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Dining review: Yang’s Noodles is slurp-it-up eating at its best

May 11, 2014, 12:00 am
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One of dozens of eateries in south Sacramento’s bustling Little Saigon district, Yang’s Noodles is brightly lit, slightly shabby and has an almost fast-food feel. A fake flower decorates the front-counter tip jar, which, on a recent visit, contained six or seven dimes. The tables and chairs are unremarkable and well-worn. A handwritten sign affixed to the wall says they have ice cream, but they don’t. There’s no wine or beer on the premises.

Yang’s spicy beef tendon presents the meat in paper-thin slices.

For “thousand-year-old egg” with tofu, the south Sacramento restaurant pre-treats the eggs by burying them for weeks.

Szechuan boiled fish is a very dynamic soup — extra hot and full of complexity with ample pieces of seafood.

Beef noodle soup is an example of the affordable nature of Yang’s Noodles. The soup, at $6.95, is plentiful enough for two diners.
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Dining review: Tapa the World no longer on top

May 18, 2014, 12:00 am
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More and more, tapas are finding their way onto menus and into mouths throughout the United States. If they’re not specifically listed as such, they’re called small plates, bites or appetizers, with a focus on cuisine that goes well beyond the traditional offerings in Spain.

Gambas al ajillo, rock shrimp sautéed in olive oil, garlic and white wine with parsley, is one of the best-known Spanish tapas.

Berenjenas, eggplant that has been breaded and fried, is one of the popular tapas at Tapa the World.

Halibut with quinoa and grilled asparagus was a special one night at Tapa the World.
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Dining review: Curtis Park eatery popular but unexceptional

May 25, 2014, 12:00 am
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When it first became clear that Cafe Dantorels was catching on and that its business seemed to be surpassing its predecessor, Crepeville, I wondered why.

Spaghetti Bolognese

The steak salad at Cafe Dantorels in Curtis Park combines beef with arugula.

A burger with tasty garlic fries.

One of many savory crepes at Cafe Dantorels. This one is topped with salsa and served with house potatoes.
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Dining review: Claim Jumper in downtown Sacramento

June 1, 2014, 12:00 am
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The chain eatery targets its audience and then delivers expected if uninspired food.

The pretzel sticks at the chain restaurant have a food-truck style presentation, served with butter and sprinkled with coarse salt.

Do you want a giant piece of cake? Claim Jumper has a piece so big that you may need a few friends to help clean off the plate.

Claim Jumper’s Shrimp Fresca Pasta arrives in a lemon butter sauce with spinach and tomatoes.

Panko-crusted shrimp is an appetizer at Claim Jumper downtown.
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Dining review: Volcano’s Union Inn does pub food perfectly

June 8, 2014, 2:16 pm
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The Volcano of 2014 is, in the best of ways, in the middle of nowhere and, at the moment, is more into showcasing history than making it. But that shouldn't discourage you from making the hour-plus drive from Sacramento to a modest little restaurant there that just might be the apotheosis of 21st century California casual cuisine.

The popular Union burger is a head-turner that tastes as good as it looks.

Union Pub and Inn on a Friday evening at the historic restaurant and inn in Volcano..

Cassie Woodson serves drinks.

Union Pub and Inn waitress Katy Klinefelter serves drinks to Steve and Karen Caraway of Pioneer.
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Dining review: Cafe Rolle is all about lunch

June 15, 2014, 10:52 am
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Since he opened his modest little eatery in 2002, William Rolle has emerged as the witty, absolutely lovable, very French and very successful proprietor of Cafe Rolle.

Melted Brie cheese on slices of baguette is a pleasant appetizer.

The “croque lamb monsieur” sandwich, a solid lunch offering, features tender meat, garlic mayonnaise and Gruyere cheese.

Desserts are limited at Cafe Rolle with choices being chocolate mousse and crème brûlée.

This is one of the centerpieces of the Cafe Rolle menu, smoked salmon with crème fraîche and dill.
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Dining review: The show at The Kitchen has changed

June 22, 2014, 12:00 am
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Since it began rather modestly in 1991 as a once-a-week, performance-style, hang-out-with-the-chef, three-courses-for-$35 restaurant, The Kitchen has grown into a beloved, unique, essential and very expensive destination at the upper end of the local pecking order.

New chef John Griffiths addresses diners at The Kitchen. The food is still great, but the show is bland, says The Bee’s critic.

