Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "brew it up"

Local restaurant consultant on the five mistakes restaurants make

2012-08-16T13:34:55Z

Garlic Shack, Lounge on 20, Red Lotus, California Pizza Kitchen, Hangar 17 and Brew it Up! are all restaurants that have closed in the central city in the past few years. Meanwhile, others thrived, celebrating 10- and 20-year milestones.

Why?

The Sacramento Press talked to local restaurant consultant Andy Soto, owner of Spectrum Restaurant Consulting, and asked what he thinks are some of the mistakes restaurants make that cause them to shut down.

While Soto said there are many reasons restaurants fail, he sent us his top five.

Why resturants fail, by Andy Soto:

Not connecting with the community. Things like participating in events like Make a Wish Foundation, Grape Escape, etc. Those are just two examples, but those types of events give people the chance to get to know the restaurants and their offerings in a very casual atmosphere. Partnering with local charities or participating in charitable events also goes a long way. De Vere's Irish Pub’s St. Baldrick's event is a wonderful example of an event meant to bring the community together for a worthy cause and enjoy the company of others while getting to know a particular venue.

Finding the right social media formula is important as well. Things like Facebook and Twitter are great ways to connect with your customer base, and people love to "like" things. It is crucial to find the balance where you aren't chasing away your guests with too many posts or losing your audience by posting too little. Social media has proven to be a great way to let people know about events, community outreach, specials and restaurant giveaways. Those restaurants not using social media outlets to reach the masses have an archaic way of thinking and should consider joining the rest of us in this century.

Not listening to their guests. One thing I recommend is the use of comment cards. When I say "the use of," I mean the proper use. This means doing something with the information provided. Some restaurants don't see comment cards for the true gifts that they are. These are opportunities provided by the guests telling owners exactly what they would like to see done differently. Like anything else, you need to filter through these things as you can get inundated with people's personal ideas on how to run the perfect restaurant. Within that sea of comments there are some very valid and valuable pieces of information owners can use to improve their business. If you are just using them to collect email addresses, you are missing the big picture.

Not doing research on your concept. Before opening a new restaurant, owners need to look at what they want to do, where they want to do it and how they are going to execute it. What types of concepts are doing well? Is there a concept the neighborhood is lacking? Do they want to follow in the footsteps of something popular? Do they want to do something new and cutting-edge? Do your prices fall in line with that of your neighbors and similar concepts? There is a tremendous amount of risk involved in this business, so doing your homework is vital.

Training and education. Of course, staff members should have a specific level of knowledge that meets or exceeds the needs of the restaurant. Restaurants need to take this a step further and continuously test and challenge their staff. Managers and owners need to write and administer tests on alcohol, food, service, etc.

Some places need it once a month, perhaps at a mandatory staff meeting. Other places in need of more help should test their staff members on a weekly basis before or after their shifts. There should be tests to further the education of every staff member: hosts, servers, bussers, runners, cooks, etc. This obviously means management needs to customize the exams to fit specific job descriptions. The more information you provide your staff, the more they can provide the guests.

Proper funding/finance. This goes for new owners mainly. I can't begin to tell you how many people I've met over the years who wanted to take their life savings and open a restaurant because it looks like so much fun. These folks are in for a rude awakening 100 percent of the time.

If you are opening a restaurant and are close to the date of your soft open and see the money running out, make no mistake, you are in trouble already. I highly recommend having enough in reserve funds to keep the business going for at least a year. This means payroll, vendors, repairs and many other unforeseen instances we all know can pop up in life.

Some folks with a good plan and strong business model can make it work with six months’ worth of cash, but this is not always the case. If it sounds impossible to have that much liquid cash on hand, perhaps you might want to consider a different business. This is of course not set in stone, but common sense will tell anyone you need money to operate, and (most) restaurants don't generate profits in their infancy.

I have also witnessed the opposite effect, which is where an owner has deep pockets, spares no expense on décor, artwork and furniture with little focus on having the right team members in the right positions. In these situations things tend to fall apart sometimes before the restaurant is even open. Generally these turn into very expensive life lessons.

The Rind: Cheese Bar to open in Midtown this November

2012-07-30T02:17:25Z

Cheese lovers rejoice: The Rind, a speciality cheese bar focusing on gourmet pairings of artisanal cheese plates with wine and beer, is projected to open in ~~the old L Wine Lounge space~~ November at 18th and L streets next to Buckhorn Grill.

“Our mission will be to pair wines, beers, ports and bubblies with the featured cheeses so you get to learn how to enjoy them together,” owner Sara Arbabian said. “We’re looking to create a really comfortable and fun environment where you sit down at the bar and order a cheese plate and a glass of whatever you’re jonesing for.”

Arbabian said her vision for The Rind’s architectural design will include capitalizing on the large accordion windows, integrating the outside with the inside and creating an atmosphere that is casual, comfortable and pleasing to the eye.

“It will be casually sophisticated and make you feel like you’re in a modern cheese cave where you can sit down comfortably and stick around for some grilled cheese sandwiches, mac and cheese and salads,” Arbabian said.

Along with those items, there will also be a charcuterie plate featuring only free range and traditionally cured meats, Arbabian said. She plans on embracing all things local – customers could see the likes of Lagunitas Brewing Company as well as old favorites from the now-closed Brew It Up!, which was located at 14th and H streets.

The Rind will also feature rare cheeses for the true turophiles, or cheese connoisseurs, looking for their fix.

“I’ll be going to North Carolina in a week to eat cheese and make relationships with cheese makers over there,” Arbabian said. “I’ll basically be creating those relationships in order to get those exclusive cheeses that people can’t get from large distributors.”

This will not be the first time Arbabian has traveled the distance for cheese — when she began research for The Rind, an idea that blossomed from her personal at-home cheese and wine events, she attended seminars taught by Steve Jones of Cheese Bar in Portland Ore., where she became excited about bringing the concept to Midtown.

According to the feedback elicited by crowds at the Bastille Day Waiter’s Race held on July 14, Arbabian isn’t the only one getting hyped about The Rind. She and her husband, Steve, set up shop in the empty space with tables piled high with cheese, nuts and fliers and awaited the response.

“That event was amazing – we went through 12 pounds of cheese in two hours,” Arbabian said. “We were so grateful to the people who came out to support us.”

One of those happy to see the new business coming in is Phillipe Masoud, owner of the nearby Crepeville, on the corner of 18th and L streets.

“I think it will be good for Midtown,” he said Friday. “It’s always good to have a specialty shop in the area like a wine shop or a cheese shop – and cheese and beer, why not?”

Masoud said he expects the business to do well, as the spot has a lot of visibility with the car and foot traffic, and the idea follows a tried-and-true model, yet aims to deliver a unique product.

In the coming weeks, Arbabian said she and her team will be fine-tuning The Rind’s design and beginning construction that will provide the space with a kitchen and a bar. She said she hopes to open in November, sometime before Thanksgiving.

“What I’m most excited about is providing a forum for people to enjoy cheese, wine and beer,” Arbabian said. “The difference between our cheese bar and your cheese section in a grocery store is significant: It’s going to be the difference between buying a cheese that has already been sitting on the shelf and coming in and sharing the history of where a certain cheese came from and getting interaction and human perspective on it. I think we can reach any level of person in terms of what they want from cheese.”

Editor's note: The article stated that The Rind is going into the former L Wine Lounge space, but it will, in fact, be in a smaller space between the Former L Wine Lounge and Buckhorn Grill. The incorrect information has been struck out.

Former Brew it Up! owner seeking investment for comeback

2012-06-14T03:22:03Z

Will Brew it Up! return? The answer is a resounding "maybe."

The brewpub and restaurant that featured a brew-your-own-beer aspect in addition to its selection of craft beers closed last year after a 15-year run. Now, owner Mike Costello said he’s got a new business plan in place to resurrect some of the successful aspects of the former business, and build upon them.

He’s only missing one thing.

“It all comes down to money,” he said, adding that while he has pledges of about $300,000, the potential investors don’t have quick access to the money, and he's looking for something more solid in the next month.

“Basically, the long and the short of it is that the concept of Brew it Up! worked,” Costello said. “We just pushed the finer dining aspect of it too hard.”

Costello said he will not own the next business, Brewhouse Concepts Land & Management, but will be an employee. Any new business will likely be run by a board of directors made up of investors.

