Taste: The region's latest food, drink & restaurant news for Nov. 14
This week we've got the lowdown on a downtown hot dog stand, an upcoming East Sacramento tap house, and a new chef on the midtown restaurant scene. Plus, New Helvetia brewery hosts an anniversary block party and Shoki Ramen House waxes nostalgic with its throwback menu.
The Golden Bear
In October, this popular midtown bar and restaurant announced its new menu from executive chef Jay Peacock, who took over the kitchen in June. Peacock hails from Grants Pass, Oregon, but cut his teeth in San Francisco, earning the title of the sous chef at Tyler Florence’s Wayfare Tavern in 2013. Peacock has also worked at Hook & Ladder as a lead line cook and contributed to the openings of Empress Tavern and the erstwhile Saddle Rock. At Golden Bear, his new creations include brunchtime red sauce chilaquiles topped with cotija cheese, sour cream and pickled jalapeños, along with several new tacos, like the breakfast versions prepared with homemade chorizo, pico de gallo, country potatoes and black beans. For lunch or dinner, his most popular sandwiches include the braised pork torta ahogada and the BLBA, with V. Miller Meats’ coffee-rubbed bacon, lettuce, beets and avocado stacked high between pugliese bread. 2326 K St. 441-2242. goldenbear916.com
Good Dog
On Oct. 24, Sacramento husband-and-wife team Charlie and Katrina Szatkowski took the hot dog catering business they founded in 2015 to the streets by opening a cart with build-your-own hot dogs. Stationed in front of the Department of Justice building on I Street each weekday, Good Dog offers grass-fed beef dogs sourced from San Francisco-based Let’s Be Frank, along with cheddar jalapeño bratwurst and vegan smoked apple-sage sausage, all served on French rolls. In December, the couple plans to also introduce German-style soft pretzels to the stand's menu. Lunchgoers can top their choice of dog with a rotating selection of craft condiments like seasonal house-made pickled relishes, sauerkraut, spicy curry sauce and 12 different kinds of mustards and ketchups. Weekdays from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Department of Justice Building. 1300 I St. 671-6116. facebook.com/getagooddog
New Helvetia Brewing Company
This popular brewery in Land Park will celebrate its fifth birthday with a post-Thanksgiving block party on 18th Street between Broadway and Burnett Way on Nov. 24. Partygoers can expect live music from Sacramento groups J’s House Band and Be Brave Bold Robot, games like ping-pong and giant Jenga, and fare from local food trucks Chando’s Tacos and Burgess Brothers’ BBQ & Burgers. New Helvetia founder David Gull said the brewery will also introduce its special anniversary brew Mystery Airship—an Alpha lager with a boozy ABV (over 10 percent) that pays tribute to tales of UFO sightings in the Sacramento region—at the block party, which will take over the tasting room and its adjoining courtyard until midnight. Free. Nov. 24. 12 p.m.-12 a.m. 1730 Broadway. 469-9889. newhelvetiabrew.com
SacYard Community Tap House
In the belly of a former auto garage on 33rd Street in East Sacramento, husband-and-wife team Dan and Melody Thebeau are crafting an industrial-themed tap house and 3,800-square-foot beer garden set to soft-open in late December, with a grand opening planned for the new year. The bar will pour 24 taps from the likes of Fieldwork, Track 7, Bike Dog and Moonraker, along with ciders from Two Rivers and bottled brews from Colorado-based Avery Brewing Co. and San Luis Obispo’s Tap It Brewing Co. Under the half-dome roof, guests will be able to play card games on communal tables made with oak sourced from 100-year-old water tanks in the Sierra Foothills, chat around a central fire pit in the beer garden, and nosh on sandwiches, pasta salads and charcuterie provided from nearby Compton’s Market. The Thebeaus hope to also host local food trucks at the brewery from Thursdays through Sundays once it opens. 1725 33rd St. sacyard.beer
Shoki Ramen House
To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of its original 24th Street location, Shoki Ramen House has released a throwback menu, featuring popular dishes through the years like sushi and donburi, and has rolled back its prices to circa 2007. Diners can now expect customizable ramen bowls for under $9, including the new spicy miso ramen served with thin noodles and topped with wakame, organic spinach, chashu (pork belly), moyashi and shiitake. Chef-owner Yasushi Ueyama is also bringing back sweetened tofu rolls, or inari, known as “football sushi” by regulars for its oval shape. Ueyama says he and his wife Kathy, who run both the 21st Street and R Street locations of Shoki Ramen House, have made the menu changes and pricing permanent at both spots as a thank you to the Sacramento community for its support through the years. 1201 R St. 441-0011. 2530 21st St. 454-2411. shokiramenhouse.com
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