By Jessica Gunn
California State Fair
Celebrate the California State Fair’s 164th anniversary with a ton of foodie fun. The fair has FREE (yes, you read that right…free) samples of honey from Sola Bee Farms, cheese tastings from Point Reyes Farmstead, cornbread and bbq sauce from Burgess Brothers and ice cream samples from Gunther’s Ice Cream. The CA State Fair has everything your fair-going heart could desire, including the highly-anticipated wiener dog races. End your State Fair experience with a cooking demo from official fair chef, Keith Breedlove. He will be showcasing all the best farm-to-fork ingredients available. Nothing says summer like the State Fair!
July 14-20, 2017
1600 Exposition Blvd Sacramento, CA, 95815
Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $6.00 for children if you purchase in advance.
Off the Grid @ The Barn
Do food trucks, live music, interactive art and dancing pique your interest? If so, you should head over to West Sac for this week’s Off the Grid at The Barn, where food trucks from Sacramento and San Francisco gather to share their delicious bites. This Saturday, the Drake’s Brewing Co. crew will be in attendance to host an interactive beer brewing (and tasting) experience. This event is held every Saturday through the end of August, so you have plenty of time to get your foodie groove on!
July 15, 2017
5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
The Barn 985 Riverfront St.
West Sacramento, CA, 95691
More information here.
Rio Linda Farmers Market
Get out of the city and take a drive into the country for Rio Linda Farmers Market. They have everything foodies need to make fresh & healthy meals for the week. This week’s market features berries, cage-free eggs, local honey, and fresh Central Valley tomatoes from local vendors. Don’t forget to stop by the High 5 Homemade Pet Treats booth for healthy treats for your 4-legged friends. Fresh country air and fresh produce? Sounds good to us!
Every Saturday through September 30, 2017 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Dry Creek Ranch House 6852 Dry Creek Rd Rio Linda, CA 95673
More information here.
Soil Born Farms – Field Days
Experience a day in the life of a farmer with Field Days at Soil Born Farms. Help the farm staff weed, harvest, and care for their fruit and vegetable farm. Pre-registration is necessary to participate. If farming isn’t your style, hang out and listen to music from Millington Strings, taste pastries from Magpie Cafe, or experience a veggie centric cooking demo. Before you leave, don’t forget to purchase some of the fresh produce you helped harvest! Working hard has never tasted so good.
Every Saturday through November 18, 2017 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
2140 Chase Drive Drive Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
More information here.
Midtown Farmers Market
For those who want to stay a little closer to home, stroll on over to the weekly Midtown Farmers Market. Venders flock to midtown every Saturday morning to show off the best of the best products from California, including Dragon Gourmet Mushrooms, Wheel Lemonade, and The Pasta Queen. The Midtown Farmers Market is the ideal place to shop, gather as a community, and explore the neighborhood.
Saturdays all year 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
20th St between J and L streets Midtown Sacramento, CA 95816
More information here.
Food and Fun in the Sun this Saturday
By Jessica Gunn
Summer is in full swing and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by having some fun in the sun and good food! Because is fun really fun without food? Check out these fun food events all happening this Saturday.
THIS is Midtown
This is not your average block party. Local artists like the LA Riots, Mike Diamond and My Cousin Vinny will be performing throughout the day rounded out by a beer garden and lots of vendors. The best part? This event is sponsored by Saint Archer Brewing Company, Pizzeria Urbano, LowBrau, and Azul Mexican food and Tequila Bar making it a FREE event! You can’t go wrong with THIS is Midtown.
July 8, 2017 4:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
20th St. between K and J streets Sacramento, CA
More information here.
The Midtown Bizarre July
Identity Coffee is hosting their monthly pop-up shop on Saturday July 8. Vendors and artisans from around the area will be there selling goods and answering questions regarding their crafts. Bring the whole family and enjoy a cup of amazing, fresh brewed coffee while you shop.
July 8, 2017
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
1430 28th Street Sacramento, CA 95816
More information here.
Punk Rock Pizza Party
If you love punk rock as much as you love pizza, this is the event for you. Bottle and Barlow is hosting their second annual foodie concert for the 21 and over crowd, featuring music from Setting Sons, and food from Pizza Supreme Being. Pizza and music? I’m there.
July 8, 2017
3:00 p.m.
Bottle and Barlow 1120 R Street Sacramento, CA 95811
More information here.
The Cocktail Academy
Have you ever wanted to learn how to bartend, but without the pressures of working in an actual bar? Here is your chance. Join Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Company this Saturday July 8 for a master class in all things bubbly. Learn how to make sangria, sherry, and champagne cocktails while enjoying snacks and cocktail tastings. The best part…this is the first in a series of seven masterclasses covering all your favorite liquors! Tickets are $55, but save some money by buying more than one class.