Bavette cut of Wagyu beef with white asparagus, green garlic and morel sauce.

Asparagus with cured lardo and pickled rhubarb.

Ciabatta French toast with caramelized mousse, strawberries, candied hazelnuts.
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Dining review: Tre Pazzi in Auburn excels at authentic Italian

July 6, 2014, 12:00 am
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We arrived for an early dinner on a recent Saturday, and already Auburn’s Tre Pazzi Trattoria was hopping.

The dining room at Tre Pazzi Trattoria in Auburn has big windows that look out onto the street and, in between, outdoor tables.

Rack of lamb cooked medium-rare, with a cannellini bean marinara.

Penne pasta with a side of white anchovies, which was suggested by the server.

Spinach salad with peppadew peppers.
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Dining review: 33rd Street Bistro remains solid but staid

July 13, 2014, 12:00 am
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The 33rd Street Bistro has been around since 1995, when it exploded onto the local restaurant scene and established itself as a neighborhood hot spot with some cool ideas, pleasant surroundings and food that won raves.

The large open kitchen at 33rd Street Bistro.

The bistro has a full bar.

Frech toast made with challah and topped with honey butter.

Oregon bleu cheese salad includes spicy buffalo chicken. In the background is a seasonal gazpacho.
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Dining review: Giusti’s a no-pretense, durable Delta delight

July 20, 2014, 12:00 am
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About one in four restaurants go out of business within a year of opening. This happens for all kinds of reasons. The concept is wrong. The food or service is substandard. The location is bad. The inexperienced owners thought it would be a fun way to get rich and didn’t realize all the hard work involved.

This rustic bar has plenty of charm and history. It’s impossible to miss the 1,200 hats affixed to the ceiling.

Pizza is a regular feature on Tuesdays.

The rickety but charming dining room is no-nonsense and, when crowded, has a fun, casual vibe.

Fried chicken.
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Dining review: At Pho Saigon Bay, discover the flavors of Ho Chi Minh City

July 27, 2014, 12:00 am
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Little Saigon is so replete with restaurants that it’s not uncommon to find three, four or even five eateries in a single strip mall, with each having a specific appeal and distinctive style.

Cha gio at the Pho Saigon Bay Tuesday July 22, 2014 in Sacramento, Cailf.

The front dining room at the Pho Saigon Bay.

Bun tom, thit nuong, cha gio (grilled shrimp, grilled pork and spring rolls over rice noodles) is served at the Pho Saigon Bay in south Sacramento.

Pho tai at Pho Saigon Bay restaurant is made with medium rare steak.
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Dining review: Preserve serves a stylish and satisfying eating experience in Winters

August 3, 2014, 12:00 am
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Preserve Public House in Winters is an intriguing mix of old soul, forward thinking and classic style.

The green bean salad with buratta, prosciutto and walnuts is a standout attraction at Preserve Public House in Winters.

Preserve Public House adds to the charm and eclectic dning options in downtown Winters.

Much of the restaurant’s décor features elements that have been found locally and repurposed.

This rusty delivery van serves as a surprising focal point for the back patio. It doubles as the herb garden for the kitchen.
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Dining review: Capital Dime and Trick Pony get Broderick touch

August 10, 2014, 12:00 am
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In the 13 months Capital Dime has been open, its defining characteristic has been change.

The duck burger with fig sauce and arugula is a tour de force at Capital Dime.

The pizzas at Trick Pony are Neapolitan style: thin, chewy crust; random charring from the super-hot wood oven; minimal cheese and sauce. This is the pepperoni, which had a spicy heat to it.

This is another hit at Capital Dime. The whiskey burger uses whiskey in the BBQ sauce. The Niman Ranch burger is pepper-crusted and served with fried onions, garlic aioli and aged white cheddar.

The salad one night at Trick Pony was an interesting combination of new potatoes, tomatoes and peppery arugula.
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Dining review: All you can meat at Roseville's Flame and Fire

August 17, 2014, 12:00 am
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Here’s a restaurant concept that’s new to Sacramento and has the potential to catch on and flourish. It’s exotic enough to be intriguing, unusual enough to be engaging and, yes, specific enough to be divisive.

The continuous service format, known in Brazil as rodizio, will be exciting to some and overwhelming to others.

Many of the salad bar options include Brazilian-style twists.