The business itself will be markedly different as well. Instead of focusing on a brewery and restaurant concept, Costello said, the plan will be to focus on larger-scale manufacturing of the beers that already have a name in the local market and expand to other parts of the state and region. A tasting room and individual brewing facilities will still be included.

“We have a strong portfolio of beers people like,” Costello said.

Beers that were popular at Brew it Up! and will return if the new business is funded include the Vienna Lager, Oatmeal Stout, Engine 2 Pale Ale, Nordendorf Pilsner and Captain Ron’s Double IPA.

Despite using Brew it Up! recipes and having the name associated with the new business, there is a solid barrier between the two, and Costello said it is too early to say whether existing gift cards, Groupons or the like that were for Brew it Up! will be honored by the new business.

Until money is invested, Costello said, there won’t be serious talks about a location, but somewhere in Sacramento, West Sacramento or Roseville will be a priority.

“It makes sense to start in Sacramento because we already have a market here,” he said. “We’re going to be in a place with lower overhead, and we won’t serve food, initially.”

The setting could be a warehouse or other more industrial space than the downtown corner of 14th and H streets, where Brew it Up! was located, and though there will be a tasting room, food will be handled by outside sources such as food trucks.

“I took what worked, and I focused on that,” Costello said, referencing the new business plan. “Now we’re looking at what else is strong, and we’re focusing there.”

Since the closure of Brew it Up!, local craft beers have become more popular, and breweries such as Track 7 Brewing Co. and Ruhstaller Beer have opened and expanded their operations.

“Hyper-optimistically, if I am able to get the funding by the end of the month, I could open three months from then, so by Oct. 1,” he said.

Sonny Mayugba, executive vice president of the marketing and communications firm Augustine Ideas and a partner at Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar, said he’s seen Costello’s business plan, and he thinks it can be “wildly successful.”

“He learned a lot from failure,” Mayugba said. “He had a pretty good success for years, but he’s learned a lot from the old place and is applying it to the new one.”

Mayugba said he was a fan of Brew it Up!, and he liked the aspect of indvidual brewing.

“I not only used it personally, but it was a great thing for company gifts and employee team-building and things like that,” he said. “I thought it was very cool that you could do that in Sacramento.”

Despite his praise for the private brewing aspect, Mayugba said he thinks it’s secondary to the distribution angle of the new venture.

“The part that has me most excited is the manufacturing aspect,” he said. “Beer is seeing a huge resurgence, especially in craft brews. My thought is to keep it eminently local and really own a small region. He’s not going to come out and be where Sierra Nevada or Lagunitas is right away.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Coyote Tap House to take old Brew it Up! spot

2012-01-13T00:27:46Z

Coyote Tap House, a new bar and restaurant serving Asian cuisine complemented by 50-60 beers on tap, is in the works to take the spot at 14th and H streets vacated by Brew it Up! last year.

“It’s going to have a full bar and live entertainment,” said Valerie Mamone-Werder, business recruitment manager for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership.

The owners, brothers Ken and Ming Le, own and have run Oshima Sushi and Fugu Lounge in Natomas since 2004, Mamone-Werder said.

“They’re really good operators,” she added. “We met with them when the news came out that Brew it Up! was leaving the space. It didn’t take long to have a lot of interest. They’re going to be a fantastic addition for that area.”

The Music Circus is located nearby, and Mamone-Werder said the new tap house will complement the area by providing a place where she expects a crowd of those in their late 20s to their 40s will frequent.

“We want everybody to continue to succeed in that area, and having someone come into the vacant space helps,” Mamone-Werder said.

The Le brothers were not available for comment Thursday afternoon. Mamone-Werder said she expects that the pair will make improvements to the interior, and possibly the exterior of the space, and that she hopes to see the business open by spring or summer, depending on how long it takes to make the improvements.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Downtown brewpub closes for final time

2011-08-02T00:33:44Z

Brew it Up! closed for the final time Sunday, and owner Mike Costello said it underscores a concept that is too often overlooked: If you like a business, patronize it.

Sales at the brewpub took a substantial hit in late 2008, Costello said, and the restaurant – that also offered individual brewing – never recovered.

“If we stayed flat at our 2008 sales, we’d be surviving,” he said. “If you find a business you like, you’ve got to support it.”

The business announced Friday on its website that it would be closing, attributing the shutdown to the economy.

“I’m not blaming anybody,” Costello said Saturday afternoon at one of the tables near the bar as customers came in to grab their last brews and meal at the restaurant. It operated in Davis for seven years before moving to 14th and H streets in Sacramento eight years ago.

“We made good decisions, and we made some bad decisions,” he said. “Couple that with some very substantial hits in sales that came right around the time of state worker furloughs. It was impossible to catch up.”

Costello said he saw the need to close coming, and added, “The decision to close was made for me earlier this week,” declining to go into detail.

For the 55-60 employees who worked for the company, the news came as a surprise.

“It’s not something I expected,” said Head Brewer Raul Munoz, 34. “Most employees don’t pay attention to the behind-the-scenes stuff. We just look out here (in the restaurant), and we’re busy.”

Munoz said the workers will now probably just go their separate ways.

“It’s a state of surrealness,” he said. “I’ve got a cloudy head. It was a really great job, and I was well-compensated. I don’t know if I’ll find anything better.”

Munoz, who worked at Brew it Up! for six years, said the customer reaction was mixed, with longtime customers coming in for the last time seeming depressed, while others – who bought a recent Groupon for brewing their own beer – were upset to find out the the business would not honor the coupon.

“We’re catching a lot of flak,” Costello said. “They’re upset, and rightly so.”

He added that the only reason he kept the restaurant open through the weekend was in an effort to make payroll.

“That was my pledge to the crew,” he said. “Every single employee showed up. Not a single one bailed out.”

He added that several of his serving staff – which receives tips – approached him and asked that the kitchen staff – which does not receive tips – be given first priority when it came to paying wages.

Kristen Weingart, a 23-year-old bartender, said the final three days the business was open allowed her to say goodbye to her coworkers as well as the regular customers she has gotten to know over the past three and a half years.

“So much of this job is a part of me,” she said. “Mike was a great boss. He was really kind, and he may have lost his business, but he gained a family. I’m going to miss that.”

Weingart said she knew the business wasn’t doing very well, but she was still surprised when the announcement came Friday morning.

Customers leaving Brew it Up! Saturday said they were sad to see the business go.

“I used to come down here a lot,” said Sheri Adam, 48. “I started working farther away and didn’t make it in as much. I’m really going to miss their sandwiches and beer, and the people are really nice.”

Ron Liles, a 65-year-old Woodland resident, said he came down one last time to meet his son for lunch.

“This is just this silly economy we’re in,” he said. “Storefronts everywhere are closed up.”

He said he will miss the atmosphere and the people the most, and he enjoyed brewing his own beer with his son in the past.

Costello said he doesn’t have any immediate plans to open another business at the moment, but it’s not something he is ruling out.

If he does go into business again, he said he will work in a partnership with others.

“There are a lot of things about the concept that work,” he said. “There are some things I would change, and I’m just sad to see it didn’t work out.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Father's Day Gift Guide

2011-06-14T03:30:24Z

Sons and daughters, it’s time to throw in the tie. It’s that time of year to show your appreciation for dear ol’ dad, and this year, neck adornment just isn’t going to cut it.

Don’t know what to get for dad? The Sacramento Press has compiled a list of places to shop and unique gift ideas for Father’s Day, whether your dad is a music buff, a bike aficionado, a comic book nerd, a beer nut or a hip young pop.

Phono Select: for the music man

Phono Select is an indie record shop located at 2312 K St. in the heart of Midtown. This is the spot that local DJs and music lovers can go to to dig for records new and old.

The store is artsy, clean and organized based on music style – punk, rock, hip hop, jazz and more.

Not only does the store specialize in records, but it also has a wide collection of CDs, record players, turntables, trinkets and good music reads.

Phono Select has you covered if your dad is a record collector with all your record needs— record cleaner, album sleeves and record wall displays.

Store owner Nick Phono, 29, said the store has more than 5,000 different kinds of records to choose from. The records range from $20 - $50, and there are tons of throwbacks and boxed sets. It even has a dollar bin full of random records and musical gems.

There is an entire section dedicated to classic rock featuring records from Bob Dylan, The Beatles and The Bee Gees, which are likely to be dad favorites.

