American Lamb Jam

I’m quite surprise that there aren’t more Unilocal reviews of this event… where are all the foodie Unilocalers???
I found out about this event approximately 3 years ago on a whim… via facebook! ahahahah… I had just missed it… then came the following year and I missed it again because I didn’t put it on my calendar and then the following year (last year) I missed it because I couldn’t find enough Lamb-​enthusiasts to go with me and by the time I did… all the tickets were sold out, *sob! This year, as soon as they started selling the «early bird special» (buy 3 get 4^th tickets free), I asked my hubby (fiancé at the time) if we could go and he agreed to (even though he doesn’t like lamb, isn’t he the sweetest hehehe). I didn’t even have #3 and #4 attendees t go with me but I just bought the deal anyway and saved $ 15/​ticket! (original price tag $ 60/​person).
I did find two more people to go with us this past Sunday and all FOUR of us had a BLAST! keep in mind. two of us were not much of a lamb eater but all FOUR enjoyed this event and most importantly the FOOD!
If you pay $ 30 more per person, you get to enter 3 hours early and watched the behind the scene stuff. and I’m guessing there were more food??? But honestly, the grand tastin/​regular ticket was more than enough to make you FULL. So, do come hungry! We’re all big eaters and by the time we sampled about 8 dishes, we were almost full. but we kept eating ahahahahah and sampled all the dishes that were offered there. We could have gotten seconds but we were way too full!
What I loved about this event was that it really truly a sampling event and you don’t have to worry not getting fed!!! Each chef made more than enough food and most tables had short lines… the ones with longer lines were usually due to the «complexity» of plating the food or they were just «slower» in plating. The food tasted good!!! I will say 30% of the food is 5 Unilocal stars worthy, about 50% 4 Unilocal stars worthy and the rest around 2 – 3 stars… so overall, it was a great eating experience.
And don’t forget… not only eating was included in the ticket price… but the drinking too!!! This event is 21+ only… wine, gin, beer, cider were pouring… Thus, the price that you pay is certainly CHEAP!!! for what you got!
The best part of the event was me getting to chat and took a selfie with one of my favorite chef, Chris Cosentino, and the fact that my hubby actually loved the lamb dishes that we had at this event!
I’ll certainly look forward to going to this event again!!!

Over a dozen restaurants serving up lamb dishes? Many vineyards pouring their current wine releases? Scrumptious chocolate truffles? YES, PLEASE!
Lamb Jam is hands down one of my favorite food events that I look forward to every year. For $ 50/​person (there are often early bird or group discounts), it’s really worth attending. Although 14+ restaurants may not sound like a lot, the portions they serve up are quite hefty so bring your appetite and pace yourself if you want to try every last plate and cast your vote.
It’s always interesting to see what creative dishes each chef and restaurant comes up with for the contest. There are usually some pretty cool demonstrations too such as the grilling and prep of an entire lamb.
Funny enough, it was at Lamb Jam that I discovered Truffle Gâteau. Their chocolate truffles are amazing and pair very well with wine and cheese.
«Ewe» just have to go try it out at least once :) –couldn’t resist the cheesy pun!

Amazing deal for the lam fan. Many chefs, wineries, and breweries … too much food and drinking for one short afternoon. I already have a list of friends for next year’s fest!

After hearing all the raving reviews about Lamb Jam last year, I am excited to be able to check it out this time around. Priced at $ 50 per ticket but you can easily find some discounts online. Even at full price the event is worth going to.
Golden Gate Club is a beautiful venue. I was expecting a fairly painful parking situation but it was actually not bad at all. Plenty of spaces available just a short walk away. Wineries and food tasting were setup in 3 main rooms. The size of the venue is just right for the amount of guests. It is big enough for people to roam around easily without feeling too empty.
There are about 13 – 14 different dishes for you to sample. A panel of judge were gathered earlier the day to determine the winners in 4 different categories — shank, leg, loin, shoulder. In addition, the dish that gets most votes from the guests will be crowned «People’s Choice».
There were good food. There were also good wine and beer. Did I mention chocolate as well?
Food was plentiful and lines were mostly short except for one or two more popular booths. (The Whole Beast was definitely the most popular of all) Some dishes started to run out about an hour and half into the event but there were still ample of food even towards the end. Do come here early next time if you want to try everything.
The butchery demonstration was fun and educational. It was amazing to see how quickly the lamb was deboned. The fresh meat actually had a lovely fragrant.
I know I will be back next year. Lamb fan? Wine fan? This is an event not to be missed.

