Getting too big for its boundaries
As reported by the Sac Bee, the mayor of Rancho Cordova has big plans for the fair-sized denizens of his city:
Rancho Cordova’s “Great Health Challenge,” planned for announcement at tonight’s City Council meeting, calls for members of the community to drop a combined 40,000 pounds – 20 tons – over the next 10 months.
A rather ambitious objective, I would say. Continue reading “2010 Forecast: Heavy (!) traffic in Rancho Cordova’s drive-thrus” »
Reader help is requested to give me a better idea as to what is happening on the corner of 16th and R. At the beginning of the month, a small restaurant opened up called Shabu: Japanese Fondue. Now the only thing I know about shabu-shabu is what I learned on the interwebs (which is a series of tubes dontchaknow). Here’s what I’ve gleaned from the the usual sources: shabu-shabu is style of cuisine in which the diner cooks small bits of meat and vegetable in a communal bowl of steaming broth; this broth is then consumed at the end of the meal.
All I can say is “Thank God.” I was a bit worried that we were expected to mix teriyaki with a brandy spiked cheese sauce, or dipping slivers of yellowtail into molten chocolate.
So, has anyone had shabu-shabu before? Anyone actually eaten at the new Shabu restaurant yet? Anyone turning Japanese? Let us know.
I’m still not comfortable with the name, but I’ve become quite a fan of their food.
In one word: mussels. Plan B Cafe in Arden Town Center knows how to do mussels. With coconut broth, or spicy cilantro broth, or white wine and garlic, or tomato sauce (or as my Nana would say, “tomato gravy”) with herbes de provence, these folks know how to serve up some bivalves. The rest of the menu ain’t too shabby either, a bit expensive, but delicious and elegant enough to warrant most of the price. The mussels, however, are a steal at $12 (and extra $3 for fries, but trust me, you need the fries).
One of the more whimsical thoughts is that the space Plan B occupies used to be a toy store. I don’t know what that has to do with anything, I just think it’s kind of funny.
Try the desserts, especially anything with a crust — tarte tarin, pear tartlette, anything gallette — but stay away from the bread they bring to the table. Someone in the kitchen is obviously a talented pastry chef, but not much of a bread maker.
Plan B Cafe- Watt & Fair Oaks in Arden Town Center, Sacramento
Foo ***1/2 Ambiance *** Service ****
Whatever happened to common decency?
I had lunch at Mezcal Taqueria today on West El Camino near Truxel Road. It wasn’t bad (Hey, Taco De Sacto, can we search your site to see if you’ve reviewed a restaurant already?) and I would go back again. What was bad, though, was the mixed messages in the restroom.
As I walked in I noticed a sign indicating that workers are required to wash their hands before returning to work. You know the sign, we’ve all seen it. However this one had a little twist…
“Common Decency and the State Law Health and Safety Code Require That You Wash Your Hands Before Leaving This Room to Resume Work”
Perfect for passiveaggressivenotes.com, huh?
My lesson in common decency continued when I noticed this sign advertising a taxi company (it’s a horrible camera phone shot, I know) having to do with a girl that is unattractive at 10:00 p.m. but more desirable throughout the night until it is time to call a taxi, or something, I’m not quite sure. Has anyone else seen it? So odd.
My work colleagues and I had our annual holiday outing on Friday afternoon (we’re past the point where I have to make cutesy jokes about how I work at “Sac Rag World Headquarters,” right?). A few weeks ago I had been able to exert my considerable influence over the group to steer the selection process away from the standard trendy and/or awkward fare and as a result, I took my work mates to Sam’s Hof Brau.
I know our fans are familiar with sac-eats’s love of the Hof, and I second everything he says. If they’d let me purchase a dedicated booth I would scrape up the cash to do so. On this particular day the hofmeisters had cooked up some mac ‘n’ cheese, so I had a roast beef sandwich with a side of mac and a green salad. The place was packed with retirees so there was quite a queue and the joint was jumping. The banquet hall in the back was even full.
Afterward, we went bowling with the retirees. The only thing not awesome about the whole thing was how depressing it is walking past the carcasses of the Tower stores (with “Thanks for the memories” still displayed on the marquee at Tower Books). Although a pretty great Goodwill store has opened in the former location of Tower video.
It wasn’t my choice, really. I had to eat at Ernesto’s today. I had fallen into a gaggle of Ernesto’s gift certificates and needed to spend them. What was I supposed to do? Let them go to waste? Give them to friends? What kind of punkass friend gives his buddy a gift certificate to a shitty restaurant?
Not me. I had to choke it down myself, and choke it down I did.
Ok, to be fair, Ernesto’s food is not horrible. It won’t give you a ride on the “vomit comet” or the “anal egress express” but it will leave you with a serious sense of “edible amnesia.” Edible amnesia is the condition that occurs when the food that you eat is so bland and uninteresting that you can’t even remember eating it. And that’s where Ernesto’s fits it. It’s Mexican food for people from Slovakia. It has zero flavor, no passion, and a serious lack of oomph, in fact no oomph whatsoever. It’s like someone back in the kitchen is treating corn starch as a spice. The sauces are weak and flavorless, the meats bland, and the soups waifish. Yeah I said waifish.
So, just in case you were wondering, Ernesto’s is still not anyplace you’d want to go if eating was your goal. Margaritas aren’t bad though.
The Shack is kicking off December with their annual Christmas and Holiday Beer Tasting this Tuesday at 6pm. If you have not been to one of The Shack’s Tuesday night parties, you are missing out on Sacramento’s best opportunity to try beer that you have probably never had. Every Tuesday, owners Gary and Jen Sleppy feature anywhere from five to a dozen different beers, frequently with a food pairing for the offering, be it Belgian, German, or other.
This Tuesday, The Shack will offer a dozen different holiday beers, mostly Belgians with a few Americans. Chef Sleppy (that’s Gary) will have a buffet spread of food (bigger than appetizers, smaller than a meal) to accompany the beverages, and patrons will also get to take home a Belgian beer glass, all for $25. If you have not been to The Shack in the four years since the Sleppys have owned it, you are missing out on one of the best American pubs in the area, with handmade food and impeccable selection of beer and wine. I am expecting that the evening will be topped with Gary’s homemade truffles.
Check out the list of the delicious beers they expect to serve. A few others will be added before Tuesday. RSVPs are strongly encouraged.
Are those AC thermostats I see?
Just as we were there when they first opened their doors, SinghCity and I enjoyed our favorite burrito today in the renovated digs. You’ll be happy to know the menu has been upgraded, the ceiling fans seem to be new, AND they have what appears to be thermostats that may or may not control the conditioning of air (see photo)! You summer patrons will surely appreciate that one.
While we enjoyed the taquería down the street, we are really glad to have The Party back within walking distance.
If you’re a cooking or eating enthusiast in Sacramento, Taylor’s Market has probably been on your radar for a while. Known for its absolutely top-notch selection of produce, meats, and wine, Taylor’s has wowed the locals in Land Park and surrounding neighborhoods for years. So, if Taylor’s new restaurant — cleverly called Taylor’s Kitchen (turns out that “Taylor’s Market Restaurant Kitchen Counter Bistro Cafe” was already taken) — didn’t cut the Mendocino mustard, it’d be a shock to almost everyone who cares about these things.
Thankfully, very few people have been disappointed (other than those insufferables who just love to hate on restaurants), so all is good in the fragile environmnet of Land Park. Continue reading “Taylor’s Kitchen” »
Since I mentioned the accident at La Fiesta on Alhambra Blvd. a few weeks ago, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the store’s reopening.
Car went thru our restaurant
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