If the Germans can jump the calendar gun and start Oktoberfest in September, so can we. The Gordon Biersch brewery and restaurant just released its fall seasonal menu and limited edition FestBier lager week.

Redwood City hosts its fifth annual Salsa Festival on Sept. 29. The Downtown Campbell Business Association will hold its sixth Wine Walk on Sept. 19.

Local winemaker Adam Comartin, of Comartin Cellars, producer of some great grenache, will host a tasting party on Sept. 16 from 6 to 9pm at the Left Bank in Santana Row.

There are a few bright spots along the street now, but overall the neighborhood’s potential has not been fully realized. Eight-week-old Zona Rosa is one of those bright spots.

San Pedro Square Market vendor Poppy Farm Home and Garden Shop will host what it hopes will be its first annual food and wine event in the San Pedro Square Market on Sept. 22, from 2 to 6pm. The event will feature wine from several premium local wineries and local eateries.

To say that chef Justin Perez, who runs Restaurant O Catering, has been through the wringer is a gross understatement. You think your life is tough? Consider what Perez has been through over the past decade.

Robert Dasalla is chef/owner at San Jose’s Little Chef Counter. Like the name implies, the restaurant offers just counter service inside downtown San Jose’s San Pedro Square Market.

Labor Day weekend marks the 31st-annual Livermore Valley Harvest Wine Celebration. Sunday, Sept. 2, and Monday, Sept. 3, between noon and 5pm, area wineries will offer wine, food, art and music to ticket holders.

Mountain View’s Milk Pail Market survives by offering specialty items that big-box groceries can’t. Located right across the street from Safeway, the 38-year-old market has carved out a deep niche.