Sacramento Bacon Fest is back for the seventh year in a row! The second week of February will be chock-full of pork-themed events, kicking off the festivities with the Bacon Fest Opening Party at Empress Tavern on Feb. 6, and ending with the infamous (and already sold-out) Chef’s Challenge at Mulvaney’s B&L on Feb. 11. Tickets might go fast for the main events, but don’t worry: there are a dozen other bacon-themed celebrations happening throughout the week. There will be a Bacon Cocktail Competition held at Bottle and Barlow on Feb. 7, and on Feb. 8 you can attend the annual Skee Ball Tournament at Two Rivers Cider Company (which will feature bacon-inspired food and the opportunity to win tickets the the sold-out final event) or a surprise bacon-themed event at LowBrau. On Feb. 9, Revolution Wines is hosting a Bacon and Wine Happy Hour, and the Torch Club will be presenting the sixth annual Kevin Bacon Soundtrack Tribute Show. You also have opportunities to satisfy your bacon craving on Feb. 10, with options ranging from bacon dim sum at Canon, bacon food trucks and brews in Curtis Park, and bacon and beer at Selland’s Market-Cafe and Bike Dog Brewery. And on Feb. 11, you have two bacon-themed brunches to choose from: one at Magpie Cafe and one at Hook and Ladder. With the exception of the events held at bars, Bacon Fest is open to all ages. Find out more about Sacramento Bacon Fest at Facebook.com/SacramentoBaconFest.
**This write-up first appeared in print on page 15 of issue #258 (Jan. 29 – Feb. 12, 2018)**
Now in its fifth artery-clogging year, the annual Bacon Fest is back. Just when you thought you’d gotten a handle on your diet, the festival’s curators threw a curve ball of epic proportions your way. This year’s festivities include nearly 100 restaurants, bars, cafes, coffeehouses, gelato spots, supermarkets and anywhere else that’ll serve their salt-laden purpose. Some highlights this year include (but are most certainly not limited to) a Bacon and Beer Bus Tour (for those who like to go hard with their pork), a special opening night party at Empress Tavern replete with a special bacon and pork menu and a once-in-a-lifetime chef challenge and (gasp!) the first annual Bacon Fest Cocktail Competition at Bottle and Barlow. Hosts Nick Miller and Brian Guido have really outdone themselves this year and have already sold out their Bacon Fest Chefs Competition on Jan. 31 at Mulvaney’s B&L without much ado. Bacon lovers who want to get in on the action still have many opportunities across our fair city, so don’t fret just yet. Other cool official events include a multi-band tribute show at Old Ironsides dubbed the Kevin Bacon Tribute Night, a fabulous bacon paella at Selland’s Market, Bacon and Butter’s first dinner service, a very necessary Hook and Ladder Bacon Fest Brunch, Pangaea Bacon and Beer Night, The Golden Bear Bacon Fest Happy Hour and more. RSVP at cebook.com/SacramentoBaconFest and check out Baconfestsac.com in the interim.
It’s hard to find a person who doesn’t love bacon.
This month, the Sacramento area will dedicate a whole week to the popular pork product that’s now making its way into less expected bites such as donuts and pizza. Every day of Bacon Fest there will be events surrounding the delicious meat put on by a host of Sacramento restaurants. The list includes the newly opened (and extremely awesome) LowBrau, as well as more established restaurants such as Magpie Cafe, Selland’s Market-Cafe, The Golden Bear, The Waterboy, Bows and Arrows, Grange and so many more.
On Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, Bacon Fest’s opening night, Hook and Ladder Manufacturing Company will be throwing a free party starting at 5 p.m. when special guest chefs will join Chef Brian Mizner in creating a special Bacon Fest menu. The last night of the festival will conclude on Sunday, Jan. 27 with the second annual Chef’s Competition at Mulvaney’s B&L Pig Next Door (19th and L Streets) starting at 2 p.m. For the $30 admission fee, you’ll receive samples from the participating chefs, appetizers and two drink tickets all while you groove to music spun by DJ Shaun Slaughter.
