Herbert Hoover, then head of the U.S. Food Administration, boldly proclaimed, “Food will win the war,” and as we all know, those wars were eventually won and the extra rations for our soldiers probably did help.

Yet here we are after several decades, and the Meatless Monday motto is starting to pick up steam once again, except this time it’s to improve our health and environment. Even media mogul Oprah Winfrey has jumped on board, announcing a Meatless Monday option at Harpo Studios, and she has encouraged her vast audience to give the campaign a try.

One person who has embraced the lifestyle change is Melissa Luke, Midtown resident and bartender Midtown’s own Paesanos. Luke, 25, had this change of heart well into her 20s, after being a meat-eater all her life. It wasn’t an Oprah special that changed her mind, but rather a documentary titled “The Cove.”

This film looks into the dolphin-hunting practices of Japanese fishermen and the threat of mercury poisoning that occurs as a result of high levels of mercury in the dolphins.

“It changed me after seeing that,” Luke said. “It got me more involved. It was around that time I stopped eating meat.”

For all of those who have no affinity for dolphins or are just too ingrained in the carnivore lifestyle, there are other reasons to adopt a meatless diet as well. According to the Meatless Monday website, both red and processed-meat consumption are associated with colon cancer. A diet rich in polyunsaturated fat foods, such as vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, reduces the risk of heart disease by 19 percent. Those who prescribe to a vegetarian diet have significantly lower body weight and body fat indices as well as longer life expectancies.

On the environmental front, take into consideration that an estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. Ask anyone in Las Vegas with a dwindling water supply if they would rather have some filet mignon or fresh drinking water, and hopefully their response would include H2O.

Luke hopes that the rest of the world can take notice of these issues and follow suit in her meatless quest, but she is willing to settle for getting Midtown involved first.

“I thought it would be a good idea for Midtown because Mondays can be kind of slow for business and because there already is a pretty large vegan/vegetarian demographic in the Sacramento area, too,” she said.

Ideally, Luke wants all the restaurants in the Midtown area to get involved, either offering a special Meatless Monday dish or price for those who want to indulge in vegetarian fare and watch their bank account at the same time. While many restaurants already offer a vegetarian selection, Luke wants the movement to be at the forefront of people’s minds when they hit the town on Mondays.

Luke realizes that not everyone is going to be open to the idea of ditching meat, whether for one meal or forever, but her immediate goal is simple: “It’s really just about trying to get everyone to leave meat off their plate one day a week,” Luke said.

For those who are interested in getting involved with Meatless Monday the first step is simple, check out meatlessmonday.com and say goodbye to meat.

Matt Rascher is a writer for the Midtown Business Association

In reality, snakes never lived in Ireland. The climate is just too frigid for the cold-blooded reptilians. Midtown Sacramento boasts a much warmer climate, but, don’t worry, you will probably find a lot more corned beef and cabbage than you will snakes.

For this year’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities on March 17, many Midtown businesses will be celebrating with their own takes on honoring the saint. One such place that will be showing off their Irish roots is de Vere’s Irish Pub. De Vere’s has decided that one party for St. Patrick’s Day just isn’t enough anymore and will be hosting two events on the same day.

“The de Vere’s Pub Party is all about the authentic Irish pub experience,” owner Henry de Vere White said. “You can enjoy the beautiful woodwork, family heirlooms, friendly banter and, of course, the perfect pint of Guinness — a specialty we’ve mastered.”

De Vere’s will be opening at 8 a.m., serving their famous Irish coffee as well as opening the outside venue to feature corned beef and cabbage and live music.

If you want to stay outside all day you can also go to de Vere’s St. Patrick’s Day Party in the Park. This event runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in Cesar Chavez Park and will include Irish dancers, several bands, a bagpipe show and a U2 cover band from San Francisco, Zoo Station. Tickets for this event are $22 online and $25 at the door.

In addition to those two events, de Vere’s will also be holding a fundraiser on Monday for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding research into finding a cure to different childhood cancers. You can donate money or shave your head in a sign of solidarity for all the children going through the life-changing experience of cancer. Last year de Vere’s shaved over 210 heads and raised just over $90,000 to help fund childhood cancer research.

De Vere’s will also be a part of the sixth annual St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl this Saturday. This pub crawl will start at River City Saloon at 2 p.m. and snake its way to Midtown spots such as Capitol Dawg, The Depot, Capitol Garage and Alley Katz.

Rubicon Brewing Company will also be getting in on the festivities, serving corned beef and cabbage specials all St. Patrick’s Day and selling T-shirts to commemorate the event.

