It's not by accident that Roseville has become a hub for exciting new restaurants that push up against its neighboring Sacramento's eatery scene. As this vibrant community of Roseville grows its reputation of being a place where people love to live and work, its reputation for offering a robust dining selection also grows. Among some of the best of the best is a place called The Monk's Cellar. If you love great food and the greatest of beer, this is the place you'll want to put on your list of dining experiences. The reasons to visit The Monk's Cellar are many and here are the main ones.
Top Shelf Beer
I admit that there's no such thing as "top shelf" beer because beer isn't kept on a shelf, top or otherwise. But if beer was ever ranked for its quality by how up by which shelf it's stored, Belgian beer would be called top shelf. The Monk's Cellar offers great food and is known for its excellent beer, especially Belgian beer. But how did Belgian beer earn its standing in the very crowded beer competition? A dive into the Belgian beer history will answer that question. The history of Belgian beer is as rich as the beer itself. Belgian beer was made even before Belgium became an independent country and believed to be started before the First Crusade. Historians say that the Flemish and French brewed beer to raise money. This was when people drank beer more often than water because of the unsanitary conditions of available drinking water.
Over time, Belgian beer evolved into the two main types that are popular today. Those are Trappist beers and Abbey beers. The first Trappist brewery in Belgium started its production in 1836. It was brewed exclusively for monks and described as dark and sweet. Trappist beers were brewed in Trappist monasteries under strict methods. To date, for a beer to be considered a Trappist beer, it must be brewed in a Trappist monastery with monks playing a role in its production. The beer sale profits must be used to support the monastery and social programs outside of it. Currently, there are ten monasteries that meet these qualifications, with only one of them being in the United States.
In contrast to Trappist beers, Abbey beers are defined as any monastic style beer. It may be produced by a non-Trappist monastery, produced in a commercial brewery with an existing monastery arrangement, and may contain a fictitious name without mentioning a specific monastery. The qualifications for an abbey beer are much less challenging to meet than those of a Trappist beer.
Belgian Beer Blossoms in Roseville
While not a Trappist monastery or abbey of any sort, the Monk's Cellar does give a serious nod to the importance that Belgian beer has in the beer culture and the monk's role in creating this beautiful beer. But the goal of visiting this restaurant isn't just to drink great beer and eat delicious food; it's also to experience a monk-centered community's qualities. It’s a place to reflect and be a deliberate member of the greater community. Starting with its name, which speaks directly to monk's role in the beer brewing history, this restaurant does a great job of offering something for those that love delicious beer that's well accompanied by equally enjoyable food.
The Monk's Cellar's process is born of years of professional brewing experience and produces a wide variety of beer styles. Unlike the vast majority of breweries that use a closed fermentation system, The Monk's Cellar uses the ancient open fermentation vats method. This process allows for a different flavor that can't be duplicated by other fermentation methods. Because of this process, The Monk's Cellar vats are sealed in a special room. As you would expect from a restaurant with a high beer brewing standard, the offerings are selected for their quality, not their quantity. Even so, there are ten house-made beers on draft and six European imports also on draft. House beers change regularly, so each visit to The Monk's Cellar includes an element of a pleasant surprise.
For those more interested in wine and cocktails, those too are available with only the best offered. Great beer deserves to be accompanied by equally great food. That promise is kept when you eat at The Monk's Cellar. Read on to learn why.
Food That's Good Enough to Hang Out With Great Beer
The food at The Monk's Cellar is fresh, creative, and robust in flavor, which is the same as its beer. The menu includes offerings that start with great appetizers like Rueben fries, scotch eggs, pickled vegetables, and two choices of cellar boards that include artisan cheese and meat, nuts, olives, and delicious crackers.
The entrees are, well, the best. With their heavy Belgian influence, they are as well done as their beer counterpart. I tried the Moule's Frites, which is only served Friday through Sunday. These are pei black mussels doused with an aromatic white wine, butter, and garlic sauce served with duck fat fries. Before ordering, I asked what a favorite is and was told it's a toss between the Cottage Pie and the Chef's Creation Monk's Burger. The first is an age-old recipe for a beef pot pie, and the second is a hefty hamburger made of high-quality ground beef topped with gruyere cheese, fresh greens, house-made aioli, pickled red onions, Russian dressing on a brioche bun.
There's also a rotating selection called the Cellar's collection, a burger that changes every week. What doesn't seem to change is the opinion of those who find themselves lucky enough to eat at The Monk's Cellar. The beer is fantastic, the food is delicious, and the service is always perfect!
Roseville Self Storage
Great places to eat are one of the many wonderful things about the Roseville community. As your neighborhood self storage facility, Roseville Self Storage is always looking for the many gems of Roseville. We often hear of places like The Monk's Cellar from our customers and are honored to share what we learn with others. One of the reasons we do that is because we love being a part of this community and supporting our neighbors any way we can. Please come by our state of the art self storage facility. We're open for business and practicing social distancing. We'd love to hear about the Roseville gems you've discovered.
The Monk's Cellar is located at 240 Vernon St.
Roseville, CA 95678
916-786-MONK (6665)
Hours of Operation: Wednesday and Thursday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday
http://monkscellar.com/
