These plates are sizzling hot: Foremost Wine Co. has recently introduced a brand new Sunday brunch with fun beer and wine cocktails and music from DJ Malik. Also, big congrats to Granada Hotel and Bistro riding high on the hog (and using every part of the animal)! Starting on July 28, they’ll be cooking up a whole pig every week and debuting a booth at the Thursday Night Farmers’ Market in downtown SLO! Menu items include chile verde pork shoulder braised in tomatillos with rice and beans; a pork belly bahn mi sando; a ham barbecue pork sandwich with cola sauce and slaw; and head, feet, tail, and back carnitas tacos with salsa roja. Oh, and did I mention they’re also grilling up fresh local watermelon peppered with fresh lime juice and chile?

Toast of the town

Speaking of Foremost Wine Co., Executive Chef Julie Simon will be partnering with Outstanding in the Field to create a mega-delicious farm-to-table dinner that truly takes the plate to the dirt (foremostslo.com). This is a big honor and a big opportunity to let her creative culinary flag fly … Wine Spectator just recognized Paso Robles Italian restaurant Il Cortile for the third consecutive year! When you’ve got a wicked wine list that spans Paso Robles to Italy’s best regions, it’s no wonder why (ilcortileristorante.com) … After a decade of hard work, J. Lohr red wine maker Steve Peck was recently awarded as Winemaker of the Year by the SLO Wine Country Association. Well done, Mr. Peck!

Back to beer season

Foamy fun: Beer and running don’t seem to mix, but the team at BarrelHouse Brewing Company doesn’t seem to think so. The brewery recently hosted a 5K fun run in support of the Templeton Rec Foundation! More into drinking than sprinting? Tickets for the first-ever Sourfest on Sept. 24, presented by BarrelHouse, are on sale now at centralcoastsourfest.com … What are you doing this October? It’s a ways off, but beer geeks will be glad to know that SLO Beer Week’s lineup of events has been announced. Pop the top on brewery collaborations, a unique movie night, and even a farmers’ market beer tasting (get all the details at slobeerweek.com). 

Hayley Thomas is once bitten, twice shy. Send your buttery bites to [email protected].