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Thanks for the input so far. So it sounds like aside from the restaurants that do a larger menu change around the 4 seasons (and supplement with changes in the sides, or market-dependent specials), there may not be a predictable cycle to menu changes. Responses to changes in staff, or changing up specific menu items that aren't popular may happen, but not predictably. Has anyone noticed any restaurants that update their menus more frequently in the spring/summer when more produce is coming into season in abundance, and yet also change it in the winter, but less frequently -- so different pacing of menu updates depending on season? I can't think of any myself, or at least have never noticed it, but I also don't tend to dine out regularly enough at any one restaurant to have noticed something like that. If anyone has examples, I would love to hear it.

I'm doing some research on restaurant operations and am trying to drill in on the months of the year when restaurants are most likely to update their menus, whether for seasonality or other reasons. There are those restaurants that rarely change their menus aside from price updates (e.g. pizza places, delis), and then there are restaurants that change their menus daily. For the majority of restaurants that fall in between those two extremes, I'm trying to figure out if there is a pattern to when during the year restaurants are most likely to change/update their menus. Any insight would be appreciated. I guess I'm particularly interested in the trade-offs between changing your menu "too often" so as to be burdensome vs. how chefs will design/plan the menu in the first place. If it mostly depends on seasonality, does that just mean you would update the menu more frequently (say, weekly) during the spring/summer months, and then less frequently (say, monthly or quarterly) during the winter fallow season? What other factors come into play with the decision to change the menu?

Somerville in general has lots of good eats for your Boston show (same with Cambridge, except I wouldn't really consider most of Cambridge off the beaten path). It's not exactly a secret, but I think Vinny's at Night would be perfect for your show. It's an Italian place in Somerville, located in the back of a convenience store.

Ginger in vodka was very good. Slice up some ginger root, stick it in a bottle of something cost effective (like Skyy), and strain it in a couple weeks (or whenever you remember it). Pomegranate in vodka was a dismal failure. Made the vodka slightly cloudy with an unappetizing pinkish color, and on top of that didn't really taste good. (But if we didn't try, how would we know?)

Anyone know if Celis White is available in the San Francisco bay area? Here's what's new-to-me recently: Rogue American Amber - a nice, hoppy amber ale, but can't hold up to the classic St. Rogue's Red, which is more balanced and is just better overall. Ayinger Brau-Weisse - a great wheat beer, with a pleasant fruitiness and light spice, like a good white ale. I've only had it out of the bottle, can only imagine what it's like fresh.