Author: sac-eats

Masque Ristorante: Would You Like a BJ with your Osso Buco?

This piece falls in the “total rumor” category as it was told to me by a few friends who live in Serrano.  Apparently there was a bit of a sting operation up the road at Masque Ristorante in El Dorado Hills last week.  It seems that the posh eatery did not only cater to the residents of nearby Serrano and their guests, but also catered to a number of prostitutes who used Masque as home base to troll for wealthy divorcees.  I’m sure that the management of Masque in no way knowingly supported a criminal enterprise and, knowing that they serve an exquisite duck sausage, do not wish to sully their name.

One thing does come to mind, though.  How would you be able to sort out the prostitues from the cougars in any El Dorado Hills bar?

Masque Ristorante-3909 Park Dr, El Dorado Hills

Food*** Atmosphere*** Service**** (pricey, but very hands-on)

Rey Azteca: A Rey of Mexican Sunshine

One of the great things about living in California is the never-ending string of Mexican restaurants dotting the landscape, like a rope of glittering pearls winding through the hills and valleys from San Diego to Crescent City.  OK, maybe I’m glorifying it a little bit here.  Let’s just say that it’s a great thing to be able to look in your Entertainment book, grab a coupon and head out to a Mexican place you’ve never been to and have a fantastic meal.  Monday night’s discovery was Rey Azteca on Fair Oaks Blvd in Carmichael.  Wedged between a gas station and a scrapbooking store, Rey Azteca (literally translated “Esquire Grill”) doesn’t exactly inspire confidence upon first inspection.  Murals cover the front walls, including a Latino State of Liberty and a scene of ancient Aztec glory.

Continue reading “Rey Azteca: A Rey of Mexican Sunshine”

The Union Pacific Food Hall

I just got back from Los Angeles yesterday and returned to our fair city with an appreciation for good urban planning.  I’ve been to several California cities in the last few months in fact, and I can say that Sacramento is much farther along in its trendy “dowtown revitilization” project than most of the others.  Nowhere is this more evident than in downtown LA.  For those of you that haven’t ventured to downtown LA recently, you’re missing a goldmine of an opportunity to see some of this country’s seediest homeless people along with one of the surest and slowest transformations of an American city.  The plodding gentrification of the downtown area is slow, true, but also relentless, transforming historical buildings and retaining some sense of SoCal history.  Instead of the “out with the old, in with the new” mentality so prevalent in LA,  planners are seizing this opportunity to do it right, mixing old and new in a symbiotic fusion.  The best example I can see of this attitude is at the Grand Central Market, an alomst open-air food haven that mixes spice sellers and fish mongers with kitchens and food stands, dishing out counter and street food from all over the globe.

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Sandwiches? In Sacramento?

The newest sandwich sensation in Sacramento has arrived: The Sandwich Spot.  While, I’ll admit, not the catchiest name for a sandwich spot, “The Sandwich Spot” does connote an air of casual grace and casual food that works well with the neighborhood surrounding The Sandwich Spot.  You will spot The Sandwich Spot on the corner of 18th and Q streets in Sacramento.  The Sandwich Spot is, as the name suggests, a spot for sandwiches, but don’t be misled, The Sandwich Spot also serves drinks and chips and salads.  “What kind of sandwich spot serves drinks?” you may ask.  “The Sandwich Spot,” I would reply.  “What kind of sandwiches does The Sandwich Spot serve?” you would then ask.  Good question.  The sandwiches at The Sandwich Spot fall somewhere between Beach Hut Deli (Hooters Deli to you and me) and Togo’s, simple recipes loaded with odd additions like bbq sauce, cream cheese, teriyaki and something called “bomb sauce.”  “What the hell is ‘bomb sauce’?” you might ask.  As far as I can tell, “bomb sauce” is Italian dressing with chili peppers in it.  I suggest that you skip the “bomb sauce” unless you want to be tasting The Sandwich Spot for the rest of the day and well into the night. 

