Neptune's battle in the north

This Saturday and Sunday, Alton Brown (who you could call the Bill Nye of the culinary world), Michelin darling Thomas Keller and Hawaiian food guru Sam Choy will appear at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for a food-fueled event called Cooking for Solutions. The festivities, which celebrate sustainable wine and seafood, will include demos, dinners and a sustainable-foods fair.

Cooking for Solutions happens to coincide with San Francisco’s 10th Annual Oyster Festival (Saturday), which takes place at Fort Mason. There will be a “shuck and suck competition,” as well as musical performances by Michael Franti and Spearhead.

Which seafood fest will emerge king?

Only the ocean-loving eaters who venture north this weekend will find out.

-- Krista Simmons

Photo: Alton Brown. Credit: Food Network.