The Christmas Song

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire….Jack Frost nipping at your nose….Yule-tide carols being sung by a choir…

The Holiday season is filled with Christmas songs and traditional tunes you recognize from year to year. This year while planning several company holiday parties at the Club I have seen several different entertainment acts.

For a very classical and intimate setting, a harp is classic. I would recommend Michelle Sell, 415-457-3912. She has a beautiful harp and can play almost anywhere. I was fortunate enough to enjoy her holiday music on two different occasions, a corporate holiday party and the City Club's own Grand Holiday Party Celebration. Her music filled our lobby with traditional Christmas melodies as guests made their way to the 10th floor.

Denon & Doyle also graced the City Club this holiday season. DJ Paul spun holiday and popular hits as guest’s danced the night away! Their set up looked great, along with the Cafe's sparkling holiday white lights in the background.

In addition, I also became familiar with Orange Photography. They had a modern photo booth set up for pictures during a holiday celebration. It was a great way to get guests to mix and mingle and a form of entertainment for the evening. There was a green screen set up for guests to take pictures in front of. When their photo was complete the background was a holiday snow scene. They even set up printing on site, so guests could take home a memory of the night!

Christmas music is bound to get anyone into the holiday spirit!

-Alison Angelo
Sales & Catering Manager

Quick & Easy Holiday Recipes

In all the excitement and planning for the day of the “big event” we tend to forget about the days afterward and the anticipation that leftovers can induce. Some people claim to look forward to the tasty leftovers as much as they do to the enjoyment of the actual holiday meal itself! Here are three recipes that can be prepared from the ingredients that most families like to include in their holiday meal planning. The Sausage and Apple stuffing lends itself to a different taste adventure for those leftover sandwiches! And just in case it is a dreary, rainy day in your neighborhood, sit and enjoy a great cup of Mushroom and Potato Soup on the side. Are your holiday pies and desserts all gone? Tired of cooking, empty of ideas and inspiration? To satisfy the desire for that sweet little something at the end of your meal, try this unique dessert, Chocolate Brittle Surprise. You will be amazed at how quick and easy it is for the mmmmm’s and aaaaaah’s to return for yet another day of feasting!

Sausage, Apple & Cranberry Stuffing Yields: 10 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cubed whole wheat bread ½ teaspoon dried thyme
3 3/4 cups cubed white bread 1 Golden Delicious apple, cored & chopped
1 pound ground turkey sausage ¾ cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped onion ⅓ cup minced fresh parsley
¾ cup chopped celery ¾ cup turkey stock
2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C). Spread the white and whole wheat bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. Add the celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend flavors.

Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, and parsley. Drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter, and mix lightly. Transfer to an oven-proofed baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Mushroom and Potato Chowder Yields: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
½ cup chopped onion 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup butter or margarine 1 cup diced, peeled potatoes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour ½ cup chopped carrots
1 teaspoon salt 1 cup light cream
½ teaspoon pepper ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups water

DIRECTIONS:
In a large kettle, sauté onion in butter until tender. Add flour, salt and pepper; stir to make a smooth paste. Gradually add water, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, celery, potatoes and carrots. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add cream and Parmesan cheese; heat through.

Chocolate Brittle Surprise Yields: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS:
35 unsalted soda crackers 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 cup packed brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Cover cookie sheet with foil. Spray foil with cooking oil spray.
Place crackers on foil 5 X 7 inch rows.
Microwave butter on high for 2 minutes. Add brown sugar and stir. Microwave on high for 2 more minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.
Pour over crackers. Bake 17 – 20 minutes (should bubble but not burn).
Sprinkle chocolate chips over hot crackers. Spread after 2 minutes (chips have softened). Sprinkle nuts on top.
Refrigerate 1 hour. Break into pieces. Can be frozen.

Leave the Theme to Us

Who said party planning was hard? If you are planning a Birthday celebration, Wedding, or Corporate event, leave the theme to us. You might be thinking right now, what does that mean?

Well, literally take advantage of us. The City Club of San Francisco has one of the cities richest histories. Our beautiful Art Deco interior is amazing. From the greeting at the front doors, to the outside exterior, to the ceilings on the 10th and 11th floors, don’t forget the elevator doors which brought you up to those levels, the staircase you can walk by, the marble table you can display food on, the couches and chairs you can sit on, the marble carvings on the walls, the multiple fireplaces, the secret cabinets, and the art all around the venue, leave the theme to us!

Don’t hassle yourself with new ideas, theme your event around our space. We can provide you
with all of the creative elements you may need to pull of a one of a kind event. Let your creative juices flow and use what The City Club has to offer and let’s entertain your guests.



From your invitations, to the style of your desserts, to the colors of your linens, to the type of food served, the beverages your guests enjoy, and the glasses your guests drink from, the music selection you chose, and to the attire you request from your guests, it’s easy once you leave the theme to us.






