Sac Bacon Fest, the popular annual weeklong celebration of cured pork belly, kicked off on Monday night with a party at Hook & Ladder.

Spotted at the party were Sac Bacon Fest founders Brian Guido and Nick Miller, Hook & Ladder Owner Kimio Bazett and chef Brian Mizner, Mighty Tavern chef Jason Azevedo, Sac News & Review reporter Janelle Bitker, just to name a few.

I stopped by for a few minutes to grab a bite for dinner, and enjoyed the bacon spam & smoked Sichuan pork belly fried rice and the smoked pork belly & baby kale salad. The dishes were unique takes on what might otherwise be standard fare, made with the flair that you would expect from a restaurant like Hook & Ladder.

If you missed out, don't worry. There are still many Sac Bacon Fest events that you'll be able to attend this week. Here are some of the highlights:

Wednesday: Mighty Tavern and American River Brewing Co. are featuring a prix fixe dinner pairing pork goodies with American River Brewing's beers. Five courses for $49. Click here for more info.

Thursday: Swine and Dine at Capital Dime, featuring bacon wrapped peppers stuffed with house hunters sausage with cheese, porchetta with roasted apples and ginger and spiced bacon caramel corn ice cream sundaes. Click here for more info.

Friday: Official Bacon Week Crawl & Happy Hour Evening at Block Butcher Bar, Red Rabbit, Lucca and Shady Lady! Click here for more info.

If you don't see it on the list, your favorite restaurant's probably doing something special. Learn more at Sac Bacon Fest's Facebook Page.

Close observers will notice that Sac Bacon Fest and Dine Downtown overlapped this year, whereas in previous years, they held their respective events on separate weeks. From what I've been told, Sac Bacon Fest set its dates first, and Dine Downtown inadvertently set its dates the same week as Bacon Fest. However, the two sides plan to coordinate in the future so restaurants aren't forced to prepare both a special Dine Downtown menu and a Bacon Fest menu.

More (Bacon) News:

Four years in, Sacramento Bacon Fest founders still bringing it - Bacon Fest Sacramento was once the little piggy of local food festivals, with just a few participating eateries and a mere three-day run. But now in its fourth year, Bacon Fest is running full boar as one of Sacramento’s signature food celebrations...In addition to bacon corn dogs at Block Butcher Bar and pan-fried bacon meatloaf sandwiches at Ella Dining Room & Bar, you’ll find bacon-mania in the form of bacon swizzle sticks in bloody Marys at Mulvaney’s B&L and bacon in ice molds for charcuterie-tinged craft cocktails at Hook & Ladder. Bacon will even take a melodious turn at Friday’s Kevin Bacon Tribute Show at Old Ironsides. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

Sacramento chefs who excel at makin’ bacon - If you like bacon, here are three local chefs you need to know. Each has a meticulous approach to curing, and will be putting together dishes of note during Bacon Fest. They’ll also be going head-to-head on Jan. 25, when more than a dozen chefs will mix it up at the closing-day competition at Mulvaney’s Pig on the Corner (adjacent to the restaurant), where $500, a set of Mac knives and bragging rights are up for grabs. Featuring Mighty Tavern's Jason Azevedo, Block Butcher Bar's Brock Macdonald and Mulvaney's B&L's Patrick Mulvaney. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

VIDEO: Bacon Fest Sacramento - Mighty Tavern in Fair Oaks previews Bacon Fest SAcramento, which starts on January 19. On News 10.

Bacon Week events: So much bacon, so little time - Sacramento restaurants will be sizzling with bacon from Monday through Jan. 25, offering a veritable bonanza of cured pork belly and all things pig. Sacramento Bacon Fest attracts more than 70 participants annually, from restaurants simply adding a few extra slices of bacon to their menus, to events that go whole hog with themed dinners and musical odes to this most celebrated of meats. In other words, so much bacon, so little time. For a complete rundown events and attractions, check out the website for Sacramento Bacon Fest or go to its Facebook page. In the meantime, we’ve cherry-picked a few Bacon Fest events that are worth your time and elevated cholesterol readings. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.