Feeding Crane Farms reversed the process on local organic farms – instead of growing something and selling it, farmers ask local chefs what they want, and then grow it, said General Manager Shannin Stein. She added that her goal is to help create a fully sustainable local food scene within the next five years. “We’re doing things the way nature meant for us to do things,” Stein said. “We feel like it’s gaining momentum and that we’re not just a business, but a voice for social change in the food business.” Feeding Crane Farms is located in Natomas within city limits and currently has more than 80 acres of certified organic lands, with four and a half in use at one site and five in use a

A pair of Sacramento restaurants entered the local brunch scene in February, adding to what owners said is a strong market for weekend eats. Both the newly opened Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar and Restaurant Thir13en are working to finalize their brunch menus. Restaurant Thir13en, located at 1300 H St. downtown, opened eight months ago, and Sunday will mark its third week of doing brunch, Chef and co-owner Adam Pechal said Friday. Pechal is also the chef and co-owner of Tuli Bistro. “It was something that we always planned to do,” he said. “It’s proven at Tuli to be one of our best shifts, and I always heard that Chanterelle, our predecessor, had a really successful brunch.” Currently, the

Looking for an excuse to go out with the girls, or a new spin on a date? Check out these unique brunch specials in Sacramento that are sure to make your mouth water. Tower Cafe Located on 1518 Broadway. Brunch hours are from 8 -11 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 – 11 a.m. Friday and 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tower Cafe takes pride in its “Madame Cristo.” It is a new version of French toast, loaded with swiss cheese and ham. “French toast is our most popular dish, and people love it so much that our chef decided to make another version,” Manager Ruben Reveles said. Breakfast cocktails are also served during brunch hours. “La Frida” is Tower Cafe's version of a Mimosa, whic

The wet weather on Saturday afternoon did not stop hundreds of wine enthusiasts from attending the ninth annual Raley’s Grape Escape at Cesar Chavez Park. Grape Escape is an outdoor event for foodies and wine lovers to sample the region’s finest wineries and restaurants. Few attendees bought their ticket at the door, due to the weather, but those who bought their ticket in advance, paid $40. Some attendees traveled from as far as Reno to get out of the cold weather, and although their day trip was greeted with more cold, they quickly forgot about it after a few glasses of wine. The grass was muddy, and attendees dressed in rain boots and scarves while juggling their food plates, wine g

Tuli Bistro owners Adam Pechal and Ulrike “Ulli” Lesk Petersen previewed the space and menu of their second restaurant, RESTAURANT THIR13EN, on Friday. The restaurant is located on the bottom floor of the Sterling Hotel at 1300 H St., where the restaurant Chanterelle was until it closed last January. All evening invited guests were provided teasers of THIR13EN’s menu, which included oyster shooters, sous vide quail wings, seared scallops, Kurabuta pork belly and seared sirloin with potato puree. Each guest was also provided a drink ticket to sample offerings from their full bar, such as wine from Berryessa Gap Vineyards, international beer taps and a number of signature cocktails. Peters

The fourth annual A Toast to Music food and wine benefit helped raise money for the Camellia Symphony Orchestra at the Old Sugar Mill Saturday night. The event was sponsored by Carvalho Family Winery. Camellia Symphony Orchestra executive director Roberta McClellan said the money raised at the event will help fund the orchestra’s 2011-2012 season, although they won’t know the total amount raised at the event until Thursday or Friday. “(It will help pay for) brochures, production, purchasing music, rental space and concerts over the summer,” McClellan said. The orchestra provides free family concerts over the summer, and McClellan said the money will also help pay for all of the expenses

If Mr. Rogers lived in Sacramento, he might choose to live in Curtis Park. Organizers of Saturday’s Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association’s Home and Garden Tour promise it will be a beautiful day in the neighborhood. That day is quickly approaching for committee members Lori Harder and Janice Calpo. The fundraising event will take place from 10 a.m - 6 p.m. Saturday in the Curtis Park neighborhood and Sierra 2 Community Center. Seven beautifully crafted and historical Sacramento homes will be open for the public to tour. The event will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the SCNA’s Home and Garden tour along with a legacy of community and historical preservation. What began as a neig

