Great things are supposed to come from the corner of 16th and J. Just like Zeus was born of Hera’s thigh (or is it the other way around) all things hip, stylish and lofty are born from the revamped corner project. Bistro 33 was to be no exception to the rule as expectations ran high. Most Sacramentans are familiar with if not very fond of the 33rd St Bistro on Folsom and 33rd, and this new child of that restaurant enterprise was to equal and maybe even outshine its parent. (Similar to Prometheus outshining the other gods by inventing fire or something like that.)
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Author: sac-eats
What is Sacramento Watching?
I just noticed a new feature on Netflix that caught my eye. It’s called “Local Favorites” and it focuses on which DVD’s people from Sacramento are renting. Featured as a “Local Favorite” is the Ellen Degeneres stand-up special “The Beginning.” Hmmmm…Ellen DeGeneres is one of the top choices for Sacramento film watchers, and the Monarchs are WNBA champions…correlation?
Fallen Icon
Word on the street is that “Icon,” the pseudo-hip eatery on 15th and R St, will be closing its doors soon. In its place will be a sports bar and restaurant. I’m sure the menu will include wings, burgers, chicken fingers and club sandwiches among other choices.
While Icon was never my favorite restaurant, it was a pretty neat spot that made one hell of a French Dip. Also, I heard many rumors from men and women alike that the servers were quite flirty and worth going back for. Good luck to whoever takes over the spot as Sammy Chu’s and now Icon have fallen. Could it be that being located next to Empire is actually NOT a good thing for a restaurant? We’ll see.
Local PERSonality
Just leafing through my most recent issue of “Pensions & Investments” magazine and came across a very interesting profile on the new Chief Investment Officer over at CalPERS, Russell Read. (If you’re not already a subscriber to “Pensions & Investments” you’re really missing out.) Seems like Mr. Read is very interested in environmental issues and investment, owning his own tree sactuary/habitat in Maine and sitting on a board that “is dedicated to attracting technologies that will convert wood to energy and to materials now made from oil.”
Wait a second, hit the rewind button on that. Did he just say, “convert wood into energy?” Isn’t that called fire? I know how to convert wood into energy, just hold it close to a match, or rub two pieces together really fast. Do you need a whole board for that? And using wood for material? Isn’t that called…wood?
All snark aside, Mr. Read seems like a very neat guy and it looks like he’ll find it an easy transition from New England to Northern California. The article says that he and the wife plan to move to Davis, which seems a good fit for the environmentally aware couple. So if you see Russell or Mrs. Read at the co-op or Whole Foods or the farmer’s market, give ’em a wave and a hearty handshake and welcome them to the neighborhood.
Ruth’s Chris on the Company Dime
Mrs. Eats’s employer, a venerable and generous company, felt it a good idea to take some employees and their spouses out to a little casual dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse last night. Not being one to turn down a free meal, I gratefully accompanied my beautiful wife.
If you haven’t been to “The Chris” yet and still remember Mace’s restaurant that it replaced, you’ll see many traces of the old place in the new decor. The layout is basically the same (sans the bizarre safari lodge decor and the fake veranda looking out over the Serengeti), but the place is much darker, leaning towards Las Vegas chic rather than Bombay Company classic. But let’s talk about the food:
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Sushi on Aisle 3
Because someone, not sure who anymore, requested it, here’s a quick rundown on all of the grocery store sushi I’ve consumed in the last 4 weeks.
Nugget- Various selections of pre-packaged sushi, all small rolls or shrimp and/or eel ngiri. I went for the spicy combo with spicy tuna, California and unagi rolls. Not bad tasting and well worth the $4 price tag.
Safeway- Hmmmmm, same selection, looks like SW and Nugget buy from the same distributor.
Bel Air- Same selection, see item 1.
Raley’s- See previous selection.
Albertson’s-Ditto
Ralph’s- Oh come on, this is getting silly.
Whole Foods- I hat those assholes; I’m not shopping at their market anymore.
So, it appears that all of the supermarket sushi in town is rolled and packaged by the same company somewhere in the Inland Empire with one of those made up sounding Spanish names like Rancho Santa Dominguez Enchilada Hills or something. I guess it’s all the same no matter where you go. So don’t be choosy. Just grab-n-go and try not to imagine some poor illegal immigrant putting together sushi in East LA for $2 an hour. Instead, think of the poor Chinese laborer who has to works for pennies a day trying to fit a thimble full of soy sauce into those small ketchup sized packets. Eat wisely, my friends.
