I recently attended the fantastical release of Randy Clemens new book: “The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook: 50 Vegan “Rooster Sauce” Recipes that Pack a Punch,” that was located at Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles on July 2nd, 2013.

Golden Road Brewing is a large place that consists of three large warehouse buildings. It’s so large, they have a bar within their taproom called Chloe’s which is a “secret” bar that is behind a nondescript door with no signs. This is where the release party took place and I have to admit, I was super excited. Not only am I a sucker for “secret” bars because it makes me feel special and “in-the-know” but it was an event I was looking forward to for weeks.

The author of the book, Randy Clemens, has been a social media friend of mine for a while and I have been following him since he was working at Stone Brewing Company. I just so happen to own the book he co-wrote: The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance and now I own his two Sriracha-based cookbooks The Sriracha Cookbook: 50 “Rooster Sauce” Recipes that Pack a Punch and the veggie-lover’s cookbook. I love his writing style and approachable personality. It adds so much to the cookbook experience because it doesn’t overwhelm the novice cook.

Bernie Wire (photographer from Friends of Craft Beer) and Randy Clemens

I arrived to the party a little early and enjoyed some beers on the patio of Golden Road before heading into the release party. After my blogger buddy, Greg from OC Beer Blog, had to point me in the direction of Chloe’s I was happy to see they were selling copies of both books so I could get mine signed. An added bonus was each purchase of a book came with a free bottle of Sriracha!

Before the place could get crazy-busy we went upstairs and got some of the vegan food offerings based on recipes from the book and beers. I had the bruschetta and tried the avocado tacos, lettuce wraps, and the jackfruit sandwich.  Each of these little tasters of food were enhanced by Sriracha (obviously) and were vegan. They were surprisingly good and that means a lot coming from a meat-and-cheese-eater like me. I was particularly impressed with the jackfruit sandwich. The jackfruit as a “meat” was lush and plump and satisfied any craving for meat. The flavors imparted in the jackfruit was really impressive. I would eat that sandwich again and again.

After eating, we braved the insane crowd and got our book signed by Randy and gave our congrats before opting to breathe fresh air back on the patio of Golden Road. I really liked Chloe’s but I can’t stand being in a crowded bar for very long. The decor was very English-pub style and I loved the plaid carpet and old-school pub signs decorating the walls. I would go back and hang-out upstairs for several hours and play pool on a less crowded night. Overall, it was a great evening to celebrate achievements of friends. I highly recommend ordering a copy of the book!