FRIDAY NIGHT
Eating
Food: Chotto, a Japanese pub from owners Tad and Zerlayna Horie and chef Armando Justo, offers tasty small dishes — the fried selections are exemplary — and artisanal sakes, all at excellent prices.
Drinking
Meet Your Mixologist: H. Joseph Ehrmann of Level III in the JW Marriott on Post Street serves up local-themed signature drinks, including Harvey Milk Punch and the Dirty Harry — as well as six Valentine’s Day cocktails.
On the town
British noir: The Mostly British Film Festival presents two British noir films, both featuring an early Michael Caine. “Get Carter” (7 p.m.) leads things off; “The Ipcress File” (9:30 p.m.) follows. [Vogue Theatre, 3290 Sacramento St., S.F.]
Writer-performer: Ann Randolph presents “Loveland,” her solo play about a woman’s bumpy personal journey. Tonight’s show benefits the Marsh. Special guest: Laraine Newman. [8 p.m., Marsh, 1062 Valencia St., S.F.]
SATURDAY
A great hike
Big Foot: Get up close to giant sequoias in free docent-led snowshoe treks in Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Every Saturday during winter, the state park northeast of Stockton takes groups out on an easy, trivia-packed walk among the 300-foot-tall colossal conifers. Meet at the warming hut to pick up complimentary snowshoes along with hot beverages and cookies. Then strap up and set afoot to explore. [Visit www.WeekendSherpa.com for e-mail about getting outdoors in Northern California]
Ferry Plaza farmers market top picks
- Asian pears
- Baby beets
- Bloomsdale spinach
- Broncha cheese
- Brussels sprouts
- Dobashi Beni satsuma mandarin marmalade
- Erbette chard
- Pepper cress
- Smoked cider brined pork chops
- Ranunculus
Lunar New Year
Rabbit tales: The Asian Art Museum hosts a Year of the Rabbit celebration. Events include a reading by Oliver Chin, hands-on projects and animal zodiac stories. [1 to 4 p.m., 200 Larkin St., S.F.]
Sports and recreation
Baseball fan day: The Giants Fan Fest celebrates the team’s upcoming season. Fans can get autographs, tour the field and sit in the dugout, among other fun. [11 a.m. to 3 p.m., AT&T Park, 24 Willie Mays Plaza, S.F.]
Movies
Epic documentary: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts presents “Shoah,” Claude Lanzmann’s nine-hour-plus epic documentary on the Holocaust. Part one screens Saturday; part two, Sunday. [1 p.m., both days; 701 Mission St., S.F.]
Indie films: “IndieFest 2011,” the San Francisco Independent Film Festival, is under way. The day’s slate includes a full lineup of screenings, plus the annual “Lebowski Party.” [Noon onward, S.F. venues; www.sfindie.com]
Literary arts
Author appearance: Jeffrey Siger talks about “Prey on Patmos,” his mystery novel set in Greece. [2:30 p.m., “M” Is for Mystery, 86 E. Third Ave., San Mateo]
SUNDAY
A great bike ride
Mona’s Murals by Bike: Start at Jones Street and Golden Gate Avenue — admire Mona Caron’s Tenderloin mural — then go south on Jones, right on Market Street, and fork right onto Duboce Bikeway; note the bikeway mural. Go left on Church Street to 15th Street; peruse the Market Street Railway mural, then go south on Church, left on 17th Street, right on Valencia Street, and right on 24th Street, a bit past Vicksburg Street. Look at Noe Valley murals, then U-turn to Church and turn left on Church to 22nd Street for a view of a botanical mural. [www.monacaron.com; www.sfbike.org]
Black History Month
Social-justice event: Civil-rights legend Claudette Colvin and activist poet Bryonn Bain appear in “Riding While Black 1955/Walking While Black 1999,” a social-justice event. [1:30 p.m., Main Library, Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin St., S.F.]
Dance
New work: Courage Group performs Todd Courage’s “The Dance of Listening.” The work addresses the loss of social grace and celebrates the life-affirming tradition of intimate human exchange. [8 p.m., ODC Theater, 3153 17th St., S.F.]
Music
Composer salute: Wooden Fish Ensemble salutes the music of Young-ja Lee for her 80th birthday. The concert includes songs, piano works and a new work for koto ensemble. [4 p.m., Old First Church, 1751 Sacramento St., S.F.]
Visual art
Asian arts: Eighty-five galleries take part in the Arts of Pacific Asia Show. Fare includes contemporary Asian arts, along with antiques, textiles, jewelry and furniture. [11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street, S.F.]
Theater
Music theater: Lamplighters Music Theatre presents “The Yeomen of the Guard.” Disaster ensues when a political prisoner is framed for a crime in this Gilbert & Sullivan comedy. [2 p.m., Novellus Theater, 700 Howard St., S.F.]