“It depends on what kind of dad you have,” Phono said. “We have gift certificates if he wants to pick it out himself. We’ve also got music almanacs and books on the history of music and records, which dads like a lot,” he added.

Big Brother Comics: for the comic-con man

Big Brother Comics is a hidden treasure at 1722 J St. for the avid comic book fan. You’re never too old for comics here.

The store features classic comics like “Batman,” “Watchmen,” “The Punisher,” and also has niche comics like Japanese anime, Warcraft and DC comic genres featuring popular super heroes like The Green Lantern, Superman and Wonder Woman.

Employee Tyson Smith, 36, said, “If you’re into comics, this is the place most people come.”

He said people usually will come in to browse or pick up comics for other people, but, in general, the clientele is comic book readers.

The cost for a single comic book issue is $2.99 and higher. The more expensive comic books are the graphic novels, which are $16. Smith said the store tends to focus more on graphic novels.

He said the most popular comic right now is “The Walking Dead,” which is a current comic-turned-TV show featured on A&E. He said the television show has sparked more interest in the comic book.

Whether your dad likes to keep up with the comic book times or longs for the nostalgia of old comic favorites, Big Brother Comics has him covered. It might transport your dad back to his teenage days of laying on his bed paging through an old copy of a “Spiderman” or “Star Wars” comic.

IkonCycles: for the bike buff

IkonCycles is a small bicycle shop located at 1126 18th St. doing big things. The shop specializes in bicycles, accessories, apparel, custom bike fitting and fitness testing.

If your dad loves to bike, then this is a nice local spot to go to, because they care as much about biking as you care about your dad. After all, their slogan is: “Where fit really matters.”

Employee John Kewin, 17, said the business is more of a workshop than a store.

“We have workshops and do fits to figure out which bike is good for you,” he said. “We have people coming in to get stuff for other people too, mostly the clothing."

The clothing, which is high-quality bike gear, can range from $50 for a jersey shirt, and can easily go up to $300 depending on the caliber of the clothing brand, like Campagnolo, Canari and Louis Garneau. A good biking shoe can go for as low as $130, and a better shoe can be $300.

Kewin said a bike pump is a nice gift option. They are sleek with a dark wooden frame and cast iron pump, and would definitely be good for a father’s biking needs. They are $60.

If a bike is the gift route you want to take, they’ve got beautiful bicycles. The cheapest bike is a $320 beach cruiser, and the most expensive, the colorful handmade metal bikes from Italy, are $1,000.

First Edition: for the young hip pop

First Edition is a men’s clothing shop located at 2524 J. St. It’s got urban digs for the “cool” urban dad.

The store features everything from shirts to shoes, and hats to accessories. Store owner Aaron Hearing, 22, said he’s pushing this style trend of “American work wear.”

Jeans range from $59 - $115, and they are high-quality denim with a nice wash from light to dark. Shirts come in a variety of styles – plain and simple T-shirts, graphic T-shirts, button-ups, and tank tops, ranging from $40 - $89.

Hearing said the Native shoes are a really popular item and would be great for dads because they are the same material as a Croc, but with more style.

They can be used for comfort and river walking. They are a more wearable style and have familiar brand titles like Sperry Topsiders and Keds.

The best Father’s Day gift selection in the store for a modern dad would have to be the line of Baxter men’s skincare, which features men’s facial scrub, aftershave balm, face wash and moisturizer for $10 - $20.

Going along with the Americana trend, the store features a double-edged safety razor for $65 in its Baxter line. It comes with five extra derby blades and an instruction manual of how to use it properly.

If your dad travels, Hearing suggested the Baxter Travel Kit for $55, which features a small army-green travel bag with moisturizer, shampoo, aftershave and face wash.

“It’s set to go from buying it in a store and throwing it in a carry-on and going from there. Everything is under three ounces for flying, and it even has a Ziploc bag so you can whip it out easily,” Hearing said.

Brew it up with dad

Brew It Up!, located at 801 14th St., has the ultimate brewing experience for your dad this Father’s Day.

Brew it Up! is offering a Father’s Day Brewing certificate with a $350 value for only $299. This certificate includes a brewing experience where fathers can come in and create six cases of their own personally labeled beer, don a Brew it Up! T-shirt, and it includes a $50 dining certificate.

Owner Mike Costello said Brew It Up! has been brewing beer for 15 years, and it is a huge part of what Brew It Up! does as an establishment.

“It’s a very hands-on experience and a lot of fun,” Costello said. “It’s a very personalized experience. You can make any kind of beer you want, and it’s 100 percent guaranteed, so if you don’t like it, you can come back and make another.”

The establishment has more than 100 types of beers to choose from, but Costello said the fun part is creating your own beer with the flavors you like. He said people come in with ideas all of the time.

Brewing is a three-hour process, and there are four -10 people per batch. It takes two to six weeks for the beer to ferment. After the waiting period, your father can come back and bottle and label his very own beer and take it home.

You can buy the certificate and schedule to come in on Father’s Day, or you have your dad come in and brew whenever he wants.

Brew it Up! is open seven days a week, all year round. Brewing takes place from 2 - 7 p.m. Wednesday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday.

For more information visit the website.

Citizen Hotel and Grange Restaurant Father’s Day package deals

Treat your father to a special stay-cation for Father’s Day at The Citizen Hotel and Grange Restaurant, located at 926 J St.

The Citizen Hotel is offering two great deals for fathers: The “Wheelin’ & Dealin’ Perfect Getaway” and “The Perfect Gift” – a personalized bottle of a one-of-a-kind Joie de Vivre tequila.

The Wheelin’ & Dealin’ package includes a one-night stay at The Citizen Hotel, a two-hour bicycle rental from Bikes and Bites in Midtown that comes with a map of the city and a picnic lunch including cheese, salami, house-made crostini and two half bottles of wine, one red and one white. Everything is included in a Citizen Hotel-Grange Restaurant tote bag.

Ashlee Gadd public relations manager of The Citizen Hotel, said this is something the hotel has never done before, and it will be a nice way for people to see what Sacramento has to offer.

“It’s nice to have a local getaway,” Gadd said. “It’s cheaper than getting out of the city, and it would definitely make a nice gift for a husband and wife.”

The packages start at $189 for weekday reservations and $289 for weekend stays.

As a separate package, Grange Restaurant is offering a personalized bottle of Joie de Vivre tequila from the Casa Herradura distillery handpicked in Guadalajara, Mexico, by the Joie de Vivre food and beverage team for $65.

The bottle can be personalized with an etching of the gift recipient’s name. Gadd said this would make a great gift for the tequila connoisseur father because it was made specially for Grange Restaurant, and can be made special for your father, too.

Father’s Day with the River Cats

What better way to spend Father’s Day than at Raley Field with your dad and the River Cats? The River Cats have a special Father’s Day package for their home game against the Fresno Grizzlies at 1 p.m.

Each ticket in the package includes a pregame barbecue in right field with plenty of food – tri-tip, hamburgers, hot dogs, sides and one drink ticket.

Each ticket in the package will also be entered in a drawing to have a special Father’s Day greeting for one lucky father on the baseline warning track, and the chance to throw the first pitch. The winner will be determined before the game.

The package is $36 for adults and $30 for children and will be available for purchase until 6 p.m. Thursday at the box office and online until midnight.

Nick Lozito, media coordinator for the River Cats, said it is a great value with the meal and the ticket.

In addition, fathers will be able to play catch with their families on the field after the game and fun-loving performance by Whiplash The Famous Cowboy Monkey, a monkey that rides a dog dressed like a cowboy in a rodeo fashion.

“It will be nice to have the memory of playing catch on a real field,” Lozito said. “We are trying to enhance the family experience and baseball memories other than the actual game.”

Still don’t know what to get? For fathers, it seems time is the best gift. John Hoge, 55, agreed.

“I don’t want anything,” Hoge said. “I have my children. That’s all I need. They’re the greatest gift.”

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there from The Sacramento Press!

Red Lotus and Formoli's Bistro Slow Beer Movement Dinner No. 4

2011-05-25T03:58:47Z

Monday evening, 40 guests were welcomed into Red Lotus Kitchen and Bar by friendly staff and the smell of hops-smoked chicken wafting through the restaurant. These individuals gathered together for the fourth in a series of ongoing dinners known as the Slow Beer Movement. Hosted by Red Lotus and Formoli’s Bistro, the dinners are meant to highlight local food and, of course, beer.

