Farm-to-Fork

Tower Bridge Dinner Menu Preview

August 28, 2018 by SacFoodies

It’s that time of year again, when we all get a little green with envy at the thought of the ever exclusive Tower Bridge Dinner. This year, the envy is at an all-time high because the one and only Jeremiah Towers is hosting! I know, hold the applause. Traditionally, each chef chosen from the community brings one dish to the table that is specially created, cooked and plated. But this year, the Tower Bridge Dinner is celebrating community and the dinner will be a totally collaborative effort by all chefs, for a menu that is as cohesive as it is inspired. Oh, you’re gluten-free and dairy-free, you say? No worries, the chefs have made sure this dinner is inclusive for all.
Although we didn’t make the guest list, we were lucky enough to partake in the next best thing, the menu preview event! Five courses of beautiful, local, inspired and above all, delicious food. P.s. for more photos head to our Instagram.
So let’s start with the bread. Delicious, flavorful, sesame encrusted bread. Called Epi Bread, this really should have been called EpiC bread because let me tell you, that’s what it was. Served with olive oil and cultured butter, because, of course.

Course 1: Roasted fresh local veggies. Oh boy, why doesn’t every meal start with an overflowing bounty of summer squash, cherry tomatoes, roasted eggplant and blistered peppers? I think we should all, as a society decide to start all meals this way from now on. Especially when it comes with a side of sesame seed gremolata.

Course 2: Sturgeon. This dish was my favorite dish we sampled. Smoked sturgeon with sturgeon skin chicharon, a lightly pickled lemon cucumber salad, and of course, caviar. The deep flavor of the fish paired amazingly with the briny caviar and rich Russian dressing. Spy that pink sauce in the background? Remoulade. Fantastic.

Course 3: Duck. Confit leg of duck and roasted breast was served with cardamom and black pepper roasted figs, mahgoney and black rice, and charred grapes in late harvest zinfandel. Chef Brad Checci described this dish as duck served with everything a duck would eat. I’m sold.
Course 4: Lamb. Braised shoulder of lamb with roasted cipollini onions, tomato confit, heirloom been gratin and salsa verde. I will admit, I’m not the biggest fan of lamb, but this dish might have converted me. The lamb was so tender and flavorful, and the roasted onions were the perfect counterpart.
Course 5: Cheese. Ricottage cheese with preserved peaches and lemon verbena, chicories and baked pears, preserved Meyer lemon vinaigrette, and tomato oil crackers. The Chef’s inspiration for this dish is the man himself, Jeremiah Towers. Jeremiah ate canned peaches and cottage cheese when he was a kid, so the chefs of the Tower Bridge dinner stepped it up a notch with a local ricotta and cottage cheese blend paired with preserved summer peaches. The best part, the cheese maker from Orland Farmstead Creamery will be on the bridge serving this iconic dessert.
And now for the main event…the chefs!

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Farm-to-Court: A Day in the Golden 1 Kitchen

April 13, 2017 by SacFoodies

by Laurel Harrison
Did you know that we, as Sacramento-ans (Sacramentonians?) live in the largest arable valley in the world? We have access to a veritable cornucopia of fruit, vegetables, meat, wine, and beer, all in our very own backyard. It’s no wonder the farm-to-fork movement is successful in Sacramento when you take note of the big names in our corner; namely, Chef Santana Diaz, Executive Chef at the newly established Golden 1 Center.
Last week, the SacFoodies had the opportunity to peek behind the curtain and receive a full tour of the Golden 1 kitchens, led by Chef Diaz himself. We at SacFoodies love to support and learn more about local eats and establishments, so we jumped at the chance to learn more about Golden 1’s “90% from 150” program. Through this program, Chef Diaz and his staff source 90% of their ingredients from within 150 miles of the arena. As a foodie, I was fascinated – what does an arena kitchen look like sans “big box” food? What does a prep day look like when you have whole, fresh ingredients to prep for thousands of people?
Chef Diaz has set out to change arena food from the ground up, completely transforming what it means to make, buy, and eat food in a sports arena setting.

