Author: sac-eats

Carmichael Cycle

The Mrs. and I haven’t been riding our bikes much this summer. Ok, to be honest we haven’t ridden our bikes at all this summer. Mainly because they’ve been stuck in the back of the garage since the move and all the tires were flat. So, any thought of a bike ride first started with the concept of attacking a Jenga-like mound of garage detritus, then pumping up the tires (only to find that the tires had leaks, in all probability), and then giving up out of sheer desperation. This was, until last week. With a free weekend day, we attacked the garage, pulled out the dormant velos and piled them onto the car so they could be examined by professionals.

For no other reason than proximity, we schlepped the units over to Carmichael Cycle on the corner of Arden and Fair Oaks Blvd. Contrary to previous raggers’ general cyclery experiences, our transaction at this bike shop was great. The staff was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and didn’t look down on us at all for not wearing tight shorts with gel inserts. By the time our repair jobs were finished on our three separate bikes the bill came to a only a modest amount. On the way out, the staff helped us load the bikes back onto the car and told us in parting, that we had the “coolest bikes ever.” Sure, he says that to all the people not wearing gel shorts, but it gave us the warm fuzzies anyway.

Carmichael Cycle, 5141 Arden Way, Carmichael- Highly Recommended

Watcha Doin’ This Weekend?

Here’s a sample of what the Eat’s might be doing this weekend.  What are you doing? 

FRIDAY– State Fair-Day 1: Eating (Especially looking forward to the BBQ Beef sandwiches at “Buns on the Run,” a small stand towards the back of the fair, next to the “kiddie” midway.  Go check it out, the homemade potato chips are divine.)  Also, don’t forget to check out the “Derby Girls.”

SATURDAY-State Fair- Day 2: Animal Extravaganza, 10am Morbid activity “From Dirt to Dish,” how living things are slaughtered for your sustenance, 11am Goat Milking!  2pm Swine Championships ( I have no idea what this entails)

SUNDAY- Recovering from State Fair.  Also, may just go over to Old Ironsides at 9pm to check out the tribute to the Kinks featuring “Baby Grand” among others. 

BBQ Update

Thanks to the urging of FOTR (Friends of the ‘Rag) CSI Sacramento and Carl, I had to go back and try Texas West BBQ on Fulton Ave.  You see, I truly appreciate our valued readers and commenters for calling us to task when we fail to exceed their expectations, for going beyond the story and getting into the human angle of those things about which we write, for disagreeing with my taste in barbecue quality and urging me to reconsider my hasty judgment of a Sacramento-area institution.  The institution about which I speak, of course, is Texas West BBQ, which has one thing in common with another fine Sacramento-area institution, Folsom Prison, and that thing is food quality.

Yet again, I have let someone talk me into going back to this swill-trough of an establishment and have been sorely disappointed.  Today’s lunch, pulled pork sandwich and french fries (by the way, I refuse to capitalize the “french” in “french fries,” I’m not sure I can really explain why I’ve chosen to take a stand now, but I have), was a miserable failure as far as lunches go.  Let’s start with the pork.  The pork was pulled, I’ll give ’em that; pulled off of what though, I have no idea.  That meat was dry, I mean really dry, drier than sands outside of Barstow during a drought when a kitty litter truck, a silica gel transporter and a mass migration of super absorbent sponges all collided and sucked every last bit of moisture out of the land.  Then there were the fries which had that stupid coating on them that Burger King started putting on their fries about 10 years ago, right at the time when they became totally irrelevant–coincidence?  Finally their BBQ sauce, which was sweet, yet spicy without being weighted down by any of that pesky stuff called flavor.

Thank you, fine readers, for urging me to once again confirm my previous impressions that Texas West BBQ is, without a doubt, the worst barbecue joint to be voted “Best Barbecue” in all of the land. 

Vote Early, Vote Often

Yes, it’s that time of year again.  No, not Big Fun time.  No, not triple digit weather time.  No, not time to change your Brita filter.  It’s time to vote in the Sacramento News & Review’s “Best of Sacramento.”  Now normally, we’d stop there and let you all vote away to your heart’s content, but we’d like to make one quick request of you.  You see, there’s this website called The Sac Rag, and it would be really cool if you voted for it for “Best Local Website” and “Best Local Blog.”  It’s not much that we ask of you, just a little click on your little mouse.  Just think of it as checking “Yes” on a note that we slipped you that read: “Do you like me, check ‘yes’ or ‘no’?” 

Thank you for your support.

Watcha Doin’ This Weekend?

FRIDAY– Improv at the Sacramento Comedy Spot, 8pm.  Come check out Sacramento’s best Broadway theater, 1716 Broadway, that is.  It’s only $6 for a hilarious night of improv comedy.  You might also catch a glimpse of fromer local hero Ty Johnson, that’s right, THE Ty Johnson.

