• A new Indian option softly open for lunch and dinner in the South Bay is a restaurant, bar, and lounge called Arka (725 S. Oaks Avenue, Sunnyvale). The menu includes unusual regional specialties both from the Northern flatlands and the Southern coastal areas.
One dish that's already caught our eye there: Doodhiya gosht, a mildly spiced lamb curry with ricotta cheese and kewra (pandanus flower) and beautifully garnished with sheets of edible silver vark. The restaurant's grand opening will take place some time in early January, but the doors are open now for those who need a little sparkle in the stomach.
• The Warfield Theatre has never been thought of as a place to eat, but a new addition to the popular venue's concessions should have music fans reconsidering the need to have a bite before a concert.
Nearby restaurant Show Dogs (1020 Market Street, San Francisco), a charming spot from the proprietors of Foreign Cinema in the Mission District, has signed on as exclusive caterer. Inside the Warfield, Show Dogs now offers a menu of housemade specialty sausages in varieties such as chicken curry and maple bacon pork, snappy accompaniment to the likes of, say, a Snoop Dogg performance.
• Afternoon tea at the venerable Top of the Mark at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel (1 Nob Hill, San Francisco) should be a daily amenity, but is only available at select times through the end of the holiday season.
There's still a chance to enjoy bottomless pots of tea and a three-tiered presentation of finger sandwiches, sweets, and savories ($36) next week from December 26-30. Seatings are available from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., but the ideal time to go is toward the end of that window for a spectacular glimpse of when the sun sets and the holiday lights illuminate.
