Twilight concert series

Free concerts are held at the Santa Monica pier every Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m. Tonight’s concert is reggae music with Protoje & The Indignation-Raging Fyah Park. Before the show, pick up an Italian picnic basket at Obicà. Each basket feeds two to three people with items including Bufala Classica, burrata and a selection of salumi with fruit. There are also vegetable options with Sicilian eggplant casserole, grilled vegetables and roasted marinated artichokes. Both options include focaccia and housemade bread. The price of each basket is $49 and includes paper plates, plastic cutlery, plastic glasses and napkins. Add two sodas for $6 and a bottle of wine for $30. 606 Broadway, (310)393-6633.

Rosé dinner at Descanso Gardens

On Friday, July 29 at 6 p.m., dine at Descanso Gardens and enjoy a four-course Patina dinner. Highlights on the menu include summer root vegetable salad, pan-seared foie gras with oven-roasted figs and balsamic syrup on a brioche French toast crouton and  pan-seared Maple Leaf Farms duck breast with a port wine reduction. Finish with a rosé granita with strawberry and kiwi or rose water panna cotta with candied flower petals and rosé poached D’Anjou pears. The Patina Rose’ dinner is for new and existing Descanso Gardens members only. 1418 Descanso Dr., La Canada Flintridge, (818)952-4390.

The Mondrian on Sunset

Grab a two-course lunch for $20 and three-course dinner for $39 during dineLA at the Mondrian Hotel Los Angeles through July 31. Dine early on Tuesday before taking a class at the Skybar from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Classes are open to the public and hotel guests 21 years and over. The fun educational experience is unlike anything in Los Angeles this summer. On Aug. 2, guests can learn how to create Brazilian Brigadeira cookies. On Aug. 9, L.A. based designer @BeAHeartDesign will host a brush lettering greeting cards class for $35 per person. And on Aug. 16, it’s “Game Night” with the Cocktail Academy. After every class is “Tunesday,” an intimate outdoor music experience. Stay overnight at Mondrian Los Angeles as it celebrates 20 years on Sunset Boulevard. Since it was founded in 1996, the Mondrian is offering 19.96 percent off studios and rooms. Guests also receive two signature Skybar cocktails. 8440 W. Sunset Blvd., (323)848-6000.

Dine and Wine for ‘Whiskers’

Join Tony La Russa with the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) and a host of select vintners and restaurants at The Beverly Hills Hotel this Sunday, July 31 from 5 to 8 p.m. for “Wine & Whiskers,” an evening of wine and food tasting. Featured wineries and restaurants include Bennett Lane Winery, Dr. Jekyll’s Craft Beer and Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air. All proceeds benefit the ARF’s programs. Cost is $100 per person. 9641 Sunset Blvd., (925)296-3123.

National Ice Cream Sandwich Day Aug. 2

LEONA in Venice has added ice cream cookie sandwiches for the hot summer. The house-made cookies and ice cream are created by chef Nyesha Arrington. A different flavor is featured each week. 123 W. Washington Blvd, Venice Beach, (310)822-5379.

Cocktail parties for the Susan G. Komen Culinary Showdown  

Get a sneak peek of this year’s Susan G. Komen Los Angeles Culinary Showdown with chef Ben Ford this Wednesday, Aug. 3 from 7 to 9 p.m., at The Loft at Liz’s or later with chef Elizabeth Falkner on Aug. 23 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Black Market Liquor Bar. Enjoy an evening of food, wine, and conversations with the chefs. The 50 top fundraisers will offer cooking by  five of North America’s biggest celebrity chefs at the Susan G. Komen Los Angeles Culinary Showdown on Oct. 22 to support the fight against breast cancer. The Loft at Liz’s, 452 S. La Brea, (323)939-4403 and Black Market Liquor Bar, 11615 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818)446-2533.

New lunch menu at Eveleigh

Guests can taste new, lighter menu items at executive chef Jared Levy’s Sunset Boulevard hot spot, Eveleigh. Salads include a new organic quinoa salad with tomato, summer squash, pistachio, sunflower and beets. His heirloom tomato and burrata offers pesto Genovese and garden blossoms. Guests can also try the new banh mi with garlic aioli, fresh herbs, ham, pate and vegetables, or crab spaghetti with arugula, tomato, lemon, parsley and pangrattato. 8752 Sunset Blvd., (424)239-1630.

Esters Wine Shop & Bar

Stop in Santa Monica’s cool spot for summer rosé Saturdays all summer from noon to 4 p.m. The shop offers a tasting flight of three rosés for $15. Each Saturday, they will offer new bottle selections that can also be purchased at a 10 percent discount. In addition, every Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m. a casual wine flights and cheese tastings are $25 on the patio. No reservations required. 1314 Seventh St., (310)899-6900.

Wild Poke Venice

At Wild Poke, owner Alok Chanani and executive chef Ryan Steed, previously the executive chef at Santa Monica’s Hotel Shangri-LA, offer a menu of made-to-order poke bowls, all gluten and dairy-free. Wild Poke’s traditional bowl offers a cool-spicy combination of cucumber, seaweed, green onion, crispy garlic and onion and chili ponzu sauce. For a meatless option, the Togarashi tofu bowl has marinated tofu, green and white onion, seaweed salad, sesame, crispy garlic and spicy chili ponzu sauce. Guests can also customize their bowls with a selection of 17 toppings, and mix-ins (seaweed, avocado, edamame and a variety of chiles and fresh veggies). After choosing a base of sushi rice, brown rice or kale salad, guests can select ahi tuna, salmon, tofu or the daily ocean special. Bowls can be topped with a variety of sauces, including traditional Shoyu, creamy sriracha, chili ponzu, citrus ponzu, cilantro sesame and creamy wasabi. The restaurant also offers coconut water and cold pressed watermelon juice. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 1301 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, (310)314-0635.