An alfresco Friday at Healdsburg winery

Music in the courtyard: One of the most wonderful ways to spend a Friday evening is at Michel Schlumberger (4155 Wine Creek Road, Healdsburg), which hosts its Friday courtyard music series through the end of October.

This Friday night features Harris/Youngblood, with John Youngblood on guitar, mandolin and vocals, Hugh Harris on guitar and vocals, Gus Garelick on fiddle and Sam Page on bass. Mouthful knows these musicians and gives the evening a thumbs up. You are guaranteed a good time.

The evening gets started at 5:30 and continues until

8 p.m. There's a $10 cover charge, which includes a glass of wine. Some artisan foods are available for sale, but guests are welcome to bring their own picnic. If you want to guarantee a seat at a table with friends, call 433-7427. Otherwise, just show up.

Farewell to the Grill: Few were surprised when "Closed" signs appeared on the doors of Sebastopol's West County Grill this week; the rumors had been flying for months.

There are those who speculate that chef Jonathan Waxman abandoned the restaurant, but others point out that he was always a behind-the-scenes partner, checking in occasionally, largely to oversee food costs. Menu planning and cooking always fell to Chef Darren McRonald and his staff.

Partner Stephen Singer's longtime connection to Chez Panisse (he was married to Alice Waters and is the father of Fanny, Alice's daughter) may have hurt more than it helped by creating both a false impression and too-high expectations. Chez Panisse is unique; it is what it is because of the vision and passion of Alice Waters and will never be replicated. While the principals of West County Grill may have known that, others connected the two.

For these and other reasons, West County Grill never resonated with the community. But the failure of a local business is never good news. Mouthful wishes the staff and partners of West County Grill the best of luck in their next endeavors.

Friday Nights in Cloverdale: Cloverdale is typically a bit warmer than many parts of the county, which makes it a perfect location for a street party. That's just what is happening Friday night.

Starting at 7:30 p.m., you can hear Lo Cura, a quartet inspired by flamenco, Cuban, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Peruvian and other world music.

The outdoor concert, which takes place in the downtown plaza, is free. To snag a place for your lawn chair or blanket, arrive early.

Restaurants on the plaza will be selling good things to eat and drink, and the festival itself will have bottled water and wine available for purchase.

If you decide to make a night of it, you can get a discount by calling Historic Inns of Cloverdale at (800) 894-1737; be sure to mention you're coming to Friday Night Live.

Summer's Sweetest Celebration: Everything seems to suggest this year's Gravenstein Apple Fair in Sebastopol is ideally timed. In some years, the beloved apple has not ripened in time for the fair; in other years, the season has just about ended before the celebration.

But this year, the Gravenstein is glorious and abundant right on time. Last week, members of Slow Food Russian River passed out delicious freshly-pressed juice at the Sebastopol farmers market. If mild weather continues, everything will be just about perfect.

The fair, a project of Sonoma County Farms Trails, takes place Saturday and Sunday. There are two stages for music and ongoing demonstrations of life on the farm, including goat milking, sheep shearing and bee keeping. Several education booths join dozens of food, art and craft vendors to celebrate the peak of summer.

Prepared foods offer plenty for apple lovers, such as apple fritters and apple pie whole and by the slice. There's also pizza from a wood-fired oven, Hawaiian shave ice, Greek specialties, lemonade, cider, iced coffee, wine and beer.

Admission is $10 per person, $8 for seniors and $5 for kids 6 to 12. The weekend fair opens at 10 a.m.; it closes at 6 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday in Ragle Ranch Park in Sebastopol; signs will direct you to parking.

Marie Simmons at Left Bank Restaurant: Marie Simmons is as sweet a cooking teacher and writer as you'll find anywhere. She's appearing at Left Bank Restaurant (507 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur) on Tuesday, August 19, as part of the ongoing "Cooks With Books" series by Book Passage of Corte Madera.

The evening event features recipes from Marie's latest book, "Things Cooks Love: Implements, Ingredients, Recipes." The book is particularly helpful to anyone who wants to learn more about the traditional implements of Moroccan, Iberian, Indian and Asian kitchens.

Cost is $100 per person or $175 per couple includes one signed copy of the book.

The best way to make reservations is to visit www.bookpassage.com, click on the link for author events, scroll down to "Cooks with Books" and follow the prompts.

Michele Anna Jordan can be reached via e-mail at michele@micheleannajordan.com.