Author: sac-eats

Updates for the Hungry: Liquor License Edition

The Flaming Grill, everyone’s favorite burger joint to be located across the street from a catholic girls school, has finally gotten a beer and wine license. What does that mean to you and me? Well, it means later hours for one. Look for the ‘Grill to be open until at least 9pm on most nights. Right now the taps are pouring the likes of MGD and Pyramid, but look for more craft brews in the future. Really, what would go better with their killer ahi sandwich than a nice Trumer Pils?
Flaming Grill- 2319 El Camino Ave, Sacramento

Dad’s Kitchen is finally open for business. The new restaurant from the owners of Dad’s Sandwich Shop opened its doors a few weeks ago and reports are already coming in that the food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner lives up to expectations. The taps are flowing too, adding a lovely, hoppy bite the lineup of sandwiches, salads, and (during dinner hours) entrees. So grab and “Angry Road Man” with a pint of “Monkey Knife Fight” and see if the funny names make the items any more fun to order.
Dad’s Kitchen- 2968 Freeport Blvd, Sacramento

Empty Stomachs for Empty Niches

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. Continue reading “Empty Stomachs for Empty Niches”

The Economy Sucks for Restaurants Too

Much was made of the recent closing of California Fat’s this week, much more, in fact, than the closing of Brother Oliver’s earlier this year. Each establishment was just short of being iconic, but the suburban Oliver’s didn’t quite have the cultural cache that anything with the name Fat attached to it does.

It is, however, not just the locals who are having difficulties in our worsening economy. Within the last few months, we’ve seen the closing of Macaroni Grill on Alta Arden (now where am I going to get chicken parmagiana after seeing dissected bodies? Oh, that’s right, the bodies left town too. Alta Arden is like a ghost town now. Thank God for Chick Fil-A.), Wendy’s on Fair Oaks, and Pick Up Stix everywhere. I’m not saying that some of these national chains will be missed for their standout cuisine, but I’d rather have a chain or big box retailer than an empty storefront any day.

Quick Bites-Now with more Rocklin

Because some places aren’t worth a full writeup.

Blue Sky Chinese Restaurant-7323 Fair Oaks Blvd, Carmichael
One star

Cute, tiny, friendly, and not very tasty.

The sizzling rice soup was bland, the pot stickers were made with an off-puttingly sweet dough (think pork-filled snickerdoodles), the kung pao shrimp was decent enough, but the ultimate disappointment was the General’s chicken, which was basically sweet and sour chicken with a little extra garlic thrown in.

Sorry, Blue Sky. Cole Porter might think you’re charming, but I’ll take a pass.

Spicy Pickle– 1401 O St., Sacramento
Two stars

For a sandwich shop, it’s perfectly adequate.

For a porn shop (which, let’s face it, the name really lends itself to) it’s severely lacking. Continue reading “Quick Bites-Now with more Rocklin”

Bring on the Big Brains

An intellectual battle of epic proportions will be held Sunday, April 27 at 9pm. A team of ‘Rag writers will take on a team of Bee writers for the title of “Biggest Smarty Pants” at the weekly pub quiz at Streets of London.

Should you wish to witness the epic battle, or pit your own wits against these two towering intellectual juggernauts, or just wish RunnerGirl a happy birthday, drop on by the J Street location of Streets. We’ll be the team with overly frosted grocery store cake on our table.

Bee Article That Caught My Eye Today #2

The front page of the sports section today was dominated by a fun piece by Bee sportswriter Ahmed Ortiz. I’m not too familiar with Ahmed’s writing, mostly since I keep forgetting that these things called “Raiders” exist, and that’s Ortiz’s bread and butter. But he definitely caught my attention with today’s piece comparing the general flameout of Barry Zito to the other notable big-paycheck pitching flops of the last ten years.

My favorite bit was when he summed up Dodger pitcher Chan Ho Park as “another Boras special” and “a paper tiger,” the former comment referring to Scott Boras, the immanently unlikable “super agent” who always seems to be behind these ridiculously overpriced deals, the latter comment needing no explanation.

Good work, Ahmed.

Bee Article That Caught My Eye Today #1

The Bee is reporting today that CalPERS’ chief investment officer Russell Read is calling it quits. We’ve mentioned Mr. Read here before, less than two years ago in fact, when he first took the job.

Why such a short tenure? Well, it’s not due to Mr. Read’s investing acumen, which led the country’s largest pension fund to achieve higher than average gains in an iffy market. No. It’s instead the pull of Mother Earth on Mr. Read’s heartstrings. According to the Bee, Mr. Read says that he’s leaving “to pursue my long-standing interests in environmental and clean technology investing.”

In other words, if you’ve got a Series 7 license and PhD in biology, Mr. Read might be looking for your particular skill set. Time to dust off that resume.

Dead to Me

It’s been a while since I’ve completely given up on a restaurant. I tend to be pretty forgiving, even with some of the worst restaurants in town. There are a few places, however, that I’ve come to dismiss with such completeness that they are, akin to a cheesy father/son relationship film in which the line “I have no son!” is uttered, dead to me.

Fins– Oh fins, you were filled with such promise. I thought that we were really going to work out well, your two new locations being so convenient and everything. Then came the rather disgusting stomach illness of 2006 that almost ruined Christmas. Then came your rather lackluster fish tacos. Then came your latest belly flop when you served me an ahi “sandwich” that consisted of nothing more than overdone ahi, two slices of barely toasted sourdough, and your less than appealing tartar sauce–no lettuce, no onion, no tomato, no nothing–just a side of Sysco fries and three nearly empty bottles of ketchup. Really, would it have killed you to find me the one ful bottle of ketchup in the place? Was it necessary to have me making flatulence noises with my trio of ketchup bottles for 10 minutes rather than rustle me up a new bottle? Are you intentionally bent on making me dislike you? Well, if that’s the way you’re going to be, then we’re through. Kaput. Finito. You’re dead to me. I have no Fins! Continue reading “Dead to Me”

Two Kudos for the Bee

1) Not putting the new Neo Mnemonic movie, “Street Things” on the front page of the Ticket section. Rather than pimp a movie that once again has felt the wrath of Carla Meyer, the editorial staff wisely chose to feature a Second Saturday piece on the Ticket cover. Good choice. And as for Meyer’s review of “Street Wife”: not having seen the movie, I can’t comment on much more than to say that th review, as always, was well written and cogent, even though she subtly lauded Reeve’s and panned my hero, James Ellroy. Normally I’d be fuming about that pairing, but it’s too lovely a day to fume.

2) Giving the A’s just as much page as the Giants. Even though both teams won yesterday, the Bee resisted the temptation (a temptation to which the Bee usually succumbs) to splash a rather pedestrian Giants’ victory all over the sports section while relegating the A’s’ to the back pages. No doubt, the fact that either team has won a game, not to mention three games in a row, is something to celebrate. These are two teams that were described as respectively the worst opening day team ever seen (Giants), and a scrappy bunch of minor leaguers who might have a few thrilling victories amid a sea of shellackings (A’s (and yes, I used the word “Shellackings”)). So it’s nice to see the teams get equal billing on the marquee.