Farm-to-fork: Here’s how to get a four-course fine dining experience from home this week

The global pandemic prevented the renowned Tower Bridge Dinner from dazzling diners in 2020. But Visit Sacramento, which organizes the annual Farm-To-Fork Street Festival and its associated events, devised a solution that not only kept the spirit of the meal alive, but helped support restaurants in a difficult time.

In 2021, that solution is back: The Tower Bridge Dinner To Go event returns this year with nearly a dozen restaurants designing multi-course meals inspired by the Tower Bridge Dinner for a takeout experience like no other. More of a campaign than a set dinner date, diners can order directly through each participating restaurant through Sept. 11.

Mike Testa, president and chief executive of Visit Sacramento, said the dinner is back because of the success of last year’s event and a continuing desire to help support local restaurants. All proceeds from to go dinners support restaurants directly. It’s also something that made what was previously an exclusive and expensive experience more accessible.

“This allowed everybody to participate because there were a number of different price points,” Testa said. “It was successful, and we thought, why not continue that not only for the residents but for some of the restaurants to continue to give them some business during a time of year where they’re not as busy as they’d like to be.”

Who’s participating

There’s a wide variety of participants and menu options available, and prices hover in the $45 to $60 per person range depending on the restaurant. While each menu is different, many feature late summer staples like peaches and tomatoes. Broderick Roadhouse has a peach custard shake and Savory Cafe is offering a Twin Peaks peach salad, for example. And Solomon’s is offering summer gazpacho and Shangri-la is doing an heirloom tomato panzanella salad. Thai Basil is also offering a dedicated vegan menu.

Here’s a full list of participants, though Visit Sacramento is allowing any restaurants that wish to participate to join up through Sept. 11:

▪ Broderick Roadhouse

▪ Canon

▪ Hawks Provisions and Public House

▪ Mayahuel

▪ Savory Cafe

▪ Shangri-la

▪ Solomon’s

▪ Thai Basil

▪ Upper Crust Baking

▪ Frank Fat’s

▪ Lemon Grass

How to get a Tower Bridge Dinner To Go

To purchase a Tower Bridge Dinner To Go, order through the individual restaurant. Some participants are also serving their four-course to-go offering inside now that indoor dining has resumed. You can dig through each menu here.

This story was originally published September 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.