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It’s Official, Ken Burns Loves Sacramento

On this morning’s edition of “Fresh Air,” the NPR arts and entertainment interview show, Ken Burns, well-known documentary filmmaker, was interviewed about his upcoming project “The War.” It’s a 15 hour look at WWII done as only Ken Burns can, with serious but enchanting narration, closeups and pans of old photos and interviews with crusty old guys with insanely large eyebrows.  Well, in this morning’s interview, Ken was talking about how this documentary focused specifically on four towns in America and how the war affected the people of those towns.  The four towns he chose were Waterbury, MA, Mobile, AL, Laverne, MN and yes, our fair city of Sacramento.  When asked why he picked Sacramento, he said that it was a true crossroads of the West, combining Asian and especially Japanese communities, political machinations, industry and average Americans.  I love that fact that Ken Burns loves us because, really, I love Ken Burns.

Continue reading “It’s Official, Ken Burns Loves Sacramento”

The Temporary End of the World: Peet’s Closing

Newsflash:  The Lyon’s Village Peet’s coffee will soon be closing for a major remodel.  Dates and times have not yet been fixed but you can already hear the Country Day moms shrieking with fear.  I join you, CD moms.  What will I do for the weeks that Peet’s will be closed?  Oh wait, I work a block away from their downtown establishment.  Alright, emergency passed, I’m ok.  But it’s still a shock and I’m not sure if the sky will ever be as blue again.

Thank you, Tenebrist, for the info and don’t go blabbin’ to Bob Shallit if you know what’s good for you.

La Terraza: Old Sac’s Answer to Chevy’s

There are so many Mexican restaurants in this town that, when I write about them, I go for mass quantity and group them up in a few quick reviews like here, and here. But every now and then, one Mexican eatery stands out as a solitary beacon of either greatness or super-not greatness (God, I’m a scintillating writer). La Terraza, to my great chagrin, finds itself in the latter group. From service to atmosphere to food, this place fails spectacularly.

La Terraza (literally translated as “the terrorist” which seems like a pretty poor name for a restaurant) sits high above the tourist choked streets of Old Sacramento on the corner of 2nd and K streets. While this is not a bad place for a restaurant, I wouldn’t consider it a great place for a restaurant either. To me, Old Sac is best known for its parking difficulty (recently made more difficult by new meters and longer enforcement periods(good job Old Sac, way to drum up business)) and the suprisingly large amount of mass arrests that take place there during weekend evenings. So, from a local’s point of view, you have to be offering something pretty special to get me to head across 3rd street (Did someone say banjo jam?). Whatever a restaurant could offer to get me to broach the Old Sac/New Sac border, La Terraza doesn’t. Continue reading “La Terraza: Old Sac’s Answer to Chevy’s”

Mike Dunne Falls for Thai Food Trap

I laughed out loud when I saw Mike Dunne’s writeup of our old friends at Ruen Thai.  What particularly stuck out was this little gem:

The name rang a bell. I get more phone calls and e-mails about this or that exciting Thai restaurant than for any other kind of place, and over the past year a disproportionate number have been about Ruen Thai.

And yes, Mike had the soup.

El Camino de los Mexicanos

Not being Mexican myself, or even Spanish, I have no idea what this title means. Like JFK in Berlin, I’m probably saying something akin to “I am a doughnut.” That being said, it’s always important to embrace the language, culture and food of our hosts, the people of Mexico; for,as FauxPaws pointed out last week, all of the land that we call home was once part of the great country of Mexico. So, in order to be one “of the people,” I have foregone my traditional Pellegrino and finger sandwiches for horchata and tortas, menudo and cabeza (which I think is Spanish for potatoes.)

Due to our recent relocation  to Del Paso Manor (literally translated “Manor of Paste”), a new world of restauranting has opened up to Mrs. Eats and me. So, if you find yourself on El Camino Ave (“Avenue of Cuddles”) and catch yourself hankering for Mexican food, here’s where you can go to get it.

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Burrito Supremacy

Everyone has their favorite burrito.  Mine happens to be from the same place that also supplies my favorite tacos.  If I dug a little deeper I’d probably find that they give pretty good massages as well.  Of course I’m speaking about Angel’s Fresh Mex on 16th Street at U.  I know that I’ve lauded Angel’s before, but they really deserve it.  Today’s chili verde burrito was a thing of gastronomic beauty, a pork filled tortilla sleeve of love.  It will be hard to ever look at a burrito the same way again without feeling a little dirty.  If you haven’t made the trip over to Angel’s, you’re not only missing out, you’re probably doing irreparable harm to yourself, your family, and in some small way, giving aid and succor to our enemies.  Go there, now, eat, enjoy.