Midtown Cocktail Week is Back

2009-08-05T23:01:55Z

It's back: Midtown Cocktail Week, slated for August 10-16, 2009.

As its website notes http://midtowncocktailweek.org/, "Midtown Cocktail Week Sacramento launched in 2008 as the brainchild of mixologist Erick Castro, President of the San Francisco chapter of the USB, and restaurant maven Joe Anthony Savala from Zocalo. These two friends and colleagues noticed what was happening in San Francisco with an entire city celebrating the cocktail and the people who create them. Now, MCW has grown into a collaboration that will provide a wonderful experience to everyone that attends."

The event kicks off at L Street Lounge at 6 on August 10th, with the night wrapping up at a penthouse party across the street at the L Street lofts. The next night things move to the Lounge at 20 for a cocktail contest. On Wednesday, Mulvaney's will feature a pig roast with "harvest drinks." Events the next night move around the corner to Zocalos for tequilas and more. Friday night will be time for a "punch party," which is described as a "communal drinking experience."

Then it's double the pleasure on Saturday night. There's a cocktail class (limit 25 participants) from 4 to 6 p.m. at Dragonfly. And then the party moves to Ink at 6 p.m. for a combo drinks/chow extravaganza.

There will be no resting on Sunday: the closing party will be at Mix downtown. Bartenders and who is ever left standing from a week of cocktailing will gather for food, drink, and dance.

(As an added incentive to get there early, the first 200 at each event get a free bottle opener.)

If this all sounds too much, Yellow Cab has signed on as the official cab company of the event. And better yet: proceeds go to Sacramento anti-drunk driving efforts.

The Sacramento Press is listed as a media partner for the event.

Best Restaurants - a different take

2009-07-21T01:54:18Z

It's that time of year again - time for "Best Restaurants," brought to you by Sacramento Magazine.

After reading the readers' picks for each category, it made me wonder whether the results would be different for readers of The Sacramento Press. Our focus has been primarily on events and coverage of things in the Grid, whereas Sacramento Magazine covers a larger demographic including the suburbs.

There were four categories that stood out to me in Sacramento Magazine's Best Restaurants: Best Burrito, Best Pizza, Best Burger and Best Coffeehouse.

I live in the Grid and therefore have my own biases about restaurants that live in Downtown and Midtown. I prefer restaurants in this area to those found in the outlying areas. It would be interesting to see the results had it been limited to only restaurants in the Grid.

Best Burrito went to Chipotle, with Dos Coyotes coming in second and Ernesto's coming in third. Both Chipotle and Dos Coyotes are chains. The Grid has very few chain restaurants, and I wonder if the presence of chains amidst family-owned and unique Sacramento restaurants makes a difference in reader choice. Does the quality speak for itself?

Best Pizza went to Round Table. Granted, Chicago Fire and Zelda's picked up second and third place, but I wonder how a delivery-based chain is even allowed in the running. Did Hot Italian or Luigi's or Giovanni's make it in the top five?

For the category of Best Burger, there are quite a few restaurants that come to mind that did not make the top three. Jim Denny's, Whitey Jolly Cones and Nationwide Freezer Meats were all missing from page 115 for best burger. In-N-Out, however, took first place, the Squeeze Inn (deserving, in my opinion, one of the top three) made second and McDonald's placed third.

For Best Coffeehouses, Starbucks was voted first place, Peet's took second and It's a Grind made third. When I think of good coffeehouses, I think of the unique havens in the Grid. Temple comes to mind. So does Weatherstone and Naked Lounge. If I want ambiance and a coffee or tea that comes in a mug that was washed and that is reusable, I do not go to Starbucks. If I want free wi-fi that does not require a cellular account, I cannot go to Starbucks. If I want a swirled foam design on my latte, I will not go to a mass chain coffeehouse.

My coffee choices come from currently living in the Grid, although I did grow up in the suburbs.

After reading this list, I looked at Sacramento Magazine's website. At the bottom, it reads "Find the best that Sacramento, California has to offer at Sacramento Magazine Online. With fantastic features such as a restaurant guide, an entertainment and events calendar and monthly recipes, you’ll find everything you need to know about exciting Sacramento, California."

Now, I ask you - readers of The Sacramento Press - if you were to vote on Best Restaurants for The Sacramento Press (in the Grid), which ones would make your top three for best burrito, pizza, burger and coffeehouse?

Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "cocktail week"

Midtown Cocktail Week is Back

Best Restaurants - a different take