Author: sac-eats

Smoking fish that is. And I was reminded again last week that there is no better smoked fish in our fair city than at Laszlo’s Gourmet Smoked Fish in Old Sacramento.  Sure, going to Old Sac is a pain in the ass what with the brick streets (notice they’re not cobblestones, they’re bricks, make note of it), the all-day meter enforcement, the strange DMV-like conglomoration of humanity, but it’s all worth it once you get a bite of Laz’s incredible fish. I’m telling you, his smoky treats were the hit of my family’s Easter feast. Even my nephew for whom ketchup is an exotic condiment loved it. Be it sturgeon, shark, shrimp, or salmon, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better chunk of formerly swimming goodness than at Laszlo’s strangely located Front Street store.

And before you start to complain that it’s too expensive at $7.95 per quater pound, realize that a) Laszlo is adorable, b) fresh fish is only slightly less expensive and c) honestly, how often do you buy smoked fish anyway? It’s not like they made a Sesame Street short about it.

Laszlo’s Gourmet Smoked Fish- 1100 Front St, #140, Old Sacramento. 916.492.9089

Caught a piece at sacbee.com today about the revamping of Lounge on 20. Apparently they’re revamping the menu, going all molecular gastronomy on us, and changing the name to Lounge 2.0. Also, they’re redecorating.

Three things: 1) Molecular gastronomy? Really? My personal opinion is that the MG movement will never quite catch on with Californians becase we’re too close to the source. Basically, we’re living on top of the greatest agricultural land in the world, and turning our native products into foams and bricks and pebbles, delicious as they may be, seems somewhat against the Cali aesthetic. Continue reading “Sous Vide and Shaved Chests”

‘Twas a beautiful evening Sunday. The sun shone, the clouds meandered, the river splashed and frolicked on its scoot to the bay. I could not have pictured a more lovely evening for riverside dining. My lovely companion and I took a table at Scott’s Seafood on the river, ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir, and watched the world and the shadows lazily drift by. As we toasted to our rare fortune to live in such a beautiful place, and to our great blessings of health and happiness, we were serenaded by the strains of “STROKE ME, STROKE ME.”

Yes indeed, at Scott’s, a place where you’re lucky to get dinner for two for less than $100, the music du jour was taken directly from a 1981 episode of Headbanger’s Ball. Continue reading “Waiter, There’s a Hair-Band in my Soup”

Here are three words you never thought you’d hear: vegan nacho cheese. It’s true. Local artist and, dare I say, Midtown personality Ilsa Hess has developed a totally dairy-free nacho cheese sauce for all of you that love the idea of neon orange cheesy chip sauce but can’t (or prefer not to) handle the lactose. In other words, start stocking up on corn chips my Asian friends!

She’ll be holding a raging release party of both her spicy and mild “Nacheez” on Friday, April 8 from 5–8 p.m. at the Never Felt Better vegan shop at 2315 K St. Free samples to be had for all, so drop by and get cheesy!

Gordon Ramsay is coming to our fair city. The temperamental Scottish chef, known for his pugnacious attitude and glistening, golden-haired barrel-chest will be dropping f-bombs on some of your (least) favorite area restaurants as part of his Fox show Kitchen Nightmares.

This is where you come in. The producers are looking for readers to submit their nominations for the most nightmarish kitchen in town. I’m nominating a few myself — specifically Sweetwater and The Corner — as I think neither of them has a clear culinary vision, tasty food, or skills in the kitchen. And my friends the Crushers saw multiple rodents at Sweetwater. What more do you need?  Continue reading “Kitchen Nightmares in Sac- Nominate Your Least Favorite Restaurant”

Who says Sacramento’s miserable? Not with great Indian food mere blocks away from my abode.

As of last week, the long anticipated opening of Mati’s Indian Express has come to pass. Her new digs on 16th St between O and P promise to bring hungy naan-loving Midtowners to her door in droves. If you never had a chance to check out Mati’s Natomas storefront, drop by the new Midtown location and sup full of curries and other South Asian delectables. And, seeing as there’s an application to sell alcohol in the works, odds are Kingfisher will be on the menu in a jiffy.

Mati’s Indian Express- 1501 16th St.

What the hell happened to my beloved Cirque du Crepe?!? Sure, they still know how to turn out a mighty nice flapjack, but on my last visit almost every other thing we ordered was unfathomably subpar, bordering on inedible. And I’m not talking hard to cook stuff here. It’s not like we ordered souffles and coq au vin. They served a “cheese omelet” that looked more like a handful of broken fried eggs (not scrambled or anything, just whites with broken yolks in the center) wrapped around a fistful of unmelted shredded cheddar straight from the Sysco Mylar pouch. And the sausages were limp and gummy. And honestly, gummy is not a quality I look for in my bangers.

For shame, Pancake Circus, for shame. Kitsch will only get you so far.

Pancake Circus- 2101 Broadway, www.pancakecircus.net(yeah that’s right, they have a website, if that’s not a sign that Skynet’s about to take over I don’t know what is)

Food*  Atmosphere*** Service**