Quick Bites: Asilomar's new look, food truck party, bagel bites and rum.

The coolest hub of the Asilomar Conference Grounds' 107-acre wonderland of cypress trees, deer, fog, redwoods and craft-style architecture is the Social Hall and its big fireplace, lounge chairs and pool table.

Another key ingredient there: Phoebe’s Cafe (372-8016), a worthy all-natural eatery, where the beer and wine are local and small batch, and the food includes quinoa salads, wild salmon and grilled scallops.

It feels earthy with a touch of timeless. It also feels under-the-radar because it's a ways from the street and any other restaurant.

Now it also feels like a better version of itself, with a just-completed new deck-patio to enjoy the surrounding pines, setting sun and forest air.

They also do live music around sunset on summer Fridays. That happens 6:30-9pm through Aug. 25.

Andrea's Fault plays this Friday, June 9.

More food news nibbles emerge here:

• River Road Wine Trail uncorks a doozie 1-4pm, June 11, with eight different wineries, three different music groups acts and five different food trucks next to Odonata, which is joined by Pessagno, Manzoni, Puma Road, Hahn, Smith Family, Ventana and Scheid for a Tunes, Trucks & Tastes festival ($65, $25/designated driver, cellarpass.com/river-road-wine-trail-presents-tunes-trucks-tastes-tickets-1483).

• Barkeep Josh Perry is leaving Restaurant 1833 to start his own place.

• Not often you can drink and eat at one of the best restaurants in the country for $8. But as Aubergine (624-8578) introduces Thursdays in the Courtyard 4-6pm June 8 and June 15, $8 gets a beer, three oysters (while they last) and live music.

• Chef David Baron (of new Salt Wood) joins Jordan Snyder (of M.H. Bread and Butter) and Klaus Georis (as he returns from two years cooking at In de Wulf & De Vitrine in Belgium) for a dynamite Can I Live pop-up lunch at Georis tasting room in Carmel Valley 2-6pm Saturday, June 10 ($100, m.bpt.me/event/2961266).

• Bagel bites are so 1991 and so BACK at Bagel Corner (771-8670) on Park Row in Salinas. 

• Joyce Vineyards (238-5736) celebrates completion of its new digs at 1 E. Carmel Valley Road 12:30-5:30pm Saturday, June 17, with live music, Oak & Rye pizza, fresh-shucked Morro Bay oysters, corn hole and bocce ($30/includes two drink tickets and food ticket; free/wine club members).

• Rio Grill's 33rd birthday bash raised $7,000 for Ag Against Hunger.

• Salinas-born Lost Spirits is stirring up a media frenzy with its latest creation. Wired published "One Man’s Quest to Make 20-Year-Old Rum in Just Six Days" last week.

• Sixth annual Central Coast Oyster & Music Festival goes down Saturday, July 8, at Avila Beach, CentralCoastOysterFestival.com.