Good food, beer at Penngrove’s Fire and Suds Fundraiser
Fire and Suds is a fundraiser for the Rancho Adobe Firefighter’s Association featuring live music and plenty of local beer on tap.
Twang Ditty, Jack the Midnight and Ositi will play the main stage, while Coastal Acres, HenHouse, Hop Monk, Moylans and Lagunitas will be on tap in the beer garden. Make sure to try a pint of Coastal Acres, which is brewed by Petaluma firefighter/paramedic Kevin Larson, who hopes to open his brewery here in Petaluma shortly. Food will include Roy’s Chicago Dogs, Twin Oaks Tavern Mexican plates, Bariadelli Caribbean personal pizzas (vegetarian available) and pork and tri-tip sandwiches.
The main event is Oct. 1 from 1 to 5 p.m. in Penngrove Park, followed by an after-party at Twin Oaks from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. The main event is kid-friendly and tickets can be purchased for $15 in advance ($20 at the door) at www.fireandsuds.com or at Jav’Amore Café in Penngrove.
Burning Ham
Burning Ham barbecue competition will also be at held at Penngrove Park, a week after Fire and Suds, on Oct. 8 from 12:30 to 7 p.m. This pork-inspired festival is presented by the Petaluma Active 20-30 Club, which is the same non-profit that puts on the Ribs for Kids event each spring in Petaluma.
This club’s main benefactor are local kids in need. Similar to Ribs for Kids, each guest at Burning Ham receives 10 tasting tickets to use as they please, choosing from all the different categories at this barbecue competition. Guests also get to weigh in on their favorites, voting towards the People’s Choice Awards.
Another kid-friendly event, tickets are $30 in advance ($35 at the door) and are available at www.burninghamsonoma.com, or from one of your friendly neighborhood Active 20-30 Club members.
Fall Oyster Shuck Fest
The first annual Fall Oyster Shuck Fest will be held on Oct. 22 from noon to 4 p.m. A collaboration between Petaluma Sunrise Rotary Club, Bodega Bay Oyster Company and Petaluma Hills Brewing Company, the net proceeds for this fundraiser benefit the 5th Tuesday Food Pantry, a local Petaluma project which provides groceries to needy families.
Opening back in 2014, Bodega Bay Oyster Company has transformed what was once a dank old restaurant known as Little Amsterdam at 12830 Valley Ford Rd.
The Fall Oyster Shuck Fest menu will include all-you-can-eat raw and barbecued Tomales Bay oysters along with steamed clams with pasta and white or red sauce. Petaluma Hills Brewing Company will be on hand pouring their Line & Twine IPA and their perfect oyster pairing beer, Porterluma.
Tickets are $50 at Eventbrite, which is a bargain for an all-you-can-eat oyster dinner and drinks. In the 24 hours since ticket sales began, the event had already sold a quarter of its seats, so with a limit of 100 guests, this event will likely sell out fast.
Petaluma Hills and The Shuckery
Speaking of Petaluma Hills Brewing Company’s Porterluma, it is currently on tap at The Shuckery. I mention this because it was during a recent dinner at the Shuckery that I discovered how well Porterluma goes with shellfish.
Ironically, given my name, I am not a big fan of Porter beers, unless we are talking about Guinness, which is technically a “stout” porter, but Petaluma Hills Brewing Company’s Porterluma has quickly become my go-to beer whenever available.
While dining recently at the Shuckery, I ordered said Porterluma, simply out of habit. I discovered, as mentioned above, that it ends up being a perfect beer for pairing with delicate ocean fare. Where IPAs are big on bitter, which can overpower anything but the heartiest food accompaniment, Porterluma’s robust flavors lean more towards the sweet side, which perfectly complements the delicate freshness of both raw and grilled oysters.
We were dining at the Shuckery for the express purpose of starting to fill in my new 33books.com “33 Oysters on the Half Shell” pocket journal. But to properly recognize the myriad flavors specific to each different oyster, I needed a good palate cleaners. Porterluma was bold enough to wash away the last oyster’s flavors, while not lingering long enough to interfere with the next.
On a side note, the Shuckery has just introduced custom “button on” napkins. With a strategically placed buttonhole at one corner of the napkin, diners can now shoot oysters at will without risking any salt-water spray down the front of their shirts.
Another new bakery
Bump City Bakery has taken over the spot in American Alley recently vacated by Two London Foodies. Just a croissant’s throw from Helen Putnam Plaza, and two of my favorite restaurants - Speakeasy and Petaluma Pie - having a bakery on the plaza should give it even more of the quaint European feel that Speakeasy started several years ago.
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