Beginning today, Revolution Wines, Midtown Sacramento’s only urban winery, will be raising a glass to its new digs on 2831 S Street. The 5,600 square foot facility houses the winery’s entire winemaking process – from crush to bottle, and features a new indoor/outdoor tasting room and bistro with food by Executive Chef Simone McKinley.
Grand opening festivities run through Sunday and include new wine releases, gourmet food and wine pairings, barrel tastings and cellar tours. A full schedule of happenings can be found on their website.
A few weekends ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Revolution Wines for a private event during their soft opening and immediately made a mental note to add it to my short list of go-to happy hour spots. But the winery will appeal to more than just the happy hour crowd. At the conclusion of the private event, the tasting room and bistro opened to the public and brought in anyone from young families ordering from the local and seasonal lunch menu to couples enjoying a glass of wine while lounging in the tasting area.
Lunch menu offerings include a selection of seasonal soups, salads and sandwiches. As a vegetarian, the menu item I’m most looking forward to trying is the Curried Tofu Salad Sandwich featuring curried tofu, shredded carrots, celery, raisins, pine nuts and spinach atop a sourdough baguette. The lunch menu is offered Tuesday – Friday from 11am – 2pm and the evening menu is available Tuesday – Sunday from 4pm -9pm.
Archives for November 2010
‘Tis the Season for Giving Thanks – and Giving Back
Those of you who follow our blog regularly know that we write about all things food – recipes that impress us, our own kitchen foibles, restaurant reviews, food trends – pretty much anything food-related that catches our fancy.
Last year, we partnered with a food-related charity, Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS), because thinking and writing about food just wasn’t enough. We felt the need to act, to support those in our community who lacked the very food we so fondly describe in our posts.
Join us in supporting Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services during this holiday season. There are many ways to help, and no offering is too small:
- Turkey Drive 7,000: Drive by and drop off a turkey (or two or ten!) this Friday, November 19 between 4:30 AM – 7:00 PM at 3333 Third Avenue, Sacramento CA 95817. This year’s goal is to provide 7,000 turkeys to families in need.
- Adopt-a-Family: Over 1,000 children from 400 families who regularly attend SFBFS programs need your help to make Christmas a very special one. E-mail Genevieve Deignan at [email protected] to request a family’s holiday wish list.
- Run to Feed the Hungry: In our house, no Thanksgiving would be complete without participating in this iconic Sacramento Thanksgiving morning run/walk that benefits those in need. Join in the special feeling that this morning brings by signing up to run or walk – or organize a team. More information at www.runtofeedthehungry.com.
- Holiday Spirit of Giving Donation Drive: Help collect food and winter clothing for families in need by asking your company or organization to participate. More information here.
- Toys and Cold Weather Clothing: Donate new toys and stuffed animals at the Oak Park facility now through Friday, December 17th. In addition, winter coats, jackets, socks, gloves, scarves and boots are especially needed as the weather gets cooler. Donate Monday-Friday 8 AM-4:30 PM and Wednesdays 8 AM-7 PM. Contact (916) 456-1980 or [email protected] for donation questions.
- Donate: If you don’t have time to collect canned goods, clean out your closet, or shop for a family, then considering donating money. SFBFS turns every dollar it receives into $10 worth of goods and services that go directly to our community. Click here to donate.
If you want to learn more about Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, visit them online at www.sacramentofoodbank.org. And let us know how you’re helping out in the community this holiday season.
Panera Bread Bakery-Cafe
Today, new menu items debut at Panera Bread Bakery-Café, along with some returning holiday favorites. On Monday, the SacFoodies had an opportunity to feast on these new menu items, which included the Natural Steak Chili with Sweet Cornbread Crumble, Cornbread Muffins, Mint Crinkle Cookies, Peppermint Mocha, Peppermint Hot Chocolate, Frozen Peppermint drink, Holiday Bread and Cranberry Walnut Panettone. (Um, yes, we do love our jobs!)
