An Evening at Hock Farm Craft & Provisions

Another restaurant on my “to try” list was Paragary Restaurant Group’s – Hock Farm Craft & Provisions, located at 1415 L Street in Sacramento, CA. When a friend suggested it for our pre-show Blue Man Group dinner destination, I jumped at the chance to give it a try.

Hock Farm

According to the Paragary Restaurant Group website, Hock Farm is a celebration of the Sacramento region’s rich history and bountiful terrain. The restaurant is named after John Sutter’s Hock Farm. The Farm was established in 1841, and was the first large-scale agricultural settlement in Northern California. From the beginning, Sutter recognized the farming potential of the Sacramento Valley and pursued many agricultural ventures including grain, cattle, orchards and vineyards, foreshadowing Sacramento’s modern day designation as the ‘Farm-to-Fork Capital’.

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I was immediately drawn to the restaurant’s signage – including the wood routed sign on the exterior of the building.

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We walked through the front door and made our way to the patio where another friend was waiting. I really liked the interior. They used regional fabricators and artisans and the originality showed in the decor. 12M Design created custom metal and reclaimed wood pieces that gave the restaurant that “industrial” feel that I’m so drawn to.  Reclamation Art + Furniture was used to create beautiful reclaimed Douglas Fur tables with blackened steel bases. I loved the mash-up of chairs and stools, especially the aqua colored ones.

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I was eyeing several menu items and had a hard time deciding. The menu changes with the season and availability of local produce. While some favorites remain for the duration of the season, others change weekly, along with daily ‘market’ specials. Chef LaRoche sources items directly from farmers, but also frequents some of the local farmers’ markets in downtown Sac.

Cocktails and appetizers were enjoyed by all as we decided on our dinner orders.

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Dressed Eggs with pickled beets, capers, mayo and anchovy.

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Chicken Liver Mousse with Bosc pear & butternut compote served with crostini.

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The Daily Smash – Napa Valley vodka, with smashed up fresh blackberries, herbs, and citrus.

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Mac & Cheese with Shaft’s Bleu Vein, cheddar and Parmesan cheeses, sage breadcrumbs and crispy prosciutto.

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I started off with a Roasted Beet Salad with baby & Tuscan kale, endive, pistachio, pear and Shaft’s bleu cheese vinaigrette.

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I am a big beet fan, so this was right up my alley… I loved it.

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Clearly the menu confused me, ha-ha… I saw the section “From the Wood-Fired Oven” and the listed items included a Daily Pizza and Pizza Margherita. The list also included Pork Belly & Maple Glazed Pumpkin with pickled raisins, toasted pecans and bitter greens. I thought it fell into the pizza category because I had pizza on the brain. So I ordered the Pork Belly and Pumpkin Pizza. Our server wrote it down and went on to the next person. Turns out it wasn’t a pizza – it was a Wood-Fired Oven entree. She sensed my disappointment upon delivery to the table. I asked if she thought it was weird that I said “pizza” when I ordered and she laughed. Another friend asked if it was a common mistake and she said, “yes.” She then told me how wonderful the dish was and that I should give it a try… she also offered to bring me a pizza instead as a second option. After one bite I knew I’d be keeping the entree. It was delicious and definitely not something I would have normally ordered – I am a safe order pizza girl through and through, but I’m glad our server suggested to give it a try and we sure laughed about how it all went down. I WILL be getting Pizza Margherita next time.

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Seared Dayboat Scallops with cauliflower puree, roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon, brown butter and sherry vinegar was another entree ordered at the table.

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Next up was Fritto Misto – Gulf shrimp, Dwelly Farms pole beans, cauliflower and kabocha squash with an aioli sauce.

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Our Blue Man Group show started at 8 p.m. and we were just down the street from the Community Center Theater. We had plenty of time to order dessert, so we decided to order four different items to share. It was starting to get dark, so the photos were the best my iPhone could produce. Trust me, taste was the only thing that mattered and I pretty much fell in love with the Butterscotch Pot de Creme with hazelnut brittle.

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I seriously could have finished this off all by myself. I would have licked the ramekin if I was at home, LOL.

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Chocolate Caramel Tart with Maldon sea salt and whipped cream. This was the richest of all four desserts, one bite was enough for me.

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Apple & Cinnamon Crostada with Larsen Apple Barn granny smith apples, cinnamon and vanilla bean gelato. The dessert came in third place for me, but it was a very close race. It was delicious!

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Creme Brulee with blackberries. This was my second place dessert – I popped through the golden brown crackly crust and was not disappointed by the creaminess underneath. 

We finished up dessert and then walked to the theater. We had 2nd and 3rd row orchestra section seating and were provided with plastic ponchos because materials may splash into the first four to five rows closest to the stage. Think washable paint, Cap’n Crunch, marshmallows, etc. It was my first Blue Man Group show and I purposely didn’t go online to see what it was all about. I knew there were drums, paint and black lights involved in the show, but that was about it. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount I laughed and the dance party towards the end of the show… good times indeed.

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Keeping the gigantic lit up balls floating through the audience was my favorite part – the music was bumpin’, everyone was dancing and it felt like we were in a club.

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Machines launched toilet paper streams into the audience too… It was the perfect ending to a great show and a fun evening out with friends.

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1 comment

    • Leslee on March 23, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    I LOVED your review of this restaurant! I am a huge fan of fresh, local food and this sounds fantastic!! I can’t imagine ordering dessert after all of the yummy entrees ordered, but I appreciated the review of them all 🙂 I have to find out if the Master Chef is related to the wine family…

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