Person in town
Soprano Nadine Sierra performs a salon recital. The evening is part of San Francisco Performances’ Salons at the Rex series. [6:30 p.m., Hotel Rex, 562 Sutter St., S.F.]
Lectures
Post-election recap: Political analysts Alex Clemens and David Latterman examine Tuesday’s election results and what they mean for San Francisco. [12:30 p.m., SPUR, 654 Mission St., S.F.]
Julius Anderegg: The consul general of Switzerland speaks on Swiss bank secrecy law and how it affects world finances. [6 p.m., University Club, 800 Powell St., S.F]
Raphael Torres: The California Department of Water Resources’ deputy director discusses the State Water Project and California’s electrical system. [6 p.m., Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]
Terence Gelenter: The author and raconteur provides a tour of Paris’ secret streets, splendid boulevards, passionate cafe talk, charming bookstores and other highlights. [Noon, Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]
Literary events
Peter Orner: The novelist talks about “Love and Shame and Love.” [7:30 p.m., Booksmith, 1644 Haight St., S.F.]
Yasmine Surovec: The illustrator and blogger talks about “Cat Versus Human.” [6 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, S.F.]
Robert P.J. Cooney: The author of “Winning the Vote” speaks at the Canadian Women’s Club’s November meeting. [Noon, Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad Ave., South S.F.; RSVP: canadian.womens.club@gmail.com]
At the colleges
Music master class: Pianist Martin Katz leads a vocal-accompanying master class. [7:30 p.m., San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 50 Oak St., S.F.]
Travel presentation: Nick Maffei presents “How to Travel Better, Cheaper and Smarter,” his popular travel lecture. [12:10 p.m., SFSU, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Room 609, Downtown Campus, 835 Market St., S.F.]
At the public library
Astronomy talk: “Visualizing Mars” is the theme of a talk given by Jeff Schwartz from the California Academy of Sciences. [6:30 p.m., Sunset Branch, 1305 18th Ave., S.F.]
Salsa class: Dancer Corey Raynor leads a session in salsa dancing. [6:30 p.m., Richmond Branch, 351 Ninth Ave., S.F.]
Local activities
South Asian stories: The 2011 San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival, presented by 3rd i South Asian Films, begins. Opening feature: “Big in Bollywood.” [7:20 p.m., Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St., S.F.]
Holiday ice skating: The Embarcadero and Union Square holiday ice rinks open for the season. At Union Square, an opening ceremony, emceed by “The Ghost of Christmas Present,” leads things off at 9:30 a.m. [10 a.m. to 10 p.m. for Embarcadero rink at Justin Herman Plaza across from the Ferry Building, S.F.; 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. for Union Square rink, Powell and Post streets, S.F.]
String quartet: The Del Sol String Quartet presents PresentSound: Incan Insights, an event showcasing its collaboration with composer Gabriela Lena Frank and Trio Chaskinakuy. [7:30 p.m., Intersection for the Arts, 925 Mission St., S.F.]
DINING OUT
Nopalito: Chef Gonzalo Guzman cooks authentic Mexican food. Recommended dishes include the carnitas — braised pork with orange, bay leaf, milk, cinnamon, and beer, served with cabbage salad, pickled jalapeno, and salsa. Also look for the birria de borrego, a lamb stew with ancho chili, roasted tomato, sesame seed, spices, onion, cilantro, rice, and salsa milagros. [306 Broderick St.; (415) 437-0303]
