The Dish: Where to meet Guy Fieri, Del Mar’s culinary fest returns and six new openings

Food Network star Guy Fieri, who is in town this weekend for the Del Mar Wine + Food Festival, will make a special appearance from 5 to 6 p.m. Friday at Total Wine and More in Mission Valley.

The Emmy-winning TV show host will be meeting and taking photos with fans and signing bottles of Santo Tequila, a brand he co-launched in 2019 with Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Sammy Hagar. Santo Spirits is based at the El Viejito Distillery in Jalisco, Mexico. Its tequila varieties include blanco, reposado, añejo, a 100-proof blanco tequila, as well as Mezquilla, a tequila-mezcal blend. Total Wine & More is at 8740 Rio San Diego Drive, San Diego. Visit santospirits.com.

And speaking of the Del Mar Wine + Food Festival, the third-annual event kicked off Wednesday and continues through Sunday. Here are the culinary events still to come this week:

• Ramey Wine Dinner: Acclaimed chefs Jackson Kalb (Jame Enoteca & Ospi in Los Angeles), Jason McLeod (culinary consultant for Clique Hospitality in Las Vegas and founder of Ironside Fish & Oyster in San Diego’s Little Italy) and chef/author Marc Murphy (MARC179 in New York City) will collaborate on this prix-fixe dinner featuring pairings of wines form Ramey Wine Cellars in Healdsburg. 6:30-9:30 p.m. tonight, Sept. 11. Croquet Cottage, The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, 5951 Linea Del Cielo, Rancho Santa Fe. $332.62.
• Game Changers Event: This fundraising dinner will benefit the Alex Morgan Foundation, which aims to level the playing field for girls in sports and life. Morgan, a two-time World Cup soccer champion and Olympic gold medalist, hosts the outdoor event, which will include a multi-course dinner with wine pairings by Justin Vineyards & Winery. The meal will be prepared by six acclaimed San Diego-area women chefs: Adria Marina (Georgina in Tijuana and “Top Chef: Mexico”), cookbook author Catherine McCord (Weelicious.com/One Potato), Claudia Sandoval (“MasterChef” season 6 winner and judge), Michelle Mathelin (winner of “MasterChef Latino”), Zuliya Khawaja (Naturally Zuzu plant-based chef), and Karen Krasne (owner/chef of Extraordinary Desserts). 6-9:30 p.m. tonight, Sept. 11. Fairmont Grand Del Mar, 5300 Grand Del Mar Court, San Diego. $398.74.
• Baja Dinner with Javier Plascencia and Raul Casillas: Tequila Ocho will present this multicourse dinner with tequila and agave spirits pairings prepared by two acclaimed Baja California chefs. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Friday. Puesto Mission Valley Tequila Center, 5010 Mission Center Road, San Diego. $180.53.
• Kosta Browne Wine Dinner: A multicourse meal will be prepared by Michelin-starred San Diego/Baja chef Drew Deckman, Jet Tila (Food Network star and chef), Mawa McQueen (James Beard Award semifinalist from Aspen, Colorado), Benito Molina (MasterChef Mexico  judge 2015-2020 and Baja culinary ambassador) and Katie Webber (executive chef at Estancia La Jolla). 6-9:30 p.m. Friday. Estancia La Jolla, 9700 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla. $299.56.
• Grand Tasting: This outdoor event will take place over two days at the San Diego Surf Sports Park east of Del Mar. Dozens of local restaurant chefs and purveyors of more than 200 wines, beers and spirits will take part in the event, offering unlimited samplings of their food and drinks. Saturday and Sunday. General admission (1 to 4 p.m. each day) $193.47. Early entry tickets (noon to 4 p.m.) are $255.57. VIP tickets, which include a private pre-show reception (11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) are $459.95.

Good News alcohol-free bar now open: Good News, which bills itself as San Diego’s first dedicated non-alcoholic bar, officially opened Aug. 29 in Hillcrest. Designed as an inclusive space for the sober-curious and those in recovery, it provides the social environment of a bar for ages 18 and up only. The bar is overseen by managing partner Ality Richardson, a clothing designer who is herself sober. Good News is decorated with several photos and tributes to American rapper Mac Miller, who died at age 26 of an accidental overdose of drugs and alcohol in 2018.

The first-come, first-serve bar has a menu of 15 “functional” cocktails, which means they include health-oriented ingredients like adaptogens, nootropics, nervines, kava and CDB. Good News does not sell food and no outside food is allowed, but owners do plan to launch morning hours soon that will incorporate a pastry program with coffee and tea. Hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays (open until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays). 3821 Park Blvd., San Diego. goodnewssd.com

Communal Coffee expands to Bankers Hill: Communal Coffee, Jen Byard’s café and retail concept that debuted in North Park in 2016, recently opened its fifth location in the lobby of Kaya, a 78-unit apartment building in Bankers Hill. The 60-seat location, a collaboration between Byard and architect Jeff Svitak, serves the Communal coffee menu of espressos, cold brews, specialty lattes, matcha drinks and other drinks as well as a seasonal menu of breakfast items including avocado toast, bagels, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, açai and granola bowls and breakfast burritos. It also carries retail items including books, jewelry, candles and décor, beauty and wellness products, and more. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Future plans include expanding hours to add beer and wine offerings. 2710 Third Ave., San Diego. communalcoffee.com

Better Buzz expands to Rancho Peñasquitos: San Diego-based coffee shop retailer Better Buzz opened its 25th San Diego location on Sept. 4 in Rancho Peñasquitos. To celebrate, the new location will be exclusively serving the Banana Pudding Best Drink Ever for the first 30 days it’s open. The shop is also selling the popular fall drinks Pumpkin Spice Latte and Pumpkin Chai. Hours are 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. 9878 Carmel Mountain Road, Suite C,  San Diego. betterbuzzcoffee.com

Great Greek opens in Oceanside: The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, a Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant, recently opened an Oceanside location with seating for 48 inside and 36 outside. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 1830 Rancho Del Oro Road, Suite 150, in the Arroyo Verde shopping center. thegreatgreekgrill.com/oceanside-ca

Gen Korean BBQ coming to UTC: Gen Korean BBQ, an Asian sit-down restaurant chain, will open this month near the Macy’s department store at Westfield UTC shopping center 3434 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite E-25, San Diego. The restaurant chain offers cook-your-own platters of meats, seafood and vegetables with banchan (small side dishes and snacks). Tables have embedded grills where diners can cook their proteins. The UTC location will join an existing location at 10765 Westview Parkway in Mira Mesa. Details at westfield.com.

Raising Cane’s opens in Midway District: The latest location of the chicken fingers fast food chain Raising Cane’s opened Wednesday in San Diego’s Midway District. The new location is open from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily. 3720 Camino Del Rio West, San Diego.  locations.raisingcanes.com