To entice wine lovers to stay in the city limits, RN74, the Michael Mina stalwart that has held culinary court for years to the movers and shakers in its Millennium Towers South Beach location, and 1760, the new Polk Street dining sister to the established Acquerello, have created weekly wine programs that are imaginative enough to titillate even San Francisco’s been-to-that-wine country, drank-that-cab oenophiles.

Fun, creativity, innovation and sparkling energy. The 2016 Chinese New Year, the year of Fire Monkey, ushers in these attributes and they abounded at Davies Symphony Hall during the San Francisco Symphony’s 16th annual Chinese Lunar New Year Concert and Celebration last week.

Amid the sparkle of modern and traditional chandeliers, driftwood and orchid centerpieces, dramatic floral arrangements anchored by mini guitar necks and cuisine inspired by a rock star’s song repertoire, VH1 launched the first of its nationwide Save The Music 2016 events last week at the Solage Calistoga in Napa Valley. Aimed at restoring music education in the schools, the fundraisers, titled Musically Mastered Menu, pair a well-known contemporary music artist with an equally notable chef. Case in point: Multi-platinum-selling rock singer-songwriter and SF local Matt Nathanson, best known for his album “Some Mad Hope” and his breakthrough single “Come On Get Higher,” with Michelin-starred Chef Brandon Sharp of Solage’s celebrated restaurant, Solbar.

With several new developments underway, one can say that Napa Verasa Westin is having “a moment.” This week, it operates as a headquarters for the 5th annual Napa Valley Film Festival, which is fitting. The hotel’s longtime general manager, Don Shindle, sits on the event’s board and the ski lodge-meets-wine-country lobby—fireplace, comfy furniture and a wooden floor composed of wine barrel ends—suggests an atmosphere vaguely reminiscent of Sundance or Telluride.

On a beautiful balmy October evening, the Mill Valley Film Festival opened its 38th season with two Oscar-worthy films and a fête amid one of Marin’s most fashionable settings. Mill Valley Film Festival has established a reputation for its quality selections that often act as a bellwether for the forthcoming award season and the popular culture at large.

The San Francisco Opera Guild previewed the quality of cuisine expected at Moonlight & Music, the Opera’s opening night gala benefit on Friday, September 11. Opera Ball 2015 co-chairs, Karen Kubin and Jane Mudge, Opera Guild President Charlot Malin and dinner sponsor Neiman Marcus’ Alan Morrell and others found their way on Aug. 11 to McCalls Catering and Events’ kitchen in the Mission.

The late afternoon sun may have illuminated the hills surrounding the Sonoma Horse Park with a golden glow on August 1, but the sixth Annual Giant Steps Charity Classic Six Bar and Gala attracted stars from the Bay Area equestrian world, Silicon Valley, wine country, celebrity events and even pop music.