SacFoodies

by Laurel Harrison

If you haven’t tried out the recently-opened Mas Taco Bar on R Street, they have a new offering that should pique your interest (and satisfy any late-night cravings)! As of this week, Mas Taco Bar is serving $2 dollar tacos and $5 margaritas from 9pm to close on Friday and Saturday nights.

We’ve tried Mas Taco Bar before and always enjoyed the inventive taco options and refreshing drinks, but this late-night taco/marg situation has definitely raised the bar! Whether you like to get adventurous with the Banh Mi Shrimp taco or keep it classic with a Pork al Pastor, there’s something for every palate on the menu.

Our favorites right now (ask us again in a week) are the Korean Fried Chicken taco and the Jalapeño Cilantro margarita. That said, we’re planning on working our way through this menu as the evenings get warmer and the days get longer – late-night tacos are a must-have in our 2019 summer schedule!

For more information and for the full Mas Taco Bar menu, visit their website here.

by Laurel Harrison

Happy Lunar New Year, foodies! The Year of the Pig is upon us and we’re celebrating in style with a new recipe and tradition from our friends at Food Literacy Center.

Food Literacy Center celebrates Lunar New Year with Yu Sheng, a Singaporean salad dish meant to bring good luck for the new year. A salad of fruit, vegetables and fish, the dish is made and shared to ensure a lucky, prosperous and healthy year.

Each ingredient in Yu Sheng symbolizes a specific hope or wish.

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By Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt

…and, in this case, the “that” is the Sacramento King’s official tequila sponsor, Milagro.

We had the opportunity (thanks Milagro!) to experience the King’s newly announced tequila sponsor during an awesome night filled with delicious food and drinks, once in a lifetime experiences and best of all, a W for the Kings!

We started off our night on the court, Swipa, Bogi and Giles were greeted by the smiling faces of these foodies (we’re pretty sure we were the night’s good luck charms!). Seeing the Kings up close and personal was such a fun experience that we will cherish forever.

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by Laurel Harrison

Last week, the SacFoodies attended a tour and tasting at J.J. Pfister Distilling, a recently-opened craft distillery in Rancho Cordova. The craft beer boom took Sacramento by storm, and we were excited to see a new side of the craft beverage coin – a family-owned and operated local distillery. Since launching their initial potato vodka in 2017, J.J. Pfister Distilling now makes and sells vodka and gin, with an additional gin variety, rum, bourbon and rye whiskey all on the way.

The visit opened our eyes to a whole new world of craft beverages, and it made us happy to know that we can enjoy a cocktail and support local business and innovation. A tasting at J.J. Pfister is also a great alternative for the non-beer lovers out there, or those of us who just want to try something new. Don’t we all have that one friend who doesn’t like beer, no matter how many fruity sours you throw their way? J.J. Pfister’s tasting room brings the casual, friendly vibe of a brewery while offering up spirit options that are downright delicious.

Gail and Kevin Keck, distillery owners and parents to the master distiller Brian Keck, greeted us warmly with a beautiful charcuterie board and signature cocktails made by Dru, the resident mixologist.

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This year, the FleishmanHillard and SacFoodies team left the big city and headed out to the Capay Valley to celebrate the holiday season. Séka Hills welcomed us with open arms for an afternoon of food, drinks and good cheer!

We started our afternoon with a tour of the surrounding Yocha Dehe farm land. The tribe grows 16 crops on over 2,000 acres including almonds, sunflower, olives, and walnuts. Plus, Yocha Dehe has a herd of 700 cattle in the hills and surrounding valleys. The tour was beautiful and a perfect way to kick off the afternoon.

We then indulged in a little charcuterie and Séka Hills Voignier on the patio! The weather was perfect and it was a nice treat for the office.

After our time on the patio, we headed inside to our table in the milling room, where olives from the farm are milled and transformed into award winning olive oil. The table was beautiful and the decor was so festive.

Yes – that sign says “Deck The Halls with Cheese and Wine”… you can see where our priorities lie!!

The menu was full of delicious local produce from start to finish, plus they were so accommodating to our team members with dietary restrictions. We started with a Tuscan Kale Caesar Salad with Olio Nuovo Dressing, Shaved Local Duck Egg, Crispy Bread Crumbs & Aged Parmigiana. This was served with a Séka Hills Sauvignon Blanc.

Next we indulged in a family-style spread of Red Wine Filet Mignon with Tuluk’a & Pomegranate Demi, Roasted Root Vegetables, Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Chicken Breast with Herb Jus, and Wild Rice Pilaf with Leeks. All of the dishes on the menu were cooked with Séka Hills olive oil and balsamic vinegar products! This course was served with Séka Hills Tuluk’a.

Last but certainly not least, we enjoyed some truffles and fromage with Séka Hills Tribal Reserve.

Overall, our day at Séka Hills was perfect. We got to experience the beauty of the Yocha Dehe farmland and the amazing farm to table food and wine that they offer. But don’t take my word for it! Enjoy these words of praise from the FleishmanHillard and SacFoodies team.

“Séka Hills was everything that I love about California rolled into one, beautiful scenery, farm to table food and delicious wine! Not to mention learning a bit more about the tribe and their traditions was amazing. I can’t wait to go back for the sunflower tour and perhaps a bit more of the Tuluk’a ;).”

“Such a beautiful getaway. I will definitely be going back in spring for the bloom tour.”

“The food was incredible with so many amazing local fall flavors, each pairing perfectly with Séka Hills wines. I can’t wait to plan my next visit and tasting.”

For more information on Séka Hills, visit their website.

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!

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.

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!

Now that we’ve settled into September (raise your hand if you’ve already had a pumpkin spice latte . . .), we want to shine a spotlight on one of our favorite Sacramento institutions – Food Literacy Center. This month is Food Literacy Month, and we’re so excited to lend our support to our favorite foodie nonprofit.

Six years ago, Food Literacy Center worked with the California legislature to officially declare September as Food Literacy Month to raise awareness about the need for cooking and nutrition education for kids. Food Literacy Center brings essential food and nutrition programming to low-income elementary schools, teaching kids about how (any why) to love your veggies. Read more »

By Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt

Bella Bru is a classic in the Sacramento area, we love their bread and we really love their desserts. Great news, we found, even more, to love during our recent trip to Bella Bru!

We visited the Carmichael Bella Bru with a few of our foodie friends  To say we were impressed with the new items that Chef Tony has created, would be a massive understatement. Each bite was absolutely delicious, the flavors clearly put together with care and experience and you just can’t beat the presentation! Chef Tony has spent quite a bit of time traveling and flavor inspiration from all over is evident in each bite. We’re excited to head back to Carmichael location for this AMAZING menu, and we suggest you come right along with us.

Just a few of our favorite bites below, head over to our Instagram (@sacfoodies) to see more!

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