about saké fest

Philadelphians will gather in the Millennium Ballroom at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel to experience the finest Japanese and U.S. saké, as part of the 5th Saké Fest. The Festival falls within the annual Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia www.jasgp.org/cherryblossomfestival  during March and April. Visitors will be treated to samplings of rare and premium saké while also learning how to pair the traditional Japanese drink with a wide variety of food, including cheese, desserts, chocolate and a wide range of fusion, Asian and continental cuisines.

Saké is the new drink of choice to be served with various types of cuisine. With more than 100 varieties of saké available in the United States, it's no wonder that it is a growing presence in the alcohol beverage industry. To further educate and introduce saké to the region, the 5th International Saké Festival of Philadelphia presented is being held during the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia. It will take place on Tuesday, April 7th at 6:00pm to 8:30pm at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel in Center City. Tickets for the event are $55 per person and $65 per person when purchased at the door. Participants must be 21 years or older to attend. To purchase tickets, visit www.eventnavigators.com

Participants attending the Saké Festival will experience dozens of saké varieties, taste the finest Japanese and American brands of saké, and will learn how to pair it with any type of food. Samples of premium and several rare sakés will be available, as will regionally micro brewed "jizake", which means small, regional saké brewer. Prominent chefs from area restaurants and catering facilities will prepare and serve a selection of appetizers and foods that complement different types of saké. An assortment of cheeses will also be paired with the sakés.

Saké is more than a drink to be served with Japanese food. It is a beverage that is as versatile as wine. It can be enjoyed with cheese, chocolates, and all varieties of ethnic foods. Similar in profile to wine, saké is valued for its fragrance, impact, sweet or dry finish, acidity, presence and complexity.

As a growing number of chefs incorporate elements of Asian cuisine into their menus, it may become almost valuable for them to understand saké as to know their reds from their whites. A natural extension of this is the concept of matching food and saké. For example, saké from mountainous regions of Japan is sturdier and more rice-laden in flavor, complementing the salt-preserved and fermented flavors common in that region's food. Other areas produce saké that is lighter and more supple, which pairs better with the abundance of fresh fish found in these areas. While these are general guidelines, not only limited to Asian foods, it can be applied to all types of cuisines. Chefs taking the floor at the Loews Hotel on April 7th will have to call on the full range of their culinary expertise as they partner a variety of foods with several dozen types, vintages, and varieties of saké.

One goal of the 5th International Saké Festival of Philadelphia is educate the public about this unique beverage. Saké is a drink made from rice that originated in China approximately 5,000 years ago. It came to Japan around the 4th century AD where it has been constantly enhanced and refined. Saké, as it is known today, originated at the beginning of the 20th century with the advent of modern brewing and bottling techniques. As any saké lover will explain, saké is neither a beer nor a wine. Saké is saké.

Tickets for the 5th International Saké Festival of Philadelphia can be purchased online at Event Navigators . For additional information call 610.649.6330 or email info@eventnavigators.com