I like to keep a bottle of stimulant handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy. ~W.C. Fields
Rosé Pairing Dinner at Flour + Water
It's rosé season in San Francisco, and Flour + Water is celebrating tonight with a five-course dinner served family-style and paired with summer's favorite vino. Wine Director Geno Tomko will be pairing Italian rosés with Chef Thomas McNaughton's delectable dishes in Flour + Water's intimate Test Kitchen. The $145 meal includes wine pairings and features braised beef shank with corn pudding and salsa verde paired with Calabretta Etna Rosato 2013 from Sicily. Make reservations online now; dinner starts at 6:30pm. // 2401 Harrison, flourandwater.com
Paul Hobbs Wine Pairing Dinner at Luce
Michelin-starred Luce restaurant is also hosting a wine pairing dinner this week, on Saturday evening. Chef de Cuisine Daniel Corey has crafted a five-course menu featuring four wines hand-selected by Luce Wine Director Marissa Payne from Paul Hobbs Winery in Sonoma County. Expect dishes such as artisan foie gras au torchon with strawberries, marcona almond and vanilla bean paired with a 2013 Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley and short rib steak with spring onion and truffle marmalade and swiss chard paired with a 2012 Cabernet from Napa Valley. Make reservations online ($120 including wine pairings) for seatings between 5:30 and 9:30pm. / / 888 Howard Street, inside the InterContinental San Francisco, lucewinerestaurant.com
Watermelon Bowling at 21st Amendment's Grand Opening
If beer is your beverage of choice, make your way to San Leandro on Saturday for the 21st Amendment Brewery's Grand Opening Celebration, from noon to 10pm. Co-founders Shaun O'Sullivan and Nico Freccia will lead the festivities, which include watermelon bowling, brewery tours, live music, food trucks, and the official debut of 21A's long-kept secret inaugural beer from the new brewery: Toaster Pastry. The India Red Ale pays homage to the former Kellogg Factory space they now call home. Admission is free, with beer and food available for purchase. // 2010 Williams Street, San Leandro, 21st-amendment.com
Killer Queen Video Game Meet Ups at Brewcade
At the risk of causing FOMO, we're sharing yet another drinking opportunity slated for Saturday, and every Saturday, for that matter. Brewcade is now hosting regular Killer Queen "meet ups," where two 5-player teams compete head-to-head in this cult classic video game popular among regular and casual gamers alike. Killer Queen game time is every Saturday from 2 to 6pm, and every second and fourth Monday from 7 to 10pm. Whether you're a player or a spectator, you'll find plenty of hand-crafted beers on tap and in bottles, as well as the Frozen Grape Drank, which will give you both brain freeze and a hangover. // 2200 Market Street, brewcadesf.com
Bespoke Bloody Mary Bar at 1313 Main in Napa
In the time it takes you to get seated for Sunday brunch at Plow, Foreign Cinema, or Universal Café, you could be sipping bespoke Bloody Marys at 1313 Main Restaurant and Wine Bar in downtown Napa. Made from house-infused ancho chile, Tito's Handmade Vodka and fresh-juiced heirloom tomatoes grown in the restaurant's garden just four blocks away, these hand-crafted cocktails also incorporate grilled jalapeno peppers; Meyer lemon juice; Worcestershire, Cholula and Tobasco sauces; and an array of dry spices including Old Bay Spice, Coleman's Mustard Powder, salt and ground black pepper. Make yours bespoke by adding a garnish for $1, $2, or $3, such as blue cheese stuffed olives, fresh grated egg yolk cured in salt, candied jalapenos, kimchi Brussels sprouts, fried oysters, or bacon-wrapped dates. Brunch is served every Sunday from 10am to 2pm. // 1313 Main Street, Napa, 1313main.com
Send drinking suggestions to renee@grassrootspr.com.
