The News & Review’s annual Best of Sacramento lists are out today, and while yours trulys got the shaft this year (well deserved maybe?) I’m sure there are some interesting picks on the list. It seems like the Reader’s Picks have finally made a hard turn toward the local, and it lifts the spirits to read the listings and see how many great local establishments are out there that people love.
What do you think? Any picks that you’re pumped about? Anybody else left in the cold?
With so much time spent on the open water, Roz has a unique perspective on our oceans. She has been named a United Nations Climate Hero, among many other honors, for her campaign to promote sustainability and to fight rampant pollution of our oceans by plastic.
Continue reading “Roz Savage to speak at CSUS”
Fans of the show “Man v. Food” on the Travel Channel will be treated to a Sacramento edition on Wednesday, September 29th at 9:00 p.m. E/P.
In the Golden State capital, Adam gets a true taste of Sactown when he visits the California State Fair. Adam experiences everything from rodeos, to roller coasters, to monster trucks at this annual gathering, but he’s really there for the main attraction: the food! At the fair, Adam tries the most delicious mobile meals Sacramento has to offer: he falls in serious soulful love with deep fried catfish on a stick, and stops by the Sweet Cheeks stand for everything he’s ever wanted for dessert–deep fried! Adam also has the best of two worlds with the Twister Dog at Tornado Potato.
After the fair, Adam visits Jim Denny’s, a Sac City institution known for having the best breakfast in town. With “The Worksâ€, Adam tries a two pound omelet that combines everything on the menu. Finally, Adam takes on the Knucklehead Challenge at Parker’s Hot Dogs. In 100 attempts, only one person has completed this five pound platter in the twenty minute allotted time-slot. This challenge is made up of 5-half pound hot dogs on a 16 inch bun smothered in four pounds of chili, nacho cheese, veggies, tortilla strips, and fries.
A few items have come across my plate recently and I thought I’d share.
Dan Aykroyd in Sacramento selling vodka– Wednesday, Sep 29 at the BevMo on Adren Way, Dan Aykroyd, legendary star of screen and …screen, will be signing bottles of his new vodka called Crystal Head. Creepily bottled in skull-shaped vessels, this very drinkable vodka is a pet project of the man who once shilled for bass blenders and bags of glass as children’s playthings on SNL. Check out the strange and awkward and strangely awkward video below for more info on this product. Feel free to offer your ideas for signature cocktails you can make with Elwood’s daddy juice.
Bistro 33 to undergo popular makeover– Goodbye Bistro 33 Midtown. The Haines brothers’ hippest spot has temporarily shut its doors to become Spin Burger Bar. Taking a hint from Mason Wong, whose transformation of his signature eponymous restaurant to Cafeteria 15L has turned out to be a great business decision, and Rick Mahan, whose One Speed has brought in more business than his upscale Waterboy, the Haines boys will be transforming an underperforming asset into a more casual, more economical eatery with — taking a big cue from Mahan — a cycling theme. In my favorite quote of the decade, Fred Haines said, “the ultra lounge thing is dead and we’re rolling with the changes.” (Kudos to Chris Macias at the Bee for getting that wonderful phrase to be uttered) Continue reading “Food News and Rumors”
Hi kids,
I was very flattered when I was asked to contribute to The Sac Rag a few months back. My “beat” was supposed to be the Midtown music/arts scene, but my only post of significance so far has been about getting fined for riding the light rail when I was 5 cents short.
[Taken care of, BTW. I can walk the streets without fear of arrest. Well, for that, anyway. There’s still that whole “shot a man in Reno just to watch him die” thing. But I have a good attorney who says the “Twinkie defense” definitely applies in my case. Really. I ate a Twinkie. When I was 12, but since they have no expiration date, it still applies. Really!]
But as someone who has chosen to make Midtown his home for the better part of the decade, I thought I might chime in regarding Second Saturday: what it has meant to Sacramento, and what it’s become.
How have I not done this yet? Perhaps I haven’t lived here long enough, but it sounds very interesting. Has anyone taken this tour? Your thoughts?