Streets of London Pub will be throwing a St. Patrick’s Day Bash, with corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie, Irish car bombs, Jell-o shots and a satellite bar with a truck-load of draught beer.

If your palate is just a bit more refined, check out The Waterboy and their Third Thursday Dinner, which just happens to fall on St. Patrick’s Day. Their menu for the evening sports such treats as dungeness crab deviled eggs, house-brined Durham Ranch corn beef brisket, warm apple-caramel bread pudding and a selection of Irish beers. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will be $42 per person plus tax and gratuity.

Once you’ve had your fill of corned beef, cabbage and green beer, stop by Yogurtagogo for some healthy and delicious frozen yogurt. One of their featured flavors for March is Irish mint, and it is available through March 23. Yogurtagogo stays open until 10 p.m., so stop by and get your dessert before heading back to the bars.

Wherever you go to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, whether it be a day in Cesar Chavez Park, Rubicon, Streets of London or both, be sure to wear green, and if you’re drinking be sure to have a designated driver.

Matt Rascher is a writer for the Midtown Business Association.

The Reinheitsgebot, or the “German Beer Purity Law,” was created in Germany nearly 500 years ago. It simply states that beer was to only be made with water, barley and hops. While this law was eventually repealed (though not for hundreds of years, mind you), it reminds us how seriously people take the quality of their beer, a trait that holds as true for Germans as it does Sacramentans, which brings us to the 2011 Sacramento Beer Week.

Running from Feb. 24 to March 6 and boasting over 200 events all over the Sacramento area, Sacramento Beer Week is a collaborative celebration of our area’s rich brewing history. Beer Week Executive Director Dan Scott said Sacramentans are ready for this to happen.

“It’s not only targeted at connoisseurs who know what they like and are seeking specific things, but people who are curious,” he said. “People who enjoy beer know that there is more out there that they haven’t had, and we’re giving them the opportunity to go out there and try it.”

People will be able to enjoy everything from pale ales to stouts and porters, and participate in events such as the Hopheads Scavenger Hunt and the Capital Beerfest at Cal Expo. One of the highlighted events will be the Sacramento Brewers Showcase taking place at the Crocker Art Museum on Feb. 24.

For $20 you can indulge in catering by the culinary specialists from Mulvaney’s B&L, who will be providing small plates paired with different beers for maximum enjoyment. The beers will come from every local brewery, including two brand new flavors made especially for Beer Week.

According to sacramentobeerweek.com, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company will be introducing “Highway 16,” a low-alcohol volume (4 percent) pale ale that provides the drinker with a fresh taste of citrus and fresh-pressed flowers. Lagunitas will be presenting “Sac ParaDime,” created when a group of locals in the restaurant business were invited to make a beer for fun. Through sampling many different ingredients and choosing their favorites, they forged an aggressively hopped dark ale made with barley, wheat and rye. Though none are quite sure what the beer will taste like, it’s all just part of the adventure.

Another event will be the cask beer tasting at Rubicon Brewing Company on March 3. Owner Glynn Phillips is especially looking forward to this event.

“The cask beer we’re bringing in from 10 different breweries are all just some of my favorite beers,” Phillips said. “I wish I could take the day off and drink some of those beers. People in the industry refer to cask beer as real beer because it’s fermented in a more old-school way and in a way that all the true flavors of the beers come out.”

Rubicon is just one of many Midtown bars participating in this year’s events. Others include de Vere’s Irish Pub, Centro Cocina Mexicana, Blue Cue, Monkey Bar, Harlow’s, Aura, Ink and The Momo Lounge. Some of these bars’ events range from Monkey Bar’s “Old School Happy Hour,” which offers beers that have stood the test of time at $1 each, to de Vere’s “Cider Brunch”, featuring Crispin Cider and a complimentary logo glass to take home.

With over 200 events to go to in the Greater Sacramento area, pint nights to try, designated drivers to secure and experiences that can change the way you think about beer. Scott looks back to last year’s success and shares his most common response after 2010’s Beer Week concluded.

“People told me I’ve never been to this bar before and now I love it; I’ve never tried this style of beer before and now I love it,” he said. “It shows that not only is Sacramento ready for events like this, but that the work the local businesses are putting into it is working.”

Matt Rascher is a writer for the Midtown Business Association.

On October 30, 2010, come satisfy your sweet tooth at the annual Midtown Trick or Treat from 11am-3pm! Stop by Relles Florists (2400 J Street) to pick up a map that will indicate the participating businesses, and begin your journey to collect some tasty treats. A magician and face painter will be present to provide some spooky entertainment for the kiddies!

