(Photo Courtesy of Cal Bingham)
A Tasty Guide to Eating & Drinking at Outside Lands 2016
02 August 2016
This weekend, Outside Lands heads to Golden Gate Park, bringing you not only world class headliners like Radiohead, J Cole, and Lana del Rey, but also delicious food and drink from some of the Bay Area's top restaurants. As Ari Feingold, the festival's food curator recently declared, "Outside Lands is the greatest combination of food and music the world has ever known." And we have to agree.
The fest sold out weeks ago, but if you're among the 200,000 people who scored passes, don't miss put on these culinary pleasures this weekend.
This year, festival-goers can graze among 80 local restaurants, food trucks, and grub carts, including several from The San Francisco Chronicle's "Top 100 Restaurants of 2016." Newcomers to the fest include Bini's Kitchen, which will be serving up savory momos (a South Asian dumpling), and Belcampo Meat Co., which will be grilling their famous double Fast Burgers trimmed with pickled goat horn chiles. Four Barrel will have nitro cold brew on tap, and if you've been meaning to try Trestle,sign up for one of their Forest Feasts, a four-course, prix-fixe, sit-down dinner on festival grounds.
Dave McLean, owner of Magnolia Brewing Company, selected 28 craft breweries for this year's Beer Lands, including new SF Brewers Guild members Harmonic Brewing and Barebottle Brewing. Returning fest favorites include 21st Amendment, Almanac, Calicraft, Local Brewing, and Lost Coast. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will also be pouring their special festival brew, Outside Lands Saison.
This year's Wine Lands is the largest yet, with 40 regional wineries (including 12 newcomers!) pouring more than 120 varietals. Two of the Russian River Valley's most respected vineyards, Alysian and Thomas George Estates, will make their Wine Lands debut, as are prized wineries Raymond,True Myth, Georges Duboeuf, and Bonterra. Returning vineyards include Scharffenberger Cellars, Turley, Ridge, Banshee, and Claypool Cellars.
Conveniently located next to Wine Lands, Cheese Lands has topped its normal offerings of cheese, bread, and charcuterie by making Swiss Raclette onsite and serving it over Rustic Bakery Sea Salt Squares with cornichons and lardons to create the most decadent nachos ever.
New to Outside Lands, this crustacean-filled zone is hosted by Woodhouse Fish Co. Outside Clams will offer raw and barbecued Tomales Bay oysters, lobster rolls, and clam chowder.
Cocktail Magic, a new area that mixes cocktail wizardry with literal magicians, makes its West Coast debut this year. Five of the Bay Area's top bars—Trick Dog, Prizefighter,Forgery, 15 Romolo, and Elixir—will be creating two cocktails each alongside the mind-blowing magicians. Choices may range from Mango Mojitos to Sleepy Jeans to Kentucky Highballs to Minty Tens. All of which sound equally delicious... and mysterious.
Gatromagic is Outside Lands one-of-a-kind stage devoted to an entertaining mash-up of food, cocktails, comedy, music, and magic. Hosted by Chris Cosentino of Cockscomb, this year's festivities include the return of Big Freedia (a.k.a. the Queen of Bounce) who will be serving free beignets to the best twerkers in the crowd. On Sunday's bill, Padrecito will host Sunday Bloody Mary Sunday, where you can sip four variations of the brunch-time classic while Zoo Station, San Francisco's U2 cover band, will play your favorite tunes.
Other Lands
Sometime during the weekend, swoop in for bacon flights at Bacon Land, decadent dessert at Choco Lands and, if your check liver light flickers on, stumble over to Sober Lands. And don't forget to load your wristband before the fest! Vendors have increasingly switched to payment using Bison Bucks, an e-currency loaded onto your festival bracelet. Wine Lands and and Cocktail Magic accept only Bison Bucks, and you can use your bracelet to pay for all of this year's food, drink, and merchandise.
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