Cant-Miss November Events in San Diego

THE MED’s Wine Dinner Series showcases its culinary team’s extraordinary talent. Led by Executive Chef Alex Emery, each dish of the 5-course tasting menus are created to be paired superbly with each of the celebrated wines. The dishes are thoughtfully prepared and artfully plated, promising to please the eye, excite the senses, and wow even the most sophisticated of palates. Dinners are $125/pp. Reservations are required, and can be made at LaValencia.com.

Celebrate the beloved Italian restaurant’s one year anniversary with bites, drinks and music! The Lemon Grove eatery helped put a spotlight on east county’s dining scene, and wants to thank its supportive guests. On November 8, guests can head to Giardino for passed bites, live music and chance to win a private dinner in the wine room with Chef and Owner, Marco Provino. RSVP on their Facebook.

November 12 – USO Fundraiser

On Monday, Nov. 12 the Little Italy Food Hall is teaming up with USO San Diego to eat for a cause! For every guest or group who brings in the attached event flyer, the Little Italy Food Hall will donate 15% of that party’s sales made at any of the Little Italy Food Hall’s stations directly to USO San Diego. Guests must print out and hand in the attached flyer to a cashier when ordering.

November 11 – Pasta & Pilates

Modern Italian restaurant Maestoso in Hillcrest pairs up with one of Downtown San Diego’s top rated fitness studios Vai Fitness for Pasta & Pilates, a two-part event that invites health-minded participants to engage in a core-strengthening workout followed by a healthy Italian cooking class, taking place at Maestoso on Sunday, November 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Upon arrival, guests will participate in a mat pilates class held in the center of the restaurant’s cleared out, contemporary dining room with expert instructor Silvia Giamanco of Vai Fitness. Following the workout, participants will gather around Maestoso’s open kitchen for a three-course cooking class focused on Italian fare led by Chef Marco Maestoso. Following the class, which will spotlight a healthy Italian salad, gnocchi and dessert, guests are invited to sit and dine together on the resulting meal. Priced at $80 per person and limited to sixteen people, reservations to Pasta & Pilates are available by calling Maestoso directly at (619) 642-0777 or email hello@maestoso.com. Visit Maestoso at 1040 University Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103 and online at www.maestoso.com.

November 13 – Tahona Taco Tuesday Grand Opening

New mezcal bar and tasting room Tahona will celebrate its Grand Opening in Old Town on November 13 from 5 p.m. to midnight with a special Tahona Taco Tuesday Grand Opening benefiting the very communities from which mezcal and tequila originate. For every taco sold on November 13 Tahona will donate $1 to Corazon de Vida, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting ten orphanages throughout Baja California. Opening next door to Old Town’s historic Cemetery of El Campo Santo, Tahona invites guests to feast on a contemporary Mexican menu. Visit Tahona at 2414 San Diego Avenue in Old Town and online at www.tahonabar.com. No reservations required.

November 13 – Whiskey’s Around the World dinner party

As the weather cools off – warm up at the cozy Mission Hills eatery, The Patio on Goldfinch, with a neat glass of whiskey. Grab your passport and sample whiskeys from around the world paired with a delicious four-course dinner prepared by Executive Sous Chef Alex Ambrose at the Goldfinch Whiskey’s Around the World dinner party on Tuesday, Nov. 13^th starting at 6:00 p.m.

For $55 a person, guests can enjoy a four-course dinner and whiskey tasting starting with the Scottish Glenmorangie 10 year and Scottish Salmon cured in smoked sea salt with pickled fennel salad, radish, micro mustard greens and a mustard seed gastrique. Next stop is domestic pairing the Kentucky Angel’s Envy finished in Port Wine bottles and baby back ribs with house BBQ sauce and apple coleslaw. Then head back over the pond for some Irish Teeling Single Cask/Single Grain whiskey and oven roasted capon chicken, heirloom potatoes, caramelized pearl onions, herbs and Kerrygold butter. And finally end your trip in Japan with a Nikka Coffey Grain whiskey and Green Tea Tiramisu made with the Nikka Whisky of course.

Tickets can be purchased online here.

