It’s getting to be that time of year again, even in San Francisco; the air has that bite to it and holiday lights are starting to pop up everywhere. As the season gets rolling, it can be hard to motivate yourself for a night out on the town because there are already so many other social obligations. Where a Friday night trip to the Mission to hit up Pauline’s Pizza’s latest small plates addition, Pauline’s Wine Bar, was once so appealing, now cuddling up with a glass on the couch sounds more attractive. Save Pauline’s tasty organic house-made wines and braised black kale for another night, and bring the party home. To host without overloading on effort, I suggest an appetizer party. Everyone always fills up on the appetizers anyways, so why not have a gathering where that’s the goal?

Zona Rosa on Haight Street in San Francisco is a colorful joint that makes a mean veggie taco, but if I’m really in the mood for killer Mexican, I head over to the outer Mission’s La Taqueria, where authenticity is the name of the game, right down to the vibrant murals on the walls. That authenticity is what gives me qualms about trying to serve Mexican food at a dinner party. I can’t pretend to be from Mexico, and the Mexican food you buy out is always so good and so cheap that it seems pointless to make it at home. Of course, sticking with authentic Mexican means no tempeh, which means no mixing up the proteins for vegetarian guests. To remedy that, try the recipe below, which may not get much play south of the border, but is great for a festive night entertaining at home.

Contigo is a tapas joint in the heart of Noe Valley, right off of 24th Street. Their Catalan-inspired dishes are prepared with organic produce and fresh dairy. Not only are the ingredients sustainable, the restaurant itself is an eco-maniac’s dream, constructed from reused materials (the walls in the dining room are made from century-old salvaged redwood trees, and the water glasses come from recycled wine bottles.) I love the ambiance, which combines the feel of a lively Barcelona tapas bar with that of a friendly neighborhood spot. Contigo works just as well for a mellow Friday evening sipping wine at the quaint bar as it does for a late start to a wild and crazy night on the town (in typical Spanish fashion). The restaurant serves some mean regional delicacies from Catalonia, but it’s their berenjenas with salmorejo that caught my attention.