Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival
This annual festival returns to State Street in downtown Los Altos on Saturday and Sunday, July 11 and 12, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Several nearby wineries ? Page Mill Winery, Martin Ranch Winery and Thomas Fogarty Winery, to name a few ? will be there to serve wines by the glass. There will also be beer, margaritas, plenty of food and live music all day. For more information, go to pacificfinearts.com.
520 Chef's Table
The Garden Court Hotel's monthly themed pop-up dinner event, 520 Chef's Table, is now much more affordable. Head to this month's all-seafood dinner at the Palo Alto hotel on Thursday, July 16, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. for $86 per person instead of the previous $155 price tag. The ticket covers cocktails, hors d?oeuvres, a special pre-fixe four-course menu and paired wines with dinner. The communal meal, which takes place on the third Thursday of every month, is capped at 24 diners. For more information and to buy tickets, go to gardencourt.com.
'An Evening with a Gentleman' at Calave
On Friday, July 17, from 6 to 11 p.m., newly opened wine bar Calave is hosting "An Evening with a Gentleman," a book signing, discussion and wine/champagne tasting with Enitan Bereola II, author of two etiquette books ("How to be a Gentleman" and "Gentlewoman: Etiquette for a Lady, from a Gentleman"). If nothing else, there will be truffle popcorn. For more information and to RSVP for a free ticket, go to eventbrite.com.
'A Taste of Chocolate'
Heads up, chocolate addicts: The owners of Palo Alto's Timothy Adam Chocolates will be at the Mountain View Public library on Saturday, July 18, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to give a presentation on the art of confection, provide a guided (and free) tasting and answer any and all pressing chocolate-related questions. Timothy Woods and Adams Hollands, who have been making chocolate for many years, opened their shop about a year ago, selling handmade truffles made with organic, locally sourced ingredients. Register online here.
Local chef at San Francisco Lamb Jam
Yes, the Lamb Jam is a real thing. Chef Charlie Ayers of Calafia Cafe in Palo Alto will be one of 14 local chefs featured at this lamb-centric throwdown on Saturday, July 18, in San Francisco. The "epic tasting event and competition" brings together local chefs in each of five tour cities who compete for the honor of "Best Lamb Dish" in their market, and then the glory of "Lamb Jam Master" at a finale battle with five winning chefs. Other participating chefs in San Francisco include Chris Cosentino of Cockscomb, Joe Hargrave of Tacolicious and John Fink of The Whole Beast. There will also be an in-depth lamb seminar, tastings, beer and wine and a D.I.Y. lamb spice rub station. General admission is $60; VIP is $90. The event is 21 and over only. For more information, go to americanlamb.com.
Connoisseurs' Marketplace
Downtown Menlo Park will be taken over by the annual Connoisseurs' Marketplace on Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be wine, microbrews, food and chefs from local restaurants like Left Bank in Menlo Park, Mayfield Bakery & Café and The Sea by Alexander's Steakhouse in Palo Alto doing live demonstrations. (Here's a schedule of events at the "culinary arts stage.") The festival will be located on Santa Cruz Avenue between El Camino Real and Johnson Street. For more information, go to marketplace.menloparkchamber.com.
Silicon Valley Beer Week
Silicon Valley Beer Week returns July 24 and runs through Aug. 1 with events scheduled at breweries, bars and restaurants up and down the Peninsula, including in Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos and Redwood City. For more information, head to svbeerweek.com.
'Bacon and Bubbly' at Quattro
Feeling indulgent? Head to Quattro Restaurant at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley in East Palo Alto on Saturday, July 25, from 3 to 5 p.m. for tastings of several sparkling wines paired with Chef Marco Fossati's "bacon-laced bites." Don't feel too bad; it's also educational: Quattro's sommelier, Justin Wright, will teach participants how to properly taste sparkling wine and how to best pair it with food. Cost: $40 per person excluding tax and an 18% service charge. For more information, go to quattrorestaurant.com.
Bastille Day at Left Bank
Celebrate Bastille Day at Left Bank in Menlo Park on Tuesday, July 14, with a la carte menu specials for lunch and dinner, live music, staff donning traditional French garb and festive decorations in honor of the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789. Menu additions will include a pistachio-crusted rack of lamb with squash ratatouille and port wine reduction and a whole Mediterranean branzini with summer beans medley and basil butter sauce. For more information and to make reservations, go to leftbank.com.
American BBQ road trip at MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park in Palo Alto is in the midst of a year-long tour of America's regional barbecue. From July 13 through Aug. 31, the restaurant will be serving Texas-style BBQ (following "stops" in New Orleans, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas and West Virginia). Chef Faz Poursohi, though a native of Iran, got his career started in the 1970s in Chicago at a restaurant where BBQ baby back ribs became his specialty, according to the restaurant's website. Each roadtrip stop has featured a prix-fixe menu with a choice of starters, entrees and desserts. Texas BBQ includes smoked beef ribs (which Poursohi orders from Chicago), sopa de lima, grapefruit salad with pepitas and ancho chile and homemade pecan pie. Each region gets its own paired drink: The bar is now serving "Tito's Texas Tea" and a Texas lemonade spiked with Bulleit bourbon. For more information, go to macarthurparkpaloalto.com/bbq.
Tapping party at Gordon Biersch
Head to Gordon Biersch in downtown Palo Alto on Tuesday, July 28, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. to partake in the tapping of the brewery's Belgian IPA. For more information, go to gordonbiersch.com.
