Brennan's encouraging its guests to wear hats? Yes, but not of the baseball variety. Instead, the refined restaurant is offering a special deal during every Saturday brunch in July: Wear a hat -- whether it's a fedora, bonnet, beret, derby or cloche -- and get a free Smoke Bloody Mary for yourself and a round of specialty cocktails for your friends. Brunch is $32 a person each Saturday and runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations are encouraged.

Celebrate Bastille Day on July 14 in true French style: with wine, pastries, music and food at Philippe. Owner and recently designated Master Chef of France Philippe Schmit will be hosting a French fête at his restaurant from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 14. For $50 a person, guests will receive wine pairings from six different regions of France from sommelier Vanessa Trevino-Boyd, desserts from pastry chef Jamie Fling, live French "street" music and light bites from Schmit himself. Call 713-439-1000 to get on the guest list.

And next Wednesday, if you don't have a great spot to watch the Fourth of July fireworks yet, head out to The Eat Gallery. The Gallery's rooftop will be open and transformed into a wine bar for the evening, with plenty of delicious food for sale from the restaurant itself. The festivities kick off at 5 p.m. and last until the last fireworks go off.

Wine nerds, listen up: The Capitol Grille's Generous Pour Wine Event is returning soon, meaning that you'll have the chance to sample nine world-class and limited-vintage varietals at dinner, each hand-selected by Master Sommelier George Miliotes (known, fittingly, as @TheWineExpert on Twitter). Each wine was chosen from unique vineyards around the world by Miliotes, one of only 186 such somms in the world. "I selected the wines for the Generous Pour Wine Event, relying on favorites from unique vineyards that I enjoy in my own personal cellar."

The wines will be available for an additional $25 at dinner starting on July 9 and running throughout the summer until September 2. Guests will be guided through the wine tasting, with suggested pairings from Miliotes and tasting notes for each course. And if you're wondering about the wines themselves, here's a sneak peek at a few that Miliotes will have on hand:

• Simčič, Rebula, 2008/09
• Conn Creek Anthology, Cabernet, 2007
• Villa Mt. Eden Grand Reserve, Pinot Noir, 2007
• Ferrari-Carano Mountain Reserve, Cabernet, 2008

Lastly, reserve your spot now for Marcus Samuelsson's upcoming appearance at Central Market on July 19. The award-winning chef of New York City's Red Rooster Harlem and winner of Top Chef: Masters will be promoting his new book Yes, Chef: A Memoir, with both a book signing and an exclusive cooking class.

Yes, Chef is Samuelsson's unconventional memoir about food and family, in which he relays his experiences losing his mother to tuberculosis in Ethiopia, being adopted by a Swedish family who planted the seed of a love for cooking, and his growth as a chef that brought him to the U.S.

The book signing will take place at 4 p.m., followed by a cooking class at 6:30 p.m. Space is limited, so reserve your space for the book signing and/or the class in advance through the Cooking School reservation system. Book signing reservations are not required but are recommended; for $20, it includes a copy of the book and ensures you will have your book signed. Books may be purchased for $20, while supplies last, at the book signing event.