From the get-go, I was impressed by the attention to detail and hands-on nature of Chef Diaz and his team. There were no dark corners in this arena kitchen – everything was gleaming, pristine, and utterly dedicated to the production of quality food. Even though I had been to the arena and eaten the food, I had no idea just how much of the arena food is done in-house. I got to walk through the walk-in freezers and see tub after tub of pickling jalapenos, pickles, and onions (for the nachos), rows of rising dough (for the pizza), and huge mixing bowls of ground lamb (for the gyros). Nothing calls to me like tubs of house-pickled jalapenos – if you’re pickling those bad boys in-house, I feel like I’m in good hands.

It’s hard to pick my favorite aspect of the food production at Golden 1, so I’ll share a few highlights of the day.

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SacFoodies Weekend Picks

September 8, 2016 by SacFoodies

by Brandon Smith

Farm-to-Fork Restaurant Weeks
Farm-to-Fork Restaurant Weeks presented by Raley’s is a celebration of the region’s premiere dining destinations and the bounty of seasonal ingredients that surround us. The event will showcase the culinary powerhouse that is the Sacramento region, with area restaurants hosting special events, menus and opportunities to meet the farmers, winemakers and brewers who make Sacramento America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital.

The dining options will span Sacramento’s downtown core, as well as other regional spots including Roseville, El Dorado Hills, Lodi, Folsom, Davis, West Sacramento, Elk Grove and more.
Be sure to visit participating restaurants (full list available here) for your chance to win two tickets to the sold out Tower Bridge Dinner presented by Cadillac or gift cards to local farm-to-fork restaurants.
The more you dine, the more chances you have to find a Golden Ticket. For more info on the ticket giveaway, click here.
California Craft Beer Summit and Beer Festival
The California Craft Beer Summit and Beer Festival is a must attend event for the beer loving community. This three day event starts as an industry trade show and ends at the largest California craft beer festival, hosted outdoors in front of the state Capitol and offering unlimited tastings from 160 breweries and more than 450 beers brewed across California.
Yes, you read that correctly. Unlimited tastings!
The California Craft Beer Summit Festival will take place on Saturday, September 10 at Capitol Mall from 3-7 p.m. For info on other California Beer Summit events, tickets and a list of participating California breweries visit the California Craft Beer Summit website.
East Sacramento Edible Gardens Tour
Grow it and eat it! Edible gardens are springing up everywhere.
Experience six uniquely different edible gardens in East Sacramento homes on Saturday, September 10 2016 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Attendees will enjoy entertainment in the gardens provided by “Sacramento Symphonic Winds”, have a chance to talk with Master Gardeners and win fabulous prizes.
All proceeds from the Edible Gardens Tour will benefit Tubman House and Food Literacy Center.
Tickets are $20.00 in advance through Soroptimist of Sacramento and $25.00 on the day of the event (children 12 and under free).

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Grilled Cheese Benedict at Bacon & Butter

April 18, 2016 by SacFoodies

by Brandon Smith
April is National Grilled Cheese Month and April 16 happens to be National Eggs Benedict Day. And while eggs benedict and grilled cheese don’t sound like two things to be celebrated at one time, the grilled cheese benedict from Bacon & Butter will have you questioning why this combination doesn’t have its own national day.

I’ve been hearing nothing but great things about Bacon & Butter. Friends, coworkers and many an online review have given me no reason to think the food at Bacon & Butter is anything short of incredible. Pair the reviews with rumors of substantial lines forming outside before the doors even open, and you’ve officially peaked my (and my taste buds’) interest.
I crawled out from under my rock and dropped in on National Eggs Benedict Day to get my first taste of Sacramento’s Best Brunch and the infamous grilled cheese benedict. To make a long story short, Executive Chef and owner, Billy Zoellin, and the rest of the Bacon & Butter staff did not disappoint. Two perfectly poached eggs and thick cut bacon rest atop a grilled cheese sandwich comprised of Cheddar, Jack and Mozzarella between two soft slices of Bella Bru Challah bread and a liberal amount of some damn-good hollandaise.

