Such a fun weekend. My husband competed in the amateur competition and took 2nd in chefs choice…read more There is food to purchase from all the major BBQ joints, lots of booths with jewelry and other stuff. Glasses were 16 or 17 bucks and came with 2 drink tickets. ( we brought an ice chest ). did i mention parking and admission is free? See ya next year!

2013's fest was a bit underwhelming compared to the far more magnificent 2012 spread. Much smaller…read morethis year, and it might surprise newbies to see only 3 options for BBQ for sale to guests (no sampling of the competitors unfortunately). The local standbys of Kinder's and Back Forty are great, and in 2013 Smokehouse 10 was there. Their line was huge and prices astronomical, so I showed loyalty to my locals. They were also both wise to offer a rib sampler, 3 ribs for around $6, while Smokehouse only offered full meal platters. Kinder's ribs were tasty and smoky, and man does their sauce just ROCK. Back Forty's ribs were equally yummy and just a bit more tender. If I could get Back Forty's ribs with Kinders' sauce, oh happy day! Vendors were also scaled down quite a bit, only a small cluster of people selling more knick-knack items. 2012 offered multiple vendors selling homemade BBQ sauces and rubs, which was one of my main reasons for returning this year so imagine by disappointment when I couldn't restock! There were also more fun vendors selling quality knives and handcrafted soaps - the vendor quality was drastically reduced. So hopefully 2014 will bring the cool folks back, otherwise I might have to pass in 2015. : /

What a great turn out! Dozens of great breweries with friendly pourers, and awesome live bands…read morecovering the classics! I thought I was going crazy when I heard "Don't Stop Believing" (because that's pretty much the song you hear anyway while drunk, right?) but one of the bands was actually playing that song! The food was also awesome at awesome prices. $4 for an awesome sausage (they had many--my choice was the chicken cajun sausage) with all the toppings/condiments. The food was pretty much from food carts with extremely reasonable prices... Please let it stay like this forever!! The thing I hate most about most beer festivals is the rip off food... But this one had all the right stuff for all the right prices! Kettle corn for $3 too! The shuttle that took us from the North Concord/Martinez BART was totally hilarious/legit... It was a yellow school bus with a BACBF sticker banner on it. Lovez it!! The lady on the bus (Bus Bitch, as she called herself) gave us a lovely guided tour of Martinez on the way to the festival site from BART. The Martinez PD were also present at the festival, but they were only outside and their job was to make sure that no one left intoxicated without a DD. If your ass was too drunk, they pulled out patio chairs for you to sit on! Even though it rained, most of the festival was held indoors in a warehouse (with EZ-Up tents for some of the outdoors) and everyone was in great spirits! Mannnnn totally sweet, I can't wait until next year's event!

Attended the Beer Fest again today and I was happy to find that they have made much needed…read moreimprovements since we last attended three years ago. Our friends live nearby so we parked there and walked, as opposed to trying to find parking at the event. They do still offer the free shuttle to and from the North Concord BART station, which is great. We got in line a little after 11:30 and, once they opened the gates at noon, the line moved quickly. They checked our IDs while we were in line, which was nice and sped up the entrance. Once inside I was impressed by the vast and varied beers available. Most breweries had 2-3 beers available. I stuck mostly to IPAs and other hop-heavy brews...of which there were plenty. I was also happy with the variety of delicious food available. We stuck with cheese zombies and frickles but our friends also enjoyed their carne asada fries, Indian wraps, etc. The BBQ place even walked around with samples of cole slaw and "shots" of pulled pork. The pulled pork was excellent and if I hadn't already eaten, I would have gotten a pulled pork sandwich. There were umbrellas and tall standing tables scattered throughout the event. We had a big group so we snagged a table as soon as we arrived to be our "home base." From there, we switched off getting beer/food. They had plenty of port-o-potties available and we never had to wait in line. There was also hand sanitizer and sinks with soap and water. To top off a nice afternoon, we got to spend time with great friends and ran into many more throughout the day.

It's about time we bring food trucks down to the Marina Waterfront!!! Great options for Martinez…read moreresidence and visitors to enjoy every Saturday! Hope it continues and grows! Now if only they can work on setting up some tables and chairs for those to sit and enjoy the lovely waterfront and food.

