Off to the Races Food & Wine Tasting

And we're off!!!! Thanks to Sac Yelp and Katie "Not the Intern" G, I scored a pair of tix (valued at $100) to this fundraising event, with local charities for the Arts as benefactors. Although held at the (thankfully) shady Pavilions courtyard, the Sacramento heat was in full effect, making wine tasting a sweaty affair! But being the foodie athlete that I am, I persevered the 106 degrees and tried every food/beer/wine sample that was offered. New Helvetia: tried a full glass of honey blonde beer-just what I needed to quench my thirstFarenheit 250: pulled pork sliders-generous amount of tender smoked pork with pickled coleslaw and choice of spicy mustard or vinegar bbq sauce. DELICIOUSAndis Winery: 2010 (or 2011?) Petite Syrah and Sauvignon blanc- Syrah was delightful and smoothGarden Grill: all vegan salad- lots of fresh, raw veggies, grainsSusiecakes: 7-layer cookie/brownie was rich and crumbly. They had mini cupcakes and cookies but I passed on those.Piatti's: served some rum/fruit cocktail that was sweet and tart, also a nicely chilled gazpachoBogle Winery: What can I say? I've been to their winery. They're good.Barefoot Winery: I believe I sampled all of their flavored bubbly moscatos, pinot grigio, and Prosecco. Tropical moscato and Prosecco were my faves. Barefoot is always a safe, affordable supermarket pick! The Mandarin: general chicken- reminded me of Panda Express orange chicken, which is a good thing in my bookEvan's Kitchen: lamb pops and garlic mashed potatoes-TO DIE FOR! Lamb was seasoned with fresh rosemary,grilled to perfection, and tender. I could've eaten a bowl of those flavorful mashed potatoes. I went back for 3 rounds at their table!Sutter Steakhouse: steak tartar- OMG, best appetizer I've ever had. Rich and creamy, best on a crostini.Rombauer Winery: 2014 Chardonnay-this buttery smooth white wine killed the competition! On my list to visit in Napa, or find at Corti Bros!Café Bernardo: Thai peanut noodles-thin noodles were a little mushy but I loved the flavor of this cold noodle dishI crossed the finish line at this event with a full belly and a smile!

I found myself lucky enough to be able to attend this event, held at, "Pavilions" off of Fair Oaks Blvd. This upscale shopping center was a perfect venue for the kickoff event.Wine, beer, food, performances and sitting under an umbrella made for the perfect evening. I love to support anything artsy, so I was extremely happy to have acquired some tickets.We were greeted with a nice sized wineglass and a pair of socks. The socks made me laugh, even though I am always needing a new pair, because they were nestled inside the glass. I quickly took them out and practically ran into the beautiful courtyard to try my first wine!There were many different vendors, so many to try. Andis Winery had a buttery Sauvignon Blanc, Bogle Winery had a light Pinot which was perfect for the heat, Rombauer Winery was super fun and gracious and let me try a Chardonnay and the Malbec. I have to admit, due to the temperature, my favorite was the Barefoot wines. They had a variety of sparkling wines that were light, refreshing and thirst quenching. Did I try several? Yes. My top choice was the brand new sparkling bubbly peach: Perfect and fruity and slightly sweet.The variety of food choices was phenomenal! From lamb and creamy potatoes (can I have a huge bowl?) from, "Evans Kitchen" to pulled pork sliders with a vinegary slaw provided by "Fahrenheit 250". "Garden Grill" had an amazing vegan salad with beans, corn and fried onions (crispy yet light), "Piatti's" handed out a nicely chilled gazpacho that was fresh and tart, and my favorite, general chicken from, "The Mandarin". Lightly coated in a sweet and spicy sauce, it was the highlight in this garden of "eating" for me!I have to mention, "Susiecakes", which offered a 7-layer brownie cookie and mini cupcakes and, "Café Bernardo's", with its Thai peanut noodles. I did not sample these items but they were extremely generous in handing out their samples.There was dancing from a local arts intensive high school, singing and music. The people watching was fantastic. There are some amazing supporters of the arts in Sacramento. Sitting under a shady umbrella and drinking some wine made for a relaxing evening, and on the way home, we went hunting for my new favorite wine.Thank you so much to Sacramento Yelp and Katie G. the marketing genius, for making this possible for me to attend. In addition, many many thanks to the very generous vendors, volunteers and arts' supporters that worked and attended this event.

"Off to the races" event located at The Pavilions shopping center was absolutely amazing. I want to Thank Katie G first and foremost for the pair of tickets. The atmosphere was great! The many Vendors at the event were very informative and extremely friendly beyond belief. I checked in got my wine glass that included a cute pair of Polka Dot socks... So cute!! The dance squads were amazing. Now I'm not a n'sync fanOr nothing like that but the dancers were preforming to the music were definitely getting jiggy with with it had them "moves like Jagger" lol! I enjoyed trying different wines from Bogle, Cline winery and barefoot. The beers from New Helvetia were amazing I picked the Big Honey blond. They did have 3 other beers to choose from. I tried the lamb lollipop which is delicious it came with garlic mash potatoes. The kale salad from garden grill was so good I was hooked and couldn't get enough of it :) The steak tartar on top of toasted bread was bomb.com and the desserts such as cookies, fudge,brownies, cupcake etc...from Susie Cakes are excellent as usual. I was happy to be apart of this wonderful event and hope to be apart of it the next time around. I'm glad to hang out with fellow Yelpers at the Event.

First of all I would love to thank Katie G. For giving me the chance to join this event because it was amazing! As I walked around the pavilions there were stands with unlimited beer, wine, and delicious different food and drinks. Not to mention all the nice fellow elites I got to hang out with! It was a very hot day and before I got there I was really worried about the heat but once I got there I started enjoying myself so much that I completely forgot about the heat! I really hope to be returning next year and many more to come, definately won't be my last!Thanks again Katie !!