Happenings

Leafy winter greens Kale and Bacon Salad, Hawk’s Provisions & Public House

January 6, 2020

Leafy winter greens

Kale and Bacon Salad, Hawk’s Provisions & Public House
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Hawks Provisions has a handful of fresh salads made-to-order for any lunchtime craving. The Kale and Bacon Salad ($9) is comforting and comes loaded with lush kale topped with cranberries, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, hard boiled egg, crunchy sunflower seeds and, of course, bacon. The leafy dish is served on a large plate accompanied by a thick and creamy lemon Parmesan dressing with crushed garlic. Try it without the bacon for a vegetarian meal. This tasty mix of kale and hearty protein will keep you full ’til dinner time.1525 Alhambra Blvd., hawkspublichouse.com.

Here’s Who’s Leading the 2019 Tower Bridge Dinner

September 20, 2019

The 2019 Tower Bridge Dinner will feature a star-studded cast of women who have made their mark on the culinary scene led by Suzette Gresham of San Francisco’s Acquerello, who has held a two-star rating from Michelin since 2015. Joining her will be Sacramento chefs Allyson Harvie of Ella Dining Room and Bar, Casey Shideler of Taylor’s Kitchen, Molly Hawks of Hawks Restaurant, and Tokiko Sawada of Binchoyaki.

“We’re thrilled to have Chef Gresham and such a talented, local team leading this year’s dinner,” said Visit Sacramento President & CEO Mike Testa. “Together, the team offers a combination of skill, experience and diverse expertise that will result in what I believe to be one of our most exciting experiences to date.”

The annual Tower Bridge Dinner remains one of the hottest tickets in town as it heads into its seventh year, and it serves not only as a marquee event that showcases what Sacramento’s culinary community can produce, but it also serves as the major fundraiser for the free two-day street festival that leads up to it and welcomed more than 100,000 people in 2018.

Suzette Gresham became only the third American woman to be honored with two Michelin stars in 2015, and her work in San Francisco’s Acquerello has seen it land a spot in the San Francisco Chronicle’s Top 100 Bay Area Restaurant List for the past 22 years. Ingredients are one of the central pillars in her kitchen, and she seeks to provide diners with an experience. Additionally, she has long focused on providing a workplace free of fear and intimidation, regardless of gender, and focuses on passing on her knowledge to the next generation, including passing 63 interns through her kitchen.

Allyson Harvie spent more than a decade honing her craft in San Francisco at restaurants including Absinthe, Ragazza and Salt House before coming to Sacramento and working as chef de cuisine at The Kitchen in 2017. She became chef de cuisine at Ella Dining Room and Bar in 2018 and continues to value her authentic relationships with farmers to bring quality seasonal meals to her restaurant. Ella Dining Room and Bar was one of 10 Sacramento restaurants honored with Michelin Plate awards in 2019.

Casey Shideler was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, and, knowing she wanted to cook professionally, went to culinary school in her home state, and moved to Sacramento five years ago. Working her way up in Sacramento’s culinary scene at restaurants such as Blackbird Kitchen and Bar, and Mulvaney’s Building & Loan, she took a keen interest in using farm-fresh ingredients. She became the Executive Chef at Taylor’s Kitchen in 2016, and in 2017 was one of the lead chefs for the Tower Bridge Dinner. In addition to cooking, Shideler is an avid runner and an outspoken leader in conversations around mental health challenges and women in restaurant kitchens.

Molly Hawks is the proprietress of Hawks Restaurant in Granite Bay and Hawks Provisions + Public House in Sacramento along with her husband, Michael Fagnoni. Hawks attended California Culinary Academy and worked at San Francisco’s LiveFire and The Village Pub. Hawks Restaurant opened in 2007 and has been a staple in the community since. Hawks Provisions + Public House opened in 2015 and focuses on quality seasonal fare with local ingredients.

Tokiko Sawada is a co-owner of Binchoyaki with more than 17 years in the culinary industry. Being surrounded at a young age by inspirational food during summers in Japan inspired her to pursue an education at le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. Upon graduating, she served as a sous chef in several restaurants in Southern California before opening an upscale bakery and restaurant le Pain Quotidien. Along with husband Craig Takehara, she opened Binchoyaki in 2016 in Sacramento, serving Japanese barbecue and soul food. Binchoyaki was another of the 10 Sacramento restaurants awarded a Michelin Plate in 2019.