For the canine crew, join us for the Costume Pooch Parade and Contest at Kennedy Gallery (1114 20th Street) from 2-4pm, followed by “Yappy Hour” on the patio.  You (and your pooch!) are encouraged to show off your Halloween spirit. This event is sure to be a thrill! There is a $10 requested donation for the costume contest and 100% of the proceeds go to support United Animal Nations. To ensure a safe and fun environment, please keep all pets and zombies on a leash…see you there!

Please remember that all children must be accompanied by an adult.

Visit www.exploremidtown.org for more information and the Trick or Treat map of participating locations.

Midtown Cocktail Week definitely ended with a bang this year.

Sunday started early with a Cocktail Creation class taught by the Cocktologist Extraordinaire himself, Russell Eastman, this years Mixologists competition winner.  For just $40 participants received a full hands-on educational seminar as well as a complete bar kit. The kit included: a cocktail shaker, pint glass, hawthorne strainer, bar spoon, muddler, jigger, recipe book and more. Eastman’s students were taught tips, tricks, and techniques used by the most talented Mixologists, including flaming an orange peel.  At the end of the 2-hour class I had no doubt that the students would be able to wow their guests at their next dinner party with some delicious artisian cocktails.

Immediately after the class we headed over to Hot Italian to celebrate Italian cocktails as well as their 2^nd day as a full bar. The event featured classic and creative Italian cocktails with Campari, Aperol, and Caravella Limoncello. Did you know that the Negroni is a spin on the classic Italian cocktail the Americano? It is said that sometime prior to the 1920’s, Count Camillo Negroni developed the cocktail at Café Casoni in Florance Italy.  I highly suggest that next time you visit Hot Italian that you try a Negroni Nostro or a Limonfresco in addition to their delicious Murino pizza.

Before heading home to get my prohibition garb on, I stopped by Shady Lady to check out the beer brewing and a whiskey making demonstration. Although they couldn’t actually brew or distill anything, the opportunity to learn more about this art form was really neat.  In honor of the whiskey demonstration the bar celebrated with a whiskey flight special.

What better way to spend the last night celebrating Midtown Cocktail Week than at one of Sacramento’s first bars to open after the repeal of prohibition in 1934.  The speakeasy dance party featured the Harley White Jr. Orchestra as well as five classic drink recipes. Patrons sipped out of cocktail glasses and danced away the evening, celebrating a week filled with events that gave Midtowner’s a chance to appreciate and learn more about the history and the art of the cocktail. I hope everyone enjoyed Sunday as much as I did, it truly captured both the celebration and educational purposes of Midtown Cocktail Week.

Cheers!                                                                                                                                               Lady Libation

Saturday afternoon locals favorite dive bar showed off their latest additions

The specialty cocktail and small plate pairing was not only reasonable but also extremely delicious. The full pairing contained 4 small plates and 4 artisan cocktails for $40…what a deal! Set up in stations guests mingled from front to back bar looking to sample all the delectable items on the menu. The small plates included Chicken n’ Waffle, Ahi Tart with watermelon, Slow Roasted Pulled Pork Sliders, and Oysters on the Half Shell…not quite your typical bar food ah? The cocktail menu was exactly what you would expect from Eastman, this years competition winner, but the most innovative one was the Elderflower Shady. The cocktail, which showcased the bars #1 seller Miller High Life, was refreshing and definitely hit the spot on a hot summer afternoon. The event certainly highlighted the exciting new changes and makes me a Golden Bear regular even more excited for what’s to come.

Cheers!                                                                                                                                            Lady Libation

From Midtown to Downtown.

Friday afternoon I sipped on blocked and crushed ice cocktails at one of Midtowns newest restaurants, Red Lotus. Even better Midtown Cocktail Week Co-Founder and the West Coast Brand Ambassador for Plymouth and Beefeater gins, Erick Castro, concocted the drinks. The gorgeous drinks featured Beefeater gin products, including the recently debuted Summer Edition gin. The lighter style gin contains juniper in addition to elderflower, black currant and hibiscus. The star of Castro’s drinks was definitely the most commonly neglected cocktail ingredient…ice. Castro, who helped design Red Lotus’s bar program, wanted to showcase the importance of using the appropriate ice in specific cocktails. While blocked ice is great for spirit heavy cocktails or spirit only drinks because of the lack of dilution, crushed ice is perfect for summer cocktails like the classic Mint Julep. Crushed ice melts quicker which makes for more of a slushy drink. Guests raved about the Berry Bumbler served over shaved ice as well as the Tofu Salad and the long beans.