All proceeds of this event go toward The Center for Land Based Learning in nearby Winters, Calif., and the American River College culinary-arts program. Buy tickets for this particular event at http://baconfestsac.eventbrite.com/. Happy hours will be going on each day of the event and breakfast will be served on weekends.
To add even more to the fun, there will also be mysterious secret parties held around the city, so bookmark http://baconfestsac.com/ or follow them on Twitter (@sacbaconfest) so you don’t miss a thing.
If the tasty food and celebrations weren’t good enough to entice you, your animal-loving conscience can also be put at ease by knowing that all of the meat served at the festival will be from pigs who lived happy and healthy lives on farms where ethical and sustainable food production was paramount.
And of course, the food will be prepared by Sacramento chefs who “give a damn about quality natural foods,” as Bacon Fest’s website states proudly. Most of the events during the week will be free or affordable so everyone can indulge in all the tasty quality bacon being served. But if you’re one of those rare people who doesn’t like bacon, don’t worry. They’ll have pork chops too! For more information about which restaurants will be participating or to find out about individual events, visit http://www.baconfestsac.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/SacramentoBaconFest.
The fine folks behind Sacramento Bacon Fest are bringing you the inaugural BLT Week from July 16—22, 2012 where restaurants all around town will feature special bacon, lettuce and tomato sando concoctions all week. The main event though is the BLT Bike Crawl on Saturday, July 21. Join fellow bacon lovers on a leisurely bike ride to nearly two dozen restaurants, where each will be serving bite sized BLT’s for the day. Vote for your favorite, get a sweet free BLT bike Crawl T-shirt and a beer out of it, and don’t forget to hit up the after party at Fat Face inside Bows and Arrows for tunes, more BLTs, drinks and the first ever Bacon Fest Sacramento BLT Week Award presentation. Participating restaurants include: The Golden Bear, Bacon and Butter, Mulvaney’s B&L, Magpie Cafe, Restaurant Thir13en, Grange, Blackbird, Shady Lady and Fat Face at Bows and Arrows and more. Tickets are $30 each and all profits will benefit the Center for Land Based Learning and the American River College’s Culinary Program. Hurry up and visit http://www.facebook.com/SacramentoBaconFest for more info.
Bacon lovers unite! From Jan. 20—22 the inaugural Sacramento Bacon Fest will be sizzling in venues all over town. On Friday, Jan. 20, 2012 at 8 p.m. at Luigi’s Fungarden (1050 20th Street), check out the “Kevin Bacon Tribute Night” featuring musical artists like Jem and Scout, Aaron King, The Foxtails, John Conley, 50-Watt Heavy and others performing songs from Kevin Bacon films. Hilarious! Luigi’s menu will feature a special Bacon Supreme Pizza, and the all-ages show is $5. Bacon on pizza? Yes, please! Then on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 Magpie Market Cafe (1409 R Street) will host the “Bacon Fest Breakfast” from 7:30 a.m. until it’s all gone. Once you’ve snapped out of your food coma from breakfast, head to Pangea Two Brews Cafe (2743 Franklin Boulevard) at 4 p.m. to their “Bacon-in-Beers” event where a special bacon bar menu will be in place as well. Bacon in beer? Fill it up again! Bacon Fest wraps up on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 with two events: “Bacon Fest Brunch” starting at 10 a.m. at Golden Bear (2326 K Street) and then from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. the first ever “Bacon Fest Local Chefs Competition” at Mulvaney’s B&L’s Pig Next Door (L and 19th streets) which will feature celebrity judges, plus bacon small plates as well as beer and wine selections. Cover charge on that event is $20. For more information, visit
Facebook.com/sacramentobaconfest or follow Bacon Fest on Twitter @SacBaconFest.
