Monday morsels: feasts, festivities, free food and fresh spots

Zagat says One Market chef Mark Dommen is preparing a special five-course dinner highlighting fresh ingredients from local purveyors. Feast on signature items including Dungeness crab salad with avocado, cucumber and a lemon grass sorbet, Alaskan halibut cooked sous vide, and beef cheeks braised with...oooh... Guinness! Pastry chef Patti Dellamonica-Bauler will do, what else, dessert. The cost is $59/person before tax and tip, plus $15 for int'l beer pairing or $25 for wine pairing. Call 415.777.5577 to reserve your table!

Today, a new sushi place emerges in Hayes Valley, sharing company with the likes of Domo and Sebo. It is called Otoro Sushi, named after the tasty, melt-in-your-mouth, top-of-the-line bluefin tuna. In my book, there can never be too many sushi-izakaya style restaurants to satiate me. The big test will be the saba...205 Oak at Gough. They will be open for lunch (11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.) and dinner (5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., last call at 10:30 p.m.), Monday through Saturday, and for dinner only on Sundays. 415.553.3986.

Get your free KFC! Their latest "unfried" recipe is making its debut. Step into any location today and sample a piece of the Kentucky Grilled Chicken for yourself. The concept of grilled food at KFC sort of puts my head on tilt, but okay, I'll try it, especially if it's on the house.

I poked my head into Bistro Gambrinus last week and interrupted a meeting long enough to find out that they will open their doors at the end of the month. They are still working on their menu and applying finishing touches, but from the looks of it, there may be a new watering hole worth trying to find parking for on Fulton near Masonic.

Have you heard about Jamba's School Bananananza '09? Jamba Juice is donating 20% of sales to local schools until May 24th. See the website for more info or call your nearest location for a list of participating schools.

Not sure where you're going to celebrate Cinco de Mayo next Tuesday? Here is what's happening at several places in the city. Mercedes - Hair of the Dog Cantina will be open for lunch from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. so you can start whooping it up early. They will be closed for a private function in the evening. But, how about heading over to Tommy's Mexican Restaurant next? Yes, I know they are usually closed on Tuesdays, but they will be open, open, open from 12 noon until 11:00 p.m on this festive day. There's also T.G.I.Friday's which is offering some 5¢ appetizers to go with their blackberry margaritas, 4-7 p.m. Chevys will serve their regular menu, but remember, kids eat free on Tuesdays with the purchase of a regular priced entree. I'll list more spots as Cinco de Mayo nears, so be sure to come back to my page soon!