For a single craft bottle, you’ll have to go off-grid.
↧
Beer Run: Want a single in midtown? You’ll have to go off the grid
↧
Dining review: With professional service and good food, Orphan rises above its past
I’m sitting at Orphan, a bustling east Sacramento breakfast and lunch eatery, looking down at a plate of perfectly cooked pumpkin pancakes. The morning light catches a wisp of steam billowing up from the table.
![]()
Roast beef hash, left, has ample amounts of beef. Find it and avocado scramble at Orphan Breakfast House in east Sacramento.
![]()
Avocado scramble with bacon
![]()
Pumkin panackaes with candied pecans, a menu special at Orphan
![]()
The lunch burrito at Orphan
↧
↧
First Impressions: At Arthur Henry’s Supper Club, you’re the chef
Three of us ventured to Arthur Henry’s Supper Club & Ruby Room in Oak Park where you are obliged to cook your own food.
![]()
At Arthur Henry’s Supper Club & Ruby Room in Oak Park, customers cook their own steaks.
↧
Dining review: At Cielito Lindo, the cooking inspires in a building that doesn’t
Cielito Lindo, an aspiring upscale Mexican restaurant that opened in September, has a significant problem to overcome, partly because its menu and mostly deft cooking suggest elegance, while the building in which the magic happens is anything but.
![]()
Estofado de Granja, with pork, chicken and mushrooms, has adobo sauce and is hearty like a stew .
![]()
Rib eye con costra de chorizo. The steak is nestled atop baby potatoes.
![]()
Camarones al Mojo de Ajo is one of Cielito Lindo’s shrimp dishes, made with rice, mushrooms, peppers, cilantro and white wine.
↧
Dining: Mother has generated plenty of buzz among foodies as it readies to open
Michael Thiemann and company are within days of opening Mother, the vegetarian restaurant on K Street that already has whetted appetites and wowed devotees during a series of recent pop-up dinners.
![]()
Mother’s interior design features a modern-meets-rustic feel with custom finishes. The restaurant is set to open Monday.
![]()
Mike Thiemann, now of Mother, is shown here in 2012 at Ella Dining Room.
![]()
Chef/owner Michael Thiemann, left, hired Matt Masera as co-executive chef.
↧
↧
Dining review: The great (Sleep) Train robbery
It was hard to do this with a straight face. I got in line at a concession stand during a recent Sacramento Kings game, caught up in the moment, sure, and submitted myself as a willing participant in a scheme to extract inappropriate amounts of money from my person.
![]()
Lyria Beck and Tom Lincoln of Sacramento enjoy hot dogs and sodas during a Kings game at Sleep Train Arena earlier this month.
![]()
James Murphy slices meat at one of Sleep Train Arena’s carver stations. The sandwiches are in the $12.50 range and, Blair Anthony Robertson found, served on stale bread.
![]()
Craft beers can be purchased at Sleep Train Arena, but one will set you back about $14.
![]()
A sliced Harris Ranch tri tip sandwich and beer during a Kings game at Sleep Train Arena.
↧
Dining Review: Granite Bay’s Source has it all dialed in as a tapas destination
Source opened for business in late 2010 with ambitions to showcase “global tapas,” meaning it wouldn’t be bound by a particular cuisine when it designed its menus and that its many small plates would, we assume, be eclectic and engaging.
![]()
Dungeness crab tater tots
![]()
Togarashi Seared ahi.
![]()
Spicy shrimp
![]()
Housemade meatballs topped with pomegranate seeds.
↧
Dining: Foundation has a solid base for building
Midway through my second visit to this new downtown restaurant, I began to ponder a philosophical question.
![]()
Braised short ribs with mashed potatoes and carrots are on the menu at Foundation.
![]()
Brownie pie with ice cream at Foundation Restaurant & Bar.
![]()
East Coast hot wings with blue cheese dipping sauce represent one of Foundation’s appetizers.
