Category: Food

Reader help is requested to give me a better idea as to what is happening on the corner of 16th and R. At the beginning of the month, a small restaurant opened up called Shabu: Japanese Fondue.  Now the only thing I know about shabu-shabu is what I learned on the interwebs (which is a series of tubes dontchaknow).  Here’s what I’ve gleaned from the the usual sources: shabu-shabu is style of cuisine in which the diner cooks small bits of meat and vegetable in a communal bowl of steaming broth; this broth is then consumed at the end of the meal.

All I can say is “Thank God.” I was a bit worried that we were expected to mix teriyaki with a brandy spiked cheese sauce, or dipping slivers of yellowtail into molten chocolate. 

So, has anyone had shabu-shabu before? Anyone actually eaten at the new Shabu restaurant yet? Anyone turning Japanese?  Let us know.

I’m still not comfortable with the name, but I’ve become quite a fan of their food. 

In one word: mussels. Plan B Cafe in Arden Town Center knows how to do mussels. With coconut broth, or spicy cilantro broth, or white wine and garlic, or tomato sauce (or as my Nana would say, “tomato gravy”) with herbes de provence, these folks know how to serve up some bivalves.  The rest of the menu ain’t too shabby either, a bit expensive, but delicious and elegant enough to warrant most of the price. The mussels, however, are a steal at $12 (and extra $3 for fries, but trust me, you need the fries).

One of the more whimsical thoughts is that the space Plan B occupies used to be a toy store. I don’t know what that has to do with anything, I just think it’s kind of funny.

Try the desserts, especially anything with a crust — tarte tarin, pear tartlette, anything gallette — but stay away from the bread they bring to the table.  Someone in the kitchen is obviously a talented pastry chef, but not much of a bread maker.

Plan B Cafe- Watt & Fair Oaks in Arden Town Center, Sacramento

Foo ***1/2 Ambiance *** Service ****