The large salad bar at Flame and Fire offers plenty of variety to make a meal if you’re not interested in the meat service.
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Dining review: Woodland’s Burger Saloon delivers good value

August 24, 2014, 9:28 pm
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The Burger Saloon is a large, casual and family-friendly restaurant where the food is solid and the burgers – 19 of them on the menu – are mostly $6.99 to $7.99. Even “The Heartstopper” is only $13.99, and it features three full-sized patties, two fried eggs, three kinds of cheese, thick strips of bacon, and pastrami.

Rodney Blackwell runs the Burger Junkies website and has tasted and reviewed over 100 burgers.

The peanut butter milkshake at the Burger Saloon is first rate.

The Burger Saloon is a large restaurant that was once the historic Capitol Hotel.

The burgers are served with a little flair — a steak knife piercing the middle of the bun.
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Dining review: West Sacramento’s Pooja excels at Indian cuisine

September 3, 2014, 10:42 am
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There’s a reason Indian restaurants are so popular in the Western world. The spices, the sauces, the robust cooking and the beautiful complexity of flavors are at once exotic, mysterious, welcoming and accessible.

Chicken tikka masala at Pooja Indian Grill in West Sacramento can be ordered a la carte or, in this case, as an entree that includes naan (bread), daal (lentils), raita (yogurt and cucumber) and a dessert (in this case, a rice pudding called kheer).

Chicken korma is known for its creamy, if not decadent, mouthfeel and mild flavor (unless you order it hot).

The samosas with ground lamb were well prepared, featuring a crisp, thin-walled pastry enveloping seasoned ground lamb.

Samosas with chole.
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‘Family meal’ feeds restaurant staff

September 3, 2014, 12:52 pm
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In the restaurant industry, the staff eats a meal together that’s often very different than what the guests enjoy.

Skeffington fine-tunes the sandwiches, which were the main course for staffers in this edition of Firehouse’s “family meal.” The restaurant schedules three such gatherings every day. Executive chef Deneb Williams says offerings often include grilled chicken, pizza, artisan grilled cheese with heirloom tomatoes and soups.

Zach Skeffington prepares the Firehouse Restaurant’s lunch staff meal on Aug. 26, pepper bacon and cheese sandwiches.

Find French farmhouse chicken in “Come In, We’re Closed: An Invitation to Staff Meals at the World’s Best Restaurants.”

Warm white bean, bacon and spinach salad is a behind-the-scenes recipe that comes from The Fat Duck in Bray, England, one of the upscale restaurants visited by the book’s authors.
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Dining review: Thunder Valley's High Steaks high on quality - and price

September 7, 2014, 12:00 am
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Two of the three best steaks I’ve had in recent memory were at High Steaks, the upscale steakhouse inside the massive Thunder Valley Casino complex in Lincoln.

The bone-in rib eye pairs nicely with a peppery glass of cabernet sauvignon.

Oysters Rockefeller, a crispy and rich classic done very well.

The first impression is a good one: an elegantly displayed serving of delicious bread.

The panko and Parmesan crust on the oysters is crispy and tasty, offset by the tender richness of the oysters and spinach beneath.
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Dining review: Old-school Japanese done with integrity at Nagato Sukiyaki

September 14, 2014, 12:00 am
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When Nagato Sukiyaki opened for business on Dec. 23, 1970, it was a true mom-and-pop operation – plus two young boys, making the restaurant a home away from home.

The variety and quality of sushi is impressive.

Broiled eel anyone? The unagi don is served over rice and accompanied by pickled daikon.

To its credit, Nagato has been showcasing local craft beer, including choices from Auburn Alehouse that pair nicely with much of the menu, including sushi.

Light, crisp and flaky and delicious, the tempura is one of the highlights at Nagato Sukiyaki restaurant, which has been around since 1970.
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Dining review: Hot City Pizza scores big with whole-wheat pies and craft beers

September 21, 2014, 12:48 am
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After years of modest growth, Hot City Pizza has blown up in the past 24 months, becoming a beloved hole-in-the-wall destination for good pizza and amazing beer.

The pizzas, like this Buffalo Chicken style, feature a whole-wheat crust.

The beer selection at Hot City, either in bottles or on draft, is wide-ranging and always high quality.

The Freigeist Biere de Vie was one of the many excellent beers on tap during a recent visit to Hot City.

Everyone at our table agreed this is a beautiful sour beer by The Bruery.
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