StarChefs: San Francisco Rising Stars Revue

There's an interesting event coming up in San Francisco next week, one that will bring together several of the Bay Area's best and brightest young chefs.   The evening is presented by StarChefs, an online culinary magazine that boasts an all-star celebrity chef advisory board and over 14 million hits per month on its website.   Each year, StarChefs selects 3-4 cities in which to put on a "Rising Stars Revue" - an event in which up and coming chefs from the selected city each prepare a dish and present it as part of an extensive "tasting menu."   Chefs are nominated for "rising star" status by the StarChefs Advisory Board, and they are ultimately selected by the magazine's Editorial Board.   Rising Stars Revues were put on in 2003 in Boston, Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Seattle, while the 2004 sites for the event were Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Miami.   This year, StarChefs has already presented the event in New York and Las Vegas, and San Francisco and Chicago will round out the schedule in the coming months.

The San Francisco Rising Stars Revue will be held on Monday, October 17, 2005 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Teatro ZinZanni (Pier 29 on The Embarcadero).   Regular tickets, $100 in advance or $125 at the door, allow diners to sample all of the chefs' dishes along with wine pairings selected by Rising Star sommeliers.   VIP tickets, which are $150 each, include a private pre-event reception with Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d'Or Champagne and caviar.   From the description on the StarChefs website, it sounds as though the dinner will be a "walk-around-and-sample" type of affair rather than a sit down meal.   Here is a list of the Rising Star chefs and the dishes that they will be presenting:

StarChefs' San Francisco Rising Stars Revue Tasting Menu for October 17, 2005
Chef	Restaurant	Dish
David Bazirgan	Baraka	Foie Gras Torchon
Paul Piscopo	XYZ	Sardine Farcie Provencal
Stuart Brioza	Rubicon	Terrine of Guinea Hen with Brioche Butter
Daniel Humm	Campton Place	Sea Urchin Capuccino with Dungeness Crab
Chris Cosentino	Incanto	Octopus Crudo
Melissa Perello	Fifth Floor	Pan Roasted Duck Breast, Duck Confit, Fingerling Potato Hash
Christophe Hille	A16	Tomato Caponata with Tuna Conserva, Capers, Basil and Dried Bread
Dennis Leary	Canteen	Roulade of Lamb with Romesco and Bitter Greens
Robbie Lewis	Jardiniere	Maine Diver Scallops with Housemade Pancetta, Meyer Lemon, Roast Garlic-Parsley Nage
Bill Bunn	Teatro ZinZanni	Chicken Breast Stuffed with Far West Fungi Wild Mushrooms and Prosciutto di Parma
Christine Law	Postrio	Poached Pear Baba with St. Andre and Black Pepper Ice Cream
Boris Portnoy	Winterland	White Coffee Parfait, Coffee Earth, Fig Gastrique
Marika Doob	Fifth Floor	Chocolate Velvet Mousse Cake with Brown Sugar Bananas
Elise Fineberg	Taste Catering	A Trio of Chocolate

With such a diverse lineup, this should certainly be an interesting event!