2012 Lamb Jam at the Golden Gate Club was amazing. Plenty to eat and even more to drink. I stuffed my face with so many different kinds of lamb, wine and beer that I felt a little guilty. The bourbon slushy at the end made me forget all that guilt. Will go back next year for sure.

Best event ever! I totally enjoyed every single lamb they served and wine selection was not my favorite. And I do love the wheat beer. It worth every single penny and I’m looking forward for next year. What can you ask for? Unlimited Lamb, Wines & Beers!

Oh Lamb Jam. I had such high expectations of you.
2 stars off for 99% of the restaurants running out of food at 5, one hour before the event was set to finish. When it’s a 3 hour even, you better expect to serve for all 3 hours.
1 star off for for the overcooked, chewy or flavorless lamb I had
It gets 2 stars because I did have a blast. Some of the wineries were fun to chat with and the shredded lamb tacos and Morimoto’s ground lamb in the bun was pretty awesome. Of course that ran out first. I like the bags and wine glasses they give you and enjoyed the venue. And Speakeasy, they were great. A beautiful sunny day in the Presidio, even with the flaws of Lamb Jam, I enjoyed it.

In only its second year the staff at Fans of Lamb have really gotten this lamb and wine tasting event down pat. Invite some noteworthy San Francisco Bay Area chefs to come out and create their best lamb dish with the incentive of winning a first place prize and a trip to New York City to compete with other great lamb chefs from Boston, Washington D.C., Seattle and New York for the title of Lamb Jam Master. Invite wineries from an entire region all representing the Paso Robles Wine Country to bring a sampling of their best wines to taste. Invite some key San Francisco Bay Area breweries to come on out to satisfy the non-​wine drinking crowd. Bring it all together at a beautiful new site, the picturesque Golden Gate Club in San Francisco’s scenic Presidio.
Last year’s crowd was a bit on the meager side but send out an email blast to your 2010 attendees and offer a three tickets for the price of two deal and you’re almost certain to pack the house. The second annual American Lamb Jam stop in San Francisco was a phenomenal success. Of the 16 restaurant chefs who committed to competing only one could not attend. The 2010 winner for Best Lamb Shank, Chef Ola Fendert of OOLA could not compete meaning a new lamb shank champion was inevitable.
Reducing the number of lamb samples from 16 to 15 makes all the difference when your goal is to sample every lamb dish presented. My friends played it safe by sharing plates, but I had a different philosophy here. If a lamb dish is astounding I want the whole sample, and I ain’t sharing!
From attending other food shows I knew to hit the longest line first. That’s what I did, and here are the 15 Chef’s creations I sampled:
From Chef John Fink of The Whole Beast (
) — These wraps were my favorite.
From Chef Antelmo Faria of Tacolicious (
)
From Chef Jeffrey Lunak of Morimoto Napa (
)
From Chef Yang Peng of Wood Tavern (
) — This was the 2011 winner for Best Lamb Shoulder.
From Chef Robbie Lewis of Bön Appetit (
)
From Chef David Bazirgan of Fifth Floor (
)
From Chef Dino Vasquez of Eastside West Restaurant & Bar (
) — This was the 2011 winner for Best Lamb Leg and one which I ate several servings of.
From Chef Eric Berg of Wente Vineyards Restaurant (
)
From Chef Banks White of FIVE Restaurant & Bar (
) — This was the 2011 winner for Best Lamb Loin.
From Chef Jessica Gorin of ThirstyBear Brewing Co. (
) — This was the 2011 winner for People’s Choice.
From Chef Michael Koenig of Grand Café (
)
From Chef Josh Silvers of Petite Syrah and Jackson’s Bar & Oven (
)
From Chef Jeff Mall of ZIN (
)
From Chef Richard Hodge of Puccini & Pinetti (
)
From Chef Adam Mali of Nick’s Cove (
) — This was the 2011 winner for Best Lamb Shank and Best of Show! Chef Mali will compete in New York City at the 2011 American Lamb Jam Finals in September.
I left this event full and happy. Special thanks to the cool folks at Speakeasy Brewing, Thirstybear Brewing, Magnolia Brewing, Cherry Voodoo Brewing and Fiji Water for quenching my lips with their tasty product.

