This August marks the 15th Annual Race for The Arts run, and the premier event, “Off to the Races,” is bound to be a charming celebration of art, wine and great eats from local restaurants. The “Off to the Races” event will take place on Saturday, August 17 from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at the Pavilions on Fair Oaks Boulevard. Guests will be surrounded by the sounds of local musicians and the artwork of Sacramento artist Wayne Thiebaud.
Photo Credit: Race for the Arts
An array of wines available for sampling at the event include Napa Cellars, St. Supéry Vineyards & Winery, Mount Aukum Winery, Sean Minor Wines, Cielo Estate Winery, Barefoot Wines, Heringer Estate Winery, and Lava Cap Winery. What a list! A few of the restaurants that will be in attendance include Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Fabian’s Italian Bistro, Florez Bar Grill, Monsoon Cuisine of India, The Mandarin, Raley’s Fine Foods, Café Bernardo, Starbucks, Roxy’s Restaurant & Bar and Sutter Street Steakhouse. We also hear that Capital Confections is planning to sample their award-winning gelato!
Can’t make it to “Off to the Races”? The Race for the Arts 5km run/walk and children’s fun runs are taking place on Saturday, August 24 at William Land Park.
Lucky for you, we are giving away a pair of tickets to “Off to the Races!” Comment on this post by 12 p.m. on Thursday, August 15 and tell us which winery or restaurant you are most excited to try, and you will be entered to win! We will announce the winner on Friday, August 16.
Where:
Pavilions Shopping Center
563 Pavilions Blvd.
Fair Oaks, CA 95825
Time: 5:30-8:30
Date: Saturday. August 17
Cost: $50 (tickets available online at the door)
Information: (916) 933-4056
www.raceforthearts.com
Fourth Annual Sacramento Bastille Day
Looking for something new to do this weekend? This Sunday, July 14 is the Fourth Annual Sacramento Bastille Day Waiters’ Race and Festival and if you’ve never been before, it’ll definitely be an event to remember! I’ve personally never attended a waiter’s footrace, so I’m looking forward to this totally unique French celebration.
The big day starts at 9 a.m. with a 50-mile bike race ending on L and 18th Streets and continues with a Waiters’ Race at noon.
The Waiters’ Race, inspired by a long-standing French tradition in Paris, will start on L Street in between 18th and 19th Streets. The footrace includes a street festival with French food, drinks and music that continues all day until 3 p.m. Any and all local waiters, waitresses and servers alike are encouraged to sign up to compete in what’s bound to be a race like no other—only 50 participants are allowed to participate so register quickly!
Racers will be required to balance a tray with one bottle of Perrier and two water glasses while essentially power walking (no running is allowed) two times around the block bounded by 18th and 19th Streets, and L Street and Capitol Avenue. The goal is to make it to the finish line without toppling over your tray. Of course, full Parisian-style garb is required! First, second and third place winners will each receive gift cards to local French restaurants ranging from $100 to $750 in value. The celebration and street festival ends at 3p.m.
Gnocchi and Zabaglione at Biba
I have found a cure for the Mondays. Last night, a couple of friends and I went for a spontaneous trip to Biba for a celebration dinner, and I almost forgot it was just the start to another week. Amazing desserts, dinners and great service still exist on Mondays. This was the second time I’ve had dinner at Biba so I already knew to expect something spectacular.
This time, I tried the Gnocchi del Giorno and it was even better than it sounds. These perfect little gnocchi bites were doused in a rich tomato and white wine sauce and were just wonderful. With just enough room for dessert, I decided to step away from my chocolate obsession and try something entirely new—Zabaglione con Frutti di Bosco. This classic dessert is likely to become a new favorite. Fresh berries are topped with the Zabaglione sauce made with egg yolks, sugar and sweet wine—it adds the perfect creamy sweetness to summer fruit. With the scorching heat we’ve been enduring these past couple days – this dessert was the ultimate refresher. After scraping every spoonful out of my glass, I could only wonder how I’d been missing out on this all these years!
Biba Restaurant
2801 Capitol Avenue
Sacramento, California 95816
Valet Parking between
28th and 29th on Capitol
916.455.2422
Grand Opening of The Rind in Midtown
Fellow foodies—boy do we have exciting news for you! This morning, a couple of us SacFoodies were thrilled to witness the grand opening of The Rind, a cheese-centric bar located at 18th and L Streets. The Rind is quaint, classy, and set perfectly on the block with another favorite, Trey B Cakes.
The Rind opens its doors with welcoming arms to all non-sommeliers and cheese lovers out there who might not know what Italian wine pairs perfectly with what type of nutty gourmet cheese, but who know they like the two together! The menu features five different grown-up grilled cheese sandwiches and even a gourmet Prosciutto Baked Mac & Cheese that I will definitely be returning for.
The Rind encourages trying new food pairings and just having a good time over wine and cheese. This bar is anything but pretentious and has a very down-to-earth and intimate atmosphere.
We were lucky enough to speak to one of the bartenders after the owner, Sara Arbabian, cut the big red ribbon. He really proved to us that the passion and excitement behind Rind’s mission is to let Sacramentans have fun creating their own food, wine and beer combinations—many of which are organic and even locally sourced.
Welcome to the Farm-to-Fork Capital! We can’t wait to stop back in.
The Rind
1801 L Street Suite 40, Sacramento, CA 95811
916.441.RIND (7463)
www.therindsacramento.com
Hours:
Monday & Tuesday – Closed (eventually opening up Tuesdays, keeping Monday closed)
Wednesday – 11 am – 10 pm
Thursday – 11 am – midnight
Friday – 11 am – midnight
Saturday – 11 am – midnight
Sunday – 11 am – 10 pm
Spring Sips
What better way to celebrate the first weekend in spring than with some good sips and tastings! Here is a quick round-up of a few events that are sure to get the spring season started off on the right foot:
Revolution Wines—Friday Night Specials! Believe it or not, each week, Revolution Wines puts together a delicious wine/entrée pairing for only $15! Stop in from 5-10 p.m. every Friday to see what they’re serving up! On tonight’s menu: Cioppino with a glass of 2011 Zinfandel.
Philanthropic Beer Tasting—Whole Foods Market in Roseville will be hosting a beer tasting event ($15 per person) and all proceeds will be going to the store’s non-profit, Whole Planet Foundation. The tasting will have three different start times (5, 6, and 7 p.m.) for you to participate. Sounds like a win-win to us!
Spring Tasting Menu at The Grange—Debuting this Saturday, The Grange’s seasonal menu includes a fabulous gourmet three-course meal with a glass of wine for $40. Click here to see the menu.
Champagne Brunch Cruise—The Empress Hornblower will be featuring a relaxing Sunday itinerary: Floating down the gorgeous Sacramento River with a glass of bubbly and gourmet brunch buffet, with live entertainment on the boat. The cruise leaves the Old Sacramento dock at 11 a.m. and lasts about 2 hours. Click here for tickets.
Planning to attend one of these? Let us know how it goes!