We promise to help you make all of this happen as we truly are the experts. We love to see our clients take advantage of us and in return delight their guests.
















A few photos of our timeless interior are included compliments of photographer Kate Webber, who we highly recommend. Along with photos of a past bride and groom who took advantage of us and dressed the part, photographs compliments of Muse Studios.






Look forward to helping you plan your next special event.
Michelle Kimmins- Director of Sales & Catering

A Toast to the Season & the Members!

Member Holiday Party
12/2/2008

When was the last time you went to relaxed, stress-free holiday party, thrown especially in your honor? Members that attended the Member Holiday Party on December 2nd were treated to a night just like this! Whether you enjoyed a Peppermint Stick at the specialty cocktail bar, or arrived early and gorged on an extravagant caviar spread from Tsar Nicoulai, or danced the night away with the Keith Johnson All-Stars, it was a night to remember!

Members mixed and mingled throughout the 10th and 11th floors, exploring the various food stations or selecting tasty bites as servers weaved their way through the crowd. With the festive decorations in the Club lending a holiday ambiance, and the blend of quiet background music or lively dancing available, there was something for everyone’s taste. For some members, it was their first Member holiday party, and for others, a way to catch up with friends they may not have seen in a while.

Take a look at Board Member Pamela Rhodes pictures of the evening – she took some great candid shots!

This happens to be one of my favorite events, as we get to kick off the holiday season with a party especially prepared to show how much we appreciate each and every member. What a fantastic group of people! One thing they all have in common is that they are true ladies and gentlemen, and the warmth and camaraderie felt at this party truly reflected this commonality. We, the staff, are just so thankful for this occasion and for a membership that gives back to us as much as we give to them. 2008 has been wonderful – and we are looking forward to seeing everyone throughout 2009!

Best regards,

Larissa Lorian
Member Services Manager

City Club Events: That Man May See 10.22.08

Photos by Jana Asenbrennerova

One of the main reasons for starting this blog was to create an venue for our clients to reach out to anyone with a relationship to the City Club. We hoped that our members as well as our clients would check in to see what was happening here at the Club and perhaps have their interested peaked by a specific group or organization. The group that I worked with on October 22nd is a group that I believe everyone should take a minute to learn more about. The organization is called "That Man May See," it's main goal is to raises funds for vision research, education, and patient care. It was founded in 1971 as a public charity at the University of California, San Francisco.

This organization hosted their annual dinner fundraiser at the City Club and it was a wonderful event. They guests arrived to the 10th floor Cafe for cocktails and hors d' oeuvres and then moved to the 11th Main Dining Room for dinner and awards.

With the holiday season upon us, please take a moment to think about how you can give to people in need. Especially at this time of the year, when money and resources are tight, it is, unfortunately also the time when people need a little bit more. It does take much to make a big difference. Check out JustGive if you have a chance.

Happy Holidays!

-Cassie Harris, Sales & Catering Manager

Seasons Greetings!

Every December people look forward to sending out Christmas cards to their family & friends to recap the year. I always look forward to receiving an update of whom of my friends & family have been engaged, married, added a new addition to their family, relocated, or advanced in their career. This year I have seen many creative holiday cards, from the traditional holiday cards with family pictures & letters, to tiny prints, and holiday e-cards.

One way to save money around the holidays is to do an e-card. There are many sites that provide holiday templates and no stamp is required! Popular sites that I like are http://www.hallmark.com/, http://www.yahoogreetings.com/, and http://www.americangreetings.com/.

These sites provide several free options and cards for a nominal fee to send via the web. I would say this is definitely an efficient way to send out your Holiday cards when in a time crunch, or a way to save! Other sites such as http://www.tinyprints.com/ lets you custom design your holiday cards with pictures, and will ship right to your door.

Hyegraph Invitations & Gifts have wonderful invitations and cards for the holiday season. We always keep Hyegraph in mind when we recieve questions about invitations from our weddings. Contact Jacques Oskanian, 415-626-0461 for your season's greetings and party needs.

Holiday cards are one of the great traditions of the season, and always a way to keep your friends & family close!

Season’s Greetings!

Alison Angelo
-Sales & Catering Manager

Do You Hear What I Hear?

December has arrived! It’s so hard to believe the Holidays are here.

Last night we hosted our Members Holiday party which helped kick off the season. It was a fun evening filled with great food, wonderful entertainment, and festive libations.

Our décor really came together well and we are excited to host parties through the rest of this month. Tonight we host BOMA with over 500 guests and the next few weeks are filled with many more.

We hope that everyone has a safe season and enjoys!

From the Catering Team at the City Club,
Cheers!!

Our Grand Holiday Party is planned for next Tuesday, December 9th. We have a few tables left, so ‘tis the season with us.

Keep it Jolly!

Michelle Kimmins