By Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt and Jessi Gunn
There’s a chill in the air, leaves on the ground and the holidays are fast approaching; it is officially fall! I don’t know about you, but this weather makes me want to cuddle up and eat good home cooking, but the desire to watch Netflix all day sometimes outweighs the desire to cook. That’s where Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar comes in! You may remember us paying them a visit for brunch with our furry friends in tow this spring. That day we discovered what an amazing hidden gem Lazy Dog is, and our latest visit only solidified its place in our hearts!
We visited Lazy Dog to give the new fall menu a try and haven’t stopped thinking about it since! Their attention to detail with their special menus continues to amaze us, not to mention the quality of their ingredients. All of the Lazy Dog ingredients are sourced from local farmers! The fall menu is filled with all the best comfort foods but with a delicious twist.
As you can see the menu is AMAZING! So it was pretty hard to pick a favorite dish. If you told us before we went to Lazy Dog that we would have a dining experience where the Spaghetti Squash and Beetballs were among the favorites, we wouldn’t believe you. However, the Spaghetti Squash and Beetballs were truly amazing, all the flavors of one of our favorite childhood dishes and completely vegetarian-friendly!
We also got the chance to try some delicious starters like the Crispy Deviled Eggs and the Winter Veggies with Burratta.
Onto the mains, we indulged in the most delicious and perfectly cooked Cornish Game Hen. Oven-roasted and served with a fantastic stuffing, this was to die for! We also tried a delicious, and different, PB&J Burger! We were skeptical of the peanut butter at first, but the candied bacon and grape jelly swayed us, and it was delicious. Sometimes those unique flavors have a big payoff.
We finished dinner with a delicious gluten free dessert!
Next time you don’t feel like cooking, visit your local Lazy Dog for some truly amazing fall food. That’s our plan!
Archives for November 2018
Clavey Vineyards & Winery
Last week, we had the opportunity to try organic, vegan-friendly wines from Clavey Vineyards & Winery. Located in the Sierra Foothills, Clavey is a family-owned boutique winery that prides themselves on sustainable growth practices and offer a wine-making “Custom Crush” experience at their vineyard.
We got to sample the Rosé, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon in our recent tasting, held at the SacFoodies Content Kitchen. Tasting notes and pairing suggestions below!
The 2016 Rosé had a fragrant nose of strawberry and was slightly darker in color than the typical Rosé. The winery recommends that you pair this Rosé with lightly grilled vegetables, or a fresh pasta tossed lightly in olive oil.
Our next choice, the 2013 Clavey Syrah, was medium-bodied with a dried plum and blackberry aroma – perfect to pair with a hearty braised lamb or a bittersweet dark chocolate.
We rounded out the evening with the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, a non-traditional light-bodied varietal with notes of cherry and blackberry. Pair this wine with a goat cheese spread, or a sharp cheddar and salami.
Named after an epic experience down Clavey Falls near Yosemite, Clavey Vineyards & Winery is run by a second-generation winemaker devoted to old-world techniques and tradition. If you’d like to visit the winery, or learn more about their methods, visit here for more details.
Mendocino Farms: It Feels Like We're Coming Home
by Laurel Harrison
The long-awaited Mendocino Farms is finally making its appearance at the R Street Ice Blocks on December 6th, and we could not be more excited! They already have a cult-like following in SoCal and the Bay Area, and the SacFoodies are ready to drink the seasonal, locally-sourced Kool-Aid.
For those who aren’t familiar, Mendocino Farms is a popular sandwich and salad restaurant that emphasizes premium, locally-sourced ingredients in creative and seasonal dishes. Mendo (as the fans call it) is devoted to partnering with local farmers and food artisans to create tasty food while supporting the local food economy.
Co-founders Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen (a dynamic husband-and-wife team) wanted to come back to their roots with a Midtown location, inspired by Del Pero’s own childhood experiences with Sacramento’s rich food scene.
Del Pero spent his youth in Sacramento, eating peanut noodles from the now-closed David Berkley Fine Wines & Specialty Foods and taking inspiration from Berkley’s commitment to high-quality, soul-satisfying food. In fact, Del Pero says that Berkley, and his dedication to the community, was a huge inspiration for the Mendocino Farms culture. It seems only fitting that Mendocino Farms is coming back to where it all began – right here, in Sacramento.
“I grew up less than an hour outside Sacramento in Yuba City, so this restaurant opening means a lot to me. It feel like we’re coming home. People here have such a great appreciation for the farm-to-table philosophy we’ve always embraced, and Midtown is such a sophisticated and vibrant community.”
What are the SacFoodies most excited for? Right now, it’s a toss-up between the Pork Belly Banh Mi and the Save Drake Farm’s Salad, but we’re sure we’ll find more to crave as we work through the menu.
Most of all, we’re happy to welcome Mario and Ellen home to Sacramento – we hope you stay a while!