Frankies Eat Around SF; Bag Lunch Charity Auction; MORE

THE FRANKIES - Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli of all those Frankies Italian restaurants in New York were in town over the weekend to promote The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual. That's their new cookbook that 7x7 notes was printed by a Bible company. Read that interview and this one from Signore Lucchesi for the full Frankies' sound off on the state of Italian cuisine, Alice Waters and where they ate while in town. Hint: there was only one pizza place on their list. [7x7, ISSF]

GOURMET BAG LUNCHES - Today the bidding begins for brown bag lunches designed top San Francisco restaurants like Delfina, Bar Jules, Foreign Cinema, Marlowe, Kokkari and so many more. Most current bids are still below face value and remember, this is for a good cause: the San Francisco Community School. Check it all out here.

HAPPY HOUR - La Folie Lounge is doing a pre-SF Cocktail Week kickoff happy hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. tonight. $6 Leblon cachaca cocktail specials and $4 bar bites will be featured. There's also going to be a Leblon truck parked outside and giving out free caipirinha-flavored boozy sorbet samples. [EaterWire]

AIDA - Followers of Ask Aida and The Cooking Channel's new series, FoodCrafters, will be delighted to learn that locally based food tv starlet Aida Mollenkamp has a new cookbook in the works. It should hit stands next Spring. [Grub Street]

Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo take a break at the Ad Hoc book signing. [Photo: Lulu del Rosario]