In the past, foreign beer, such as the Belgian brew Duvel Green, had been featured, but recently the event founders felt that finding a place closer to home would coincide better with their practice of supporting local food. That evening, each of the five courses and even the dessert was paired with a beer from Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco.

The menu included a baby arugula salad with fried pork belly in a horse radish/chive sauce with Anchor Summer Beer, the lightest beer. Together they would help to start up each diner’s stomach for the night. The asparagus soup seasoned with 7-spice was matched with the spice of the original Christmas beer, Liberty Ale. The udon noodles with Shimeji mushrooms and pickled ramp was paired with the Anchor Steam. The grilled monkfish cheek with poached monkfish liver was served with Brekle’s Brown and the hops-smoked chicken with the Anchor Porter. Lastly, a fruity dessert of peaches and berries was macerated in a sweeter brew, Anchor’s Old Foghorn Beer.

The beer dinners were a collaborative project between the owners of each restaurant, Aimal Formoli and wife Suzanne Ricci, Billy Ngo and Red Lotus Bar Manager Mark Neuhauser.

According to Formoli, he and Ngo, both chefs and restaurant owners, had been wanting to do something together for a long time. They found that wine dinners were popular, but they wanted to do something different. With Neuhauser’s passion for beer and years of previous bar work at Outback Steakhouse and Suzanne Ricci’s direction, it all just came together.

Kane Kunst, sales manager at Anchor Brewing Company, represented the company and educated the guests on what they were drinking.

“I’ve been to and a part of a lot of beer dinners elsewhere, but this one is definitely unique. They actually close down the restaurant for the event, which really creates a much more intimate setting for people to share their knowledge and experience in a sort of open forum,” Kunst said.

Formoli and Ngo both said they wanted this to be a fun and educational experience for the guests.

Formoli said, “The idea and name for these dinners stemmed from the concept of the slow food movement, where there is a focus on local products and slowing the pace of dining to heighten the experience and enjoyment of the food and drinks.”

“Of course, we want people to love everything they eat, but we also really want to change people’s minds about what they eat and how they eat it,” he added.

Adam Saake, who does social media marketing for Red Lotus and the beer dinners, said sometimes people expressed concern over how much food and alcohol they’d be consuming.

“While each dish is paired with a beer, it’s not a full-size dish and pint,” he said. “Each person gets a good serving of food and about four ounces of beer served in a wine glass, that complement each other. It’s not about getting drunk; these are very hand-crafted artisan beers that have very intelligent, complex flavor profiles and rather than stuffed, people should walk away satisfied.”

That was a point reiterated by all parties involved.

“Beer is so much more complex than people think, and it’s made up of so many more components than they realize,” Neuhauser said. “With wine, you pair with pretty specific types of food or cheese, but at these dinners, the chefs work hard to make something different that really brings out the flavors of both the dish and the beer.”

As tables of guests waited for each dish to be served, the food was definitely a point of discussion.

Malea Heim, a hairstylist in East Sacramento, came with her husband Toby Heim, who services a lot of the restaurant equipment at Formoli’s.

“Honestly, when Toby said he was taking me to a beer dinner, I hesitated because I’m not a big fan of beer. But really, you don’t have to be to come. The food is great and the environment is really fun because everyone is able to mix and mingle,” Malea Heim said.

While a number of attendees and the chefs themselves were most excited about the hops-smoked chicken, Malea Heim said she was really interested in the dressing on the salad. She said she was pleasantly surprised by how tasty the horse radish/chive sauce ended up being.

Toby Heim though, said he was especially impressed with the asparagus soup,which had a spice that matched that of the Liberty Ale, his favorite beer, perfectly.

At the other end of the table, diners were talking about a dish at the last Slow Beer Movement dinner, which involved baby octopus in black ink noodles.

Scott Anderson, MC of the dinner and deputy sheriff in Sacramento County, talked about why he came.

“Sacramento has great food scene that a lot of people don’t know about or realize,” he said. “This is my fourth dinner, and it is a great thing. The dishes are truly memorable, and it’s made to be about the experience...We’re encouraged to take our time and enjoy the food and beer. I don’t plan on missing a single dinner unless I happen to be out of town.”

Adam Pechal, chef and co-owner of Tuli’s Bistro and RESTAURANT THIR13EN, was also present and said he was most excited about the collaboration between two great local chefs.

“That these two phenomenal chefs, who I would also love to work with, are working together is what really drew me in. You know that the food will be amazing.”

Formoli said that they plan to keep the dinners going indefinitely. The dinners are scheduled to occur the third Monday of every month with the location alternating between the two restaurants.

Both Formoli and Neuhauser said they are trying to stay as local as they can, so next month’s event will be held at the new location of Formoli’s Bistro, 3839 J St., in conjunction with another local brewery and restaurant, Brew It Up!, 801 14th St.

Owner/founder of Brew It Up! Michael Costello, who was present, said the co-founders of the beer dinners have already brewed their own Japanese-style pilsner with a special twist to be served on that evening’s menu. Costello said three of the five featured beers, will be specially brewed for the event.

For more information on the dinners, check out their Facebook page.

For the love of beer: West Coast Brew Fest

2011-05-20T00:50:21Z

About 3,000 people and 60 breweries will converge at Miller Park Saturday afternoon and stay until the kegs are tapped dry at the 12th annual West Coast Brew Fest.

“The West Coast is the home of the micro-brew, and we have over 120 brews coming this weekend,” said co-founder Matson Breakey. “We seem to have a really great following of people that come out every year and are well-behaved and represent Sacramento and other places.”

He added that in addition to the region, dedicated followers arrive from as far away as Arizona and Washington.

The festival is set up as a “tokenless tasting” event, where beer enthusiasts pay admission to enter and then are handed a cup and set loose to choose their favorite beers in 5-ounce pours from 1 - 5 p.m. Saturday.

The beer is all donated by the breweries, and proceeds from the event benefit the Make a Difference Project, a North Sacramento organization that helps youth get involved in civic activities and volunteering, said Breakey, who used to be a board member.

“We’ve been raising anywhere from $25,000 - $30,000 each year,” he said.

The festival started small in 2000 with Breakey and co-founders and beer judges Dwight Bradish and Brian Freeman organizing a festival that drew about 350 people. It has continued to grow – except one year when the Sacramento Kings were playing the Los Angeles Lakers in a playoff game – and it has sold out for the past several years.

One of the local breweries participating is Brew It Up! – located at 14th and H streets – which has been a part of the festival since the first year.

“For us, it’s an opportunity to get out in front of our customers,” said owner Mike Costello. “It’s part promotion and part party. It’s a great time that really draws people that are looking for craft-brewed beers, unique beers and beers brewed in and out of the region.”

Costello said he will be bringing three beers to the event – ESB, an English-style ale; Three Amigos, a Belgian triple-style beer; and the third one will be a surprise.

“Each brewery brings a couple of different beers,” he said. “The way they set it up is there’s large tents, and they’ll get four to five breweries in each, and it’s a great time to be side by side with other breweries and talk to other brewers about the business.”

Brew it Up! has been brewing since 1996 in Davis and moved to Sacramento in 2003. All beers are made in-house, and 22 are on tap at the brewery.

Another local brewery involved in the event is River City Brewing Company, located in Westfield Downtown Plaza, which has been a regular at the festival for years, according to Brewmaster Brian Cofresi.

The brewery has been in business since 1993 and sells its beers only at beer festivals and the restaurant.

“I like getting the chance to kind of stand there shoulder-to-shoulder with the big boys and say, ‘Hey, we’re doing it right here, in Sacramento,’ ” he said.

River City will bring at least four beers to the event – including Woodenhead Ale, a hoppy amber ale; a Belgian white ale; a West Coast-style India Pale Ale – more hoppy than the English style; and Consternation, a black sour beer – which will probably be fully consumed during the VIP event.

VIP ticket holders, according to Breakey, get early entrance to the event and earlier beer sampling as well as a slightly larger cup.

In addition to local breweries, numerous American and European breweries will be on-hand as well.

“We have a lot of great ones returning,” Breakey said. “Alaskan is always a fan favorite, and I’m really interested to see Fossil Fuels – they make beer using a yeast strain that apparently is 45 million years old.”

