The restaurant El Paseo sits slightly south of wine country in Mill Valley, where it is both a local favorite and a destination for visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of co-owner Sammy Hagar (formerly of Van Halen and Montrose). The Spanish-influenced steakhouse is very wine-friendly since Hagar is quite a collector himself. Each month, Hagar hosts a ‘Wine Collectors Dinner’ where diners are encouraged to bring a bottle to share that fits that month’s parameters (a recent dinner focused on 1990-1999 Left Bank Bordeaux). $125 per person gets you (and your bottle) into the family-style dinner where bottles are opened immediately and conversations among wine lovers are overheard in every corner of the restaurant. The events have a charming, intimate vibe even though the headcount can reach forty people or more. Hagar himself has made an appearance at every event I’ve been to and has been incredibly generous with his own collection. The famous musician often brings rare large-format bottles of older vintages and thrillis his customers with many wines they would not likely get to enjoy otherwise.

Sammy Hagar and family at El Paseo.