- The San Diego Reader is also on the hunt to find the city's top burger! Help them decide at the 1st Annual Reader Burgers & Beer Festival at Golden Hill Park, where attendees will get the chance to sample and vote on gourmet burgers from more than 30 of the top restaurants as they compete to win the title of "Best Burger in San Diego". Tickets to the event start at $45, and we are raffling off 2 VIP tickets to attend, as well as offering promo codefor $5 savings per ticket (limited to only first 100 tickets purchased, so act fast).- A North County craft beer festival is coming to San Diego this September! More than thirty craft brewers will unite in Holiday Park for this year’s third annual Carlsbad Brewfest, a day of unlimited beer samples hosted by the Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club. Tickets to the festival are $50 per person, and we are raffling off 2 tickets to this event, as well as offering promo codefor $5 savings per ticket.- For those about to rock, we salute you! House of Blues San Diego will be pairing the top local acts with more than 15 of the best craft breweries for an entertaining evening for music and beer lovers alike. Local Brews Local Grooves will feature music from 16 bands and games on two stages, with several beer-pouring and food stations dotted around the venue. We are offering promo codefor $5 off VIP tickets for 2 , as well as raffling off a pair of VIP passes. Tickets start at $10.- Community Health Improvement Partners will host its inaugural The Rendezvous: Chew on This event to raise funds to support their battle against childhood obesity, taking place at the McMillin Companies Event Center in Point Loma's Liberty Station. The Rendezvous will be an evening with thought-provoking speakers followed by an outdoor tasting reception with live music, as well as delicious bites and sips from San Diego’s top local farms, premier restaurants, and artisanal beverage purveyors. Enter our raffle for a chance to win 2 tickets to this delicious and informative event. Tickets are $165.- The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank will host the sixth annual AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival along the downtown San Diego waterfront at Embarcadero Marina Park North. The family-friendly event will feature nine musical acts, including Grammy award winning Los Lobos, on two stages. Festival attendees will enjoy local craft beer, food vendors, specialty cocktails and wine, along with arts and crafts vendors. Tickets start at $25 with free admission for children 12 and under. We are raffling off a pair of VIP passes. All proceeds and food drive donations will benefit the San Diego Food Bank.- Taking place at Waterfront Park in downtown San Diego, don't miss this mobile food extravaganza, featuring food booths, trucks, and carts offering a variety of global cuisines, all coming together to offer awesome & delicious food for only $5 per dish, with free sides of live music, dancing, and DJs. Tickets are $5 and kids 12 and under are free to attend.- The annual Brazilian Day Festival is back for its eighth year, taking over a new location within Belmont Park for a day devoted to the South American culture. This free event includes arts & crafts, live music, stage performances, Brazilian food, vendors, a beer garden, a Carnival-inspired parade, a kids zone and more.- To toast the military, Coasterra’s will host this wine tasting event, where guests will sip on delicious wine from more than 20 California wineries and have the best seat in the house for the annual Sea & Air Parade across San Diego’s iconic harbor. Aboard Coasterra’s new floating event center, FLOAT, which offers stunning panoramic views of the bay & downtown, Chef Deborah Scott will highlight Cal-Baja appetizers that pair well with wine and the view Tickets are $100.- Experience authentic Greek food, heavenly pastries, award winning Greek folk dance performances, cooking demos, musical performances, kids games, market vendors, and more at the 38th annual Greek Festival. Taking place at the Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church.- Flavors is a culinary experience that goes beyond the traditional gala providing guests with the unique experience of having a top local chef prepare a multi-course dinner tableside. Taking place at The Grand Del Mar, each chef is in charge of one table, including silver ware and centerpieces for the table, as well as the meal and beverage pairing. The evening showcases the signature dishes of our culinary experts and takes you beyond the usual restaurant fare. Unleash your inner "foodie" and experience a distinct evening of dining while helping to fund the research, education, and advocacy efforts of the American Liver Foundation. Tickets start at $430.- Executive Chef Tyler Shipton is prepped and ready to wow his guests with seasonal, locally-grown produce paired with organically-farmed wines from Napa Valley’s Frog’s Leap Winery. From Albacore Tuna Crudo with charred green onion and raspberries matched with their Sauvignon Blanc, to a sweet ending of a Strawberry Pavlova complemented by their Merlot, this will be a farm-to-table feast. Tickets are $65.