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!
September 13, 2018
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.
August 30, 2018
WHERE TO FIND THE TASTIEST AND MOST INVENTIVE BRUNCH FARE AROUND.
THERE ARE ROUGHLY 1.44 MILLION PEOPLE LIVING IN THE URBAN SACRAMENTO AREA. And on Saturdays and Sundays, it seems like most of them are going out to brunch. Behold the throngs of people lined up outside local restaurants on weekend mornings, waiting for a chance to guzzle bottomless mimosas. What is it that makes perfectly sensible people willing to cool their heels on the sidewalk for an hour and a half for a plate of bacon and eggs?
ANSWER: BRUNCH IS THE NEW HAPPY HOUR. IT’S NOT JUST A FOOD PHENOMENON; IT’S A SOCIAL PHENOMENON.
“It’s the fun meal,” explains a brunch-loving colleague of mine who goes out to brunch at least two or three times a month. A hardworking millennial, she and her friends are often too busy during the week to meet for lunch or dinner. But on the weekend, all bets are off. For them, brunch offers an opportunity to relax, catch up and party down. The meal can stretch out to fill the entire day. “Brunch is awesome,” she says, “because it lasts so long.”
Local restaurants are responding to the brunch demand with increasingly sophisticated food and drink. Here, we present our 2018 guide to some of our favorites in Sacramento brunching.
HAWKS PUBLIC HOUSE
If you’re the type of person who gets easily overwhelmed by too many choices, brunch at Hawks Public House is for you. Owners Molly Hawks and Mike Fagnoni have created a carefully edited menu—only 10 entrées—that takes much of the decision making off your shoulders. You’re a waffle gal? Then order the buttermilk waffles, served with strawberries and peanut butter whipped cream. Eggs are your jam? Get the farm egg omelette. Not really a fan of traditional breakfast? Try Hawks’ brunch burger: a patty of Wagyu beef ground in-house, plus bacon and a fried egg on a house-made brioche bun. Each dish gets the Hawks treatment: top-flight ingredients, on-point cookery and beautiful plating.
Breakfast sandwich. Photo by Gabriel Teague
The menu, while pared down, offers something for everyone. Avo toast is a beautiful-looking dish, with a guac-like mash slathered on grilled levain, topped with perfectly poached eggs, paper-thin radish slices and micro cilantro and served with a side of lightly dressed farm greens. In an elevated take on the lowly Egg Mc-Muffin, fried eggs, bacon and cheddar cheese are sandwiched within a house-made buttermilk biscuit. (Fagnoni says it’s his homage to the New York deli egg-and-cheese.) The sandwich comes with breakfast potatoes: cubes of Idaho spuds that are boiled, frozen, then deep-fried and tossed with fried rosemary and salt. They’re crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside.
The bar produces an interesting assortment of brunch cocktails and eye-openers, including sangria and a delicious michelada. For $30, you can order the “mimosa kit,” which includes a bottle of bubbles, a carafe of OJ and a couple of bar-made syrups that allow you to DIY your breakfast tipple.
10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday Only
1525 Alhambra Blvd.; (916) 588-4440;
hawkspublichouse.com
See full article here
August 18, 2018
April 30, 2018
Sacramento Magazine | April 2018
by Marybeth Bizjak:
April 9, 2018
By: Raúl Nava:
The 11th annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine festival found the Monterey Peninsula hosting celebrity chefs, world-renowned wineries, and elite epicures for four days of food and wine. The Lexus Grand Tastings on Saturday and Sunday showcased snacks from more than 70 chefs and sips from more than 300 wineries. … Michael Fagnoni (Hawks and Hawks Provisions + Pub House) paired sweet and savory with Hudson Valley foie gras mousse with brown butter crumble and strawberry gelee.
View full article online here.
Monterey Bay Abalone Rockefeller with Schoch Cheese Bischael and homemade crispy ham from chef Brad Briske from Home restaurant in Santa Cruz.