Here’s what we thought:
Liz Conant:
The Panera Bread delivery to the office was a perfect way to kick off the week. We all sampled a bit of everything including Steak Chili with Cornbread, Macaroni and Cheese (can you say heaven??), and an assortment of cookies, sandwiches, baked goods and even hot and cold seasonal beverages. But what really kept me sneaking back to the kitchen for more was the Holiday Bread, a sweet egg dough mixed with honey, golden raisins, cranberries and chocolate chips and then filled with chopped apples and cinnamon sugar and drizzled with icing on top. It’s a well-known fact that food usually doesn’t last long around this office, so it’s no wonder the whole loaf was gone in a matter of hours!
Vanessa Smith:
I’ve always been a fan of Panera Bread since my days of living in Atlanta, so I was thrilled when they started popping up in Sacramento about six years ago. Over the years, I’ve tried many different things on Panera’s menu and of course found a few go-to favorites, but I had yet to feast on their Macaroni and Cheese until the other day and, boy, was I bummed when I realized I was missing out on that ooey-gooey shell pasta goodness all this time! It easily makes its way to the top of my mac ‘n cheese list (which is really saying something since I consider myself a true connoisseur)!
Cecily Fuller:
I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened, but at some point over the last few years Panera became my go-to source for chicken noodle soup during the winter. It never fails to warm me up on those all-too-common rainy Sacramento winter days, and I love the fact that I can trust the ingredients to be fresh and all-natural. So, my ears (and appetite) definitely perked up when I heard mention of another promisingly tasty and comforting winter menu option from Panera: All-Natural Steak Chili with Cornbread. The combo of slow-cooked brisket slices, ground beef and veggies topped with cornbread crumbles is the epitome of comfort food for me and will undoubtedly make its way into my winter soup rotation this year!
Edie Campbell-Urban:
One of my favorite things about November is when all the seasonal holiday drinks become available. I just can’t seem to get enough of that warm peppermint flavor. When Panera Bread invited us to taste some of their holiday specialties, I jumped at the chance to taste their peppermint mocha and I was not disappointed! Not only did it wake me up with its caffeine kick, but it also tasted exactly like a chocolate peppermint candy bar. It is safe to say I have discovered my morning mocha of choice :).
John Armato:
The Mint Crinkle Cookie is a cookie that takes me back to my childhood. Not delicate and nuanced. Not subtle and sophisticated. Not refined or reserved. Just big bites of mouth-filling chocolate mushy goodness. When you’re a kid, cookies should be soft. They should be rich. They should make a mess of your mouth and leave a trail on your fingers. They should be big and fun and make you grin. That’s what this cookie is and does. It isn’t so much a cookie as it is the very definition of “cookie.”
To say we enjoyed Panera’s new menu and holiday foods would be a vast understatement. We loved them! In fact, I’m having trouble deciding which item was my favorite, since I couldn’t get enough of the chili, the cornbread muffins, the holiday bread or the chocolaty mint crinkle cookies.
If you’re now wishing you could have Panera delivered to your office for a meeting or special occasion, wait no longer. Simply call Shauna in Catering (916.770.9333), and she’ll have everything delivered to your door. They’ve catered everything from a 5 person to a 1,500 person event – now that’s a lot of crinkle cookies!
We love Panera’s food, and we also love their commitment to providing food to the needy in our community. They are an important partner to Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, raising $20,000 each year, as well as donating both their time and bakery items.
If you’d like to try this new yummy Panera goodness, you’re in luck as there are now 7 locations in the Sacramento area. An 8th location will open on Thursday, December 2 in Citrus Heights at the corner of Sunrise Blvd. and Greenback Lane, which will be their first drive-thru location on the west coast. Let’s just say I know where I’ll be on December 2nd – I hear some mint crinkle cookies calling my name.
Sacramento:
3571 North Freeway Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95834
2731 Del Paso Road
Sacramento, CA 95835
3328 El Camino Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95821
901 Howe Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95825
Elk Grove:
8519 Bond Road
Elk Grove, CA 95624
Roseville:
1850 Douglas Boulevard
Roseville, CA 95661
916 Pleasant Grove Boulevard
Roseville, CA 95678
Citrus Heights: (opening Dec. 2)
7901 Greenback Lane
Citrus Heights, CA 95610
Tortilla Heights, San Francisco
Not only am I a huge fan of Mexican food, but I also love taking trips to San Francisco, so when my friend decided to have her birthday party at Tortilla Heights I was there in an instant! Tortilla Heights is located in San Francisco with a menu loaded with delicious Mexican cuisine. Since there was a large group of us, we were each given a customized menu, and I couldn’t have picked the dishes better myself.