Other breweries come from as far away as Hawaii, Poland and the Czech Republic. For the official list of breweries, click here.

For those who prefer a good cider, Breakey said there is always a good selection of those as well, including local Two Rivers Cider.

Tickets are available for pre-purchase online and in participating breweries, including River City Brewing Company and Brew it Up! VIP tickets are $95, general admission is $30 and designated driver tickets are $5.

Breakey recommended arriving early, as a line forms about half an hour before the gates open.

Miller Park is located at 2710 Ramp Way near the marina.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Brewfest 2011: A very hoppy night at Raley Field

2011-05-17T03:53:30Z

Raley Field transformed into a beer connoisseur's paradise Friday night at the fifth annual Raley Field Brewfest.

Breweries from around the region partnered with the Northern California Brewers’ Guild to introduce their summer seasonals and rekindle the love for their year-round fan favorites.

“I was pleased with both old favorites and new options. It was a great time,” said Sacramento resident Heather Deas.

For $30 in advance and $35 at the door, beer enthusiasts were handed a mini-pint glass upon entry and given ten tickets good for one 5 oz. tasting. For $50, “VIP” guests were allowed to enter an hour early and given eight additional tasting tickets. For those left wanting more, additional tickets could be purchased.

“We’re excited that we [had] so many breweries participating,” said Raley Field Communications Manager Rebecca Brutlag. “We [had] over 40 this year, last year was over 30.”

Each brewery or restaurant, spread out along the concourse, gave ticket holders two options (and a very tough decision to make) on which brew or cider they wanted to sample.

Live music by bands 50 Stories and Private Criminals, along with the Sacramento skyline backdrop, was just the icing on the cake to a pretty much perfect evening in Sacramento.

As the night wore on, attendees’ smiles grew steadily larger along with their enthusiasm for the festival.

“I was already ready for a lot of beer, but when I got here, there was even more than I expected!” said Kevin Burrill with a large smile plastered on his face.

Among the various breweries were crowd favorites Lagunitas Brewing Company, pouring “Hairy Eyeball,” a strong brown, as well as their well-loved IPA; Hoppy Brewing Company doling out their Amber Ale and “Liquid Sunshine,” a hoppy blonde ale; and Brew it Up, serving their house favorites, “Big Valley Red Ale” and “Ladder #2 Lager.”

Other notables were High Water Brewing’s “Retribution IPA,” with a whopping 9.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), and Lost Coast Brewery’s ever-so-refreshing “Great White” and “Tangerine Wheat.”

While final attendance numbers haven’t been counted yet, Brutlag says this year's ticket sales definitely exceeded last year’s (around 3,000) and deemed the event “highly successful.”

With a brew to fit every level of beer enthusiast, good music and an all-around jovial mood in the air, one thing is sure: the majority of the crowd left looking extremely hoppy.

To see a calendar of upcoming events at Raley Field, visit their website.

It's Beer Week! Bottoms up!

2011-02-26T04:17:15Z

Museums, beer, live music and cheese.

If I were to make a list of my favorite things on earth, all four of these would figure prominently therein.

Conveniently enough, all four of these things also figured prominently in Thursday night's Sacramento Brewers Showcase, the kickoff event to Sacramento Beer Week.

The showcase, featuring nearly every local brewery offering samples of their wares, was held from 5 to 9 p.m. in the spectacular two-story atrium of the Crocker Art Museum.

I arrived five minutes before 5 p.m., ‘cause I like to party.

The breweries had set up their kegs along a large L-shaped table that wrapped around the east and south sides of the atrium. When I arrived there were maybe two dozen people milling about, some seated at the tables concentrated at the west side of the room, the rest mingling with the assorted brewers and volunteers.

I had five drink tickets, so I set about cashing them in.

The first brewery that caught my eye was Sierra Nevada. It makes sense, seeing as it was the closest to the entrance, but also because I have a long and distinguished history with their product, specifically the Pale Ale.

As I enthusiastically told their representative, Molly, "I grew up drinking Sierra Nevada!"

She wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. (Do not drink until you're 21, kiddos! Or at least until you're in college. Alright, fine — no earlier than senior year in high school, and always designate a driver.)

Sierra Nevada brewed a special beer just for the occasion. Sloughhouse Pale Ale is the product of a collaboration with Rick Sellers, co-founder of Odanata Beer Company and founder of Pacific Brew News.

Sloughhouse is a light pale ale, bright and hoppy with a relatively low alcohol content (4.8 percent). My first beer of the evening was also one of my favorites.

On my first pass through the gauntlet, I skipped Brew It Up and Rubicon, because something else had caught my eye.

Cheese.

Nugget Markets had brought a selection of their finest cheeses, and, man oh man, were they good. An amazing gouda, aged 18 months until it almost had the bite of a sharp cheddar. A wonderful Gruyere, aged a year. A creamy Wisconsin Blue that was aged in abandoned mine shafts up in Nevada City. An extra sharp Vermont Cabot Cheddar. And a spectacular French triple creme brie, reminiscent of a St. André (better than?).

The only thing missing was a Manchego, or it would have been my dream cheese platter.

I went next to Lagunitas to try their Beer Week selection, Lagunitas Fusion, a dark imperial rye ale, which I readily admit was a bit rye-y for my palate. I thought it was alright, but it wasn't my cup of, well, beer. It was, however, a consensus winner among those with a bit more advanced beer palates than my own. I found many of the brewers and volunteers were drinking the Lagunitas and raving about it.

Following another cheesy interlude, I stopped by the fellas at Two Rivers Cider for a taste of their pomegranate cider. It, like all of their other offerings I have tried, was light and refreshing, fruity with a nice crisp tartness.

I asked them about a lemonade cider that I had heard rumblings about but never crossed paths with. I received confirmation that they do, in fact, make not only a regular lemonade version but also watermelon and strawberry lemonade versions. Summer is just around the corner.

On my way back to Brew It Up, I decided to check on my buddy over at the cheese table. I wanted to make sure he was doing alright. Once assured of his well-being, I was poured a glass of Brew It Up’s Valentale Ale, a raspberry Belgian triple.

Lest you think it might be a girly beer, the Valentale is 8.2 percent alcohol by volume. I actually really enjoyed the taste, smooth and with clear raspberry notes and not too sweet. Unfortunately, It had a slightly sticky, chalky aftertaste that I couldn't overlook.

It reminded me a bit of a Gordon Biersch aftertaste, which is unfortunate.

By this point the atrium was two-thirds packed and rapidly becoming more so. I could barely get back to the cheese on my next pass.

There were now fairly deep lines at most of the breweries, including Davis' Sudwerk, where I ventured next. They have a sourbock I was eager to try.

The fellow in front of me got the sourbock as well, and his response summed up the experience better than I could. Stuart Canton took a large swig and with a surprised look on his face, exclaimed, "Ooh, that’s weird!" In his very next breath, he reappraised, "Ooh, that's good!"

That's about right.

At this point I should mention that the Mulvaney run Crocker Cafe was putting out scrumptious fare for the revelers who wanted something a little more substantial than cheese, crackers and little cones of trailmix. Two small plates in particular stuck with me: A corned beef and cabbage slider, and a pork belly corn dog. I saw a pair of the former get delivered to a table next to me. I asked the fellow how they were, and he insisted I take one of his. After halfheartedly rebuking the offer at first, I quickly changed my tune before he could his ("No, really, I couldn't. . . alright, if you insist". *Yoink*). It was great.

As far as the pork belly corn dog, I saw a fellow eating one. He appeared to be on the verge of weeping. "You alright buddy?" I asked. "This is so good it should be illegal" he muttered, tears welling in his eyes.

Soon after my interaction with the tear-inducing pork belly corn dog, the band started up. The Freebadge Serenaders are Gregory Sabin (banjo) and Patrick Skiffington (washboard, kazoo, slide-whistle, etc.) and they play "discount jazz". They were a perfect accompaniement for the occasion. Great beer drinking music, which brings us to. . .

My final beer of the evening was a collaborative effort of several of the brewers on hand, made specifically for beer week. A Scottish Ale, in cask, was tapped (or at least the first beer was pulled) by UC Davis brewing science professor Charlie Bamforth for the opening toast of Beer Week.

He gave a quick speech to commemorate the occasion, although most of the crowd was too busy drinking and chatting to hear.

