I once walked into a warehouse that had 2 foot wide shelves that ran the length of the place, must have been 500 feet. There was a shelf on the ground and one every 2 feet for the height of the space, probably 30 feet. You walk between the rows of tightly packed shelves and there are an uncountable hundreds engulfing the large warehouse on a rural property very close to the Lynden Border Crossing that deposits you from beautiful, supernatural Aldergrove, BC to Lynden, WA.
Each shelf was, upon closer inspection, a small conveyer belt and each conveyor belt had 2 or 3 inches of cow manure that had been sprinkle with some mushroom cultures and the fungus was in various states of growth throughout the structure. I am 18 or 19, going to college, and delivering pizza for a local BC chain called Panago. There is no one in this grotesque place that knows anything about the pepperoni I'm trying to slang them. I circle around back and ask the gentleman in the Bobcat scooping a huge pile of shit onto a conveyor system who might have ordered food. "Check the warehouse!" I still shudder...
The piers and sheds of Lower Fort Mason, originally built to house military supplies and dock military vessels, harkened back to that mushroom phobia-inducing night as I stepped out of my Über in front of the Festival Pavilion at 2 Marina Blvd. Relief washed over my face as I spotted glass doors, big, bright windows, foliage and colourful decorations beckoning to Eat Drink SF! A small line of happy guests, anticipating decadence, were chatting exuberantly with each other and the super friendly staff. Big thanks to Emiliy Rudisill from Magnum PR for being such a gracious host!
Through the doors a huge table of wine glasses is stacked majestically. Each is destined to sample the many, many wines, beers and spirits on offer throughout the gigantic space. Ports, wines, scotches, craft beer, teas, juices, smoothies, floats, milkshakes, lions, tigers and bears. Oh my! Sushi, sliders, tacos, sashimi, steak, caviar, foie gras and enough fruits and veggies to stock ten grocery stores. Around 35 restaurants participate per event and over 160 contributed to Eat Drink SF 2017's festivities! Add in the 70+ beverages on offer and the night was as amazing in its variety as it was in quality!
I have to rate Eat Drink SF a perfect 10/10! An incredible venue, world class cuisine, fun and friendly service staff, hugely varied products and views of San Francisco Bay across to the Golden Gate Bridge. For a foodie from Vancouver the latter might have been enough to raise a subpar food festival into the 7-8/10 range, but the folks at Eat Drink SF have a surefire winner on their hands! I will definitely, 1,000%, be back!
Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan