by Brandon Smith
This week’s finds feature a bounty of local produce, (not so) mini burgers, a taco salad bowl and some almonds we can’t get enough of.
Beautiful, fresh produce
A couple of “Cowbells” from Krush Burger. These mini burgers are loaded with bacon, onion straws, BBQ sauce and smoked Gouda.
Taco Salad Bowl with carnitas from La Posada
We can’t stop eating these flavored almonds from Winters Fruit Tree! We recommend the sesame flavor but feel free to give any of their 40 flavors a try.
The Capitol Mall Farmers’ Market takes place every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., May through September.
Check back next Thursday for more of our favorite “Farm to Office” finds.
Search Results for: brandon smith
Farm to Office: May 19th
by Brandon Smith
Today’s finds feature a Capitol Mall Farmers’ Market classic and delicious in-season berries.
“Spicy Gyro” from Gyro 2 Go:
Fresh, local blackberries:
The Capitol Mall Farmers’ Market takes place every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., May through September.
Check back next Thursday for more of our favorite “Farm to Office” finds.
SacFoodies Weekend Picks
by Brandon Smith
Concerts in the Park
Downtown Sacramento’s Concerts in the Park series is back at it Friday, May 12th from 5 – 9 p.m. at Cesar Chavez Park. Every Friday between May 6 and July 29th (except July 1st), 6,000 fans gather in the heart of the city to see a variety of local and nationally touring artists. This week’s concert will feature sounds and good vibes from DJ Eddie Z, Andrew Castro, They Went Ghost, The Element Brass Band and The New Kingston.
After the concert, be sure to keep your wristband on and head to one of the official CIP after party locations for specials and discounts. View the full list of official after party locations here. For more info on upcoming concerts, visit the CIP website.
Cesar Chavez Park
910 I Street
Sacramento, CA
National Beer Mile
Four beers. One mile. One awesome after-party! Need we say more?
The National Beer Mile tour rolls into Sacramento on Saturday, May 14th at Raley Field! This fun run is perfect for runners, social drinkers, fitness enthusiasts, and those who just want to get out and have a great time. Drink a beer, run/walk/jog/dance/skip (whatever you want) your way a quarter-mile down the course, repeat three more times, then party at the open beer bar! This is a 21+ event so be sure to bring those IDs.
Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 on the day of the race. VIP and special group rates are also available. For more info, visit the National Beer Mile: Sacramento website .
Raley Field
400 Ballpark Dr.
West Sacramento, CA
Wine and Brew at the Zoo
The SacFoodies recently gave away two tickets to Wine & Brew at the Zoo and if you weren’t our lucky winner, you can still experience everything the Sacramento Zoo’s annual event has to offer. This exclusive after-hours event will feature 28 local wineries and breweries, live music, a silent auction and food from some of the best local food trucks. Best of all, guests will get to enjoy the spread while taking in the luscious green landscape and checking out exotic zoo animals. Proceeds and 10 percent of food sales will benefit animal care and the general maintenance of the zoo.
To purchase tickets, visit www.saczoo.org/wineandbrew, or call 916-808-5888
Sacramento Zoo
3930 W Land Park Dr.
Sacramento, CA
Farm to Office: May 5th
by Brandon Smith
It’s officially that time of year! The Downtown Farmers’ Market season is upon us. Thursday, May 5th kicked off the Capitol Mall farmers’ market and we were not going to let the dark skies and 40 percent chance of precipitation keep us from the food.
Here’s a look at what the SacFoodies opted for on our first day back at the market:
Four varieties of wood-fired pizza from The Pizza Company.
“Spicy Chicken over Rice” from Gyro 2 Go.
The Capitol Mall farmers’ market takes place every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., May through September.
Check back next Thursday for more of our favorite “Farm to Office” finds.
Darjeeling Gin is putting California Distilled Spirits on the map
When our new intern, Brandon Smith, mentioned there was a new distillery in Auburn, my ears perked up – I just moved to Auburn and, while I am well aware of the many craft breweries and tap rooms popping up, I hadn’t yet heard about California Distilled Spirits. Much to my surprise, CDS has had a ton of press in recent months, earning accolades throughout the region and beyond. So I took a little jaunt to meet Ed Arnold, owner of CDS, to check things out. Here are my notes from the visit, “distilled” into the real essence of how Darjeeling Gin is made.
Darjeeling Gin – from tank to bottle and from label machine to the shipping box – is hand-crafted by Ed, he is a one-man operation. His wife and 20-something-year-old kids are there for support and his son developed the CDS website. But, all had a good laugh over his success as it relates to the “family totem pole” when it comes to cooking, as Ed explained that he is the “consumer” of the household and at the bottom of that totem pole. But now, with classical music always playing while he works, this former HP executive, has put all his efforts into cooking, ‘er distilling, the perfect gin.
It all starts with the kettle, a hybrid still, sitting in the back of the warehouse in an inconspicuous industrial park. This is where the magic happens. Dry botanicals go in the upper, copper part and are held there during the process. Alcohol vapor then travels up the kettle steaming the botanicals and picking up the aromatics along the way, which is how the final product takes on the flavors of nine different botanicals.
“A lot of experimenting went into the recipe until I finally got it right,” Ed says. Hints of juniper come through – and we know from the name that the blend includes Darjeeling tea, which happens to be Ed’s favorite tea – but I couldn’t quite put my finger on any of the other “proprietary” botanicals. The goal was for the flavor to not be “so intensely floral” and he has perfected a wonderful balance of spices and citrus, with just a hint of floral, for a very smooth and flavorful finish.
Ed says his Darjeeling Gin is made for drinking neat over ice, but it’s also very versatile and, mixologist or not, you can experiment with different flavors by adding a variety of syrups or juices, such as elderberry and lavender, lemon or orange, and seltzer for a refreshing gin fizz. And, if you are a traditionalist, Gin and Tonic will never be the same (in a good way) with Darjeeling Gin.
Another key to the smooth flavor: “We have very good water in Auburn,” Ed says. “That, and I was lucky to hit upon something that people actually like.”
Scratch that, Ed, people are not only liking your gin, they are loving it, and giving it rave reviews. In fact, Ed’s Darjeeling Gin won “Best in Show” in the 2014-2015 World Beverage Competition. Yes, world renowned, but currently only available for purchase here in California and, thankfully for us, in many retail locations, bars, and restaurants around the greater Sacramento region. Click here to find out where to buy Darjeeling Gin.
“Word of mouth, press, and other reviews have really helped me spread the word,” Ed explains. “Darrell Corti of Corti Brothers was my first sale. And, I started with Save Mart here in Auburn and now it’s in every (Save Mart) store.”
Word of mouth will help Ed even further when he opens his distillery for tastings and sales on Saturdays starting this summer, thanks to new California law that now allows craft distilleries to sell on premise just as breweries and wineries do. He’ll also debut his first small-batch whiskey this summer.
In the meantime, Ed will be serving up tastings at the Taste of Excellence, benefiting the Sierra College Foundation this Saturday, April 23, at Sierra College in Rocklin. And, on June 16, he’ll be poolside at Thunder Valley Casino for the Rocklin Chamber of Commerce event Glitz Glamour Girlfriends.
Visit Darjeeling Gin’s Facebook page for more upcoming events and tasting opportunities.
Cheers!
California Distilled Spirits
Darjeeling Gin
www.californiadistilledspirits.com
Auburn, CA