"It's always an uphill battle when people would rather be drinking beer than listening to me,” he said. “You can tell this isn't a wine event. Today we're celebrating malt, hops, the world's favorite drink.”

And with that, Beer Week was underway in earnest.

This may have been my favorite beer of the evening, dark and rich but very smooth with a fairly high alcohol content (above 6 percent). This, along with the other two specially made brews, will be available at certain bars around town until the end of Beer Week or until they run out, whichever happens first. (All three can be found at Brew It Up.)

If the Sacramento Brewers Showcase is any indication, we are in for a heck of a week. As one of the revelers at last night's event put it, "I wish every week was Beer Week!"

Sacramento scores with plenty of Superbowl options

2011-02-02T18:05:40Z

Touchdown! Where will you be celebrating when the winning touchdown is scored? Haven't found a place yet to party for this year's Super Bowl? Sacramento's bars have got you covered with great drinking games, discounts on beer and food, and raffle drawings.

Ink Eats & Drinks, located 2730 N St. is having a $3 touchdown shot special - one for each team. The Green Bay Packers’ shot is a Midori Kamikaze and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ shot is a Tawaka lemon drop. Along with that, you can also enjoy $4 nachos and happy hour specials lasting the entire game.

"We change it every year, but we do happy hour for every football game of the season," said Micah Shapiro, manager of Ink Eats & Drinks.

Press Club, located at 2030 P St., is putting on its annual Super Bowl party, but it won’t be your typical bar party: Customers are invited to bring potluck dishes to share. Along with that, the bar is having a special on its drinks: $1 Jell-O shots, $2 for 24-ounce Pabst and Miller High Life. There are also $3 specials on all well drinks and premium draft beers.

"I've been here for nine years, and we have been doing it since then," said Susan Durst, manager of Press Club.

If you haven't checked out Dive Bar, located at 1022 K St., you can take advantage of a special on lounges. Instead of paying the regular $250, the customer only pays for the bottles of alcohol ordered that night. There are four big screen TVs in the lounge area. Dive Bar opens at noon.

Blue Cue, at 1004 28th St., is hosting a Super Bowl benefit by Pacific McGeorge School of Law’s sports law program starting at noon. A $20 cover provides a buffet, two beers – domestic or well – and a raffle ticket to win various prizes.

Hooter's, at 1785 Challenge Way, is doing a raffle for a 42-inch flat-screen TV. The ticket is free, but you must be present during halftime to win. Along with the raffle, Hooter’s will be serving its football party platter for $49.99, which includes 100 pieces of chicken strips and boneless wings.

Brew it Up! – at 801 14th St. – is having a special brewing package for its customers. Brewing starts at 2 p.m. and seating begins right after. One package serves seven-16 people for $60 (plus tax) and includes two pitchers, kettle chips, one veggie plate and 24 chicken wings.

Pyramid Alehouse, 1029 K St., will have food specials all day, including $5 wings and calamari, $4 giant onions and sweet potatoes, and $3 Brewer Racks- five glasses of their 6-ounce top class beers.

If you want to win more prizes check out Mandango's Sport Lounge on Fulton Avenue. Its Super Bowl party costs $15 in advance, which offers raffle tickets for a chance to win during each quarter, and each quarter has three winners. The top prize is $100, and the others are gift certificates to various restaurants.

Some other great places to check out in Sacramento:

"Bud-Bowl" at R15, 1431 R St.
$2 beers: Miller, Miller High Life, Pabst and Coors
$2 well drinks
Drink specials include $1 off pizza
Starts at 3 p.m. and goes till the game ends

Mikuni Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar,1530 J St.
Starting Tuesday: $20 for two bottles of wine
Happy hour throughout the restaurant on game day.

River City Brewing Co., located in Westfield Downtown Plaza
3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Five big-screen TVs
Hot dog and chili buffet in the bar
Happy hour all day: $3.25 specials on pints of beer, house wines and appetizers

M.V.P. Sports Grill, 2110 L St.
Discount menu along with:
Barbecue specials for $6.95
Pizza and salad for $15.95
9 a.m. Sunday breakfast special

Beer, music and a good cause

2010-09-13T04:49:37Z

Thousands converged on Discovery Park Saturday afternoon for the 16th annual California Brewers Festival to taste the ales, lagers, porters and craft brews from over 60 brewers.

The festival was organized by Sacramento's Rotary Club of Point West to benefit the Assistance League of Sacramento. All festival proceeds will be donated to the league’s Operation School Bell — a program providing underprivileged youth with adequate clothing for school.

Velvet Tongue and Utz! and the Shuttlecocks provided live music as festival-goers sampled beer with 4-ounce glasses and sought refuge in the shade from the summer sun.

The participating brewers were mostly local, though there were some from as far as Vermont, Maine and Hawaii. There were foreign brews being poured by their domestic importers as well.

Brew It Up! owner Mike Costello has been bringing his brews to the festival for the past 13 years. He was there with his staff pouring their new honey porter. He said the porter appeals to drinkers who prefer a rich and smooth taste, as well as those who seek the unique dimensions of a microbrew.

"It spent about six months in the (whiskey) barrel, so it picks up on some of the aroma and the flavor nodes of the whiskey, the barrel and the honey that we're using," he said.

Costello was excited about attendees’ reactions to the porter and was pleased with this year's festival.

"This beerfest and the West Coast Brew Fest, which is in May, are the two best brewfests in the Sacramento region hands down,” he said.

Long-time Rubicon Brewing Company employee Mike Walthers was pouring their flagship IPA, Extra Special Bitter and Rosebud brews. He said that Rubicon likes attending the festival to support a good cause.

"There are some people who have never heard of us and don't know where we're located, and we'll see some people out here that have been coming to the restaurant for 20 years," he said.

Ross Keyashin, 29, attended the festival last year. It was one of the first social outings he made when he moved to Midtown, and it left a very good impression on him, he said.

"It's phenomenal," he said. "Everyone who works here is really kind, the beer is great, and it's just got a great mood."

Gabriel Niles, 33, enjoyed an amber ale from Hoppy Brewing Company.

"I went straight here to try and represent the locals," he said.

Niles’ younger sister is one of the lead vocalists in Utz! and the Shuttlecocks. He was there with his wife and 1-year-old son to support the band, drink good beer and contribute to the recipient charity.

"There's a good energy here, a good vibe," he said.

Rotary Club member Dan Hall was running the front gate. He estimated that between 4,000 and 5,000 showed up for the festival. Though he played a smaller role in this year's event, he has been the chairman in the past.

He said they consistently raise between $40,000 to $50,000 every year. Having locals pay for access to great beer and having the brewers donate their product and time is what makes the festival such a success, he said.

"This is one of the fundraisers where we'll really calling on the community as a whole," he said.

Brewers festival this Saturday at Discovery Park

2010-09-07T05:21:34Z

Brewers from Maine, Vermont, Ireland and, of course, California will fill Discovery Park Saturday for the 16th annual California Brewers Festival.

Around 60 brewpub, distributors and home brewers will be pouring ales, lagers and craft beers for what festival organizers anticipate will be more than 3,000 attendees.

Although the festival attracts brewers from across the nation and overseas, the Sacramento region is heavily represented. Rubicon Brewing Company, Hoppy Brewing Company and Brew It Up! are a few locals participating.

You can view the full list of brewers here.

The festival is organized by Sacramento's Rotary Club of Point West to benefit the Assistance League of Sacramento. All festival proceeds will be donated to the league’s Operation School Bell — a program providing underprivileged youth with adequate clothing for school.

"It's a good cause," Rotary Club board member Toney Sebra said. "We put in a lot of time and hard work, but we always have a lot of fun doing it."

Club member Don Levin has been working with the festival’s brewers since 2002. He said in the recent past the club and the brewers have seen themselves as partners for a good cause.

"For a number of years it was always a challenge for us to get the brewers," Levin said. "They've gone from 'Do we want to do this?' to 'What time and when?'"

"We're all getting a sense of helping the community, and (the brewers) like that," Levin said.

This year the organizers decided to eliminate the judging competition, saving $2,500 that can now go directly to the recipient charity. This has resonated positively with brewers.

"I believe in what the Rotary Club does," Rubicon owner Glynn Phillips said. "One hundred percent of the money that goes into that event goes back to the community, so it's easy for me to do."