Easter is fast approaching and along with it comes the requisite egg hunts and candy-fests. Before you go snacking on the Snickers, though, you may be interested in having a good old-fashioned Easter brunch with your friends and family. If you’re looking for good food on Easter Sunday in the central city area, here are a few places offering brunch and drink specials on this special day: Tower Cafe 1518 Broadway Brunch: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner: 4:30 to 11 p.m. Tower Cafe’s large brunch menu includes their Famous French Toast, Eggs Tower, the Borracho Burger, and Thai steak salad. Or, try one of their specialties: a chorizo burrito with sauteed onions, garlic and dry chorizo sausage scramb

Curtis Park residents know how to throw a party. The 20th Annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction event converted the Sierra 2 Center into a interactive showcase of fine wine, beer and gourmet eats. With 450 tickets sold before the event even began, only 100 were still available for purchase at the door. Curtis Park Neighborhood Association President Rosanna Herber said she expected the event to sell out. More than 35 wineries offered tastings of their red and white wines and many provided food pairings to complement their generous samples. People wandered slowly down the line of sampling tables with plates and wine glasses in hand. With no particular agenda or method, they followed thei

We are excited to announce a special opportunity and want our users, as part of The Sacramento Press community, to be the first to take advantage. How would you like to save 51-90 percent on Sacramento's top restaurants, salons and businesses every day? Well, now you can! We introduce to you: Deal Ticket. It’s really easy to sign up and start saving. Every day, we feature a fantastic deal from a local business. That deal is featured for one day only. You click to buy the deal and save money by doing so. All you have to do is sign up for the daily Deal Ticket e-mail so you don’t miss out on deals you’ll love. To give you an idea of what's in store, we have great deals at Tuli Bistro (60

Knives chopped, pans tossed and orders were shouted — it was an Iron Chef of sorts in the quaint kitchen of the Shady Lady. But instead of competing, a conglomeration of chefs came together to feed those who knew and loved Adam Gregory Rains, who passed away on April 17, 2009. Rains was the victim of a car accident that left three people dead in St. Helena around 1 a.m. Friday morning. His culinary career in Sacramento included working at Kru Restaurant, helping to open Tuli Bistro, and catering with Mulvaney's B&L. Rains had also begun attending the Culinary Institute of America this year. One of Rains's coworkers from Kru said of him, "It didn’t matter how intense it got, he always ma

The Holidays are finally here. At least that is what the Sacramento Press employees have been claiming for the past week. One week ago today, The Sacramento Press had their holiday party. Thanks to Geoff Samek, Ben Ilfeld and Nicholas Walsh who made the evening even possible. This wasn't an ordinary holiday party. It was filled with much more holiday cheer, much more food, and too many great wines it was hard to keep track. The party was held at Tuli Bistro on the corner of 21st and S. I have been to holiday parties before, and no restaurant has been as welcoming as the staff at Tuli. Not to mention the food was phenomenal. The Director of Marketing himself, Nicholas Walsh, carefully pic

One of Sacramento's best culinary creators is off the market. Patrick Mulvaney, a native New Yorker, is one of Sacramento’s restaurant leaders and will be married this Sunday. But before that happens, he whooped it up with some close friends. After some libations at the classic Club 2 Me, the culinary hooligans rolled to the hot-as-hell Tuli Bistro and were hosted by Chef/Owner Adam Pechal. The humble Mulvaney dined on a bountiful buffet of food treasures with colleagues and friends. With no shortage of beverage pairings, faces started to melt on the lovely patio. In attendance were some of Sacramento’s service industry elite to celebrate the event including Derrell Roberts, Kevin Reikes