Burger Bests & Worsts
After 30 years in Sacramento, I have finally eaten my first hamburger from Ford’s Hamburgers in Land Park and I’ll have to say that it may be, in fact, the best burger in Sacramento. I’ve been to myriad burger joints in Sac and think I have a pretty good read on where you, the wily consumer, can best spend your burger bucks. So here’s a rundown:
1. Ford’s-1948 Sutterville Rd, Sacramento. Fantastic burger on a wonderful bun, killer fries and shakes put Ford’s Real Hamburgers in the top spot. Burgers are about $5.
2. Squeeze Inn-7918 Fruitridge Rd, Sacramento. Sidle up to the bar and order the “Squeeze with Cheese” and get ready for a gut-bomb. The “cheese halo” that surrounds every Squeeze burger sets it apart from any other burger you’ll ever have. Fries are pretty good. Call before you go, limited hours and limited seating. Burgers about $5.
3. Bandera- 2232 Fair Oaks Blvd, Sacramento. I know it’s a yuppie haven and mid life crisis pick-up joint, but the $9 ground sirloin burger might just be the best restaurant burger you’ll ever have. Fresh sirloin, ground in-house with a slab of cheddar and crisp cole slaw top this exceptional burger.
4. Hot Rod’s- 2007 K, Sacramento. By far, the best gay burger joint in town. Great meat and hot buns make this burger a heavenly treat that you don’t have to call the next morning.
5. In ‘n Out Burger- Various Locations. OK, despite its proclivity for putting you on the john for a few hours after you eat one, an In ‘n Out burger is a damn good burger, and a great deal for your money. Burgers about $2.
And now, the worst…
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YUMMY WEEKEND EVENTS
This weekend is abuzz with eating and drinking events throughout the area. Please visit some or all of these events for the betterment of your outlook and the worsening of your liver.
SUSHI-FEST: (scroll down to middle of page) The Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce host the 3rd annual Sushi Fest at Mikuni’s in Elk Grove. Event is an “all-day” sushi feast, but website lists hours as only noon-3PM. $75
LODI ZINFEST: Noon-8PM at Lodi lake park, the 2nd annual Zinfest will include live entertainment, cooking demos, wine shopping and, of course, wine tasting for $25 per person. Nothing like being stuck in Lodi with about 100 cases of Zin.
WESTCOAST BREWFEST: At Miller Park (west end of Broadway), $30 for 5 hrs of food, fun and unlimited beer tasting, including my favorite, Moose Drool beer from the Big Sky brewery in Missoula, MT.
BFD: 3rd annual Dad’s Boil & Fry Day. This is where I’ll be on Saturday, supporting the Make-A-Wish foundation with the crew from Dad’s sandwich shop (best sandwiches in town), enjoying unlimited fried fish and crawfish boil with live punk and rockabilly bands and several great microbreweries. On S St. between 13th and 14th. $5 at the door or $25 for all you can eat! Dad is no wimp, he’s going 3PM to 2AM, so go get liquored up at the brewfest then join me for some charity loving fried goodness.
E*TRADE Closing Its Doors on Sacramento Location
Employees of E*TRADE Financial were told yesterday that the company’s Rancho Cordova location, home to several hundred employees will cease operations this August. The company, headquartered in New York (ne Palo Alto), has been slowly scaling down the employee base in their White Rock Rd offices for the last 12 months.
For those of us that worked at E*TRADE, we’re going to miss the place. Many of us agree that it was one of the worst working environments around. We hated the ceaseless 50-60 hr weeks, the subtle intimidation by incompetent managers, the break of dawn or late night shifts and the turnover rate that made the position of drummer for the band Spinal Tap seem like a steady gig. Nevertheless, for most of us, it was our first real job out of college and taught us a lot about getting along in the business world.
So, if your business is looking for about 400 college educated workers with a financial services experience and a high tolerance for poor working conditions, just wait a few months. The market is about to be flooded.
Food Rumors
Here’s a few things I’ve heard in the past week regarding the local food scene:
1) Most of you may have already heard this, but for those of you that haven’t: Ernesto’s, currently at S and 16th, will be moving to the space currently occupied by Andiamo on 33rd and Folsom. No news as to what will become of the 16th and S site. Andiamo will be closing and not relocating, so get while the getting’s good.
2) Hukilau will be closing its doors and the owners will be changing the space to an informal Italian themed restaurant (think Paesano’s Jr.) that will cater heavily to the Capitol area lunch crowd by offering plenty of gran ‘n go options.
3) The band “Daisy Spot” was recently seen shooting a man in Reno just to watch him die.
4) The Albertson’s supermarket located on the corner of Fair Oaks and Munroe in the Loehman’s shopping center still has the longest and slowest moving check out lines in town. Just in case you were wondering.
The Sac Rag 