- The reinvigorated George's at the Cove will welcome Chef Daniel Heinze to the kitchen at California Modern. Heinze will join forces with George's executive chef and partner, Trey Foshee, for a special collaboration dinner featuring Chino Farms produce. Guests will be able to meet and greet the chefs as they enjoy an intimate 8-course menu for $120. This event is limited to 100 guests only. Call 858.454.4244 for reservations.- The second event in Tasting Room Del Mar's special Meet the Winemaker dinner series will feature John Dragonette and Brandon Sparks-Gillis of Dragonette Cellars pairing their Santa Barbara produced wines with a 7-course dinner featuring a tasting menu prepared by chefs Steven Lona and Jenny Goycochea. With only 30 seats available, this promises to be an intimate and exciting evening on the patio. Tickets are $95 each, for a total of $120 after tax and gratuity.- Limited to only 50 guests, this 5 course beer pairing dinner will be prepared by Small Bar Owner and Chef Karen Barnett with beers curated by Amplified's head brewery Cy Henley. Get ready for dishes like smoked Chilhuacle Chilean sea bass with chorizo, mayocoba beans, braised greens, and fried shallot, paired with Amplified's Pulse Porter. Tickets are $50.- Hello Beautiful Health is co-hosting a dinner experience with Chef Taylor Allen of Gut Goods at Terra Madre Gardens in Escondido. This should make for a magical evening full of fun, inspiring individuals and exquisite food. This dinner will explore the 5 tastes (salty, sweet, umami, bitter, and sour) in a unique way while talking about the healing properties of foods we crave. Libations will be provided by The California Fruit Wine Company. The farm tour begins at 4:30pm and dinner begins at 5:30pm.- Discover Pacific Beach will host its annual Heart of Pacific Beach Restaurant Walk, offering attendees the opportunity to enjoy a leisurely stroll on this self-guided food tour of Central PB between Dawes and Lamont Streets. Sample a great variety of menus from local restaurants for only $25. This event will be vegetarian friendly and restaurants that offer a vegetarian option will be noted on the ticket map.- Enjoy a seasonal feast for the senses with a winemaker, master coffee roaster, cheese monger & chef at Bernardo Winery & Cellar. This dining and wine experience will feature tasty pairings of seasonal bites influenced by the Rizzo family's long heritage of "Living off the Land", paired with a selection of wines including barrel samples and pre-released wines. The night will include a tour of Bernardo Winery's Winemaking from past to present and a demonstration and introduction of Manzanita Coffee Roasters. The night will finish with delicious fresh roasted coffee and espresso drinks to order. Tickets are $80.- Enjoy sample sized portion from more than 40 Restaurants located throughout the Gaslamp Quarter, Headquarters, and East Village neighborhoods on this culinary walking tour of downtown San Diego. Tickets are $30 and include a sample dish from each of the participating restaurants. We are raffling off 2 passes to attend and also offering promo codefor $5 savings per ticket.- Planet Rooth Design Haus is once again opening up its Bankers Hill art studio and event space for a culinary battle royale. The next edition of the popular chef throwdown series features Planet Rooth's celebrated in house chef's, Ivan and Kelly. September's competition will be Peru vs The Phillipines and it will consist of three amazing rounds of food paradise with wine. Spots are $40 each or $70 for a couple.- The Little Italy cocina will host a gourmet journey through Latin America with their very own Mexican Fiesta night. This three-course price fixed menu will be $35 per person and offered all night starting at 4pm. Live music will also be playing from 6-9pm.- The ultimate music, comedy, culinary and cultural festival returns to the Del Mar Fairgrounds for 3 days of incredible performances, art displays, delicious food and more. Now in its second year, KAABOO Del Mar has curated an eclectic lineup of musicians comedians , and even local chefs for this year's event, including Aerosmith, Jimmy Buffett, Jack Johnson, Lenny Kravitz, Dana Carvey, the cast of Silicon Valley, Chef Richard Blais, Chef Brian Malarkey, Chef Javier Plascencia and so many more!- See some of the world’s fastest boats when San Diego Bayfair roars into town. This end-of-summer tradition features three days of nonstop boat racing, food and fun on the shores of beautiful Mission Bay. Motorsports fans can get an up-close view of the racing action along of the shores of East Vacation Island, Fiesta Island or Crown Point. Racing action this year features the world’s fastest boats capable of speeds of nearly 200 mph. General admission passes for Saturday and Sunday are $30. Parking can also be purchased online.- In 2013, Trip Advisor named San Diego as the United State's top city for pizza, and you can find out why when the inaugural San Diego Gourmet Pizza Festival takes over Liberty Station as pizza-centric restaurants from America's Finest City battle it out for the title of 'Best Gourmet Pizza', with all proceeds benefitting the Mesa College Foundation. We are raffling off 2 passes to this event, as well as offering promo codefor $5 savings per ticket. Tickets are $35.