Schmooze and the City
North Beach soirée served up the San Francisco style I’ve been missing
The boho-chic party at Savoy Tivoli celebrated two decades of Marcia Gagliardi — San Francisco’s aficionado in food, cocktails, and travel.
April chewed me up and spit me out. From galas to ballets to celebrated nightlife, the roaring 20s are finally peering out from a global pandemic, divisive politics and very present societal struggles. We are finding moments of levity and I am here for it — replete in sparkly polka dots and platform sandals.
Food lovers, drag queens and hobnobbers amassed not long ago at the historic Savoy Tivoli in North Beach, where free bites and huge smiles floated amid a veritable sea of boho-chic caftans and campy prints. I seldom witness this much local influence just hanging out in a neighborhood restaurant party, other than The Stud opening. San Francisco straight-up gives me Sex and the City of late — apropos that the cult classic recently landed in our collective Netflix queue.
And just like that: tablehopper turned 18. The party celebrated Marcia Gagliardi, San Francisco’s aficionado in food, cocktails, and travel. I saw so many omnipresent faces in drag, media, LGBTQ+ nightlife and politics: Juanita More, Katya Smirnoff Sky, Heather Knight, Jay Barmann, Paul Gallo, Aaron Peskin, and Marke Bieschke, just to name a few. Many of these people feel simply everywhere all at once this season.
Gagliardi received a special commendation for serving up positivity and good times, something San Francisco sorely needs at the moment; So I loved this because we at The Bold Italic recently pivoted toward positivity, too. Who doesn’t need cheerful thoughts amid all the doom-loopers out there?
“We are creative, we are loving, we are queer. We color outside the lines, and I take such deep honor in these things,” she said at the party.
Sponsored goodies galore flanked the room from El Tesoro, Free Spirits, Highland Park, №3 Gin, Old Potrero, and Select Aperitivo. I personally loved the layered cake in Italian flag colors and a station that let you melt fancy designs on oversized ice cubes. It all was giving me Pride diet:
This was Gagliardi’s first soirée since coming out of the pandemic, but she’s been hosting them for 24 years. “I really wanted to come back with a bang,” she told me recently. “I knew people needed a lift!”
Tickets only became available to subscribers, marking a shift from ad revenue that dominated tablehopper’s income for nearly two decades. It’s easy to join these sophisticated foodies, but you gotta follow Gagliardi’s newsletters or know someone who does. Focused on the food and drink scene in San Francisco, tablehopper is known for lively and informative content, featuring restaurant reviews, food news, chef interviews, and dining recommendations.
I’ll add that San Francisco does fine with fashion, but I wish soirées like these happened more often. I’m all in for loud prints and flowy fabrics amid a cornucopia of activities, including a raffle, live illustrations, and a burlesque drag show. Performers Dottie Lux and Bionka Simone brought fiery magic, but no one’s more crowd pleasing than Paige Turner and a classic set of ginormous feathers.
I bet the next shindig may take some time to appear, but you’ll know about it first by following tablehopper.
Saul Sugarman is editor in chief of The Bold Italic.
The Bold Italic is a non-profit media organization that’s brought to you by GrowSF, and we publish first-person perspectives about San Francisco and the Bay Area. Donate to us today.
More party details
Additional sponsors include Laurent-Perrier Champagne, Domaine Carneros, Tsar Nicoulai Estate, Alcademics, Lettieri & Co. and Il Casaro. Spirits curated by West Bev Consulting.
Photos from tablehopper’s soiree
Taken by Molly DeCoudreaux Photography.