Innovative, Interesting, and Intriguing is exactly what I experienced at Grange’s Midtown Cocktail Week event. The cocktail party featured specialty farm-to-glass cocktails from Scott Beattie and Ryan Seng. Bettie is the author of the book, Artisan Cocktails. Each drink highlighted California’s best products, featuring locally made spirits and seasonal produce. The cocktail that first caught my eye was a vibrant fuchsia libation, The Elderbeery. But after reviewing the specialty cocktail list I knew I had to try Seng’s Slim Jim. The cocktail, which was a play on a Bloody Mary contained 209 Gin, Local Heirloom tomatoes, saba, Sea Salt, herbs, mustard oil and featured Brad’s house made Slim Jim. Sang informed me to sip and nibble at the same time to insure I captured the drinks full flavors. The drink was interesting and intriguing but most importantly kept me sipping and even better I wanted more. Congratulations Seng your Slim Jim was a hit not just to me but with the whole crowd.

Cheers!                                                                                                                                                             Lady Libation

Midtown Cocktail Week Day 4.

The evenings opening event was at Zocalo’s with Mezcal Cocktails and Education. The place was packed and cocktails were flying as Midtowner’s imbibed together. The event featured 4 artisan cocktails and 2 tequila flights. After I finished a delicious margarita and Pisco Sour  I walked over to Lounge on 20 to try a beer cocktail, yes I said BEER cocktail.  I was a bit hesitant but after hearing that it contained gin I was a little more intrigued. Although beer cocktails contain distilled spirits the primary ingredient must be beer.  The cocktail I sipped on featured the La Merle Saison and Gin. It was surprisingly scrumptious and quite refreshing. After some drinks and eats I hailed a cab and headed to Ella for their Midtown Cocktail Week event. The event featured 6 cocktails for $20. Guests received a martini glass and 6 drink tickets upon arriving. 5 cocktails were featured allowing guests to try a second serving of their favorite drink. My favorite was shockingly a bourbon cocktail, The Peach Smash, which contained Leopold Brothers Peach liqueur. In true Midtown Cocktail Week fashion I ended my night at the Shady Lady Saloon. The Tiki Night featured island coolers and eats. Bar patrons sipped on rum cocktails in coconut glasses topped with umbrellas. As you can see Thursday night was quite eventful but don’t worry we are all just as excited for the remaining 3 days. See you all there!

Cheers!                                                                                                                                                              Lady Libation

Straight Up Please…Hendricks that is

Hendrick’s Gin is a brand of gin produced by William Grant & Sons in Girvan, Scotland. The prohibition theme gin fits perfectly into the Speakeasy bar. In addition to the traditional Juniper infusion, the Small-batch gin is hand crafted with an infusion of cucumber and rose petals.

Naturally I purchased a shot of Hendricks as soon as a landed a seat at the long wooden bar but shortly after reviewing Santer’s list I told Abi, the bartender, I think I’ll try one of each. The Blueberry Buck was surprisingly my favorite. I generally stay away from anything that’s not clear and too fruity but this was a version of a classic gin cocktail, the Gin Buck. The Summer Cocktail contained Hendrick’s Gin, fresh lemon juice, muddled blueberries, and ginger beer. As I sipped on my cocktail I read through the Unusual Times, Hendrick’s own newspaper, which contained everything you’d find in a traditional newspaper including wedding announcements, horoscopes, and even a whale for sale.

I highly recommend that if you haven’t sipped on Hendrick’s yet to stop into your favorite watering hole and order one up. Check out MidtownCocktailWeek.org for a list of this week’s events. See you tonight!

Cheers!                                                                                                                                                  Lady Libation

Whiskey from around the World and a Taste of San Francisco

Shady Lady’s late night event featured cocktails from some of San Francisco’s best bartenders including Shady Lady veteran, Jayson Wilde. The fella’s where whipping up some delicious cocktails for the packed bar, but before choosing from the plethora of cocktails, I decided to grab a bite to eat. The group of us split a variety of items from the exceptional menu but by far my favorite dish was the grilled oysters with Parmesan cheese…delicious! After eating dinner the boys enjoyed a Fernet-Branca and as usual I had my favorite digestif, Hendricks. The Guest bartenders Joel Baker and Jayson Wilde of Bourbon and Branch and Neyah White of San Francisco Fame entertained the masses while shaking and stirring up some delectable concoctions. As usual Shady Lady didn’t let me down and I enjoyed a night full of incredible cocktails, great music, and even better company.

Cheers!                                                                                                                                                Lady Libation