Underground tour visitors will have the opportunity to view disappearing windows and doors, dipping alleyways, exposed retaining walls, walk into underground hollow sidewalks and tour historic buildings all while being entertained and educated by tour guides and docents who portray characters true to the period.
Man, sign me up. I enjoy docents any way I can get them.
In addition to this tour, we were asked to come up with other “hidden Sacramento gems” as part of a local history project. Well, who better to answer this question than our very own Sac Rag readers? Comment with your suggestions and I’ll pass them along.
I’m fine with the fact that Tahoe Park will never have a four star restaurant in its boundaries, or even really a restaurant where you don’t eat with paper forks. However what we do have is good cheap eats. From Tallac Village Donuts to Boon Boon Cafe, the Stockton/Broadway/14th Ave area has its fair share.
We can add one more to the list: M’s Teriyaki. Opened just recently in the small strip that formerly housed “Juan in a Million” taqueria, M’s is your typical cheap Japanese takeout joint. Local real estate agent Pat Vogeli, a Tahoe Park specialist and a loyal reader (Hi Pat!), tipped me off to the place and last night I gave it a try. It is comparable to the Teriyaki Grill place in Market Square — if you’re there, and you’re kinda hungry, it can be great eats. But if you’re looking for ambiance or to eat sushi, it’s probably not on your list.
Chicken teriyaki with a California roll is great comfort food in my book, and the fact that I was able to get 2 hand rolls and freshly grilled teriyaki for under $7 made me pretty happy. It’s probably not a destination for anybody outside the zip code, but it’s good takeout if you find yourself in the area.
M’s Teriyaki
5780 Broadway
Sacramento, CA 95820
(916) 739-1888
I spent a lovely evening last night with about about five or six hundred of my food focused friends witnessing author and TV personality Anthony Bourdain speak at the beautiful Memorial Auditorium. I’m a big fan of Mr. Bourdain. I find his take-no-prisoners, worship-no-false-idols, non-nonsense approach to food and travel refreshing and invigorating. He was a brash, funny speaker, tearing into the low-hanging fruit of Food Network personalities like Guy Fieri and Sandra Lee, while fully admitting that he was wrong to rip on folks like Rachel Ray and Emeril because, after real-world interactions with them, he found them to be good people whom he really had no beef with.
It was an entertaining evening…with one uncomfortable caveat. The folks there seemed to regard Mr. Bourdain as some sort of revivalist preacher, or, even worse, a worship-worthy firgure whose words carried with them something more than wit and practical knowledge. A few folks sitting in our section shouted out things like “pork,” and “pho,” and “pig fat” as if they were religious incantations and recitational responses worthy of a pentecostal tent meeting. The Q&A session at the end of the talk was uncomfortable at best with people speaking of the author in messianic tones and declaring their life path had been inspired by him and, in another occurrence, that a certain couple’s “way of life” was dictated by his “teachings.” Continue reading “Hallelujah and Pass the Bacon”
You may have noticed that we at the ‘Rag have been conspicuously silent on the biggest local news story of the last week, the shooting and murder that took place in Midtown this last weekend. You may or may not know that we here writers don’t work in concert, don’t get together and discuss these things much. We’re all pretty much independent in what we choose to write about about. Which is to say, I don’t speak for all at the ‘Rag when I say that I haven’t been able to write anything about last weekend’s shooting because I honestly don’t know what to say.
One thing I do know is that this type of killing is horrible and crushing to loved ones and friends of those involved. My heart goes out to all those affected. I don’t, however, agree with those who think that discussing this as a civic issue is somehow callous given the gravity of the taking of a human life. This is a civic issue that we need to discuss. Continue reading “No Comment”
My new blogging friend Nick from NickOnTheTown.com totally hooked me up with some tickets to see Anthony Bourdain tonight! Nick runs a great blog about local eats and drinks with lots of info about special deals and tons of reviews. And I especially love his “Stuff I Ate for Lunch” section which reminds me of something I used to write on my first website BLUE MAG. Holy shit, I was doing that in 2002.
An just now I read that Bourdain is writing a graphic novel about “ultraviolent food nerds” for DC’s Vertigo imprint. He was already super cool in my book.
The Sac Rag 