I don’t consider myself a science or nature buff, but I have to say that a day spent at San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences is well worth it. Why? It’s an aquarium-planetarium-rainforest all in one.

Walking around and gawking at all of the exhibits can work up your appetite. I know firsthand. That lunch time hunger strike hit me right before my 3:00 planetarium show. Fortunately, there were two good dining choices, the Academy Café, a casual, quick service dining option, and the Moss Room, a more modern fine dining restaurant.

What I needed, was something quick.

I saw a line forming behind an Academy Café food stand in the piazza. A quick look at their menu and I saw that they had quick bites like Prather Ranch Beef Hotdogs available. Certified organic too. Perfect. It was just what I needed.

A hearty Chili Hotdog was just the thing to satisfy that hunger strike. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect that this place would have such a solid lineup of dining options. After going home, I tried to find out more about the restaurants here. I was surprised to find out that the Academy Café is backed by Charles Phan of The Slanted Door and The Moss Room was ran by Loretta Keller of COCO500.

I’m used to going to places where food stands would just serve ordinary selections. It was refreshing to discover that The California Academy of Sciences does things a little bit different by having some of San Francisco’s notable chefs behind their food.

With 2010 nearing, San Francisco is preparing for Dine About Town once again. Dine About Town allows you to visit select restaurants in the city who are participating in the program. With 2 Course Lunches at $17.95 and 3 Course Dinners $34.95, this just might be that extra push for you to try out a new spot. Dine About Town 2010 will run from January 15th to the 31st.

I was excited to see that Luce was participating this year again. Earlier this year, we had Lunch at Luce during Dine About Town 2009 and was very satisfied. Several other favorite restaurants of mine are participating, which is going to make it hard for me to chose where to go.

For a list of restaurants and sample menus, visit the Dine About Town website.

Just when you thought we couldn’t eat anymore… Foodbuzz treats us to a dinner and awards ceremony at the Green Leaf Produce Warehouse.

A special thank you goes out to Foodbuzz, Outstanding in the Field, Green Leaf Produce, and the team at Namu.

I’m sure all of the food bloggers who attended this weekend’s festival are exhausted. I know that I’m still recovering from the food frenzy of events and eating.

Rose and I started off with a little breakfast from Rose Pistola & Café at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, followed by a California olive oil tasting session, and then finally we ended up at the Metreon for the Afternoon Taste Pavilion event. Here, there were plenty of goods available from Foodzie vendors to sample, wine seminars, food demos by several Foodbuzz Featured Publishers, and plenty of eating going on. Here’s a look at some of Saturday afternoon’s events.