Photos by: Nic Coury
The 11th annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine festival found the Monterey Peninsula hosting celebrity chefs, world-renowned wineries, and elite epicures for four days of food and wine. The Lexus Grand Tastings on Saturday and Sunday showcased snacks from more than 70 chefs and sips from more than 300 wineries.
Fresh and flavorful seafood stood out on Saturday. Ankimo (monkfish liver) mousse with yuzu citrus on a crispy nori cracker from Billy Ngo (Kru and Fish Face Poke Bar restaurants, Sacramento) was perhaps the best bite of the weekend. On the heels of Friday’s Hawaiian lunch, Chris Yang and Jordan Keao(‘aina, San Francisco) dished up hip Hawaiian fare with a delicious octopus luau.
Lighter bites proved popular picks on Sunday, perhaps aiding in recovery from the gourmet gluttony of the weekend. An avocado, mint, and cucumber shooter from Kelly McCown (The Kitchen, Sacramento) was a refreshing sip to kick off Sunday’s tasting. And don’t be fooled by the simplicity of John Tesar’s duck egg omelet (Knife at The Highland, Dallas)—foodies rightly queued up for this breakfast bite made fresh and topped with lemon beurre monté sauce, creme fraiche and caviar. Crab bhelpuri from Top Chef alumFatima Ali was one of the standout selections of the weekend’s tasting tents, with puffed grains, cilantro, tamarind, and a wealth of spices.
The festival saw the Monterey Bay’s most lauded top chefs reunited for Sunday’s Grand Tasting. Brad Briske—an alum of La Balena and Il Grillo now at his own restaurant, Home, in Soquel—teamed up withAmerican Abalone Farms for “All the Way Monterey Bay Abalone Steinbeck” farmed red abalone baked Rockefeller. John Cox—formerly of Big Sur’s Post Ranch Inn and now leading the kitchen for The Bear and Star in Los Olivos—once again stole the show with an elaborate table presentation.
In years past, he’s featured caviar served from a whole paddlefish and a towering mushroom marvel. This year, he showcased Santa Barbara seafood, with a table adorned in kelp and crabs to showcase his Santa Barbara rock crab hushpuppies with crab roe “Umami Sauce.” And Aubergine executive chef Justin Cogley served a sublime snack of edamame and Alba mushrooms swimming in smoked butter sauce.
This year’s lineup included more local chefs than years past, with Eduardo Coronel (Rio Grill) serving atamal stuffed with huitlacoche “corn truffle” and wild mushrooms, Tim Wood (Carmel Valley Ranch) offering a slider with shaved pork and oyster mushrooms, Fabrice Roux (Roux, Carmel Valley Chophouse,Fifi’s) dishing up Syrah-marinated wild Carmel Valley boar ragout atop a Bigoli Gorgonzola raviolo, andColin Moody and Cy Yontz (Monterey Peninsula Country Club) saturating small bowls filled with local spot prawn, prawn caviar crema, and green chickpeas with hickory smoke for a smoked-out seafood salad on Saturday.
On Sunday, favorites from our hometown heroes included crispy Maple Leaf duck breast with foie gras ganache and rhubarb-cherry puree from Anna Marie Bayonito (Sticks), choucroute garnie with Carmel Valley pork sausage and housemade sauerkraut atop a roasted potato from Sebastian Nobile and Obdiel Luna (La Bicyclette), and a duo of dishes from chefs Todd Fisher and Jeremiah Tydeman (Folktale Winery, Seventh & Dolores Steakhouse): “Mornin’ Cluck” with confit hen egg yolk and triple cream parsnip puree topped with chicken cracklings and “Spring Lamb Schmear” with Niman Ranch lamb tartare with Moroccan spices on an activated charcoal pita chip.
On the sweeter side, Saturday saw Barb Batiste from LA’s B Sweet Dessert Bar and Big Boi restaurant serve up two of her signature sweets: a Filipino-inspired pan de sal bread pudding topped with ube butter and a red velvet bread pudding. Michael Fagnoni (Hawks and Hawks Provisions + Pub House) paired sweet and savory with Hudson Valley foie gras mousse with brown butter crumble and strawberry gelee.