- To celebrate 10 years of serving meals to San Diego's homeless, Just Call Us Volunteers is inviting its closest chef friends and local entertainers for an evening of celebration and fundraising. The Wacky Wingding, a 10th Anniversary celebration will take place from 4-7pm at the Francis Parker Upper School Campus. Tickets are available online for $90 per person or $120 per couple and include food samples from such chefs as Hanis Cavin of Carnitas Snack Shack, Dawn Parks of Wild Thyme Catering, Alex Carballo of Moto Deli, Joe Burns of WooBars, Dan Nantrass of Fishbone, Martin San Roman of Dobson's, and Davin Waite of Wrench & Rodent. There will also be performances by the Fern Street Circus and Dottie Deville's Burlesque Show, fire twirlers, stilt walkers, face painting, clowns and more.- Take a leisurely stroll tasting the top restaurants in the cozy, creative hamlet of South Park. With purchase of a Tasting Passport, guests can eat and sip their way along the 30th St and Fern St corridor, sampling bites from more than 15 participating South Park brick-and-mortar eateries. As a bonus, guests will get a taste of the diverse boutiques and shops lining the streets of South Park between bites.This is an all-ages, ticketed event, limited to 250 lucky ticket holders. Tickets can be purchased online for $30.- Karl's annual party commemorates the release of the Fall seasonal batch of Oktoberfest and honors the traditional German celebration with a San Diego twist. This event will feature 20+ handcrafted beers on tap, including small batch German-style beers, as well as food available onsite from S&M Sausage and Meats and Philly Pretzel Co. The $15 tickets gets you into the event, a commemorative stein and your first beer.- Raise a glass to the brinier things in life and wash down some oysters with a flute (or four) of California’s fizziest offerings. This even will feature oyster stations and shucking workshops, complemented by six sparkling wines on offer, while Chef Ken Irvine invites guests to relax on the patio and enjoy the 180 degree beach view while swaying to the beats of a steel drummer. Tickets are $60 per person.- San Diego's longest-running wine tasting event returns for an exclusive afternoon of bites, live music, and samples of exclusive wines from throughout California, all for a good cause! The Social Service Auxiliary of San Diego will host its 33rd annual Wine & Roses Charity Wine Tasting event at a new venue - the Darlington House in La Jolla, featuring tray-passed small bites being paired with excellent wines, as well as soft tunes from a grand piano in the living room of the historic mansion. Tickets start at $150.- This will be Council's second in-house beer dinner featuring a six course meal with one of their beers (with the exception of the welcome beer) artfully paired with each dish prepared by guest chefs Mike Arquines of The Lab Dining Sessions, Philip Esteban of Cork & Craft, Matt Cammack of Hamilton's Tavern & South Park Brewing Co., Nate Soroko of Toronado, Tyson Blake of O'Brien's Pub, and Carolyn Ruston, Craft Beer Enthusiast & Dessert Hobbyist. Tickets are $75.- The Patio on Goldfinch is continuing its tradition of offering some of the finest and most unique cheeses available, and they're upping their game by opening up their cheese cave and presenting a curated cheese flight paired with Modern Times beer. Tickets are $20 and come with three pairings.- The Bankers Hill bistro will celebrate its six month anniversary with pop-up specials and surprises for dinner guests throughout the week of September 15 - culminating in a festive, wine paired Central Coast Celebration Dinner on Sunday, September 18. The dinner will include six exclusive courses of Executive Chef Chase Edrington’s fare paired with varietals from Santa Barbara, Santa Maria Valley and Paso Robles courtesy of Burke Wine. This dinner is $85 and reservations can be secured by calling 619.738.8550.- Indigo Grill is switching things up for Sunday brunch and inviting Stehleon and Orfila Vineyards to pair their wines with 4 courses at this Winemakers’ Lunch. Learn the ins-and-outs of the winemakers creative process while enjoying a delicious afternoon, all for $59.95 per person.- Join The Cork and Craft and their in-house brewery Abnormal Beer Company for the 19th installment of their monthly dinner series. Enjoy an elevated multi-course dinner with carefully selected beer pairings in collaboration with Pizza Port Brewing Company and guest chef Jon Bautista from George's at the Cove. Tickets are $99.- Bay Park's The High Dive will host its latest installment of its women-only Chicks for Beer event with 5 delicious courses paired with beer from Coronado Brewing, alongside a fun social Beer 101. Tickets are $45 and will entitle you to 5+ beer samples alongside thoughtfully paired courses, as well as one beer of your choice. Proceeds benefit breast cancer awareness.- La Valencia Hotel invites guests to its in house bistro Café la Rue for a regional experience of great food, wine & music Baja Style on the patio in La Jolla. Renowned chefs from Bajas wine country, Martin San Roman and Ryan Steyn, join Executive Chef Alex Emery for an evening of extraordinary food paired with the wines of Torres Alegre y Familia. Tickets are $90.- Curated by Scott Slater and Chef Tony, this dinner will be all about BBQ, Bacon, Beer & Bourbon, a family style meal served with a bottle of Bourbon just chilling’ on the table waiting for you to free pour yourself into butt dialing the closest Uber driver. Tickets are $30.