Sacramentans, rejoice! Dine Downtown 2018 is officially our favorite way to kick off this rainy New Year. From January 12-21st, 32 del-oi-cious Sacramento restaurants are offering three-course meals for $35 in honor of Dine Downtown 2018. For ten days, your favorite restaurants will feature a special Dine Downtown menu, with one dollar from every meal purchased benefiting local social services and Sacramento’s Food Literacy Center.
As foodie fiends, we love the opportunity to try out specially curated menus because it gives chefs the chance to show off what they’re proud of, and we get to try something new. Earlier this week, we were invited to preview the Dine Downtown menus from Ten22, La Cosecha and Iron Horse Tavern.To no one’s surprise, everything we tried was inventive and tasty, with unexpected flavors and new takes on old classics that caught our attention in a big way! Take a look through the photos below for some highlights and some mouthwatering menu inspo!
To check out all participating restaurants and their specially-made menus for the occasion, click here. We’ve already picked out a few favorites that we can’t wait to try out – hope to see you there!
"Nacho" Average Afternoon at the SacTown Nachos Festival
By Jessica Gunn
Two Saturdays ago, a few of the SacFoodies attended the inaugural SacTown Nachos Festival, held at Downtown’s Cesar Chavez Park. We were intrigued by all of the buzz surrounding the festival and by the promise of nacho-mania, so we sunscreened-up and ventured into the Sacramento heat!
At this point, the SacFoodies have attended our fair share of food festivals, fetes, and fairs. One of the top things a festival can do right (in our opinion) is have a location with shade – and this one had it! If the food is good but you’re too hot and have nowhere to sit, it puts a pretty significant damper on the day. It was a really good call on the part of the Nacho Festival to the have the event in a park. Not only was there shade, there was plenty of grass to sit on and space to stretch out. Also, being in the center of downtown made this event convenient and easy to get to! We love it when we can attend central events because they completely open up the possibilities of the day – you can walk to your favorite bar after, catch a movie, or just stroll around, rather than having to drive from a remote location.
Now for what we came here for…….the NACHOS. Being dairy-free and attending a nacho festival usually wouldn’t mix but I decided to try it out anyway. No surprise, Chando’s nachos didn’t disappoint. They happily made my nachos without cheese or sour cream and they were so good. Spicy adobada with fresh onions, tons of cilantro, and guacamole, all served over fresh tortilla chips. The combination of spicy meat and fresh salsas was really unbeatable, especially paired with a cold Modelo! I don’t venture out into 110 degree heat often, but from now on I expect delicious dairy free nachos every time I do.
Overall I would declare the first SacTown Nacho Fest a success. Besides the nachos we tried, we also got a peek at some of the other delicious treats from The Roaming Spoon, Gameday Grill, and OMG! Yogurt! They looked amazing and I wish I had room in my stomach to sample each one. ‘Til next time, Foodies!
Golden 1 Center Roundup
By: Harrison Reilly
We at SacFoodies are very excited for the Golden 1 Center’s grand opening this weekend. We are not only excited to watch our hometown Kings play in a brand new arena, but for all the new restaurants and bars opening up downtown. With our office only a block away from the new arena, our plan is to review as many of these restaurants as possible. A new era is starting in Downtown Sacramento and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of it!
To get you ready for the Golden 1 Center’s opening, we have compiled a roundup of restaurants and bars opening up in and around the arena.
Inside Golden 1 Center
Let’s kick this list off with some delicious options within the arena itself. One of Golden 1 Center’s goals is to showcase Sacramento as America’s Farm-to Fork Capital. The arena plans to have at least 90% of their culinary ingredients sourced from within a 150 mile radius, taking advantage of the abundance of farming in the Sacramento Valley.
Local restaurants participating in the Golden 1 Center’s concessions are Café Bernardo, Block Butcher Bar, Centro, Lowbrau, Petra Greek, Mikuni Sushi, Star Ginger and many more. Out of town visitors and local foodies alike will be able to taste food from some of the city’s most established restaurants all within a central location.
WHIRED Wine, 410 L St.
Looking for a wine bar with small bites before heading to the game or concert? Look no further than WHIRED Wine Bar. Right across from Macy’s and the arena, WHIRED describes itself as “a wine bar for newbies and connoisseurs, cork-dorks and wine-geeks.”
Along with a large selection of whites and reds, WHIRED offers draft beers and small bites that include flatbreads, sandwiches and charcuterie plates.
The Foundation Restaurant & Bar, 400 L St.
Right next to WHIRED is The Foundation. This restaurant is a minimalist bar and eatery serving locally sourced American style dishes.