SATURDAY– 12 Hours at Cool Night Run, timed to coincide with the Perseids meteor shower .  The race is a nine mile loop, and the more serious of the runners will see who can complete the most laps between 7pm Saturday until 7am Sunday.  Runnergirl will be hitting the trails for this neat event, while I will sit at basecamp, strummin’ on the old banjo. 

Others will be going to the “Coexist Comedy” show featuring none other than Keith Lowell Jensen.  Check website for details.

SUNDAY– If the ultra-sexy Patty Souza is correct, temps should be in the mid 80’s on Sunday, a great day for gardening, outdoor recreation or just sitting in those new lawn chairs you bought at the August closeout patio furniture sale.  In the evening, check out the Sacramento International Film and Music Festival’s “10X10” show, ten short films by ten local directors.  7:00pm.  $10

Big News in Bay Area Baseball!

That’s right, the nation as a whole reached a new milestone last night.  It was months, nay years, in the making, but it’s about time that I admit what I’ve known for while:  The A’s aren’t making the playoffs this year.

Yes, that’s right, I, the biggest Oakland Athletics stooge in the Sacramento area, have given up hope.  After last night’s dismal loss to the Texas Rangers, I hold out no hope that the A’s will pull their late season heroics and push their way into the the post-season via the wild card.  Hopefully, this isn’t a trend and things can get back on track next year, and maybe every player won’t get injured, but we’ll just have to wait and see.  My tears are real and salty at this moment.

…Oh yeah, and some giant-headed dude in San Francisco  launched a home run for like the 40 zillionth time or something, but I don’t follow the National League so I’m a little fuzzy on the details.

The Beauty of Puns

Let’s put this one in the “unintentionally funny” category.  On the corner of Fulton and Alta Arden, a small massage parlor called VIP Spa used to serve its clients well into the night, seven nights a week.  Anecdotal evidence (and the fact that their blinds were always closed) points to VIP Spa as a house of ill repute or at least a shady pseudo-sexual massage parlor.  Well, move to the present day.  VIP Spa has been shut down for almost a year and the new tenant of the building is a smoke shop called–wait for it– “Blow & Tell.” 

Maybe I don’t give the stoners at B&T enough credit.  If this is an intentionally funny renaming of the property, then my hats off to them for their snarktitude.

Restaurant Openings in the ‘Cade

Two openings to report in the Arden/Arcade area;

1) At the corner of Arden & Eastern, a storefront previously inhabited by a tax preparer, an electronics repair shop, and an online gaming center will soon be the home of “Cheffrey’s An American Bistro.”  This restaurant, opened by the founders of the “Refer-a-Chef” catering company will be the first new restaurant in the area for quite some time.  Drop on by for the grand opening, August 9. 

2)  Boudin Bakery, long-awaited and much anticipated, shows signs of an imminent opening.  Work seems to have reached a peak at the Fair Oaks and Munroe location formerly a Java City.  Signage is up and the contractors’ dumpsters are full, so don’t be surprised to start chowing down on chowder in a bread bowl within the next 45 days–just in time for fall.

Now if only the Food Circus would reopen in the Watt Avenue Tower Records & Books location, all would be right in the world.

Watcha Doin’ This Weekend?

Sorry for the lapse in entertainment recommendations last weekend.  We hope to make it up to you with a prime time, Sacramento-sized deep fried bucket of weekend entertainment:

FRIDAY– Perhaps the greatest musician to come out of Berkeley High School, and a former Sacramento resident, Charlie Hunter and his ultra funky 8-string guitar (that’s 3 strings of bass and 5 strings of guitar for those keeping score at home) will be performing with his trio tonight at Marilyn’s on K St.  I’ve personally seen Charlie dozens of times, from his formative gigs in Bay Area clubs to his more polished later group outings.  He is one of the most popular figures on the jazz scene and only comes to Sacramento once every two or three years.  Check him out.  Buy tix here.

SATURDAY– (from Runnergirl) If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to run up what people ski down, here’s your chance this Saturday.  It’s the Squaw Mountain Run and it’s a 3.6 mile jaunt up from the valley floor to the Escarpment. At the top, participants will enjoy music, food, beer, and raffles.  The less energetic can take the cable car to the top of the mountain and take part in a three mile “flower walk.” This is also the first few miles of the Western States course, and the views of Lake Tahoe are amazing. Continue reading “Watcha Doin’ This Weekend?”

Shakey Jake’s: A Cheerful Earful

There are times in life when all you want is to be left alone, to simply enter an establishment, purchase your foodstuffs and be on yourArrrrgh…where's me bee-day? way without fuss, without conversation and without complications that might interrupt your terribly important inner thoughts about what Dee from “What’s Happening” might be up to these days.  If that’s the kind of mood you’re in, then, by all means, stay away from Shakey Jake’s. Continue reading “Shakey Jake’s: A Cheerful Earful”