Sacramento Bee Logo

Tasting notes from Thursday’s Sacratomato Week preview event | The Sacramento Bee

×
  • E-edition
    • Customer Service
    • SacBee Rewards
    • About Us
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Apps
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube
    • News in Education (NIE)
  • Newsletters

    • Sacramento Region
    • Arena
    • City Beat
    • Crime
    • Local Govt Salary Database
    • The Homeless
    • Marcos Bretón
    • Transportation
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health & Medicine
    • Traffic Conditions
    • Weather
    • Communities
    • Elk Grove
    • Folsom/El Dorado
    • Roseville/Placer
    • Yolo
    • Sports
    • Kings
    • NBA News
    • 49ers
    • Giants
    • Oakland A's
    • High School Sports
    • Joe Davidson
    • More Sports
    • Raiders
    • NFL News
    • MLB News
    • River Cats
    • Soccer
    • Colleges
    • Golf
    • Autos Racing
    • Politics
    • Capitol Alert
    • State Workers
    • The California Influencer Series
    • Local Elections
    • PoliGRAPH
    • State Worker Salary Database
    • Legislative Gifts
    • Local Elections
    • California Elections
    • Election Endorsements
    • Election 2018
    • Voter Guide
    • Investigations
    • Data Tracker
    • Public Eye
    • Afghan Refugees
    • Nursing Homes
    • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Election Endorsements
    • Viewpoints
    • Influencers Opinion
    • California Forum
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Submit a Letter
    • Jack Ohman
    • Editorial Board
    • Entertainment & Life
    • Arts & Theater
    • Books
    • Home & Garden
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Outdoors
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • More Entertainment
    • Events Calendar
    • Horoscopes
    • Comics
    • Puzzles
    • TV Listings
    • Sacbee Rewards
    • Food & Drink
    • Restaurants News & Reviews
    • Restaurant Directory
    • Cooking & Recipes
    • Beer
    • Wine
    • Appetizers Blog
    • California
    • Big Valley
    • Marijuana
    • Wildfires
    • Water & Drought
    • Lottery
    • Business
    • Real Estate
    • Market Summary
    • Cathie Anderson
    • Nation & World
    • National
    • World
    • Technology
    • Family
    • Celebrities
    • TV news
    • Weird News
    • Video Break
    • News Obituaries
    • Death Notices
    • FAQ
    • ObitMessenger
    • In Memoriam

    • The Sacramento Bee Store
    • Golf Card
    • Farm to Fork Dining Card
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Classifieds
  • Legal Notices
  • Place an Ad
  • Advertise
  • Mobile & Apps

Appetizers

Appetizers

Tasting notes from Thursday’s Sacratomato Week preview event

By Isabelle Taft - itaft@sacbee.com

    ORDER REPRINT →

July 18, 2014 02:28 PM

The tomato – much-loved but often relegated to bit parts like sauce or garnish – is finally about to take center stage.

Sacratomato Week kicks off Monday at 10 Sutter District restaurants, including Biba, Centro Cocina Mexicana, Red Rabbit and Ink, which will offer special tomato-themed beverages and foods.

Many of the restaurants’ summer menus already feature the tomato dishes they’ll be highlighting from July 21 to 27, but it’s worth making a special visit to celebrate tomatoes at their ripest, juiciest best. Tomato specials also will be making special appearances at Barwest, Blue Cue, Cafe Bernardo, Momo Lounge and Monkey Bar.

Organizers of Sacratomato Week held a preview event Thursday evening in midtown that offered attendees a chance to sample some of the upcoming dishes. Some tasting notes:

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

• Ink’s fried green tomato in a pimento grilled cheese sandwich with bacon cuts through the greasy goodness to add flavor and freshness. The fried green tomato sliders from Red Rabbit went for the more-is-more approach, with the tomato vying for attention against mozzarella cheese, pesto aioli, buttery brioche bread and a thick coating of crunchy batter.