Their happy hour is perfect for a pre-game snack. The happy hour menu includes house made potato chips with gorgonzola cheese sauce, Asian beef short rib skewers, BBQ chicken flatbread and fish tacos. Pair those items with a $5 wine happy hour special, it’s a great way to start the night.
Malt & Mash Irish Bar, 715 K St.
Malt & Mash prides itself in being a “high-energy downtown restaurant and bar that celebrates the beautiful history of Irish-American culture.” The bar features whiskey from around the world, classic pints and a new twist on pub food.
The cocktail menu includes a drink called the Dublin Gravy, which includes Guinness Drought, Chocolate Fish nitro coffee, topped with Irish whipped cream and a shot of Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey. Sounds like a dream for this Irishman.
El Rey On K, 723 K St.
Owned in part by former Sacramento Kings player Kenny Thomas, El Rey (“The King” in Spanish) is positioning itself as Sacramento’s premiere cantina, offering the “freshest Mexican street food experience” and a connection to the Kings.
Their menu includes smoked carnitas nachos, blistered peppers with sea salt, lime and garlic confit crème and a large selection of gourmet tacos.
These are just some of the restaurants that are open right now. Over 30 new restaurants are expected to open up along the K Street mall in the next year. So keep following SacFoodies for the latest and greatest on all the new eateries across the Downtown area.
Also, look out for a post next week about the Sacramento Kings Fan Fest at the Golden1 Center, where we will get to enter the new arena for the first time and have the opportunity to try some of the in-house food offerings.
Dine Downtown: deVere’s Irish Pub
by Liz Conant and Cecily Fuller
For our second SacFoodies Dine Downtown Restaurant Week review, we were invited to deVere’s Irish Pub in Midtown to check out its special menu for this week, which is $30 per person for three courses. Little did we know we were dining at the pub on its weekly Trivia Night, and it was packed with serious pub quiz players! After enjoying our first course outside due to the crowds, we managed to snag a table inside to finish the meal and check out the quiz.
The meal began with a light and crisp Endive Salad with bleu cheese, toasted walnuts and Granny Smith apples, and a cup of the chef’s soup of the day, which was a creamy broccoli bisque that was not hard to finish!
Next up were the entrées: a roasted half chicken served with mashed potatoes, broccolini and carrots, and a braised pork shoulder served with brown buttered potatoes. The chicken was juicy, both potato dishes were delicious (we had no trouble eating every bite of the taters!) and the veggies were the perfect healthy complement to the meal.
If we weren’t stuffed enough by this point, dessert came next, and it did not disappoint. Luckily, we didn’t have to choose between the Flourless Chocolate Cake and Crispy Bread Pudding. The chocolate cake was served with candied walnuts and was deliciously rich and decadent, while the bread pudding was Irish to the core, served with vanilla ice cream and Jameson caramel.
Fun Fact about deVere’s: all of the furniture and decorations in the pub came straight from Ireland – how’s that for authentic? They’ve also recently opened a location in Davis.
For a list of all participating restaurants for Dine Downtown, click here.
deVere’s Irish Pub
1521 L Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
What’s Happening in Sacramento this Halloween Weekend
Looking for a festive way to celebrate Halloween? Read on to learn about a few of the exciting events happening around town this weekend.
Ghost Tours in Old Sacramento:
Whether you’ve never been to Old Sac or are a frequent visitor, here is a great excuse to go. From today through Saturday, experience a ghost tour, which will take you through centuries of history including ghost stories dating back to the Gold Rush era.
Costume Brunch at de Vere’s Irish Pub:
Looking for a place to sip on a mimosa, enjoy a tasty brunch and let your kids run around in costumes? If you answer yes to these questions, then deVere’s Irish Pub is the place to be! The kids dressed in the best costumes this Sunday can win prizes and treats, so dress to impress!
Trick or Treat in Old Sacramento:
Looking for a place where you and your kids can enjoy some good old fashioned trick or treating? Head to Old Sac this Saturday from noon until 4 p.m. Come dressed in full costume and meet at the Old Sacramento Schoolhouse to begin your candy collecting!
Old Sacramento Halloween Block Crawl:
This Sunday, check out the Halloween Block Crawl in Old Sacramento. Participating venues include: River City Saloon, Fanny Ann’s, O’Mally’s, Vega’s, Sports Corner and The Other Office. What better way to spend your Halloween but by enjoying drinks specials, fun costumes, and great bar food?
Spend Halloween in Midtown:
Bring your kids in costume and enjoy trick or treating from L Street to J Street and from 16th Street to 27th Street collecting candy from local shops and business. This event is free and fun for the whole family.