Link to full article: https://www.farmtofork.com/heres-whos-leading-the-2019-tower-bridge-dinner/

Ladie’s Night – Sacramento Magazine September 2019

September 20, 2019

Ladies’ Night

For the first time, female chefs will lead this year’s Tower Bridge Dinner.

By MaryBeth Bizjak, Sacramento Magazine September 2019

In Sacramento, as in the rest of the country, female chefs don’t get as much publicity and recognition as their male counterparts. In part, it’s a numbers game: Fewer than 7 percent of American restaurant kitchens are led by women, according to a 2014 Bloomberg study.

So in this era of Time’s Up and #MeToo, it’s fitting that the organizers of this year’s Tower Bridge Dinner would select an all-female lineup of chefs to lead the high-profile, sold-out event on Sept. 29. Four of the five chefs are local: Allyson Harvie of Ella, Casey Shideler of Taylor’s Kitchen, Molly Hawks of Hawks and Tokiko Sawada of Binchoyaki. The fifth, Suzette Gresham, is the chef/owner of San Francisco’s Acquerello, an Italian res- taurant with two Michelin stars.

Sawada, who owns Binchoyaki with her husband, first heard a rumor a few months ago that women would lead the bridge dinner. “I thought wow, that’s awesome, because this industry is so male dominated,” she says. Still, she was shocked when she received an email inviting her to be one of the lead chefs. “I was like oh my God, oh my God,” she recalls. “I had to read the email three or four times to make sure I was
reading it properly.”

In late spring, the four local chefs met with Gresham to discuss the theme and direction of the dinner. It’s traditionally a four-course meal, served family style at long tables laid end to end on Tower Bridge, which is closed to traffic for the event. The women de- cided on an Italian theme for the dinner, with dishes including smoked sturgeon crudo, squash “timballo” filled with tomato- basil pasta, and pork loin with figs.

The local chefs already knew each other through the networking group Women in Food & Ag and by working together at events like the Sacramento Food Film Festival. As women, they had to develop thick skins in the male-dominated restaurant business. “Back in the day, we had to be tougher than men to prove that we’re able to do the same job,” Sawada notes. Harvie agrees. “I think we all experienced hardships,” she says. “I have some pretty gnarly stories, but I don’t really talk about them.”

Bobbin Mulvaney, co-owner of Mulvaney’s B&L, has carried the banner for women in the restaurant industry for years. Men and women in the kitchen are different, she says. Men tend to be aggressive and sarcastic; women are nurturing and collaborative. “You can taste it in their food,” she notes. “Their food is thought-FUL. Full of thought. Women give so much attention and detail to their food.” With the Bridge Dinner, Mulvaney’s thrilled to see female chefs finally get some recognition. “They’ve been bass players in the band for a long time,” she says. “This is their opportunity to step out to the front of the stage.”

She looks forward to watching Sacramento’s male chefs play supporting roles at this year’s bridge dinner. “Stand in the background and let the women take all the accolades and bravos,” she says. “It’s a great opportunity for the men in town to walk in women’s shoes.”

SacramentomagazineSeptember 2019

 

The Essential Sacramento Restaurants

September 17, 2019

From iconic favorites to fresh newcomers, these are the restaurants that define Sacramento!

Hawks Public House

Hiding in plain sight along the border of Midtown and East Sac, Hawk’s Public House presents a fantastic menu of high-end American food and drink with a creative edge. Notable dishes on the seasonally-rotating menu include the gently smoky St Louis ribs, accompanied by grilled avocado, sweet summer peaches, and drizzled with an otherworldly coffee-bourbon glaze; or the generously-sized grilled salmon with sweet corn and summer beans, smothered with a sauce of cucumbers, dill, and Calabrian chilies. Smart Sacramentans mark their calendars for “Fried Chicken Mondays,” the only night of the week that Hawks makes their famous buttermilk fried chicken, served with honey mustard, mashed potatoes, and their face-slapping pickled jalapeño coleslaw. Don’t forget to check out the craft cocktail menu, which many consider to be one of the most respectable in the city.