For me, this was a true embodiment of what brunch should be: a meal combing the basic flavors of breakfast and lunch with deliciously prepared ingredients in a unique way. Everything about Bacon & Butter exceeded my expectations from service, to atmosphere and, most notably, the food (especially the freshly made Bacon Pineapple Fritters).The fact they use Farm to Fork ingredients isn’t bad either.

So well done, Bacon & Butter, you’ve successfully found a way to combine two seemingly different classics into a pair that fit together easier than Sunday morning. Check out the rest of the Bacon & Butter’s food, specialty cocktails and fresh baked goods here!
Bacon & Butter
5913 Broadway
Sacramento, CA 95820
http://baconandbuttersac.com/

Dawson’s

July 1, 2014 by SacFoodies

I had the opportunity to hang out with Jason Poole, the executive chef of Dawson’s last week, and learned that his restaurant is anything but an industry cliché. Located at 1209 L Street, Dawson’s is the Hyatt Regency’s in-house steakhouse. But don’t call it a “hotel restaurant.” Dawson’s stands on its own.

“We’re not a hotel restaurant. We’re better than that stigma,” Poole says. “Yes, we have rooms here, but we’re so much more.”
Unlike some hotel chains that implement uniform menus across all locations, Poole has free rein over 99 percent of everything that comes out of his kitchen. That translates into a delicious menu chock full of local items like SunFed Ranch grass fed beef from Sutter County and asparagus and other fresh veggies from the Delta.
With fresh local ingredients, Poole’s Chef de Cuisine Michael Grande has a wide variety of foods to work with, and he does so masterfully. The grass-fed beef bone marrow appetizer we sampled was luscious and buttery. We ordered the SunFed Ranch grass-fed flat iron steak and a California corn-fed flat iron from Brandt Beef for comparison. Both were delicious and cooked just to perfection, with sides of crisp asparagus as well as lobster mac-and-cheese. All these great flavors were delivered with incredible service (arguably the best I’ve had in Sacramento) courtesy of our awesome waiter, Ardy.

Beyond the great wait staff and cuisine, one particular source of pride to Poole is what used to be a cascading hotel fountain that’s now brimming with a variety of edibles like fragrant lemon thyme and ripening tomatoes. This is Poole’s vegetable garden, retrofitted by the hotel just for his use. Poole’s favorite plant is a hardy pepper plant that he likes to call, the “Charlie Brown pepper tree.”
“It’s the lone survivor of the garden’s first iteration,” Poole admits with a smile, touching the leaves of the plant. “It took some tweaks to get it right.”

To get the ingredients needed for Dawson’s beyond what his garden and the Charlie Brown tree provide, Poole says the best local foods are always just a phone call away.
“In Sacramento, it’s so easy, you just have to put in a request for whatever it is you want and it’s here,” Poole says.
Easy sourcing makes it even more fun for Poole to participate in the abundance of Sacramento Farm-to-Fork celebrations he enjoys, like BLT Week in July, Offal Day in August, Farm-to-Fork Festival in September and Baconfest in January. Poole says the events are great opportunities for him to showcase what Dawson’s has to offer Sacramento foodies.
“We’re out in the community,” Poole says. “We’re letting people know we’re way beyond just a hotel restaurant.”
Dawson’s
BAR: 4:00pm – 10:00pm Monday – Friday
5:00pm – 10:00pm Saturday & Sunday
Happy Hour: Monday – Friday, 4:00pm – 6:00pm
DINING ROOM: 5:30pm – 10:00pm Daily

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