I have no illusions. I realize that this is not the way to start trends. But just in case someone from PRG (Paragary Restaurant Group), HFE (Haines French-fry Empire), or FFF (Fat’s Friendly Foods) happens to stop by and read this here blog, I’d like to outline a few restaurant concepts that this town needs. (OK, maybe Sacramento doesn’t exactly need these restaurants, but they’d certainly broaden the dining landscape a little.)
These are all niche ideas at best, but who would’ve thought that Chuck E Cheese would still be around after all these years. In no particular order, here they are:
1. Japanese greasy spoon– A friend and I were walking through Japantown in LA and came upon this little Japanese diner. The place looked like the joint that all the cabbies hang out at in “Taxi Driver”–ripped vinyl booths, formica, and tired waitresses. They served beer, sake, soup, and lots and lots of fried stuff. They were open until 2am. And the best part, not a piece of sushi in sight. Yes, that’s right, a Japanese restaurant without sushi. It’s unthinkable, but try and tell me it wouldn’t work. Restaurateurs, lend me your ears: scoop up the old sushi joint on Cap Ave and insert this concept. You’ll have an immediate hit.
2. Barbecue with table service– I know, I know. Half the fun of going out for barbecue is the dinginess of it all. However, it wouldn’t hurt to have one option in town at which you could sit down, order a beer or a cocktail, and have a fine Southern dinner, complete with pulled pork, cornbread, and greens. But, and here’s the kicker, the place needs to have a few traditional restaurant trappings like fresh fish, good cocktails, and friendly service. I’m kind of thinking that the eventual concept will work if you don’t try to turn the place into a theme park like Lucille’s. Suggested location: CalPERS building at 5th and Q, or the eventually empty space on Fair Oaks Blvd across from Pavilions.
3. A dessert restaurant– There’s this place in Boston called Finale that serves nothing but dessert. It’s not a cafe though; it’s a good-sized restaurant with servers, kitchen, and a full bar. My friend, The Thighmaster, calls it McFancy, for its overly slick production quality, and I agree. Nevertheless, the concept is sound, and could easily work in the convention center area.
Got any other ideas? Let’s hear ’em.
The Sac Rag 
Years ago, there was a semi-greasy spoon Japanese place at 18th & S called Moko. No sushi, (although I think they offered sashimi) they called themselves “country style”. They had katsu, and my favorite was their shioyaki chicken, a very simple dish of brined chicken. They did a bustling lunch business, but for years if you went in the evening, you pretty much had the joint to yourselves. They kept trying though. One of my most lamented dead restaurants. Best of all, the sign above the door said “Eats”. There’s still a Japanese place there, but….feh.
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I would love to see a 24 hour diner..a real diner like they have in South Jersey..somewhere close to midtown I would think.
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Jewish deli. And I second all nite diner
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SE: Have you tried yunece61 on Folsom Blvd? I haven’t personally been, but I hear good things (although $$-$$$ for BBQ). It sounds like what you are talking about.
http://www.yunece61.com/.
Roger: I have actually been to, enjoyed and gotten the thumbs up from Jewish friends, Sam’s Kosher Deli (Fair Oaks) … not sure if it is what you are looking for, but worst case scenario, they always have cute puppies to look at next door at the pet shop.
http://sacramento.citysearch.com/profile/1212666/fair_oaks_ca/sam_s_kosher_style_restaurant_deli.html
My family has been looking for a local vegetarian comfort food restauraunt (hearty soups, homemade mac & cheese, etc). If you know of one…let me know.
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I miss the old diners we used to have downtown…we used to have ’em, folks! Heck, Jim-Denny’s was 24 hours back when Jim Van Nort still ran the place. There were also a ton of “chop suey” places–basically, the cheap greasy Asian-run diner that sac-eats seeks…only a couple of those left in the central city, and none open all night anymore.
A lot of the demand for late-night cafes is based on workplaces. Back when there were three shifts a day operating at the SP Shops and the canneries, there were reasons to have all-night diners. If state offices were open 24 hours we’d have more late-night dining options…
I’d suggest that June’s Cafe fits into the first category, although they aren’t open at night (since it’s basically a two-person operation.) Awesome Japanese and Hawaiian style food, many fried things, no sushi.
As to Suggestion 2: If they put the restaurant in the CalPERS building, I would advocately highly that they put it near the tower in the middle of the building, simply so they can call the restaurant 4Q. “Don’t like barbecue? Well, 4Q!”
As to Suggestion 3: Basically a giant version of Rick’s Dessert Diner?
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CSI Sac: Maybe one of the veggies on the site can tell you about Au Lac Veggie restaurant in Tahoe/Oak Park down the street from Colonial. I don’t know how long it will last there but it seems to have people inside pretty often.
wburg: Does something like Jade Garden qualify for your list? inexplicably i used to love it, great pot stickers and noodles. i never would have wanted a kitchen tour though.
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I’ll put in a plug for Au Lac Veggie (on Stockton Blvd just north of Colonial Theater). Comfort food is a good description of it, if you look to south Asian cuisine for comfort. They do a lot of traditional Thai dishes and clay pots with textured soy instead of meat. I won’t claim that it’s going to win any prizes for originality, but it’s reliable, affordable, and really quite good.
