Summer may officially begin on June 21st every year, but for me, it isn't official until I hear the first strains of a show tune under the big top of Sacramento's Music Circus. Nearly every summer I can recall, back to when the theater was literally a tent, I've come to the Music Circus for some of the best entertainment money can buy. Cool story: My sister and I went to the Music Circus quite a bit throughout our childhood, and my first job out of college happened to be the project that brought the theater from a fabric tent with no air conditioning to a new, state-of the-art facility in 2003. How's that for fate? Since then I have had the pleasure of getting to know the folks who run it and see how much passion and work gets put into providing Sacramento with this gem of a theater.
In short: If you you haven't gone, go. If you have, go again. And again, and again and again.
So far this year I have seen Spamalot (fantastic if you're a Monty Python fan, and even if you're not) and last night enjoyed Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I'm a little biased since this is one of my top 3 favorite shows of all time, but this production is AH-MAZING. Seriously, how they manage to pull off shows like this in the round - with a 48-child chorus, no less! - is beyond me. But they nail it every time. Take the kids, take the parents, take a stranger, everyone will love it.
And what's a night at the theater without wine?? Not a very good one, I say. Our night began at Bistro 33 (I told you you would hear about it eventually). I always get the same thing - Kobe sliders - so decided to venture into the unknown and ordered the lamb sliders. Ok, so I didn't venture very far, but lamb can be a crap shoot so give me some credit. The sliders were very good, cooked medium well which actually was perfect for this dish. The toppings were a caramelized onion (which is like a food group for me) and fig compote, goat cheese, micro greens and a mango aioli. The overall taste was very sweet with all the fruit going on, but the goat cheese was a nice contrast and helped round out the flavors. I could have done without the mango aioli. Still very good, but not as good as the Kobe.
It was happy hour, so we opted for the house white. $3.33 a glass, how could you turn that down? I wasn't expecting a 100-point mind-blower, but I was pleasantly surprised with the offering.
New Wine: 2006 Columbia Crest Two-Vines Chardonnay
Taste: Very light and crisp, fruity with a strong apple flavor, a bit buttery on the finish.
Experience: Had 2 glasses, would definitely order again at B33 happy hour on a hot day when looking for a refreshing white and a good deal. :)
On to the show. The Music Circus has started featuring a different winery at each week's show and this week was Ehrhardt Estates Winery out of Clarksburg (shout out to Tom!). Last week was Michael David, but I imagine I'll be talking about them enough in the future so I won't go into my love for them here. The offerings were a Chenin Blanc and a Petite Syrah. Since we were already rocking the white, I stuck with it. Not to mention a Chenin Blanc around these parts is pretty rare - I once read that "Chenin went out when disco came in" - so I went with it.
New Wine: Ehrhardt Vineyards Chenin Blanc
Taste: Not a fan. It had a sharp taste that quickly soured and the strong fruit flavors seemed to be hidden behind the alcohol like they were trying to bust through but couldn't. (My reviews make no sense, I know, but it's what goes through my head when I drink it.)
Experience: At the theater with no food and after drinking a Chard. That could explain the dislike. I'll have to give it another shot, I hear their 2004 is pretty darn good.
So I look forward to another show and another Winery of the Week...and maybe a Kobe slider or two. :)