This is Rubicon's fifth year at the festival, Phillips said. They will most likely be pouring their award-winning India Pale Ale and cult favorite Monkey Knife Fight. There may be some others, but Phillips said they never can tell until the day of the event.

The Gold County Brewers association will also attend to pour various home-brews.

The festival is a family-friendly event. There will be live music from Velvet Tongue and Utz! and the Shuttlecocks, and food will be available for purchase. Tickets for designated drivers and youth between ages 12 and 20 cost $5. Children under 12 enter for free.

Sebra said there will be taxis available for those who need them.

Those who want to avoid getting a driver or taxi can go to the festival on their bikes. Discovery Park sits on the American River Bike Trail and there will be free valet parking for all cyclists.

The festival will run from 1 to 5 p.m. Tickets are available online, through Rotary Club members, and at various retail locations in the Sacramento area. Full ticket information can be viewed here.

Tickets come with 10 tokens, each good for four ounce samples. Beyond that, festival goers can purchase directly from the brewers.

Parking costs will be the normal Sacramento County Parks day rate.

All images courtesy of Rotary Club of Point West.

Everyone is Irish for a day

2010-03-16T08:11:35Z

Dye the rivers green and dance in the streets, Saint Patrick's Day is here. A day when everyone is Irish and people takes to the streets for music, food and green beer. Below is a collection of restaurants and bars in Midtown and downtown offering specials on food and drinks and even hosting a block party or two.

de Vere's Irish Pub, 1521 L Street, is hosting their second annual St. Patrick's Day Block Party, closing off L Street between 15th and 16th. The street party will feature music by '80s cover band Tainted Love and the California Fire Department Pipes and Drums. Sandwiches, brats and other food will be sold to soak up the alcohol from the two outdoor bars and whiskey tent. Advance tickets are $20, $25 at the door. 21 and up. The party starts at 8 a.m.

St. Patricks R District Pub Crawl, 1400s of R Street, is hosting a pub crawl along the bars and restaurants of R street. Participating places include Shady Lady, Venue, R15 and Burgers & Brews. $4 Jameson and Guinness specials are available at every place, with pints of Guinness costing $3. Irish food is also available. The fun begins at 11 a.m. and there is no cover.

The Flame Club, 2130 16th Street, is offering their famous corned beef and cabbage to customers again this year. Prepared in-house by a trio of lovely ladies, the meal is delicious. A full bar is also available. Food starts at 12:30 pm and runs until the food is gone. Food is free, tips always appreciated.

Check out this event at Brew It Up!

Bistro33 also has specials for St. Patrick's Day.

Eating in Sacramento on New Year's Eve

2009-12-30T08:01:07Z

New Year's Eve is fast approaching, and Sacramento is full of places to eat and celebrate the coming of 2010 in a romantic setting or among friends. Several restaurants in the area have specials to entice your palate on New Year's Eve.

Brew It Up, 801 14th St., is offering a four-course pre-fixed menu for only $30. This includes your choice of appetizer, soup or salad, entree and dessert. The menu includes some regular favorites as well as new items to satisfy your hunger. Mulligatawny is an excellent soup that warms you from the inside. A live band, Dane Drewis, will perform at 9 p.m. There is a $10 cover past 9 p.m., so be sure to be there early.

58 Degrees and Holding Company, 1217 18th St., is also offering a special New Year's Eve pre-fixed menu consisting of four courses for $49. Diners have the opportunity to add wine pairings to their menus for $15 extra. The first course is a sweet potato soup with pecan tuile and cinnamon creme fraiche. Tables of two or more with the added wine pairings are given a half-bottle of champagne to open at the table or to be tucked away until later in the night. From 10:30 p.m. on, wine specials will help you ring in the new year. Dinner reservations are required. There is no additional cover charge.

The Cosmopolitan and Social Nightclub, 1000 K St., are hosting "the biggest party of 2010" complete with a special pre-fixed menu that comes with complimentary all-access party passes. The $99 pre-fixed menu comes with your choice of appetizer, main entree and dessert. The entrees include Sonoma duck breast, Alaska king salmon, oven-roasted beef fillet and a butternut squash and chantrelle mushroom lasagna. Dinner includes passes for the upstairs party to help you ring in the new year with the Spazzmatics. Reservations are encouraged, and the event is only open to 18+.

Mason's Restaurant, 1116 15th St., is offering a five-course pre-fixed menu. The meal starts with an amuse bouche of your choosing and continues through a first, second, entree and dessert. Executive chef John Gurnee is guaranteed to please any palate with complex flavor profiles and meals prepared using only the freshest ingredients. There are two seatings, at 5:30 p.m. for $50 and 7 p.m. for $75. An additional $25 is required to enter the Ultra Lounge to party the night away with DJ Gabe Xavier. Reservations are required, and the event is only open to 21+.

No matter where you decide to dine on New Year's Eve, Sacramento is full of places to satisfy any taste.

A tale of two stomachs: Eat Your Art Out in action

2009-09-28T05:03:48Z

Saturday morning I contemplated whether or not I should eat breakfast. My stomach was inexperienced with grub crawls, the Eat Your Art Out Crawl would be my very first. I settled on eating something small.

Luckily I lived close enough to walk to the captain meeting place and by the time I had gathered my team's bags and badges, my stomach was growling.

Of the 18 restaurants and dining establishments in the Crawl, I had eaten at all of them but five.

My team, Team Snuffleupagus, started at Brew It Up! where a fruit platter and blue cheese kettle chips awaited. This was a good warmup for the digestive system, not too heavy, and easy to eat.

Lucca was one of the restaurants I hadn't tried. Their zucchini chips and eggplant crostini were very tasty. I felt that this stop actually showcased appetizers that reflected the uniqueness of the restaurant. Rubicon offered chips and salsa, celery and carrot sticks and fries - not exactly dishes that wowed the crowd.

Azul Mexican Bar and Tequila Bar was the third stop. We were hoping they would be serving margaritas, but found it was one of many places that chose to serve sangria. Although there was a bit of a wait for the food, our team got a whole plate of nachos with queso fresca and warm quesadillas.

Beach Hut Deli put my stomach over the tipping point, I was worried that I wasn't going to be able eat anymore with14 restaurants left. They served huge sandwiches stuffed to the brim with meat, lettuce, tomato, cheese and pickles.

As mentioned earlier, Rubicon served pretty basic appetizers, so it was easy for me to bypass their food to save room for later restaurants. I must say that what they lacked in food they made up for with their selection of beers.

They were the only restaurant to offer six different beers. All of the other restaurants serving beverages offered only one or two to choose from.

Mulvaney's B&L was one of my favorite stops. It was one of the locations where people stuck around to really enjoy the food and the atmosphere. In the front catering room, fresh mozzarella was cut to accompany heirloom tomatoes and champagne was being poured into a lime pear juice concoction.

In the main space, tables were set up and interpretive dancers filled the room with kicks and poses. There wasn't an area they didn't venture into, they stretched against the windows, flowed around the tables, using the space and each other as part of their composition. Dessert pastry cups were served with chocolate ganache, raspberries, blueberries and other delicious fillings.

Yogurtagogo was the seventh stop, where participants could sample one or all of the six different yogurt flavors. Stops seven, eight and nine were conveniently located right next to one another.

Ginger Elizabeth served a crispy coconut lime chocolate which was devoured eagerly, dessert goes into a different compartment, right? The employees said that this chocolate would be available for purchase in December.

The L Wine Lounge had a couple festive teams who were happy to share their beads with other teams. One woman doling out the necklaces demanded that we earn our beads by showing her something. She asked to see our palms and handed over the gold beads.

On our way to Zocalo, we once again got our hopes up for margaritas, but were very pleased that they instead served a delicious mixture of horchata with tequila.

Hot Italian served up Peroni and a pizza with pesto and pine nuts, one pizza for each team. We weren't able to finish our pizza.

I was particularly impressed with Nishiki Sushi, although I had been there many times before. Employees walked around with plates of sushi rolls and the manager poured two different kinds of sake. The first sake was infused with apple and was really smooth. The second sake tasted exactly like lychee.

The newest restaurant on the Crawl list was Sapporo Grill on 16th and L streets. They served a beautiful spread of potstickers, spring rolls, sushi, edamame, and some type of breaded chicken. Their long, cushy couches allowed tired crawl-goers to stretch out and put up their feet.