July 8, 2017
2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Company
1630 S Street Sacramento, CA 95811
Buy tickets and see more information here.
SacFoodies Weekend Picks
By: Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt
Midtown Bizarre
Identity Coffees is serving up more than a great latte this Saturday as they host the first Midtown Bizarre of the year. The Midtown Bizarre showcases a wide range of handmade goods and products from Sacramento locals.
Burly Beverages, a locally owned company that specializes in small batch sodas and soft drinks, will be in attendance. They’ll be serving a soda made with locally sourced ingredients and brewed with care by owner Gabriel Aiello.
Conscious Creamery will be dishing out six of their dairy-free gelato flavors. All of their products are all natural and vegan made with produce from local growers.
Grab a directly-sourced coffee, sip, shop and enjoy.
January 14, 2017
12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Identity Coffees
1430 28th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95816
Midtown Arts
Midtown is known for its eye catching murals and thriving art culture as the neighborhood continues to open new restaurants offering a variety of menus and tastes. The Local Roots Food Tour explores not only the art and culture that encompasses the Midtown area but also gives guests a chance to try some of the great places to eat.
The food tour focuses on restaurants that embrace farm-to-fork and farm-to-glass to ensure that all tour goers get a taste of everything Midtown has to offer.
Grab your walking shoes and your appetite and immerse yourself in Midtown.
Tours take place every day from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. The tour, presented by Local Roots Food Tours, spans the Midtown area, and you must purchase your ticket in advance.The cost is $78 per person, $74 for children and military and $70 for seniors (65+)
Midtown, Sacramento, CA 95816
Dine Downtown (January 12-22, 2017)
Sacramento has made a name for itself in foodie circles. There are so many fine dining areas Downtown, it is hard to decide which one to try. Now there are no limitations as the 12th annual Dine Downtown has kicked off.
For the next 10 days, 35 downtown restaurants will be offering special 3-course experiences for $35. Not only will you get to experience all that the Downtown dining scene has to offer, one dollar of each meal purchased with Dine Downtown will be donated to social services and food literacy programs, like the Food Literacy Center
Odds are, one of the 30+ participating restaurants has what you are looking for. Book online to save some time and enjoy your experience.
The cost is $35 for a 3-course prix fixe meal.
A Seasonal Selection at Paragary's
If you’ve done any exploring in Sacramento’s picturesque Midtown, we can pretty much guarantee that you’ve spotted the California bistro Paragary’s. Nestled on the corner of 28th and N, you’ll enter a warm and inviting space filled with a staff that has an attention for detail. The restaurant has been a staple of the Sacramento food scene since 1983 and re-opened in June 2015 after a remodel.
SacFoodies was given the opportunity to join other Sacramento influencers to taste Paragary’s current seasonal menu of pizzas, cocktails, desserts and so much more. Their menu is designed to showcase the different bounties available in Sacramento at any time of year. So what you’ll enjoy in the winter will be completely different than what you’ll find in the summer.
Deschutes Street Pub
By: Harrison Reilly
For the second year in a row, Bend, Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery took over the 1800 block of Capitol Avenue for their traveling Street Pub. With 100% of the proceeds going to Runnin’ for Rhet, the event was an opportunity for Sacramento beer lovers to try unique brews, enjoy live music, eat great food and support a worthy and local cause.
The Deschutes Street Pub has been visiting cities across the United States, offering fans the chance to try their wide ranging beer selection, including some rare releases. While I didn’t get to try the food, Deschutes’ head chef Jeff Usinowicz was creating custom dishes with help from local chefs Wesley Nilson from De Vere’s Irish Pub and Ryan Rose from Zocalo.
As for the beer, it didn’t disappoint. If I had attended during the evening hours, I would have given their porters and stouts a try. I’m a big fan of their aged stout, The Abyss, but the late afternoon heat called for some lighter beers.
Here’s what I had:
- Sagefight Imperial IPA: This double IPA was very smooth for having an 8% ABV. The sage was a great touch without it being overpowering.
- The Dissident: Only poured in a 30 minute window, this limited production sour was a thrill to taste for die hard Deschutes fans in attendance. Although I’m not a big fan of sours, I really enjoyed this one and its wine-like qualities.
- Armory XPA: Described to me as an “experimental pale ale”, this beer was the most refreshing of the three I tried on a surprisingly hot afternoon.
This was a fantastic event and a great addition to Sacramento’s fall events calendar. We hope Deschutes makes their third trip to Sacramento next October.