Smart Eats- Grub and Trivia Nights

Ok, maybe you’re not quite as obsessed with trivia as I am. Not too many folks consider Ken Jennings, all-time JEOPARDY! champion, a personal hero. But to me, anyone who can house that much info in a human brain is impressive beyond category.

So if you’re looking to test your wits against other folks and looking for a good meal while you do it, it’s hard to beat the area’s trivia nights and pub quizzes. Here’s a list of some of the most popular knowledge nights with a few suggestions on meal pairing to go with your brain teasers.

Streets of London– Probably the longest running pub quiz in town, the Sunday night quiz at Streets of London is also one of the most challenging. Quizmaster Ken Koch, the grand daddy of local quiz purveyors, can be jovial, bombastic, or even downright surly, but he’s always fair. It’s a written quiz, so don’t even try to shout out the answer or you will receive a tongue lashing to remember.
To keep your stomach from grumbling and keep the brain fed, try Street’s fish and chips. It’s one of the best in town. Or for the more adventurous, go for the Scotch egg, a hard boiled egg rolled in ground sausage and deep fried. I’m told it’s an acquired taste.
Where: Streets of London, 1804 J St., Sacramento
When: Fridays, 9PM (also held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at their Folsom and West Sacramento locations respectively, both at 8:30)

The Shack– Every Wednesday night, Dan Scott, local writer, sexy Sacramentan and policy wonk, trots out a 25 question quiz that is a challenge for even the most trivial-minded. With questions on music, art, literature, politics, and obscure Simpsons episodes, you’re likely to bring away some facts with which to impress your friends.
Even better than the quiz, however, is the brain food coming out of owner Gary Sleppy’s kitchen. Try the moules frites (mussels and fries) on a cold night, the Belgian beer broth under the mussels a perfect brew to get the synapses firing. Or for lighter fair, try the jerk chicken salad, a beautiful small plate with cabbage, jicama, red onions, cilantro, and tortilla strips topped with expertly jerked chicken and dressed with a mango vinaigrette.
Where: The Shack, 5201 Folsom Blvd, Sacramento
When: Wednesdays, 6:30pm

Sacramento Brewing Company– Sacramento Brewing Company has one of the best tap lineups in town. With their own beers brewed on site along with some of the best microbrews in the country, it’s hard to find a bad beer. It’s also hard to win their Thursday night team trivia challenge.
If you’ve brought a team with you, odds are you can feed them all with SBC’s drunken pig tostada salad. A combination of pulled pork, pepper jack, peanuts, black beans, guacamole, tomatoes, green onions, and buttermilk dressing, all served in a fried tostada shell, it’s a meal fit for a whole team, or one very hungry knowledge junkie.
Where: Sacramento Brewing Company, 2713 El Paseo Ln, Town & Country Village
When: Thursdays at 7:30pm

Bonn Lair– One of the coziest pubs in all of Sacramento, this East Sac local is perfect place to park yourself on a stool and grab a real English pint. Or try your hand at darts, or watch a soccer – er, I mean football — match on the tele. Every Sunday night though, trivia is on the menu.
For the full British experience, try the shepherd’s pie with a pint of Old Speckled Hen.
Where: Bonn Lair, 2651 J St, Sacramento
When: Sundays, 8:30pm