Author: sac-eats

Cheffrey’s-Not just good, adorably good

I’m sure you already know that Cheffrey’s has the best sweet potato fries in existence, and that their prime rib burger is one of the best burgers you’ll ever have, and that their house wine is served in half-bottle-sized pours. What, you didn’t know that? Well, it’s about time you went and found out for yourself, isn’t it?

No, I don’t put fingertips to keyboard today to tell you how good the food is at Cheffrey’s. That you should find out for yourself. I instead reach out across the interweb super byway to tell you that owners Mark and Jeffrey are not only creative, talented, hard-working, generous, charitable to a fault, and kind to small animals. No, I tell you today, after perusing the latest News & Review, that they are, in fact, adorable. How else to explain what has to be the cutest coupon ever? How many small business owners do you know that put caricatures of themselves in their promos? None, that’s how many.

Even if the food were only mediocre (which is most assuredly is not) I’d still want to patronize Cheffrey’s just because of its owners’ pluck. (hehe, pluck)

Cheffrey’s, An American Bistro-4235 Arden Way (at Eastern), Sacramento
Food ***1/2 Atmosphere*** Service**

Tears and Anguish: Restaurant Closings

Here’s a quick recap of restaurant closings cum real estate opportunities in the area.Closed...for good.

East West Steak & Sushi Buffet- El Camino Ave
As mentioned previously this frightening gastronomic nightmare is no more, opening up more than 8000 sq ft of restaurant space. Maybe we should reopen a Shakey’s there?

IHOP-El Camino Ave
It appears that the IHOP at Watt and El Camino has gone from “Under Renovation” to “Scary and Derelict.” Feel free to contact the national HQ of IHOP to let them know that this building falls far short from fresh ‘n’ fruity.

Angel’s Fresh Mex- 16th St
My tears threaten to short out my keyboard as I write these words. Angel’s is closed. Those tortilla wrapped bundles of goodness that I have come to count on for weekly sustenance are gone. My heart is breaking like their soft, supple tortillas never did. We will miss ye, Angel’s. Continue reading “Tears and Anguish: Restaurant Closings”

Comedy Tonight!…and Tomrrow!…and the Next Night!

Looking for a weekend of comedy? Of course you are.

Tonight at 9pm, come check out long-form improvisation at the Sacramento Comedy Spot. 1716 Broadway, tickets are $8. It’s hilarious, it’s educational, it’s reasonably priced.

Saturday at 9pm, ComedySportz at the Geery theater. 22nd and L. Tix are $12. Discounted to $10 if you use the coupon code “grape.” See improv comedy played as a competitive sport. Funny, fast-paced and clean enough for all ages (we hope, it is improv after all, you never know what could happen).

Sunday at 8:30pm, check out Gabriel Iglesias at the Punchline (Howe & Arden). What happens when you morph Ralphie May and John Leguizamo? This guy. Tix are $25.

Someone Stole My Dream

Yes, you read that correctly. Two gentlemen from the East Coast have stolen my dream of having the world’s most popular banjo duo. They’ve even sunk as low as using my favorite topics to craft witty, erudite songs from, such as the Hindenburg and William Howard Taft. This was no spoken dream about which I told everyone I ran into and they happened to overhear. No, their devilry is much more sinister. This is a subconscious dream, an unspoken dream, a dream that I didn’t even know I had. Basically, as soon as I heard their music, I knew that it was my music, being sung by others.

Who are these no-goodnick ne’er-do-wells you ask? They are none other than the Two Man Gentleman Band, and they will be right here in our neck of the woods tonight, in Davis. I suggest you all come down and help me give them a piece of mind, or crumple at the feet of their brilliance.

Two Man Gentleman Band-TONIGHT, Sophia’s Davis
10PM- Cover is only $5 (Kazoos not included)
Bitchin’ music video below the fold Continue reading “Someone Stole My Dream”

Yunece 61

A) The Ohio Players
B) James Brown
C) The flavor of my pulled pork sandwich from Yunece yesterday.

What do these things have in common?
They’re all funky.
That’s right, there was some serious funk coming off of my pulled pork sammie from Yunece 61 the other day. We’re talking get-down-with-your-bad-self, break-out-in-a-cold-sweat, make-me-hurt-myself kind of funk Add to that the nearly tasteless potato salad served on the side and you can pretty much toss my whole visit into the crapper. Continue reading “Yunece 61”

Restaurant Revival Opportunity

There once was restaurant, mythical in its place on the Sacramento foodscape. It was a place where a man, woman, and child could go on a Friday night, eat prime rib, clam chowder, and drink cocktails by the bucket load. It was a place that shaped my childhood, my life, the lives of all Sacramentans, hell, the lives of all Americans. That place was the Palomino Room.

Located just off Watt Avenue on El Camino Boulevard, the Palomino Room was a treasure, a throwback, a repository of food, ambiance, and camaraderie from a different age. And now, it can live again.

The restaurant space that once was the PR, is now available for lease. For the last several years, it has been a horrid example of what happens when fusion cuisine goes wrong. That’s right, the “steak and sushi buffet.” But now, those days are past, and the space is once again available to be put right by some enterprising restaurateur. That’s right, you Paul Flemming, you Randy Selland, you Randy Paragary, you Virgas. It’s time to do your civic duty and restore the Palomino to all its vinyl boothed glory. The Paly’ needs to live again. You can make it so.

Local Restaurateur Guy Fieri-Award Winner

Mouth full of goodnessThat’s right. Fieri, celebrity chef and questionably talented TV personality, was recently awarded the title of “Douchebag of the Month,” on the popular website Hot Chicks With Douchebags.

We might have to start a whole Fieri category here at the ‘Rag, what with his shameless whoring for the competition to his own local restaurant, his intentional assitude in inviting the whole nation to the Squeeze Inn, and his restaurant’s continued spotty food (except for those “Vegas Fries”–God, they’re good).

The Best of the Rest

Every now and then, your intrepid culinary guide (me) gets the offer of a few schillings to write restaurant reviews for other publications. Not wanting to overlap the online and printed-page worlds, I’ve held back from covering restaurants in both places. Nevertheless, I realize that many of you don’t like to get your hands dirty by picking up printed pages, or don’t live in the geographic area in which said printed-page publications are available. To remedy this gap in restaurant knowledge, I give you a quick rundown on some of the area’s newest, and in some cases best, eateries not yet mentioned on this here ‘Rag.

Maritime Seafood & Grill- ****
Owner/Chef Morgan Song has created a dining experience that immediately needs to be considered among the best in the region, joining such familiar names as Biba, The Kitchen, Waterboy, and Mulvaney’s B&L. High priced and high class, this place sticks out in an otherwise depressing Carmichael strip mall on the corner of Marconi and Fair Oaks. Go there, now.

Maritime Seafood & Grill
6440 Fair Oaks Blvd
Carmichael, CA 95608
http://www.maritimeseafoodsac.com
Continue reading “The Best of the Rest”