Photo Credit: Nader Khouri
Although many people prefer to spend the month of August traveling and relaxing on luxurious vacations, if you’re hanging around the Bay this month, you’re in for a treat. The next 31 days are jam-packed with awesome events—including some of the best and biggest festivals of the year. We’re talking about gourmet music festival Outside Lands, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the biggest car show in the nation, and Eat Drink SF—the city’s ultimate culinary celebration. There are also plenty of other wonderful philanthropic events and special dinners. To inspire you to take advantage of all this beautiful city has to offer, we’re listing out this month’s haute happenings. Here are the parties, wine tastings, and events that are on our August agenda.
If you’re in the market for a new piece of fine jewelry, head to Shreve and Co. on August 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, from 11 am to 3 pm. The boutique is showcasing new pieces from Robert Procop’s Exceptional Jewels and Legacy collections in partnership with Brooke Shields. The event is a benefit for Raphael House, a battered woman and children foundation. Shop for rare cat’s eye emerald rings, stunning topaz earrings, and amethyst peridot pendant necklaces.
The V Foundation Wine Celebration is a three-day fundraiser that benefits the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The 18th annual event takes place later this week, from Thursday, August 4 to Saturday, August 6. Over $68 million has been raised since the celebration’s inception and it has funded more than 45 promising projects at well known medical centers like Stanford and UCSF. Participate in the festivities by attending a vintner dinner on Thursday, the Rock the V Party—a walk around tasting with Napa chefs and winemakers—on Friday, or the Gala on Saturday night. The gala includes a showcase auction and reception, a program hosted by sports commentator Lesley Visser with special guest speaker NFL quarterback Joe Theismann, a live auction with John Curley, and a concert with Eagles artist Don Felder.
Fans of the Olympics should note that Elixir, one of the city’s oldest saloons, is showing the games every day from August 5-21. Four televisions will display coverage of the games daily with a different sport on each TV. The bar has rolled out a special menu of two olympic cocktails, one that uses seasonal American ingredients and another that has a base of Yaguara Cachaça, the Brazilian brandy traditional used to make caipirinhas. There will also be drink specials for the opening and closing ceremonies.
Medlock Ames is one of our favorite wineries in Healdsburg, so when we heard they were joining up with our favorite Indian restaurant, Dosa, for a special dinner, we quickly jumped at the chance to attend. The event takes place on Wednesday, August 10 at 6:30 pm in the gorgeous mezzanine at Dosa’s Fillmore location. Chef and owner Anjan Mitra is cooking up a four-course feast to pair with Medlock Ames wines and Suātā Red, Dosa’s private wine label from sommelier and wine director, Todd Smith. Both Smith and Medlock Ames winemaker, Ames Morison, will be at the dinner to discuss how they pair their wine with traditional South Indian dishes such as paneer, poriyal, and uttapam.
Another noteworthy wine event happening this month is PlumpJack Winery’s release celebration. It’s not just the release of any old wine, it’s the debut of the 2013 PlumpJack Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which received a 100-point score from Robert Parker last year. To honor the momentous occasion, PlumpJack is hosting a winemaker dinner on Friday, August 12 and a daytime party the next day, Saturday, August 13. At the dinner, wine lovers will get the chance to mingle with the PlumpJack Winery team while enjoying a meal prepared by Howard Ko of the Balboa Café Mill Valley. A selection of wines from PlumpJack’s sister vineyards, Odette and Cade, will be poured along side the reserve cabernet. On Saturday, winemaker Aaron Miller will be autographing bottles and giving tours of the winery. Sip on the new release and indulge in bites provided by Meadowood Napa Valley.
A week later on Thursday, August 18, La Mar is throwing a pisco patio party. The Peruvian restaurant from Gaston Acario is located on the Embarcadero and if it’s a gorgeous day, it’s a wonderful place to enjoy happy hour. At the patio party, a local Latin band—Sang Matiz—will play salsa music. What’s on the menu? An appetizer bar with ceviche, anticuchos—grilled skewers inspired by the food carts found on the streets of Peru—tiradito, and empanadas. The pisco sours will be plentiful and flowing.
Another way to get in the Olympic Spirit? Attend a dinner hosted by gold medal-winning figure skater, Brian Boitano on Friday, August 19. These days Boitano has a SF-based food show called What Would Brian Boitano Make? He’s teaming up with the chefs at Credo to raise funds for Bay Scholars, an organization that helps low-income students attend college preparatory high schools. Guests will mingle with Boitano during a cocktail reception before heading into a three-course Italian meal prepared by the skater-turned chef. There are two seatings, one at 6 p.m. and another at 8 p.m. The meal will be paired with estate-grown Mezzacorona wines from the Italian Alps, which is where Boitano has family origins.
In the mood for oysters? With stunning views of the bay and an unparalleled selection of briny bivalves, there is no better place to consume a dozen freshly shucked oysters than Waterbar. On Sunday, August 28th, the seafood restaurant is hosting their 8th annual OysterFest, an outdoor fete that benefits the San Francisco Surfrider Foundation. Last year $14,000 were raised and 5,000 oysters were consumed. Some of the Bay’s best fish-forward eateries will be serving up oyster dishes. Participating restaurants include Epic Steak, Farallon, Fish, and Leo’s Oyster Bar. The event takes place from noon until 3 p.m. and tickets are expected to sell out.
Stones Throw’s Eat Like a Chef, Drink Like a Somm series continues and this month, they are partnering with Kin Khao’s Narciso Salvador and Pim Techamuanvivit. The monthly dinners—which each feature a different notable chef partner—are the Hi Neighbor group’s way of giving back to the community. All of the proceeds from 2016’s meals are donated to Old Skool Café, a local nonprofit that helps at risk foster care youth find career opportunities. On Monday, August 29, the Kin Khao team will collaborate with Stones Throw’s chef to serve a five-course menu with optional wine pairings.