• The rest of Ink’s special Sacratomato Week menu is delicious as well. An heirloom tomato pita pizza with pesto and goat cheese is surprisingly light, and pairs nicely with a cocktail called the Tom Boy, in which muddled tomatoes enhance the summery vibe of citrus vodka with watermelon and cucumber. (Ink joins the Sacratomato Week cast Thursday, July 24).



• Red Rabbit’s heirloom tomato panzanella, part of its regular menu, is large and filling enough to be eaten as a main dish. It’s dense with chewy, grilled sourdough bread, a tasty partner to the beautiful tomatoes on display. The balsamic reduction brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes.



• Comparing the panzanella to the heirloom tomato salad at nearby Centro Cocina is a study in the tomato’s versatility. At the Mexican restaurant, orange, red and green tomatoes are garnished with a simple avocado dressing, queso fresco and cilantro. Considering that tomatoes are believed to have been first cultivated by the Aztecs in 700 A.D., this Latin American dish might be a good way to start your Sacratomato Week experience.



• As any good Italian restaurant should, Biba offers classically artful tomato dishes. A warm tomato soup might feel slightly out of season, but it’s worth tasting how good this cold-weather classic can be when prepared with heirloom tomatoes at the peak of summer perfection. More traditional than Red Rabbit’s panzanella, Biba’s features summery green beans, basil and oil-drenched cubes of bread.



Unfortunately, none of the restaurants decided to test the tomato’s range by casting it in dessert. Maybe next year, when, according to the Midtown Business Association (which manages the Sutter District), Sacratomato Week will close with a family-friendly festival.

  Comments  

Videos

This plant-based burger joint hopes you’ll bite

DIY: How to make Starbucks' Unicorn Frappuccino at home

View More Video

Trending Stories

You kill it, you grill it? New California bill would let drivers legally eat roadkill

February 21, 2019 10:18 AM

Vlade Divac won DeMarcus Cousins trade and Kings are playing ‘beautiful basketball’

February 21, 2019 03:55 AM

No speed limit? That could become a reality for two California highways

February 21, 2019 01:14 PM

Embattled California DMV gets its third director in just 32 days

February 21, 2019 10:13 AM

This Fortune 500 healthcare company just landed in Sacramento, and promises 2,000 new jobs

February 21, 2019 03:35 PM

Read Next

Who's cooking at the 2018 Tower Bridge Dinner?

Appetizers

Who's cooking at the 2018 Tower Bridge Dinner?

By Debbie Arrington

    ORDER REPRINT →

April 09, 2018 12:00 AM

A quartet of Sacramento all-star chefs will be part of Jeremiah Tower's team at the 2018 Tower Bridge Dinner.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE APPETIZERS

Echo & Rig Steakhouse to open soon in Sacramento

Appetizers

Echo & Rig Steakhouse to open soon in Sacramento

March 29, 2018 06:00 AM
Friday’s National Bagel Day and National Pizza Day. Hot Italian is celebrating both

Food & Drink

Friday’s National Bagel Day and National Pizza Day. Hot Italian is celebrating both

February 08, 2018 03:20 PM
Craft cocktail carts to roll in new K Street bar/restaurant

Business & Real Estate

Craft cocktail carts to roll in new K Street bar/restaurant

October 05, 2017 05:11 PM
Jewish food fair to offer a preview – and bite – of new Sacramento deli

Appetizers

Jewish food fair to offer a preview – and bite – of new Sacramento deli

September 08, 2017 10:20 AM
Beloved tri-tip restaurant fires up ‘Express BBQ’ for hungry I-5 travelers

Appetizers

Beloved tri-tip restaurant fires up ‘Express BBQ’ for hungry I-5 travelers

August 23, 2017 04:00 AM
This wildly popular Sacramento cantina is looking to expand

Appetizers

This wildly popular Sacramento cantina is looking to expand

August 23, 2017 09:30 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

The Sacramento Bee App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Photo Store
Advertising
  • Place a Classified Ad
  • Place a Legal Notice
  • Place a Digital Ad
  • Place a Newspaper Ad
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Corrections Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story