Food+Wine: TasteTV Taste-Off
You be the judge. Be amongst the 100-plus people at Press Club this Wednesday forTasteTV's first annual Wine and Food Pairing Taste-Off. You'll sample six combinations of seasonal plates with four reds and two whites. Let your opinion be known so that Press Club can determine the best pairing to add to their lounge menu and smile pretty. You might just be on camera. $45; Wednesday, 8/11; Press Club, 20 Yerba Buena Lane, 415-744-5000, tastetv.com
Music: Dawes
Looking for Outside Lands-caliber beats but can't afford the hefty ticket price? Come out to this week's Cal Academy Nightlife party for a live concert by L.A.-based indie pop group Dawes before they hit the stage for this year's much-anticipated music festival. Take in some science and then head to the museum's East Gardens for an hour-long set starting at 9 p.m. $12; Thursday, 8/12; California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Dr., 415-379-8000, calacademy.org
Film: Dolores Park Documentary
This Thursday is Doc night in Dolores Park, and you're voting. Get online now and choose from seven heavy films, including renowned director Werner Herzog's bone-chilling account of Timothy Treadwell's obsession with bears in Grizzly Man and Oscar-winning The Cove about the horrific dolphin poaching industry in Japan. Free; Thursday, 8/12; Dolores Park, doloresparkmovie.org
Reading: Literary Death Match
Lit geeks take note—this week's Death Match ushers in new hosts M.G. Martin and Alia Volz, who promise to bring in the cleanest/dirtiest event ever. Fearsome competitors include award-winning poet D.A. Powell (Cocktails), Pushcart nominee Jamey Genna, rising novelist Tanya Egan Gibson (How to Buy a Love of Reading), and the man who tweeted his entire novel, Matt Stewart (The French Revolution). But perhaps our favorite part is commentary by an expert panel of judges. This week rounds up novelist K.M. Soehnlein (The World of Normal Boys), actor and director of the Thrillpeddlers, Russell Blackwood (Shocktoberfest), and radio personality, Tony DuShane. $7-$10; Friday, 8/13; Elbo Room, 647 Valencia St., 415-320-6685, literarydeathmatch.com
Music: Outside Lands
While San Francisco's biggest music festival may never again live up to its inaugural lineup—who could possibly trump Radiohead?—the two-day concert remains an SF summer staple. This year's another headliner-fest with Phoenix, The Strokes, Bassnectar, Gogol Bordello and, my personal favorite, Al Green. Be there. Saturday - Sunday, 8/14-15; Golden Gate Park, sfoutsidelands.com
