Nearly 40 restaurants and bars will take part in the third annual Toast to Hillcrest, a fundraiser for the Hillcrest Guild scheduled from 5:30 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 13. According to Guild Vice President Nancy Moors, visitors can bite and slurp a variety of consumables stretching from Third Avenue to Park Boulevard. Participating restaurants include Ortega’s, It’s a Grind, Pasha, the Tractor Room, Hash House A Go Go and many more. Tickets are $25, which include food and drink samples, plus free shuttle aboard a double-decker bus that will continue looping the neighborhood for the duration of the event. Customers must be 21 years or older. Event wristbands and information will be available at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Robinson Street.

Last year’s event raised $2,000, used for neighborhood improvements and cleanups throughout Hillcrest. Tickets can be purchased online at www.hillcresthistory.org. (A limited number of tickets will be available onsite.) For more information, visit the Web site or call 619-260-1929.

After seeing The Better Half Bistro vanish recently, two other Hillcrest restaurants have followed suit. The longstanding La Vache on Robinson Street and Viva Pasta on University Avenue are now dark.

Chef Christian Graves of Jsix in Downtown San Diego has introduced a series of “chef’s kitchen experiences” beginning Sunday, Aug. 2, and continuing the first Sunday of every month through December. Graves will take foodies on an all-day Epicurean journey starting with morning visits to local farmers markets and then into the kitchen as he prepares three-course meals for each guest. The cost is $120, which includes the meals, wine pairings, roundtrip transportation from Jsix to the farmers markets and restaurant parking. 616 J St., 619-531-8744.

A five-course dining experience highlighting the cooking styles of four acclaimed chefs from Napa to Baja will be presented from 7 to 9 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 3, at Addison in the Grand Del Mar. Each chef will create a course to be paired with wine from their region. The toques include William Bradley of Addison (preparing two courses), plus Angela Tamura of ZuZu in Napa, Javier Placensia of Romesco in Bonita (and Casa Placensia in Baja) and Wolfgang Gussmack of 3 Square in Venice, Calif. The event is sponsored by the American Institute of Wine and Food. Tickets are $200 per person and can be purchased online at BeyondTheBorder-art.com. 5300 Grand Del Mar Court, 858-254-3031.