I can’t believe that ANYONE would give this event less than 5-​stars (one person, Chrystell, did). I can’t imagine what more you could possibly ask for:
* Great Value — $ 50 per person for unlimited gourmet lamb, fine wine and beer ($ 33 per person if you booked early for 3 people)
* 16 top SF restaurants represented with an amazing variety of inventive lamb dishes
* A long list of area wine and beer producers pouring hundreds of different wines and beers. 3 hours of unlimited drinking
* Gorgeous setting in the Presidio and beautiful weather
* Great event coordination and easy entry
The food was so good, I’m tempted to follow this event to its next destination in Oregon to see what their local chefs can do with lamb. At the SF event, we sampled lamb sausages, lamb shoulder, lamb tacos, Vietnamese lamb Bahn Mi, lemongrass lamb soup, smoked lamb with polenta and fig reduction and much, much more.
If you like lamb, you’ll love this event. If you haven’t eaten much lamb before or have been turned off by bad/​gamey lamb dishes in the past, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this event.
This is a «don’t miss» event and I’ll be marking my calendar to go every year!

Absolutely Amazing!!! I really didn’t know what to expect going into this and wasn’t sure I wanted to commit to purchasing my tickets 2 months in advance, but it was totally worth it. The early bird special for buying tickets is $ 100 for 3 people. $ 50 if you purchase within a month before the event or at the door. I’m still in shock over how much food, alcohol and goodies there were for $ 33. Top chefs from some of the area’s top restaurants showcasing their take on lamb was like attending an event for Food Network. That made it really fun. Each chef created dishes with a creative take on lamb that was out of the box. All in all a must go to event for years to come. I can’t wait for next year.
— Parking was easy to find
— Location was perfectly situated near beautiful scenic points (i.e. Golden Gate Bridge, Inspiration Point, Lombard Street, Palace of Fine Arts, etc)
— On time and well organized

Imagine clear blue skies on a beautiful, sunny day with the gorgeous San Francisco Bay in front of you as you watch boats sailing by the Golden Gate Bridge while you sip a luscious Paso Robles Zinfandel and nibble on a lamb shoulder tasting plate from Chef Lewis of Bön Appetit. You wonder how the lamb could be so succulent and that sauce… oh that sauce… wow!!!
The venue was the Golden Gate Club located in the Presidio. 3 rooms full of vendors with food and wine samples as well as the ability to go in and out of the building. The event lasted for three hours and what a amazing three hours it was! The Paso Robles wineries were in full force and although there were only 16 chefs competing, I couldn’t even sample all of their dishes because I was stuffed after perhaps 8 dishes. Nick’s Cove was the favorite of the attendees who voted it Best In Show. They handed out 6 awards and the winners were all deserving. However, even those that did not win had amazing dishes and should be commended for such exquisitely delicious tasting samples.
The tickets for this event were $ 50 per person. We got it at a 50% discount for $ 25 per person. Is it worth $ 50? Ummmm… Is it worth $ 25? Heck yeah!!!

This was a great experience. All you can drink wine and lots of food tasting. There where so many of San Francisco’s top restaurants and chefs there that you will find one or two dishes that you like. Lots of fun, had a great time. Food was still available until 5:30pm since 3:00pm.
Hope to attend this event again.

