It has come to my intention that the United States Postal Service plans to rip apart a normally happy and content zip code as of July 1. Yes, it’s true, a new, unholy creation, the “95811,” will be created to take over some of the peaceable lands once inhabited by the loving peoples of the 95814. Who is responsible for this, you ask? I’m guessing that it’s evil developers, or chain stores or maybe even Michael Moore. Also, I am not yet sure, where the boundary lines are for this abortion of a postal code, but when I do find out, I’ll let you know so that you can steer well clear of it. Until then, stay vigilant, dear reader.
Author: sac-eats
A Food Lover’s R.I.P.
There have been a few passings recently that I wish to note with great regret. First, when driving to an art event this past Saturday, I noticed that The Plantation, the fantastic soul food restaurant on Del Paso Blvd. and Arden Way, was closed for business. The Plantation was a gem on the culinary landscape. It was true soul food, like green beans with ham hocks, smothered steak, red beans and rice, fried catfish and okra served with a smile and a “Come back real soon.” I was greatly saddened to see it go.
Another passing I was not made aware of until after I published the local Foodie Roundtable, wherein I listed Everett & Jones BBQ as one of my favorite restaurants. Turns out that E&J closed the doors on its Sacramento outlet for good recently. No more hot links in medium sauce with a side of potato salad and “sock-it-to-me” cake for me. Not unless I want to drive to their Oakland or Berkeley restaurants. I was informed of this tragic and untimely passing by Melly over at the Sacramento Food Forums, which brings me to item #3.
I am sad to say that the Sacramento Food Forums are shutting down.  I have greatly enjoyed the Sac Food Forums as a place to share ideas, schedule meet-ups for culinary adventures and share opinions. Melly and Dave did an exemplary job of piloting the forums and putting together events for the last few years. What you may not realize is that it takes time, effort, and in some cases money to keep these websites up and running. They don’t just run themselves.
So do what you can to keep the places you love around. Whether they be “brick and mortar” or online locales, frequent the places you cherish, spread the word, extoll their virtues, get other people excited. Don’t be the one who bemoans the closing of the “mom ‘n’ pop” shop even though you haven’t shopped there for twelve years. If you want places to stay in business, do more business there.
Of course, word of mouth and passionate fans didn’t save “Arrested Development,” the greatest TV comedy series of all time. So who am I kidding?
Tips For Tipping
The Mrs. and I had a very nice dinner at the new Buckhorn Grill in Midtown recently. If you haven’t been there, it’s a stripped down version of Buckhorn’s flagship steakhouse in Winters. Like Pronto and Cafe Bernardo and a few other casual places, they offer sit-down quality food that you have to stand up and order at the counter. The food was very good, but that’s not what this piece is about. The issue here is whether or not one should tip at this type of establishment, and if so, how much? Continue reading “Tips For Tipping”
Best Towing: Totally the Best
So, my car went kaput on me yesterday in an underground parking lot downtown. Normally I’d just call AAA, but I knew it would have to be towed to the dealership due to alarm malfunction, so I called my warranty company. The process took a while to navigate, but eventually my warranty company said that a truck was on the way. I was pretty pessimistic about the ability of a tow truck to navigate the narrow aisles of the garage and still be able to clear the 8′ ceilings, but hope springs eternal.
To the rescue came a bright red tow truck from Best Towing. At the helm of the truck was Viktor, a stolid, competent man in his mid thirties. While Viktor was hooking me up I learned that he was not just an employee but the owner of Best Towing. A Ukrainian immigrant who had been Sacramento for 11 years, Viktor had started a security company years ago, but could never find a reliable towing company to tow cars from the properties that he was guarding, so he started his own. If that ain’t the American way I don’t know what is. He adroitly maneuvered the truck through the maze of the parking lot without once scraping his lightbar on the ceiling or clipping an SUV parked in a “Compact” spot. Also, as we drove down Arden way, he pointed at Tex Wasabi’s and said, “Have you been there? The sushi is horrible, but the pulled pork is pretty good.”
I liked Viktor a lot.
Best Towing– 916-339-2378
Kru: Further Reflections
‘Twas a busy weekend in Northern California for the Eats. One of the highlights was a group event at Kru on J st. Now I’ve already signaled my appreciation for Kru’s sushi in a previous piece, but I really haven’t had a chance to try their non-sushi items. This group dinner gave the perfect opportunity to sample away at some true delicacies. So, consider this an addendum to last week’s sushi review.