![]()
Foundation Restaurant & Bar contributed bacon-wrapped scallops for the city’s recent BaconFest.
↧
Dining Review: Missed connections and sub-par food at Sloughhouse Inn
The Sloughhouse Inn, nestled in the midst of a rural landscape rich in history and abundant in its agricultural bounty, is attempting a comeback.
![]()
Rib eye steak with vegetables and mashed potatoes.
![]()
Cheesecake from the Sloughhouse Inn.
![]()
Salmon with risotto and vegetables from the Sloughhouse Inn.
![]()
Fish and chips– panko-crusted cod with fries, from the Sloughhouse Inn.
↧
↧
Dining: Mariscos Las Islitas
The expressions on my friends’ faces said it all as they took their seats, soaked in the atmosphere and spotted the food. Their heads turned. Their eyes widened. Yes, jaws dropped. It was all very big and cartoonish, but it was real, too.
![]()
Mariscos Las Islitas’ De Los 7 Mares includes seven kinds of seafood.
![]()
Langostinos with special house sauce at Mariscos Las Islitas.
![]()
The steak, chicken and shrimp fajitas at Mariscos Las Islitas maintain the same quality as the restaurant’s showier dishes.
![]()
Mojarra Frita al Gusto includes a whole tilapia that is fried and served with beans and rice.
↧
Dining: Aïoli may be set in its ways, but in a good way
Step inside this charming midtown mainstay with the burlap tablecloths, gorgeous copper-topped little bar and big windows looking out toward the street, and you are expected to make yourself at home, relaxed and unhurried for as long as you care to stay.
![]()
Drenched in Malaga wine, Aïoli’s El Borracho cake is more like an adult beverage masquerading as a dessert.
![]()
The braised beef tongue, exceptionally tender, was one of the recent nightly tapas specials.
![]()
Aioli’s bartender makes one of the best Negronis in town.
![]()
One of the showstoppers at Aïoli is the paella, which takes a full 30 minutes to prepare (so order it at the outset). Pictured is the vegetarian version. Aoli has been at 18th and L streets for 20 years.
↧
Dining: Small foothills restaurant excels in making Neapolitan pizza
Colfax, this tiny town in the Sierra foothills with the quaint main street and rich Gold Rush history, may be one of the last places you would expect to find pizza made in the tradition of Naples, Italy.
![]()
The pizzas at Il Pizzaiolo in Colfax have the markings of the traditional Neapolitan pie, including the thin crust, random charring and minimal toppings. At right is the margherita pizza – tomato sauce, mozzarella, a few leaves of basil and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
![]()
The foothills pizzeria also serves limoncello chicken wings that are topped with Romano cheese.
![]()
The “Cinque Terre” includes anchovies and capers to give it a distinctive and assertive flavor.
![]()
At left are limoncello chicken wings; above, house-made gelato.
↧
Dining review: Sushi is crafted with expertise and grace at Lou’s
Stepping inside Lous Sushi, this small but bustling neighborhood joint in midtown, it isnt hard to understand what draws people here and turns them into fans. Humble, charismatic and talented, Lou Valente has committed the better part of his adult life to learning the craft of making sushi.
![]()
Served during a recent omakase meal at Lou’s Sushi, two cuts from the same tuna each offer a different experience. The lighter colored tuna in front is chu toro, which is closer to the outside of the fish where the flesh is fattier; in back is the leaner maguro toro.
![]()
Seafood tacos are a popular appetizer at Lou’s Sushi on P Street. Other creative menu items include the seafood nachos and Mount Fuji roll.
![]()
Blue Point oysters from Maryland.
![]()
Dayboat scallops from Maine.
↧
↧
Dining review: Eclectic Japanese bistro Aji still developing its voice
Aji may have some hits on the menu, but this is a big restaurant with big ambitions, and the food program doesn't seem to know when to say when.
![]()
Aji’s sliders are served on Japanese toast with a side of fries.
