Flamenco Navidad

If you're feeling the holiday-induced urge to throw a little yuletide gathering but haven't gotten a single response to your Fred Claus movie party evite, allow us to recommend an alternative. Why not forego the elf hats and glazed Safeway cookies this year for a little wine, tapas, and café style Flamenco? One of the best flamenco companies in the city, Yaelisa and Caminos Flamencos, offers an evening of live music and dancing in the tradition of Spain's intimate tablao tradition with "Jardin de Mis Sueños" ("Garden of my Dreams"). To lend maximum authenticity to the extravaganza, they've even imported performers from Spain. The fiery Andres Peña of Jerez will make his San Francisco debut, accompanied by singers from Cádiz and Sevilla and virtuoso guitarist Jason McGuire 'El Rubio'. (OK, so McGuire is from Texas, but that only goes to show that America's own flamenco tradition ain't nothing to shake a classical guitar at, cowboy.) For not much more than you'd budgeted for the Cinemax, you can reserve a table for your favorite peeps, see some world-class performance and dine on Spanish tapas: Much more romantic than Vince Vaughn sharing a bunk bed with elves.
Dec. 12-14, 8 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 15, 3 & 8 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 16, 3 & 7 p.m., 2007