To start, a pitcher of Hacienda Sangria was brought to the table. This delicious, pink concoction included red wine, spiced rum, fresh fruit juice, clover honey and fresh fruit. The sangria went perfectly with ourappetizer of white corn tortilla chips with two separate dipping sauces. The first was guacamole made from ripe Hass avocadoes, onions, chiles, fresh lime juice and cilantro, topped with a little pico de gallo. The second dipping sauce was warm queso, made from spicy melted cheeses, tomatoes and green chiles. I probably went through a basket of chips on my own because the dipping sauces were so amazing and refills just kept coming!
The first main dish brought out to the table was the Carne Tacos, which were served on tortillas stuffed with grilled chicken or carne asada, pinto beans, pico de gallo and guacamole. Next came the Quesadilla Suiza: a flour tortilla with Monterey jack cheese and stuffed with sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo and chicken. Talk about the perfect combination!
By the end of the dinner I was stuffed and swore I couldn’t eat another bite – that is until the Churros were brought to the table! I couldn’t help myself but it definitely topped of the meal. If you’re in the San Francisco area, I would recommend making a stop at Tortilla Heights for dinner. You will leave stuffed and satisfied!
Tortilla Heights
1750 Divisadero Street @ Bush St.
San Francisco, CA 94115
415-346-4531
Sienna Restaurant, El Dorado Hills
I rarely make it up the hill to El Dorado Hills, but I’d heard from a number of different people that I needed to venture out and try Sienna, a newish, beautiful restaurant in El Dorado Hills. Recently, I did just that. We hosted a baby shower in the Coriander Room of Sienna – a beautiful glass-enclosed room that seats about 10 comfortably, and enjoyed their delicious and varied menu.
We were a hungry group of women, so we started with the Coconut Crunchy Shrimp in Pineapple Black Pepper Reduction, the Duck Confit Pot Stickers with an Orange-Plum Dipping Sauce, Wild Mushroom Bruschetta (mini sourdough rounds with melted goat cheese and wild mushrooms in balsamic reduction) and Citrus Spiced Ahi accompanied by ruby red grapefruit, avocado and Grilled Pineapple Coulis. Everything was delicious, and I especially enjoyed the shrimp and pot stickers. Appetizer prices range from $7.95 to $12.95, with half off happy hour specials from 3-7 PM Monday through Friday.
We ordered lunch from the menu, which has a little something for everyone – salads, soups, wood-fired pizzas, pastas, risottos, burgers, sandwiches, and something they call “specialties” – which I’ll get to in a moment. A couple of us ordered soup and salad, a carrot-ginger soup and the Strawberry Baby Spinach Salad. Both were very reasonably priced at under $6.
Aside from my sister Sara, who ordered the Pepper Steak Cavatappi (sautéed tenderloin with crimini mushrooms in a brandy peppercorn sauce – definitely on my list for next time), the rest of us ordered their specialty items: Soy Ginger Glazed Salmon with Cucumber Salad and Cilantro Rice, Steak Frites with Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese, Crispy Sesame Tofu with Indonesian Stir-fry Vegetables and Cilantro Rice, and the Fitness Special, which was a Center-cut Pork Loin with Broccolini and Couscous (and under 430 calories). Who says you can’t have dessert?!
We’d been quite chatty up until lunch came, and then a hush fell over our little glass room and we were solely focused on the food. Every meal was beautifully presented. And the flavors! I found it difficult not to eat every single bite, despite being full.
Sienna has a lot going for it – beautifully situated, a to-die-for menu, excellent service and so many special events. Here are a few of note:
• Sunday Champagne Brunch – 10 AM-2 PM
• Happy Hour – Monday through Friday from 3-7 PM in the bar and picturesque outside lounge
• Live Music – Every Thursday and Saturday from 7-10 PM
• Sienna Chef Experience – One per month with Sienna’s exec chef, who teaches cooking techniques during a live demonstration. And then, you get to eat! The next one is “Holiday Chef Experience,” Nov. 20 from 1-3 PM, $35 for three courses paired with wine.
3909 Park Drive
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
916.941.9694