![]()
Nick Dedier, co-owner of Aji Japanese Bistro in El Dorado Hills, mingles with Chris Barcenas, left, of Rancho Cordova and Keaton Lancy, right of Elk Grove.
↧
Dining review: Auburn’s Carpe Vino earns a spot among the region’s best
For a place with a superb chef, a savvy and opinionated owner with a propensity for blogging, and a retail wine shop with an excellent inventory of hard-to-obtain bottles at easy-to-like prices, Carpe Vino does not generate nearly as much buzz as it should.
![]()
Carpe Vino and chef Eric Alexander deserve a higher profile.
![]()
Roasted bone marrow is among the dishes on the menu at Carpe Vino in Auburn.
![]()
One of three dining areas at Carpe Vino in Auburn. Among stand-out dishes there are braised beef cheeks, the bone-in pork chop, and agnolotti with sheep’s milk ricotta. Chef Eric Alexander also offers a duck poutine.
![]()
There are many possible wine pairings with the sheep’s milk agnolotti served at Carpe Vino in Auburn.
↧
Dining review: Blackbird 2.0 shows some admirable creativity
Blackbird 2.0, six months removed from a mini scandal after it shut down suddenly and then broke the news to unsuspecting employees via email, has three new business partners, a new craft beer emphasis, a more tightly focused menu and a revamped floor plan that adds seating to the main level of this very attractive restaurant and bar.
![]()
The new Blackbird focuses heavily on beer. Shown here are two tasting flights.
![]()
Gone are the $1 oysters from the original Blackbird. The excellent oysters are now six for $18.
![]()
The chowder is remains one of Chef Carina Lampkin’s signaure dishes.
![]()
A raw dish, salmon toro, with baby French beans and asparagus, demonstrates deft plating skills.
↧
First Impressions: Wrap N’ Roll blends sushi, burritos
It’s eye-catching, but is a sushi burrito actually worth eating?
![]()
Burritos and sushi explore a partnership at Wrap N’ Roll.
↧
↧
Dining review: Capital Dime struggles to make sense
When Capital Dime opened last July, pushing the idea that it would serve high-caliber farm-to-fork fare at eye-popping prices, the concept got a lot of attention, and the name of this potentially high-profile eatery made a lot of sense.
![]()
The mac ’n’ cheese is among the $10 dishes at Capital Dime.
![]()
“Damn good cheeseburger” comes with a side of french fries.
![]()
The crab Louie with shrimp.
![]()
Crab cakes with avocado mousse at Capital Dime.
↧
Dining review: Sacramento’s Mother is like no other
Last fall, when I heard Michael Thiemann was back in town and doing pop-up dinners months before he was to open his mysterious new restaurant, I was on it.
![]()
Mother welcomes diners off K Street, next to the Crest Theatre. The meat-less restaurant opened in February. Acclaimed chef Michael Thiemann is Mother’s driving force.
![]()
Michael Thiemann, owner, and Matt Masera, executive chef, stand behind jars of pickled fruit and vegetables at Mother in downtown Sacramento.
![]()
A spring tartine combines favetta, Delta asparagus, sea beans, English peas, mint and ricotta.
![]()
Designs on the chalkboard constantly change in the dining room of downtown’s new meat-free restaurant, Mother.
↧
Dining review: La Rosa offers slow, steady and distinctly, flavorfully Mexican in West Sacramento
We could go round and round on the topic of tacos.
![]()
The pambazo is a sandwich not commonly seen in Sacramento taquerias. The bread is dipped in a spicy chile sauce. Available with choice of meats.
![]()
At La Rosa, they refer to this cooking wheel as a “disco.” On the perimeter, the various meats simmer in lard,while in the middle, which has a raised surface, the cook can sear or char the meat.
![]()
Chef Jesus Arjon sometimes serves his food outside.
![]()
While the other meats simmer in hot lard, the chorizo gets a sear in the middle of the steel cooking disk
↧