If you find yourself at Kru, take a chance and try their small plate of ribs, a fantastic plate with pork and hamachi “ribs.” The ribs are flavorful, tender and delicious. Also, the lamb chops are fantastic (yes they serve lamb chops at a Japanese restaurant, are you going to make a big deal out of it?), tender and perfectly cooked. The “poke trio,” a selection of three fishes served in the traditional Hawaiian style was my favorite of the evening. It was like a Hawaiian party in my mouth, except without the annoying tourists.
Really, who knew that all these sushi restaurants actually serve things besides sushi? And, here’s the kicker, the non-sushi dishes are sometimes better than the sushi. It makes you think, really, go ahead, try it, try thinking, come on, you can do it. Ok, fine, just look at it this way, Kru can be a great destination point for the sushi and non-sushi eating crowd as well. Thank God, since it doesn’t appear that Tex Wasabi’s is really thrilling anyone on that tip. Keep trying, Guy!
Kru-2516 J St, Saramento
Sushi Roundup: Part Ni (two)
It’s been a while since we took on the topic of sushi here on the ‘rag. Our first round of reviews garnered more than their share of comments, and one particular standout was highlighted for its complete inadequacy. Much like the oceans from where we find our tasty swimming friends, the tides of sushi consumption are changing. Here’s your update:
Now That’s Progress
For months, residents of the Arden/Arcade area have wondered what was to become of
the Lyon’s restaurant on the corner of El Camino and Watt. Having stood for over fifty years, the Lyon’s was a unique architectural reminder of a glittering and inventive time gone by. When a crew of demolition workers started to bring the building down in March, rumors flew as to what the new spot would morph into. Mrs. Eats and I really hoped for a Peet’s Coffe and Naia Gelato combo, but both agreed that we’d settle for a Dos Coyotes or even a Fuzio (that’s fusion pasta for those in the know). Well, the bulldozers are gone and the fence has come down and the new location has been unveiled to reveal- TA DAH- extended parking for the Wal Mart. That’s right, the building was demolished so that Wal Mart could have 20 more parking spaces in a parking lot that already sports over 500 spots. Well done Wal Mart. Thanks for keeping the neighborhood relevant.
West Coast Brewfest
This past Saturday, the West Coast Brewfest was held at Miller Park in Sacramento. Within spitting distance of two rather confused whales, I and several hundred of my closest friends partook in that fine summer event, the brewfest. Unlike an Oktoberfest celebration wherein men wear high socks and lederhosen and the women pour themselves into lace-up bodices, the brewfest calls for a completely different wardrobe. The typical brewfest attendee is typically garbed in: for males, shorts, flip-flops, t-shirt sporting comical yet cynical saying and sunglasses; for ladies, shorts/skirts, flip-flops, t-shirt sporting comical yet cynical saying referring to men’s inability to use good judgment when choosing a mate, and sunglasses.
Scott’s Seafood
This is not so much a review as an update.Last year I wrote a simply sashimi-grade review of Scott’s Seafood. Well, that was a year ago and it appears that 
things have gone downhill. The Eats family has ventured to Scott’s twice in the last two weeks and both times been treated to weak service, ill-prepared foods and Golden State Warriors losses. (Maybe Scott’s didn’t have anything to do with the Warriors losses, but they could have at least tried to box out on Carlos Boozer.) I’m hoping that this downward trend does not spill over to the Oakland and Folsom locations, but the Loehmann’s Plaza restaurant is definitely in a freefall.
Two strikes, Scott. One more, and you’re dead to me.
The Squeeze Inn
OK, I will simply and succinctly try to explain the Squeeze Inn burger experience here and leave you to make your own decisions. I would offer a ringing endorsement of the Squeeze Inn right now, but am slightly leery of getting sued when someone goes there on my recommendation and has a massive coronary.
You walk in the front door and scope out the seating arrangement; all twelve stools are taken. That’s right, twelve whole stools in the place, not exactly the acre wide new chain places that you’re used to. You give the evil eye to the two parents who have brought their small Amerasian children because the kids are taking up two stools and chowing down on McDonald’s chicken mcnuggets. Not only is this a slap in the face to the owners of the place, but it’s a direct challenge to anyone who walks in. It says, “Hey look at us, we’re so important that we get to take up precious real estate without even buying a product.†You quietly hope that this whole family gets squat-humped by lunatics wearing Grimace and Hamburglar costumes.
The Sac Rag 