My vote would be for a REAL tapas bar, not some fancified urbane eatery posing as a tapas bar. In Spain, there are innumerable neighborhood drinking establishments each with their own peculiar variety of small, reasonably priced plates. Maybe liquor licenses in the U.S. are too expensive to make this business model work, but I really enjoyed the variety of down-home foods served as a compliment to a late afternoon drink.
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CSI,
I had lunch at Dad’s Kitchen on Freeport, next to Freeport Bakery and they had some vegetarian options. Their potato salad was KILLER so I am thinking their mac n cheese must be great. They had a veggie sandwich as well.
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I thought Au Lac Veggie was really bland and boring, and I love Andy Nguyens on Broadway, which is a similar concept. The best veggie comfort food is served at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op in their deli and the buffet bar. Agreed, we need more veggie-friendly restaurants!
Ooh, maybe I’ll check out Dad’s Kitchen tonight, I’ve been meaning to do that.
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CoolDMZ: Jade Garden makes my list, not sure if cuts the mustard for Sac-Eats or not. I’m not sure if it was ever 24 hours but it would be keen if it was.
And hey, why not make Li’l Joe’s 24 hours again?
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Oh, my pick is obvious — Downtown needs a real alehouse. Hell, I’ll even accept a chain like the Yardhouse, which is all over the So-Cal suburbs, but Sacramento needs a quality taphouse that features beer from across Nor-Cal. We are pretty saturated with breweries in this area, but if one were to close…. say…. Pyramid or Brew-It-Up (not that I wish failure upon these ventures), these would both be great locations, ESPECIALLY Pyramid.
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Oh I forgot the obvious: a multi-ethnic smorgasbord like the Public Market in Emeryville, one of my all-time favorite places to eat.
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DMZ, that very thing has been proposed for the transformation of the K Street Mall… a semi-open air farmers market and food court with dozens of choices. Let’s keep our fingers crossed…
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Kind of like the Public Market that we used to have at 12th and J where the Sheraton is now…
Stickie: Where did you hear this about K Street?
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We’ve even discussed this same idea on this here blog: https://sacrag.com/2007/03/the-union-pacific-food-hall/
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Wburg, the idea has been tossed around at redevelopment meetings over the past few years to put such a business idea somewhere, and I have seen proposals to have something to that effect in the downtown railyards if/when it is developed. I am now wondering if I was the one who proposed it, but am sure I heard it when city folk were discussing what to do with K Street, tenement hotels and the like.
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Japanese hole in the wall? Rickshaw.
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I’ve been yearning for a new dessert place for ages. Sorry, but Rick’s just doesn’t cut it. They are overrated if they are even rated at all. In Portland there was a great old Victorian place that did just the desserts and it was so quaint and romantic. For Japanese, I’d love to see a Japanese deli like the one at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. I never knew of all the little bite size treats and salads they had. Different and delicious.
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stickie: Okay, I have heard the idea of a farmer’s market in the Railyards bandied about but nothing about one on K Street other than as something that gets written on the sticky notes at public meetings that the city and developers just throw out and do whatever they wanted to do in the first place, after keeping whatever sticky notes that mentioned what they wanted to do in the first place as evidence that they are responding to a public need.
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Small French price fix place. Kind of like La Boheme that used to be in Carmel.
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What about the flagrantly missing 56 Degrees and 57 Degrees joints?
I’d love an all-in-one 24 hour place that has fresh & healthful food options, a Naia gelato counter, Pinkberry or Mocchi kiosk, a nail salon, dry cleaner, and car wash.
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We totally need a tiki bar.
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okay this isn’t a restaurant niche but holy cow we need a friggin independent video store PRONTO! i can’t believe that the only midtown/downtown option is blockbuster! how lame is that?! okay, sorry i know i know, off topic, but for reals!
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evan: There used to be plenty, but, like most independent video stores everywhere else, they were driven out of business by competition from Blockbuster, Netflix, etcetera. And there is one independent video store: Records on Broadway rents movies, although if you’re looking for the latest Hollywood hits they aren’t much help.
A new tiki bar would be frickin’ awesome. Flaming drinks and food covered in pineapple! Bring back the Zombie Hut!!
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RE: Sit down BBQ, What about Sandra Dee’s at 15th and F?
Unless it closed recently… I haven’t been there in a while.
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I like Sandra Dee’s, but it’s not the kind of place you’d take business clients to. That’s why I suggested this caveat in the suggestion: “But, and here’s the kicker, the place needs to have a few traditional restaurant trappings like fresh fish, good cocktails, and friendly service.”
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I second whoever mentioned Rick’s dessert diner…doesn’t that fulfill #3?
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Rick’s is fun and casual, but #3 is all about dessert with “servers, kitchen, and a full bar.”
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Ah, you like the servers thing. Because when it comes to BBQ, I’m all about getting it from the counter of Cafe Au Creme and chowing down, server or no.
I’d pass all three options for another decent almost-24-hour place to get a Denver omelet after the 2am shift. Lyon’s just doesn’t cut it. I’ve been pretty sad ever since the 24-hr starbucks stopped being 24 hours.
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