by Jennifer Resnicke  // photos by Dante Fontana

There were a surprising number of patrons sitting on the patio at Black Vinyl Ale Project when my husband and I stopped by on a recent Friday night. It only took a few moments (and a couple of barks) to figure out they all had dogs with them. We’d unknowingly walked into a “Pup Crawl” put on by the City of Rocklin. 

As much as my main squeeze wanted to sit outside and play with, literally, all of those dogs (our waitress mentioned there were 30), we figured it would be best to leave as many seats as possible for our furry friends, and settled at one of the tables inside. 

The décor is bold with thick wood planks lining the walls, a drum kit hanging from the ceiling, and an eye-catching marquee-style beer menu, touting the freshest lineup of house-made brews. 

The eats include elevated pub fare (expect an abbreviated menu Mondays through Wednesdays), and we were immediately intrigued by the flatbreads, made in-house daily with fresh spent grain. We opted for the offering with bacon, figs, blue cheese and caramelized onions, which sounds a lot brasher than it actually was.

For dinner, I tried the slow-roasted chicken salad sandwich on house-made whole wheat. A delectably sweet cranberry aioli with toasted almonds and grapes was spread directly onto the toast, with thick slabs of chicken breast, jack cheese and a healthy handful of peppery aioli layered on top. The sandwich came with garlic Parmesan house fries, which were far too addicting—and deliciously plentiful. 

My husband went for one of his favorites: buttermilk fried chicken. Perfectly crispy, it paired so well with the stout gravy that came with the accompanying mashed red potatoes that you might want to go ahead and order an extra side of it from the get-go. The plate also arrived with a huge square of cornbread and lightly sautéed vegetables. 

Even with all of that food, we still had to try their homemade dessert—chewy chocolate chip cookies with Nutella and vanilla ice cream. Despite it being large enough to feed four, we made a valiant effort with just the two of us. Next time we’ll bring our dog, and maybe share an entrée to save more space for that awesome dessert.

Black Vinyl Ale Project, 4810 Granite Drive, Suite A-1, Rocklin, 916-672-6292.