Most people frequent Rubicon Brewery because it is one of the few local breweries in the Sacramento area. The slogan on their website is, "Change your status from beer enthusiast to beer activist. Support your local brewery!"
No problem, Rubicon. I'm on it.
The inside of Rubicon seems cold and slightly unwelcoming at first glance, with only wood and metal paneling as decor. But as soon as a few of those micro-brewed beers are set in front of you, you're right at home.
Although I have had lunch at Rubicon before, this time around was the first time I was of-age and able to enjoy a beer with my meal.
As I skimmed through the beer menu my eye fell on one particular brew: the Monkey Knife Fight. With a name like that, who's not going to try it?
The beer in no way reminded me of a monkey knife fight but that's neither here nor there. The american pale ale went down smoothly and tasted delicious on that rainy Sabbath.
I may not be the best candidate for reviewing beer though, because I will stomach just about any beer. To me, beer is beer and beer is good - but I did appreciate that my beer was brewed locally and I was being an activist in drinking it. So kudos to me?
Perhaps my favorite part of Rubicon is that they deliver quality substance across the board. Their beer is brewed in house and their food selection isn't bad either.
Although my stomach and brain had a debacle in food choice that day, eventually I went with my brain and decided to try something new and unfamiliar - the chicken pesto sandwich.
(In case you were wondering my stomach was yearning for the ever-so familiar fish and chips - that stuff always tastes the same to me, which is very fish-and-chip-like.)
Needless to say, I made the right decision. The sandwich was hearty, filling and had substance. The chicken inside the sandwich tasted like chicken. Wild, I know. What I mean by that is it tasted like the free-range organic chicken my parents barbeque at home, not the cardboard, dry chicken McDonalds frisbees to passerby cars.
On top of the juicy meat and crunchy sourdough roll, there was a pesto spread combined with a sun-dried tomatoes that made for a perfect neutral flavor. Topped with my all time favorite cheese, provolone. Perfection.
And luckily, I was able to achieve the level of comfort I would have with the fish and chips because my sandwich was paired with the ever-so-familiar waffle fries. Score.
In retrospect, I should have known I was going to enjoy my meal because when I ordered our waitress said, "That's so weird. I've been here all day and I haven't had a single table where at least one person hasn't ordered the chicken pesto sandwich."
So what? Apparently I'm a bandwagoner. Who cares, it was a phenomenal sandwich paired with a tasty beer in a plain, calm location.
Not a bad Sunday if you ask me.
Marshall, where are your manners?! Put down the phone!
ReplyDeleteGawd, this had me going:
ReplyDelete"it tasted like the free-range organic chicken my parents barbeque at home, not the cardboard, dry chicken McDonalds frisbees to passerby cars."
Now I know what McDonald's chicken tenders taste like, deep-fried Frisbee!
The columnist does a nice job of letting the reader know that her real reason for being at the Rubicon was the beer - but the food called out to her.
And overall, it works well. There is a beer review and a food review.
Nice detail with the quote from the waitress, too:
"That's so weird. I've been here all day and I haven't had a single table where at least one person hasn't ordered the chicken pesto sandwich."
Perhaps it's time to cross The Rubicon...