- This event will showcase notable vintages from the renowned Paso Robles area, which is known for a wide array of wines due to the region’s diverse grape varieties. Esteemed winemaker, Adam Lazarre from Lazarre Wines, will walk guests through the tastings, highlighting each significant note and each of the 5 dishes presented. Tickets are $60.- Top of the Market in downtown San Diego will be pairing its fresh seafood cuisine with beers from Coronado Brewing. This event will offer guests an amuse bouche followed by 5 paired courses, including spiced curry prawns with Orange Ave Wit, grilled Spanish octopus with chorizo paired with Islander IPA and more. Tickets are $69.- Enjoy an evening on the Bay at the Port of San Diego’s Taste of the Port event at the Broadway Pier. Experience tastings from top waterfront restaurants, while watching four of San Diego’s best chefs square off in a live Top Green Chef competition. The event will highlight sustainable cooking including locally sourced ingredients and fresh fish. Enjoy live entertainment, drinks, and product demos. Tickets are $50.- San Diego’s wildest tasting event returns on Saturday, September 24, with a few surprises to celebrate the zoo’s centennial year. The 36th annual San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew Celebration takes over our famous zoo for an adults-only festival that allows guests to sample culinary delights and sip beverages from more than 150 San Diego area restaurants, wineries and breweries, as well as getting the chance to meet exotic animals like a cheetah, koala, and flamingo up close - all while supporting wildlife conservation around the world. Tickets start at $125.- A traveling celebration of all things bike, New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat is returning to San Diego's Golden Hill Park, offering a day of eclectic entertainment, a costumed bike ride, a gameshow, car-for-bike swap, fashion showdown, great music, and of course plenty of New Belgium beer. The event is free, yet all donations and proceeds from beer and merchandise sales will go to San Diego-area non-profits. Each beer is $5.- Wine Director Maurice DiMarino is prepared to enlighten guests on all things vine-ripened and barrel-aged at Island Prime’s “OENOLOGY 101″. A wine lecturer at San Diego State University, Certified Sommelier, and overall wine guru, Maurice will drop some serious knowledge on the Golden State’s wine regions, as he takes diners on a journey swirling, sniffing, and sipping your way through 10 unique California wines. Guests will also be treated to a selection of mouthwatering hors d’oeuvres following the class. Tickets are $40.- The Oceanside Chamber of Commerce along with Tri-City Medical Center and Genentech will present Oceanside Harbor Days at the Oceanside Harbor, featuring arts and craft exhibits, great food and fun activities for the entire family. Harbor Days is free to the public.- This is Southern California’s largest free-to-attend, two-day music festival, held each year during the last weekend in September in the community of Normal Heights. The event features beer gardens and beer tastings, giant carnival rides, festival foods, more than 350 arts and crafts booths, and over 90 musical acts on seven stages.- Taking place at Ski Beach, this annual event pays homage to the Pacific Islander and Polynesian culture and history with tons of musical and dance performances, food vendors, a Miss Pacific Islander, and so much more. Nearly 80,000 people come to San Diego from all over the world to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Pacific Islander people of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. It is one of the largest gatherings of its kind on the continent and is free to attend.- Enjoy a 7 course brunch buffet from the culinary wizards at Carnitas' Snack Shack. Pork will be front and center, so come ready to consume some meat. Tickets are only $35 for the all you can eat at the brunch buffet and two Thorn Street Brewery beers.- This nationwide traveling pop-up dinner tour is the brainchild of two James Beard award winning chefs - Arizona natives Riley Chandler and James Piazza, who are both well versed in an array of elegant cooking techniques that are sure to impress even the harshest critic. At this event, you will be greeted and introduced to the food tableside by the Chefs themselves, then guests will dine at a large 30 top table with five chef selected special courses each thoughtfully paired with a different wine. The location will be emailed to attendees 48 hours prior to event. Tickets start at $100.- North Park's craft beer mecca is featuring female chefs for this month's installment of its popular beer brunch. Upon publishing this article, details have still not been released, but we will be sure to update when tickets go on sale.- The most delicious week of the year returns to America's Finest City this September. San Diego Restaurant Week will celebrate local dining by partnering with over 180 participating restaurants who will showcase their top dishes on lunch and dinner multi-course, prix-fixe menus. This is not a ticketed event. Peruse the list of participating restaurants and make your reservations - that simple!- Del Mar's newest hotspot will host its first craft beer dinner on the patio, featuring a five-course tasting dinner paired with a selection of beers from Societe Brewing Company. The evening will begin with introductions and a welcome pour of The Heiress, Societe's Czech-Pilsner style. Tickets are $65, and less than 30 are available.