Author: sac-eats

I drove down K Street this week.  It was life changing. Honestly, it was like finally being able to sit in the front seat when I was 8 years old. ‘Twas a whole different view on life. And then, it was over. A two block drive ended rather rapidly. With nowhere to park and nowhere to even pull over and drop off diners/moviegoers/homeless people, the thoroughfare felt a bit hurried. It felt like one of those amusement park rides that you wait in line for for about an hour only to have the ride last about as long as a 14-yr-old boy’s first night of passion. It did, however, bring me by Pizza Rock.

Let me say this right away. I don’t like Pizza Rock. I don’t like the weird Sistine Chapel ceiling; I don’t like the Peterbuilt driving through the wall; I don’t like the feeling that I’m in an Indian casino or an adult Chuck E. Cheese (which I guess is the same as an Indian casino). But, and this is a serious but here, the food is pretty damned good, almost awesome.

Fried string beans. Delicious. Plain pepperoni. Ridiculous. Margherita. Yummy. 22 oz. Morettis. Score. Dessert calzone (stuffed with apples, caramel, and ricotta). Tastier than a taste of tastiness.

What else can I say. It’s amazingly good pizza. Fresh toppings, good cheese, subtle sauce, great dough. What more could I want? Well I could want Tony Bennet and Dean Martin videos on the flat screen instead of Poison and Quiet Riot, but I’ll opt for good food over good music in this instance.

Pizza Rock- 1020 K St. 916.737.5777 

Food ***1/2 Service *** Atmosphere **

“Hey honey, want to try someplace new for brunch?”
I’m surprised lighting didn’t strike me as soon as I said those unassuming words. It turns out the fates had a much more insidious plan to ruin my weekend up their ethereal sleeves.

SUNDAY (the day of reckoning)

11am- We are joined by our friend Tiffany, who, being game, says that she would love to join us for a little dining adventure south of the city. I tell her that there’s this place on Yelp that has some great reviews. From the map, it looks like it’s on the river and features some mouth watering soul food. Basically all I had seen in the reviews were the words “sweet potato waffles” and I was sold.
11:30am- We depart for Water’s Edge Bistro at Moon River Inn. Continue reading “The Brunch That Nightmares are Made of, or How to Ruin a Perfectly Good Sunday”

It took me a while to figure out what was going on on 19th Street. For months, I’d be driving down the one-way thoroughfare at about 30 mph, trying to share the road with cyclists, dodge vehicles coming out of the Safeway parking lot (one of the worst designed parking lots in the universe by the way), and make the light at S Street, when a waist-high sandwich board would distract me for a nanosecond. I couldn’t tell whether it was advertising clothing, popsicles, food, wine, or jewelry. When I finally stopped and pulled over one day, unable to deal with the confusion and distracted driving any longer, I realized that the sign was actually advertising for all of those things at the same time.

Confusing? Yes. But if you’re willing to put up with just a modicum of initial confusion, you’ll find yourself well rewarded at — wait for it — Fat Face @ Bows & Arrows. Is it a vintage clothing and jewelry boutique? Yes. Is it a culinarily clever café? Yes. Is it both? Amazingly, yes. Does it work? Quite well actually.

It really shouldn’t be all that confusing. Maybe I’m just too set in my ways to recognize a restaurant/boutique partnership as a standard American business model. However, my preconceived notions aside, there’s nothing wrong with eating in a vintage clothing store. Especially when the food, drink, and ambiance is utterly delightful.

Continue reading “I Love Your Fat Face (It’s Not an Insult)”

It’s not like I haven’t had gelato before. I’ve had my fair share in fact. But I wouldn’t call myself a gelato lover, or in a more appropriately Italian vein, a gelato aficionado. Nevertheless I am absolutely gaga over Devine Gelateria in Midtown.

Maybe it’s the creative range of flavors — bananas foster, fig/honey/ricotta, salty peanut — that has me shorting out my keyboard with drool; or maybe it’s the ridiculous quality of the product, so fresh and obviously natural that it makes Michael Pollan look like Colonel Sanders; or maybe it’s the absolutely fabulous (and when I say fabulous, I really mean faaaabulous) service I receive every time I go.

Whatever the reason, I’m stupidly excited every time I drive by the 19th St storefront, giddy like a fanboy every time I see the updated flavors listed on Facebook, and smiling like a dentist’s model every time I walk in the door. I love this place so unabashedly it’s embarrassing.  Basically, I’m saying, “Hey you should check it out, it’s pretty good.”

Devine Gelateria & Cafe– 1221 19th St

It was the the best of meals, it was the worst of meals. That seems to the be the reaction from my circle of friends/food enthusiasts whenever we get to talking about Tuli. The little joint on 21st and S seems to raise some heartbeats and some hackles each time it comes up in conversation. (What the hell is a hackle anyway? Oh, that’s right, I’m online, I could just look it up.)

First, the negative, as reported by several of my more trustworthy friends: the service can be maddeningly sparse and slow and cold; the outdoor seating is less than lovely and, since it comprises the majority of available seating, is frequently the only option available, even in the winter months; food orders, while delicious (there’s never an argument about whether the food is good, mind you) come out haphazardly, or in the wrong order, or never at all. Got it? This is all a pretty frequent meme in the “I hate Tuli and am never going back” camp.

Don’t get me wrong, I think this opinion is valid based on others’ experiences. Yet, I love Tuli, absolutely, unreservedly love it. Continue reading “Tuli, Still My Favorite”

Add another few restaurants to the VOABE (victims of a bad economy) list. Red Lotus is down for the count. The upscale-ish Asian joint from the owners of Kru called it quits last night. In my handful of experiences there I can’t say I ever had a great meal. Decent, yes. A few good dishes, sure. But it was never my go to place. The prices seemed just a hair too high, and the food, just a bit too, well, less-than-rad. It may have suffered from proximity to its sister restaurant as well, since Kru is the go-to place in town to hit up when your stomach is empty, your wallet’s full, and you’re in the mood for Asian cuisine.

Following close on RL’s heels is Celestin’s. The long-running cajun/creole/island joint is calling it quits at the end of this month, and a new venture by Capitol Garage will be taking over its K Street digs. I was always a proud fan of Celestin’s. Their grio (fried pork) and plantains never failed to delight. The gumbo consistently pleased. The flavors sparked and jumped but the vibe always seemed a little sleepy. Strange coincidence then that the space Celestin’s used to hold is now held by Kru. Looking back, you wonder if Celestin’s should have just stayed in the smaller spot.

So, add these casualties to the list already pretty heavy with places like Spin, CPK, and Brew-It-Up (not to mention the strange limbo status of L Wine Bar).