Monday morsels - wine, beer, tequila and even smoothies to go with your meal

  Enjoy a four-course dinner with wine at Donato Enoteca in Redwood City on Aug. 13

The Monk's Kettle and The Bruery are holding a five-course dinner and beer pairing on Tuesday, August 4.  Go early (5:30 p.m.) for happy hour to wet your whistle on half-priced drinks then sit down at 6:30 p.m. to begin your meal.  View the regular and vegetarian menus created by executive chef Kevin Kroger and sous chef Adam Milo here.  $85/person.  3141 16th Street at Albion.  415.865.9523

Thursday, August 6 is a day to Think Pink (VIII).  At least it is at Cafe Rouge in Berkeley.  There will be 10 roses from Kermit Lynch Winery available by the glass or in flights to enjoy with a la carte menu items or a full blown dinner.  1782 4th Street between Hearst and Virginia, Berkeley.  510.525.1440.

Here's a quickie chain mention.  Jamba Juice is running a buy one get one free promotion on their smoothies until Sunday, August 9.   Find your nearest Jamba Juice here.

Monday, August 10 marks the first of monthly cocktail tastings and dinners at Beretta, hosted by its own bartenders plus other guests from the industry.  This is your chance to taste special spirits, nibble on off-the-menu appetizers, and indulge in a family-style dinner in the restaurant's downstairs lounge.  Tequila is the focus for August's event, and will be hosted by Beretta's Ryan Fitzgerald.  At 6:30 p.m., sample specialty tequila cocktail tasters together with Mexican-style appetizers.  The tequila tasting starts at 7:00 p.m., followed by dinner.  $60/person.  There is space for only 30 guests, so call and make your reservations lickety split.  415.695.1199.

Don't forget about chef Stuart Brioza and pastry chef Nicole Krasinski's (Rubicon) Fifth Annual Peach Harvest Dinner on Tuesday, August 11, featuring Masumoto Family Farm peaches.  Tablehopper mentioned it last week.  Boulettte's Larder will be hosting this peachy event with Boulette chef Amaryll Schwertner and pastry chef Sarah Ellsworth collaborating on the menu.  $175/person, includes wine.  1 Ferry Building Marketplace.  415.399.1155.

Vineyard Gate's Italian wine dinner will take place at Donato Enoteca in Redwood City on Thursday, August 13.  Six wines imported by Vinity Wine Company will be poured with items such as:  bruschetta with braised wild boar and Chianti vinegar; braised Niman Ranch oxtail with Sangiovese, asparagus tips and "bigoli" pasta; and roasted pork rack with herbs and guianciale. The President of Vinity Wines will guide guests through the tasting, $85/person.  1041 Middlefield Road, Redwood City.  650.701.1000.

Spruce is also celebrating vino, with its Turley Winemaker Dinner on Monday, August 17th.  Enjoy chef Mark Sullivan's four-course dinner paired with six wines from Turley Wine Cellars, $140/person.  3640 Sacramento Street, between Locust and Spruce.  415.931.5100.

Foreign Cinema's 10th Anniversary dinner filled with food, music and entertainment, will take place on Thursday, August 20.  Dinner is $65/person and begins at 6:30 p.m.  Proceeds benefit Draw Bridge, a local arts program for homeless kids.  RSVP by August 10.  2534 Mission Street between 21st and 22nd.  415.648.7600.

At La Trappe Cafe on August 23, David Budworth (Marina Meats and Avedano's) will conduct a full butchery demo for some 40 guests downstairs, followed by dinner.  Budworth was recently voted 7x7's Best Butcher.  Beer will be paired with several dishes and the bar will be open.  Exact time and other details TBA, so check their web site.  800 Greenwich Street near Mason.  415.440.8727.

Calling all oenophiles!  How well can you differentiate between one grape and another?  Test your taste buds by taking Ame's Wine Challenge during the month of August.  Order a flight for $25 with your meal and they will supply you with the names of three grapes, in no particular order.  If you can correctly identify the trio of anonymous wines, then they're on the house.  689 Mission Street near 3rd, St. Regis Hotel.  415.284.4040.

News from Bar Bambino - it now has a full-fledged anti-pasti bar, giving customers more choices as well as lighter and affordable dining options.  Offerings will change seasonally, but right now, you will find yummies such as house-cured Monterey Bay sardines, buratta flown in from Puglia, Washington Wagyu beef carpaccio, and heirloom red pepper involtini.  Owner Christopher Losa says that this change also "gives us a chance to try out and perfect recipes for our Jack London Market Project."  That retail space and cafe is slated to open in Spring 2010.  2931 16th Street at Mission.  415.701.8466.

Wexler's recently launched Saturday night cookouts, but they have announced that they want to showcase all of chef Charlie Kleinman's talents beyond just good ol' smoky 'cue, so the regular dinner menu will be available going forward.  568 Sacramento Street between Liedesdorff and Montgomery.  415.983.0102.

A  couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the reinvention of Metro Kathmandu into District 5 on Divisadero Street.  Ultimately, they have decided to go with the name Metro Cafe.  311 Divisadero Street at Page.  415.552.0903.

Straits announced that its new lunch specials, ranging from $9 - $12, are available everyday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  How about a Singaporean egg-battered chicken or beef sandwich with fries,  Thai beef noodle soup, or chilled chicken noodle salad with lemongrass dressing?  Westfield San Francisco Centre, 845 Market Street, 4th Floor.  415.668.1783.  1100 Burlingame Avenue at California, Burlingame.  650.373.7883.  333 Santana Row, San Jose.  408.246.6320.

There has been some celeb chef rumblings lately.  First, we heard from 7x7 that chef Tyler Florence is about to take over the ex-Rubicon space in the spring of next year, naming it Wayfare Tavern.  Now EaterSF confirms that chef Masaharu Morimoto is planning to open a restaurant in Napa, some time in the summer of 2010!  Holy edamame, Batman!  Dining out in the Bay Area is getting more exciting everyday!

Here's hoping everyone has a delicious week!  Don't be afraid to try new things.  My husband and I had durian for the first time this weekend.  We thought of Andrew Zimmern who loathes the stuff.  

My girlfriend, who grew up eating and loving it, suggested I ease into durian by having it in a baked custard pastry at a dim sum place.  Instead, we grabbed a fresh durian tapioca up the street from our house, and I must say that the odor that wafted through our noses once I peeled back the cover was a bit unsettling.  It tasted pretty much like it smelled.  For lack of a better way of describing it, fruity gasoline comes to mind.  Although we didn't care for it, we're glad we finally sampled some.

If there is something grubalicious going on in your neighborhood, please be sure to let me know!  Email me at grubalicioussf@gmail.com or send a DM on Twitter.  You can also receive my articles by clicking on "subscribe to email" next to my picture!

-Dina