Tyler Malek from Salt & Straw—the ice cream shop famous for quirky ice cream flavors served from outposts in hipster hangouts like Portland, Los Angeles, and San Francisco—served a foodie favorite on Sunday: banana cream pie a la mode with parsnip ice cream.
April 1, 2018
Life on the Grid | By Jessica Laskey:
On April 27, Hawks Public House will make good on it New Year’s resolution that on the fourth Friday of every month, the restaurant will welcome guest chefs from around the region for a special late-night happy hour menu from 10 p.m. to midnight.
Chef-owner Mike Fagnoni teams up with visiting chefs–including Patricio Wise of Nixtaco and Brad Cecchi of Canon East Sacramento to create a special bite-and-beverage pairing designed to showcase the unique flavors and talents of the culinary community.
Upcoming guests will include Matt Masera and Mike Thiemann of Mother and Empress Tavern. Hawks Public House is at 1525 Alhambra Blvd.
For more information, sign up for the Hawks newsletter at www.hawkspublichouse.com
March 25, 2018
We can’t wait to head to the 11th annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine event, happening April 5-8, 2018 and cook with all of our friends! This year, Sacramento’s best culinary talent will team up for a very special Farm-to-Fork All Stars lunch event on Friday, April 6 and Chef Mike is working on something special for the first course! Then on Saturday, April 7 you can find the Hawks team in the Lexus Grand Tasting Tent to round out the weekend. Tickets are on sale now – don’t miss your chance to experience the best of Sacramento together with the stunning surroundings of Pebble Beach! Hope to see you there. Get tickets here.
March 22, 2018
By Rachel Leibrock:
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We took cover at Hawks Public House on a recent rainy night, seeking comfort and provisions. Usually this would call for a stiff, inside-warming concoction. Then we glanced at the cocktail menu that advertised the fancy-sounding Alhambra Theatre Presents a Barberry Gin Fizz ($13). Made with gin, barberry jam, water and sparkling wine, the coral-hued drink exhibits marquee appeal. With its thick and bubbly texture, the cocktail balances sweet and tart notes for a refreshing end-of-winter escape. 11525 Alhambra Boulevard, www.hawkspublichouse.com.
Read full article here
March 12, 2018
by Marybeth Bizjak
Off-menu pastrami Reuben at Hawks Public HousePhoto by Aniko Kiezel
There’s a small but growing restaurant trend: the secret, off-menu item. It’s a dish that only insiders know about. You have to ask for it. It’s generally available in limited quantities, and only at certain times. All of which makes the off-menu dish the food equivalent of tickets to “Hamilton.”
Local restaurateur Michael Fagnoni recently started serving an off-menu pastrami Reuben at Hawks Public House, the midtown restaurant he co-owns with his wife, Molly Hawks. He got the idea after hearing about the “secret burger” at Atlanta’s Holeman & Finch Public House. Every night at about 10 p.m., a Holeman & Finch staffer shouts, “It’s burger time!” through a bullhorn, starting a stampede for the 24 available burgers. Following that scarcity model, Hawks offers only 10 Reubens (made with house-cured and -smoked pastrami)—and only at night, starting at around 8 o’clock.
About a year and a half ago, Taste in Plymouth began serving an off-menu burger on Fridays at lunch. At first, it was a way to use up the leftover trimmings from the restaurant’s filet mignon. But the hamburger—served on a brioche bun with bacon and sun-dried tomato jam, sautéed mushrooms, arugula and goat cheese aioli, with a side of rosemary truffled fries—quickly became a cult dish with Taste regulars. One foursome comes in at least once a month for the burger, arriving when the restaurant opens at 11:30 a.m. so they don’t miss out.
Taste’s kitchen makes only a dozen or so burgers. Some weeks, they sell out in 10 minutes, says restaurant manager Micah Malcolm. Given its popularity, might Taste put the burger on the regular menu? No way, says Malcolm: “Then it wouldn’t be special.”
View story online here.
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