1) More Reasons to Visit Range
If a Michelin Star isn’t enough to lure you to Range Restaurant, there are now even more reasons to go. To celebrate its eighth birthday, this regular on the San Francisco Chronicle’s Top 100 restaurant list is offering their signature Third Rail cocktail for $8 during the month of July. They’re also launching an Apéritif Menu and early Apéritif Hour, beginning at 5pm every day. In addition to bar snacks and an assortment of Sherry-based apéritifs ($7), the new menu features “Inverted Classics” for $8. These are classic cocktails, but with the amounts of hard liquor and Vermouth “inverted” to produce a lower alcohol version of the Manhattan, the Martini, and the Negroni. Range (842 Valencia @ 19th) is also hosting a prix fixe Wine Dinner on Tuesday, July 16 with Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant. The four-course meal with wine pairing is $100 per person, not including tax and gratuity. Space is limited, and reservations are required: 415-282-8283.
2) Celebrate Bastille Day at Grand Cafe
Bastille Day is just around the corner, which means you’ll have yet another excuse to wear red, white and blue. Show up at Grand Cafe on Sunday, July 14 and celebrate the 1789 storming of the Bastille by selecting any two items from the Bastille Day Menu for $17.89. You can choose from five different courses, including Summer Squash stuffed with Ratatouille, Shrimp and Piperade Stew, Oxtail Terrine, Fried Frog Legs and Choux Croute (blood sausage). Wash it down with The Guillotine cocktail ($12), made from Benedictine Brandy, Lemon Juice, Champagne, and Lillet rouge, with a lemon twist. If you wear a French beret or a fake (or real) moustache, you’ll be given a free glass of Lillet. And, of course, they will let you eat cake.
3) Bastille Day Brunch at Bouche Restaurant
Bouche Restaurant is also saying “oui” to French Independence, by launching a brunch menu on Bastille Day. Join them from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm for a complimentary seasonal Bellini and a taste of the bistro’s Californian and Mediterranean interpretation of San Francisco’s favorite pastime: Brunch. Main dishes feature the bounty of both land and sea, such as Smoked Lamb Carpaccio, Slow-roasted Pork Belly and Sea Trout Gravlax ($15 each). Side dishes include Chorizo Grits ($10) and Roasted Duck Fat Potatoes ($8). The beverage menu includes a wide variety of white and red French wines, ranging from $9 to $18 per glass, or $32 to $65 per bottle.
4) Smokin’ Sunday BBQ Series at Speakeasy Tap Room
Speakeasy Tap Room is celebrating summer with a Smokin’ Sunday BBQ Series. Each month, they host a different barbecue vendor and feature beer and food pairings along with $3 Speakeasy beer specials. The Rib Whip will be smoking the swine for this week’s event, slated for Sunday, July 14, from 1 to 6 pm. Speakeasy Ales and Lagers is located at 1195 Evans Ave., in San Francisco’s long-forgotten Butchertown District. The Smokin’ Sunday BBQ Series continues through November, featuring Cat Head’s BBQ (August 4), Southpaw BBQ (September 8), Memphis Minnie’s (October 13), and Baby Blues BBQ (November 10).
5) Make-A-Wish Happy Hour
Wishes come true, if you drink enough wine next Wednesday, July 17, from 5 to 8:30 pm at the Royal Exchange (301 Sacramento @ Front St.). During the Make-A-Wish Happy Hour, a portion of proceeds from selected food and beverage purchases will be donated to Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area. Eligible beverages include wine (Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet, Pinot Noir), beer (Widmer, Redwood, Stella Artois), and the house margarita. Nachos, calamari and wings will also generate money for the cause. A suggested donation of $20 at the door will get you raffle tickets for prizes including wine, 49ers gear, and a Comcast SportsNet Bay Area sports package with a tour of the San Francisco studio.
Submit drinking events to renee@grassrootspr.com
