Author: sac-eats

Food Related Bits (Your Input is Requested)

1) Took Mrs. Eats to the the Slocum House for her birthday on Thursday. It lived up to all the expectations. It was fantastic, with the best crab cakes I’ve ever had. The service was fantastic and the patio was beautiful. Plus, they’re in the Entertainment Book. Highly recommended for a nice evening out, without being stuffy.

2) I’m starting a petition to get a branch of Fins fish market and restaurant into the recently vacated Men’s Wearhouse at Loehman’s Plaza. Who’s signing?

3) Nominations are currently being accepted for Sacramento’s best waiter/waitress. I nominate “Chuck” at Thai Palms on Howe. He hustles, smiles, and makes dinner enjoyable. By far, the hardest working waiter I’ve ever seen. Let me know who you think deserves the award.

Park It! (Mah Jong’s, Spataro’s & Mason’s)

In the last few months I’ve made a few trips downtown to some of our city’s newest eateries. Amongst the hullabaloo and fanfare, some interesting places have emerged to tickle our palette. (Yeah, I know it’s a mixed metaphor. So what? It’s called poetic license. Get off your high horse, jerkwad!) One of the newest features of the landscape is the “foodplex,” a connected combo of various dining establishments offering differnt types of food and varying levels of ambience. The most notable of these examples is “The Park,” which features Mah Jong’s Asian Diner, Mason’s and peripherally Spataro. Each of these places offers its own style of eats and eating and we’ll go through each one briefly and give you the lowdown.
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Fish & Chips, IHOP Style

Yes, you read that right. Not only does IHOP serve fish & chips, but your intrepid diner actually ate them. I’m going to be brutally honest here: They were pretty damn good! Now, it was midnight and I had already had a few pints, but overall I really enjoyed them. The batter was a bit generic, but the fries were good and the fish was excellent. I wouldn’t tell you to go out of your way for a plate, but if you’re there and breakfast foods don’t sound appealing, go for the F&C. Oh yeah, special shout out to our server, Sherman, who handled a table of ten with 6 separate checks with good cheer and fantastic service. Give that man a raise IHOP Corporate!

IHOP (Watt & El Camino, various locations)
Food*** Service **** Ambience**

Airing My Dirty Laundry

So, I got pissed off at my dry cleaner that I’d been going to for the last 5 years and decided it was time for a change. I tried out 5 different cleaners around my house and would love to share the results with you. If you live in the greater one square block area around Loehman’s Plaza, this may prove useful to you, otherwise, feel free to ignore.
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So Sad, So Very Sad

My attention was just directed here by the future Mrs. Eats and my day is nearly ruined. Bravo Ristorante, on Fiar Oaks Blvd, wedged behinds Swanson’s Cleaners, is closing its doors. I am so sad to see Bravo go. It was, in my opinion, the best Italian food in town. The atmosphere was charming, the piano music properly cheesy and the service was as good as any restaurant in town. Their dishes were simple and elegant without much in the way of flair or fusion. It was simple, Italian dining at its best and we are poorer in spirit and in stomach now that Bravo Ristorante is gone. Good bye old friend, I’ll be missing you.

Gut Budget-Gourmet Wraps

For about $5 you can grab a very tasty treat from Gourmet Wraps in Town & Country Village on Fulton Ave. Wedged between a Starbucks and Jamba Juice (come on, what isn’t wedged between a Starbucks and Jamba Juice these days?) you’ll find a nice little storefront offering gyros, falafel, and cheesesteaks…yes, that’s right, cheesesteaks. This afternoon, the future Mrs. Eats and I grabbed a bite there with great results me the chicken gyro and her the chicken schwarma. Both of us full, satisfied and not too light in the wallet. Don’t let the girl working the front counter throw you off either. Sure, she might be dressed up to go clubbing at some Armenian disco, but she’s not afraid to dig elbow deep into some yogurt sauce and give you the daily specials. Trust me, the “price is right” for this “deal of the century;” you won’t “press your luck” by eating a “hot potato” at this fine establishment. (RIP Peter Tomarken)

Gourmet Wraps- Town & Country Village, Sacramento
Food*** Ambience** Service***
GUT BUDGET RECOMMENDED

Pancake Circus – Gut Budget

On the corner of 21st and Broadway lies a special treat for those in the know, an establishment with high family values, understated elegance and waitresses name Phyllis and Flo. It is, of course, the Pancake Circus, or as I like to call it, “Le Cirque de Crepe.” This is greasy-spoon eating at its best. Silver dollar pancakes, mounds of bacon, cereal and milk that come out of giant machines, men with high, conical chef’s hats slinging hash and gum chewing waitresses who call you “dear” and “honey” and “sweetie.” It’s a blast from the past with all the modern conveniences. You can get pigs in a blanket with a side of egg beaters and pay for it with your ATM card.
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Local Bites: Sushi Dominates the Landscape

Perhaps, long ago, in a land far away, there was a time and place where you could drive a block and not see a sushi restaurant. What a cold, barren, ludicrous place that must have been. I knew that sushi had completely taken over when I saw them popping up in Fresno. Once you’ve penetrated the heartland of California, you know you’ve arrived. So, since there are so many sushi restaurants in the are, I thought it wise to separate out a few as standouts or flops. Feel free to pitch in your own reco’s as well:

Taka’s Sushi
1730 S St, Sacramento
Food *** Ambience*** Service****

I usually hit Taka for lunch, so I don’t normally have the dinner fare there, but the fish is always wonderful and the service is on top of things. The only odd thing is that the head sushi chef resembles 49’s fullback Tom Rathman. I’m not sure if this is offputting or if it adds to the charm. Is this a factor of globalization, or are we still too narrow minded to not trust sushi from a guy named “Buck?”
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The Missing Piece

I’m sure many of us took a look at yet another Bee piece on the rail yard development issue. It’s so damn alluring because it’s such a huge tract of land just waiting to be pillaged by developers; it’s tailor made (or Taylor made if you were to be punny) to be an extension of both downtown and Cal Expo (did I hear monorail extension?); and it taps into all the things that make us Californians, our history (the railroad), our mentality (get rich quick scheme for everyone involved) and our morality (manifest destiny).

Let’s stop for one moment though to think about what this site actually needs. Do we need more high-rise housing, more entertainment, more Paragary’s and Mikuni’s establishments, more places at which to buy things? With housing developments already folding in downtown, what makes developers think that people actually want to live in overpriced downtown apartments? We’re Californians, we like space. The only people that want to live together, drink together, party together, sleep together and cheer together, all in the same neighborhood are college students. Yes, that’s right, college students.
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