Limited tickets, limited awesome food, and unlimited alcohol… Priceless
It’s really worth the $ 33.33 [ When you buy the 3 for $ 100 deal ]
ThirstyBear Food was… the BEST of the BEST.
All hands down to those guys this year 2011.

This was a GREAT event!
GREAT food!
AWESOME wine!
and the BEST pies!!!
lol
I am really hoping that they throw this event in 2011.

Great event!
The dishes of lamb were GREAT! Plenty of food and wine to go around.
My friends and I skipped dinner because of all the wonderful food. I wish I told more people about the event, because I feel like I withheld this experience from all my other friends!
I hope this event comes back next year.

I really like lamb but more like once a month than once a week. I didn’t think I’d be able to get through sampling so many chefs’ creations but I had no problem doing so because they were excellent. The portions were huge, the chefs were friendly, and I saw several creative dishes. Some chefs even shared their recipes with me, which I’ll post on
(P.S. I’ve already posted some videos there of the event).

I’m not a big fan of lamb, but when my friend told me he was going to this event I was compelled to join him. Maybe it was the thought of endless wine sampling, or maybe it was just something to do away from home in the cooler weather much appreciated in San Francisco.
Whichever the case I’m glad I plunked down the $$ for a ticket because it really was a great event. I sampled a lot of lamb dishes. I even admit to enjoying a few of them. Funny thing though. I seemed to enjoy the two with a Mexican food influence the most. One was like a spicy lamb stew served over rice from Tres Agaves. The other was a braised stew served on a freshly fried tortilla chip from Iluna Basque. Neither one really tasted like lamb and perhaps that’s why I enjoyed each so much. There were a couple of really good lamb sausages too.
The wine selection was fabulous. I’m no wine expert, but I know what I like, and I found a delicious zinfandel from the Mount Aukum Winery that I kept going back for and another 2004 zinfandel from Cayucos Cellars that was nice and fruity.
There was a chocolate truffle company and a pie bakery there to make sure everyone had a little dessert after all that lamb and wine.
I loved that the crowd on hand wasn’t too old or too young. It was a very good mix of all ages including little kiddies. Maybe not well publicized but it was definitely the right size crowd on hand and everybody was friendly and seemed very appreciative of what we got to sample.
I skipped dinner after this event, and as I’m writing this review I still feel quite full, and it’s been 12 hours already! I’m actually still letting out a few little lamb burps!
Burp! My, that was a big one!

⁵⁄₅ stars on the Wing Scale…
— Quality of product: 3 of 3 stars
— Quality of service: 1 of 1 star
— General feelings of happiness: 1 of 1 star
We didn’t really know what to expect beforehand; the SF Lamb Jam website was vague in its description of the event. So, to recap, this is how the event went for us: We checked in and marveled at the giant venue (Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion– pretty views outside, too!). We then scoped out the tables of Lamb Jam freebies, including wine glasses with the Lamb Jam logo to wine taste at the event and to take home! Together with our friends, we tried out delicious lamb dishes from ~20 local restaurants for the next few hours.
My favorite dish was from Incanto; they made a well-​seasoned lamb sausage served with pickled veggies and a cool yogurt. Hubby J loved the Yorkshire pudding from Starbelly. My second favorite lamb-​inspired creation was from Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar– it came with one of the most amazing falafels I’ve ever tasted! Our friends also liked Oola’s braised lamb and heirloom tomatoes… so good!
Thirsty? No problem– representatives from different wineries were there to pour you a variety of wines, mostly red to go with the lamb! Not a drinker? The organizers also made sure the Fiji water was stocked.
It was such a well-​done, laid-​back event; our group hung out until the winner was announced. We were not surprised to learn that 1300 on Fillmore was the overall winner for their braised leg of lamb with blue cheese grits. Even if some of us found the dish too heavy by the time we got to 1300’s table, we recognized it had bold and decadent flavors.
I loved eating lamb before but I definitely have a greater appreciation for the yummy meat now. I might even try cooking some lamb at home! :)