Temple provided a nice pick-me-up with iced coffee and the Grange put together three ingredients I had never eaten simultaneously: figs, cheese and bacon - a delicious surprise.

The last stop was Sofia, and despite our late start (1 p.m.) we made it to all 18 restaurants in the allotted time.

If you do the math, 18 restaurants for $35 turns out to be less than $2 per restaurant and $7 per hour of the five-hour crawl.

In addition to all of the food, there were goodie bags. Inside each bag was a copy of Midtown Monthly, coupons for a free milkshake and chicken menu item from Chick-fil-A, a pre-punched Yogurtagogo card toward a free yogurt, a buy one get one free coupon for Temple and a few brochures.

After mixing nachos, chocolate, pizza, sushi, sangria, sake, potstickers, coffee and every food group into our bellies, most of us were experiencing a food coma at the end. As might be appropriate for a team named after a Sesame Street character, Team Snuffleupagus was ready for a nap.

Introducing: The Grub Crawl contest

2009-08-26T04:31:07Z

The Sacramento Press is teaming up with The Sacramento Grub Crawl to offer three community members a chance to win a pair of tickets to Wednesday's bike crawl.

The Grub Crawl is celebrating one year of providing a myriad of crawls, including pub crawls, the wine crawl, bike crawls, and events like Christmas crawl, Halloween costume crawl, Valentine's Day crawl and Mardi Gras March.

Each "crawl" consists of visiting up to five new or favorite restaurants for free appetizers, drink specials, prizes and giveaways in an organized social-networking setting.

Although crawl participants normally walk to each venue, this healthy alternative to driving around and looking/paying for parking brings bike enthusiasts together for an enjoyable tour of Sacramento's hot spots.

Founder Cline Moore is extending an open invitation for you to put your best idea forward. If money were no object, and you could design a crawl around any idea, what theme would you pick, and what would you name it?

The more details the better: where to go, what type of food/drinks, costumes? Three of the most creative ideas will be selected and the submitter will win a pair of tickets to Wednesday night's bike crawl starting at Bikes & Bites.

If your idea is feasible, you could be selected as honorary "King or Queen of the Crawl" (of your design). Check back in the comment section by one p.m. Wednesday the 26th to see if you've won.

Also, Sapporo Steakhouse has recently joined Wednesday night's grub crawl route with delicious Japanese cuisine. They are giving away gift certificates to every participant and raffling off prizes.

Route: Bikes & Bites, Sapporo Steakhouse, Brew-It-Up!, Sofia's on 11th, Table 260 and 3 Fires at the Marriott. See the following map:

View Larger Map

Friday Concerts in the Park: Middle Class Rut comes out on top

2009-06-19T04:41:14Z

"Exhilarating, like running naked through a bee storm," said music magazine NME of Middle Class Rut, or MC Rut for short. The duo headlines Friday's Concert in the Park in which Lite Brite, Consider The Thief and Early States will also play (click links for MySpace pages).

MC Rut's style has been compared to Jane's Addiction and Rage Against the Machine, but the duo evokes a simpler feel than the The White Stripes, a band with similar instrumentation.

Even so, the two-piece packs a fury of sound that never lets up. They recently released an eight-song EP entitled 25 Years and completed a tour of the United Kingdom.

Lite Brite is a rock and roll trio that exudes a punk attitude, but can turn down the amps and write a beautiful ballad as well. Some say Lite Brite sounds like Radiohead while others say the sound is more reminiscent of Nirvana.

Lite Brite released its debut self-titled album last year, and a three-song EP is a free download from the band's website.

Five-piece Consider the Thief released its debut album Signs and Wonders Tuesday. "We decided we wanted to take a leap of faith and write songs that didn’t rely on what had become a crutch for us: screaming and busy guitar/drum work," said guitarist Sean O'Sullivan in an interview with Submerge Magazine.

That doesn't mean that Consider the Thief doesn't shred. The band still brings a sense of emotional, apocalyptic rock and roll.

Early States sounds like U2, but is fronted by a 19-year-old Roseville man. The band will be on the Warped Tour this summer.

Friday Night Concerts in the Park take place at Cesar Chavez Park on 10th and J Streets from 5-9 p.m. every Friday until August 14.

Don't forget that your Friday night festivities continue if you show your wristband to one of the following businesses:

Brew it Up! $4 drafts, Bacardi, Jack Daniels and 3 Olives cocktails, plus half-price appetizers

Fuzio Universal Bistro $3 drafts, $5 martinis, plus a selection of $3 appetizers

Marilyn's on K $1 off well drinks, $3 draft Bud Light

Parlare Euro Lounge $3 domestic beers, $5 wine, $4 assorted appetizers

Pyramid Alehouse $2 pints of Curveball

Sofia on 11th $3 drafts, $4 wines, $4 wells and and half-price appetizers

Table 260 Half off appetizer menu, 10 percent off dinner, $5 drink special on Sac Soul

Toppingz Pizza inside Image Lounge $2.50 Bud and Bud Light, $4 Jack Daniels, appetizers starting at $1

Sheraton Grand Hotel's PMB Bar $3.50 Bud and Bud Light (bottle or draft), $5 nachos or artichoke dip

Amourath Lounge at Hyatt $1 off Bud, Bud Light and all appetizers

Citizen Hotel $99/night weekend rate for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights in a deluxe king, queen or dual-double-bed room. This deal is exclusively for the Concerts in the Park, and for information on how to book the room, call 916-447-2700.

Crawl…Flash…Spokes, It’s Bikeramento Week!

2009-02-12T02:14:33Z

Last night was an amazing meandering ride from Downtown through Midtown for the 1st Annual Bikeramento Crawl.

Set the scene of a moving banner from sanctuary to sanctuary in the light rain. It all begins with the religious experience of a cup of mojo at Temple Fine Coffee & Tea.

The loose Bikeramentans gather and awkwardly introduce themselves to the team. It’s to be expected. Who are these bike-crazy folks, these Spokes People, who believe that they can influence city planning and have fun doing it?

Ah….soak up that caffeine. A fine whiff of a single origin espresso parting the perfect foam of that cappuccino. David Barton shows up with the sharp photographer for Sacramento Press. And the adventure begins.

The energy builds, spreading the word to random cyclists biking over for meetings and everyday items, creating a chance run-in with Panama Bartholomew of the Planning Commission.

Australia, and barista extraordinaire from the emerging Chocolate Fish Coffee down the street, check.

Scotland, skydiver and cyclist, check.

Eco-activist, check.

State workers and Bay Area transplants, check.

Gear up to travel over to Brew It Up where Sacramento Press opens the tab and buys the ragtag Bikeramentans a round of beer. Mmmm…house-brewed Vanilla Stout. More creative capital joins the crew. We hear whispers of city-wide capture the flag driven by online clues.

Off we go into the wild night yonder, hustling to Butch N Nellie’s Coffee House at 19th and I Streets for Muddy Dublins, Guinness with a shot of espresso, and Dublin Floats, Guinness with 2 scoops of chocolate gelato. It’s a mad nightcap as a large group adds on to the fun and night lights flicker onto the bikes, like quirky fireflies amidst the dewy darkness.

Onward to DeVere’s Irish Pub. It’s our poor waitress’ lucky draw, her first night on the job serving Bikeramento. A flawless delivery as Sacramento Press hurls a round of Washington Apples for the 20 of us gathered, followed by a roundhouse of beers and a few small plates to soak it all up. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” as we toast our sponsors.

Time slows down as we enjoy the jovial sounds of a full crowd. The lamb sliders linger on the tongue and bid us adieu into the rain once more.

Last call to Rubicon Brewing Company on 20th and Capitol Avenue next to The Waterboy Restaurant. We run into friends, associates, and more Bikeramentans. Thank goodness for open-faced meatloaf sandwiches drizzled with mushroom gravy. Another crowded house on a wintry Tuesday night, the perfect ending to Crawl home for bedtime stories and foamy dreams.

The Bikeramento Banner travels from post to post like a wise, wandering gypsy at home wherever it lands against the cityscape, signifying the temporal nature of each stop combined with the cyclical energy of moving forward together as an evolving urban wheel .

It’s 10 minutes to the next event, the bicycle flash mob on Wednesday evening. Find the answer online at Bikeramento.org.