Kind of disappointed with this years Bay Area Blues Festival. There were more dogs walking around…read morethen art vendors and blues performance. The food vendors were very few and most ran out or were closing by 2pm (the event runs till 5pm on Sunday). My $8 funnel cake was burnt and the smallest I ever had. If it was not the regular Sunday Farmers' Mtk vendors happening on the same day, there would be a only 10 vendors left after 2pm. Last year there were definitely more vendors, chalk art, stage performances & food selection. Good family event if there were more for the families who attended to see or take part in. Lots of miss money opportunities due to shortage and bad planning in regards to food, and not offering more wine and beer options. Come on Martinez gets some more vendors and food selection or else the locals will go to the Walnut Festival instead. Martinez...sad showing this year.

Warm, quaint & fun. This was the second year for The Bay Area Blues Festival. I was told by the…read morefriendly shop owners that this festival was combined with the Italian & Chalk Festivals. Originally was in San Francisco, but is now being help in downtown Martinez. We strolled down Main Street, me sipping wine, & my date, (my eldest son) enjoyed a beer. The rhythmic sound of blues & jazz in the background. It wasn't too crowded, making it easy to navigate. There were many vendors selling unique items. A few chalk artists were showing off their skills. However, there are some areas that need improving. There were limited choices of both wine & beer. While the shops & restaurants were open, it would have been nice to have more food trucks and vendors as well. Being that this festival is still in its youth, it's on the small side. Hopefully it will grow larger as word spreads. I look forward to returning again next year, in hopes that they'll be more cool musicians & yummy food & drink to enjoy.

Walt from Walt's Adventures adventuring at the Menagerie Hill Ranch in Vacaville, California…read more Life can be interpreted as more fulfilling when filled with adventures. It is wise to step outside your environment and, in the case of this current venture, go visit an Alpaca farm. The Menagerie Hill ranch has beautiful animals. The host was awesome and knowledgeable. We increased our knowledge of the animals and of the farm but also got to feed them. We also had the opportunities to get close and personal with them for pictures. They were all friendly and fluffy. I recommend this unique experience for all because if you do not just break your usual pattern to stop and smell the roses or to pet and feed an Alpaca, life will pass by before you know it. Put your life on pause just for a few hours and go see the Alpacas. They would like to share peace with you. You can find them at the Menagerie Hill Ranch

This was a memorable trip. We were originally slated to visit in late June before my birthday but…read moreboth Deb and Kirk were recovering from surgery. We stayed in touch over the next several weeks before settling on an August date. We braved the high temps and winding roads to arrive at the ranch. It's a beautiful space on a hillside and you can see the herd and their guardian llama as you pull into the parking lot. We learned a lot about the alpaca life cycle, fed the boys, and my daughter got to hold and carry a cria. We bought two cute alpaca shaped soaps. I didn't experience any of the negativity others have complained about. It is a working ranch so it's not a petting zoo or a tourist attraction. Go with the flow and you'll have a great experience.

Great location, friendly owners, great wine. The scenery is beautiful. Have a wonderful time each…read moreand every time.

We had the privilege of having our wedding at Bhachu Vineyards recently and if I could give a 100…read morestars, I would. The property is magical and my husband and I feel so fortunate that we were able to have our ceremony and reception there. Not only is the venue beautiful, Barbara and Dave Bhachu are the most gracious and generous owners/hosts you could ever work with. They went above and beyond in responding to questions, offering suggestions and directing and assisting on the day of the event. This is a place I selfishly want to keep secret but I also want to provide the most glowing recommendation because it was the perfect setting for our special day. Also- their wines are excellent and will be booking another private tasting in the near future.

We hired Daniel to play for my late Father's Celebration of Life. He was extremely kind,…read moreresponsive, helpful and professional throughout the booking process. He arrived on time, setup quickly, and did a fantastic job. We worked together closely to figure out the appropriate set list given the sensitivity of the event. Daniel was flexible, and I asked him to play original songs he was familiar with and to read the room if we needed to adjust. We even ended up doing an impromptu song and guitar performance from some of my guests! . I would hire Daniel and his team again in a heartbeat! Thank you Daniel for making this important moment in our family's life one to remember.

Daniel is an excellent musician and was a wonderful person to work with! He responds in a timely…read moremanner and was a joy to have at the party. Also he is very talented.

I would love to give this store a great review. However the…read moreselection of items is so small. Cheap jewelry and barely any crystals. I've been in twice to ask about New Years Eve and Day events. They said yes, they will be doing something for New Year's Day when I asked what, they only had a vague idea. Both times I asked, they said, go the website. So I go the website (3 times now) and there is no info. It is New Years Day and still nothing on the website and nobody answers the phone. Again, I'd really like to support local business. But this place is so disorganized and disappointing.

This is a wonderful place! The staff is really knowledgeable and sensitive in many ways. You'll…read morefind something beautiful here if you're looking for a gift and something beautiful inside yourself if you're looking for that sort of thing.