by Stephanie Stiavetti Updated

Link to the full article: https://sf.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-sacramento

St Louis Pork Ribs from Hawk’s Public House
St Louis Pork Ribs from Hawk’s Public House
Rachel Valley

New York Magazine

November 29, 2018

Explore the New California Cool in Sacramento

No longer sitting in the shadow of cool-kid cities like San Francisco and L.A., California’s capital is showing off some newfound swagger. Its booming craft beer and cocktail culture, an explosion of noteworthy restaurants, and thriving arts scene are all turning heads like never before. But come for a visit, and you’ll find that even with its recent popularity, Sac still sticks to its old-school roots with friendly locals, tree-lined streets that beckon for a bike ride, and lively, welcoming neighborhoods.

By Blane Bachelor

(more…)

Saveur Stories: Libations

October 24, 2018

Saveur Stories is a series all about the food we eat, the people who make it, and the journey between courses. Every great meal starts with a drink. Libations transform food experiences, exciting our palate in anticipation of what’s to come. This episode features our very own Mixmaster and Cocktail Enthusiast Zeph Horn, and the creativity behind the craft cocktails at Hawks Public House.

Directed | Edited by Greg Gearhart

Special thanks to Sac Food and Booze for being a part of this project!

 

Secrets of the after-work cocktail hour revealed!

September 13, 2018

Ed Goldman: Secrets of the after-work cocktail hour revealed!

I think the concept of the cocktail hour, like coffee breaks and even lunchtimes, exists because — in addition to our fondness for alcohol, caffeine and Cobb salads — as a species, we need our transitions.

We can’t just merge from one activity into another, like workplace to home, without a convenient buffer or layover. Even the people who make those thrill-packed car-chase movies know we need a quiet scene wedged in between the pulse-racing mayhem — like, maybe when the guy pulls into a gas station, refills his tank and gets Safeway reward points. They won’t show him also popping into the station’s mini-mart because, God knows, there’ll be a robbery in progress and then it’s right back to squealing tires and rock music (unless the film has a rural setting, in which case we can expect plucky banjo music to accompany the action).

Whenever I make plans to meet someone for an after-work cocktail, my mind first goes to the “Mad Men” era when harried executives imbibed “ti many martoonies” in the commuter train’s bar car on their way home to Connecticut from their jobs in Manhattan.

Since I work at home, I can’t stop on my way there from my job because I’m already there. The result is that some days, if I’ve been working at home all day, I have to pull on my Big Boy clothes just to go out and unwind with a drink — which I could just as easily have done by walking into the next room of my home and not having to change clothes.

There’s a certain ritual that comes with the after-work cocktail. You need to show up slightly out of breath, maybe blowing imaginary bangs off your forehead. (The late President John F. Kennedy started this with his nagging forelock, which he frequently fidgeted with. It became part of his aspect or mien or charisma, whichever word works for you and allows me to not write “his thing.”)

When the waiter/bartender asks you if you’re ready to order a drink, you’re practically mandated to reply, “Am I ever!” And, convinced that everyone in the place is watching you (hint: they may be, but only if it’s still early), you then take that first sip and react as though you were just granted eternal life. It can have the effect of making us seem like alcoholics, even if we’re not. And of making our workplace, the one we’ve just left behind to get this cocktail, seem as though it was an unnumbered Circle of Hell — one, albeit, with major medical, a Roth-IRA and paid mental health days.

Everyone has a favorite “watering hole,” as we quaintly call our preferred saloon. I have several, which probably gives the impression that I’m at one every night. My major criteria for choosing one is that the bartender can make a decent vodka martini and that the barroom is freeway close, though I never jump onto the freeway after having even one cocktail. Because I now live in what I call Far East Sacramento, at American River Drive and Howe Avenue, I find myself most often at Piatti and the about-to-reopen Wildwood in the Pavilions Shopping Mall. Or I head back down J Street to my former nabe and honor 33rd Street Bistro or Hawks Public House with my aspect or mien or charisma. Sometimes I even have my forelock nag me. And now you’ll know how to not run into me.

See full Sacramento Business Journal Article here: https://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2018/09/12/ed-goldman-secrets-of-the-after-work-cocktail-hour.html
By   – Columnist, Sacramento Business Journal