November 14 – Brewer-Clifton Wine Dinner at Monzu Fresh Pasta

Monzu Fresh Pasta and Brewer-Clifton from California’s Santa Rita Hills will team up Wednesday, November 14 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. for a pop-up wine dinner during San Diego’s annual SommCon conference, a four-day event dedicated to in-depth wine education. Taking place within Monzu’s cozy Mediterranean dining room, the East Village eatery’s inaugural wine dinner event is priced at $60++ per person and will feature four courses of fare like Wild Mushroom Risotto and Brasato Raviolo with Beef Ragout that spotlight Monzu’s specialty: fresh pasta made in-house using the recipes and techniques of Italy’s master pasta makers. Brewer-Clifton will provide four wines presented by special guests and Master Sommeliers Nick Hetzel and Thomas Price. Visit Monzu Fresh Pasta at 455 Tenth Avenue in East Village and online at www.monzufreshpasta.com. Tickets: www.eventbrite.com/e/brewer-clifton-wine-dinner-tickets-51827802352

November 14 – Le Marche Wine Dinner at Maestoso

Maestoso explores Italian cuisine and vino on November 14 with a four-course wine dinner inspired by Italy’s Le Marche region. With four courses crafted by Chef Marco Maestoso, who has cooked for names like former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Donatella Versace, this one-night-only experience is available to guests visiting at any time between 5 and 10 p.m. at $69 per person. Experience several varietals from Italy’s Le Marche region, an area in central eastern Italy set between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea. Often considered one of Italy’s hidden gems where few non-Italian tourists venture, Maestoso’s Le Marche dinner event celebrates Italian heritage and culinary authenticity through courses like pinsa topped with zucchini blossoms and fresh fish and rabbit wrapped and roasted in the style of Roman Porchetta. To reserve seating, call Maestoso directly at (619) 642-0777 or email hello@maestoso.com. Maestoso is open daily at 1040 University Avenue in Hillcrest and online at www.maestoso.com.

November 14 – Wine Pairing Dinner Featuring Quigley Fine Wines

BANKERS HILL BAR + Restaurant will host a five-course wine pairing dinner featuring selections from Quigley Fine Wines beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14. The $99-per-person dinner will feature a chef’s amuse bouche followed by five courses created by Executive Chef Carl Schroeder and Chef de Cuisine Tyler Nollenberger, paired with various wines selected by wine director and sommelier, Michael Pickering. Reservations are available by calling 619.231.0222.

November 17 – Krug Dinner at Addison 

On Saturday/November 17, Addison’s chef William Bradley and Wine & Beverage Director Rafael Sanchez welcome Krug Champagne Ambassador Garth Hodgdon and Master Sommelier Chris Miller for an encore Krug dinner. The luxurious $1000 per person affair will feature six courses (plus amuse bouche) complemented with twelve rare Krug champagnes. Courses include Smoked Salmon Rillette, Coquille St. Jacques, Agnolotti Encré, Canard Roti, and Apple Tarte Tatin, with Nicoulai Caviar showcased in select dishes. Wines poured will be available for retail purchase, and guests will receive a special takeaway from Krug and Tsar Nicoulai following the conclusion of the meal. Seatings are available starting at 5:30pm, and reservations can be made by calling the restaurant at 858.314.1900.

November 27 – Light Up the Night

Join Loews Coronado Bay Resort to kick-off the holiday season onTuesday, November 27, 6 – 8pm. Your passport to the “North Pointe” will guide you through festive holiday gardens filled with activities, complimentary coffee, hot chocolate, apple cider and holiday sweets. Mike Hess Brewing, Coronado Brewing Company, Malahat Spirits, Andrea’s Truffles, Sweet Cheeks Baking Co., You & Yours Distilling Company and Gelato Paradiso will be available throughout the event to share the delicious flavors of San Diego with guests. Entertainment will include tiny singers from Silver Strand Elementary School, photos with Santa, cookie decorating and holiday crafts. Children are encouraged to write letters to Santa and drop them in the Santa Mailbox. For every letter collected, Macy’s will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish ® to help grant wishes to children battling critical illnesses. The event is free to the public but guests are encouraged to bring a new unwrapped toy for the Navy- Marine Corps Relief Society to help support local families of deployed service men and women for their invaluable sacrifices.