Category: Food

Big Joe’s BBQ

Dipping your mop into the world of barbecue can be a precarious business. Other than pizza and burgers, there is no other food that Americans are more opinionated about. Some folks insist that your cooking vessel makes all the difference, whether it’s a kettle smoker, a barrel smoker, an egg shaped smoker, a flux-capacitor based meat vaporizer or just the back of an ’84 Celica. Other barbecue Einsteins insist that it’s all about the sauce, whether it’s a mustard sauce, or a tomato sauce, or a molasses sauce, or a vinegar sauce, or a tears-of-a-dolphin sauce. Don’t even start me on dry rubs.

So, suffice it to say, interjecting an opinion about anything barbecue is dangerous. That being said, I’m going to stick my neck out here. Are you ready for it? Can you take it?

Big Joe’s BBQ is the best barbecue in Sacramento. Continue reading “Big Joe’s BBQ”

Buy California Bistro

Calling this place a bistro is like calling Britney Spears a mom. It might be true, but it’s not really accurate.

Strip away the name and you have, on the surface at least, a somewhat standard state building cafeteria. Upon closer inspection though, you’ll notice that the produce all seems a little fresher than the usual fare, that the hair-netted counter man brags that the rather delicious vegetable soup is freshly made this morning.

Hmmm, you say to yourself, what’s going on here? This isn’t quite like other state cafeterias I’ve been to. And then you realize where you are–the statewide headquarters of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. And then it makes sense. Continue reading “Buy California Bistro”

The Sac Rag reports

So I am having lunch the other day at Togo’s. I order the sandwich and am asked if it would be “For here, or to go?” (To go, Togo’s…hey, wait a minute!) which I reply, “To go.” The sandwich maker asks for a “ring” and the cashier then tells me the price. It’s the price on the board, $5.49. I then realize my lunch partner ordered his sandwich “for here.” So I tell the sandwichista that it’s for dine in and she then tells the cashier who then charges me sales tax and we get into this whole thing. The cashier tells me that they have to charge sales tax if you eat the food on the premises. This got me thinking. What’s the deal with dine in sales tax? I’ve heard over the years that it was related to hot food, but that is not always the case.

I went home and jumped on the Interweb and discovered that the rules regarding sales tax and food are, shocker, I know, sketchy at best. I thought I would break it down for you just in case you have nothing better to do than learn about sales tax.

(Warning the content after the jump is dry and, er, taxing. Proceed at your own risk.)

Update: see comment below.

Continue reading “The Sac Rag reports”

Fieri pushing his competition?

Guy FieriI have to think that the new ads for TGI Fridays, featuring Tex Wasabi’s own Guy Fieri (left), are irksome to the employees of Tex Wasabi’s. Why go to some kooky fusion mess (feel free to use that as an album title or band name) that got bad reviews on some local blog when you can go right around the corner to Friday’s for the kooky fusion mess you know and love?

The Hidden Kitchen

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from my first experience at an “underground” restaurant. Ok, I’m lying, I’ll tell you exactly what I was expecting: passwords, dead-drops, eye patches, a husky voiced madam with arm garters and fake moles, a guy playing ragtime on the upright piano, veiled threats on my life, legally dubious foods, and more eye patches (I was expecting a lot of eye patches). The Hidden Kitchen is not really a restaurant, you see, but rather one of a number of subterranean eating spots popping up all over the country. Existing just below the surface of every day commerce, it’s a different kind of dining experience. Continue reading “The Hidden Kitchen”

The Most Confusing Restaurant in Sacramento

On Fulton Avenue is a restaurant suffering from and extreme case of multiple personality disorder. From the street, you might think it a breakfast spot, from the side you might think it a Mexican restaurant, from the other side you might confuse it with one of those ubiquitous Ukrainian “European Food” stores dotting the burbs, and from the inside you give up all hope of trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I, of course, am speaking of Daniels/Waffle King/Koricancha. Yes, that’s right, everyone’s favorite breakfast cum American cum Peruvian food purveyor. Beyond category, beyond explanation, beyond most people’s comprehension. Continue reading “The Most Confusing Restaurant in Sacramento”

Sampino Towne Foods: The Extra “E” is for “Excellent”

Bill Sampino knows what he’s doing. After 17 years at David Berkley, he could do this in his sleep. If an individual could have the specialty foods business running his veins without his blood turning to cherry tomato compote, then Bill Sampino would. Opened a little over a year ago in a dismally unprepossessing shopping strip on 16th Street, Sampino’s Towne Foods is a realized gem along an otherwise confused corridor. Specializing in Italian meats, sandwiches, hot foods, and sundries, the store is a retirement project for Bill, who runs the shop with his son. And for a retirement project, it’s a pretty fleshed out operation. Other than the limited hours (10-4, six days a week), there doesn’t appear to be any corner-cutting going on at Sampino’s. And, if anything, the limited hours allow Bill & Co. to produce small batches of hand-made, top-quality food. Continue reading “Sampino Towne Foods: The Extra “E” is for “Excellent””

Road Eats

With the sun up and a three day weekend only hours away, the open road may be calling you like that creepy disembodied voice in Field of Dreams. Sacramento being that great metropolis lauded for its proximity to prime destinations, it’s inevitable. The decision to hit the road usually involves two decisions–where to go, and when to leave. The one decision we leave to the traveling gods is what we’ll eat on the way there, so here are a few suggestions organized by driving routes:

80-East: If you’re heading up to Truckee, Tahoe, or points beyond, don’t forget to stop at Ikeda’s in Auburn. A great place to stop for fresh fruit, killer pies, and gourmet groceries, Ikeda’s (pronounced ee-kay-das) also has a mean grill that turns out some ridiculously good burgers and perhaps the finest BLT west of the International Date Line.

80-West: I know, I know, you miss the Nut Tree too. Well, trust me, it’s universal. Not one person who drives by the sorry excuse calling itself the Nut Tree is happy to see a bunch of big box retailers taking the place of their beloved memories. The ‘Tree was by far the best roadside attraction in recent memory after Texaco stopped their “Gas, Food, BJ” campaign. And while there’s not nearly as much fun to be had in the faceless shoppers’ paradise that Vacaville has become, you can still find some decent grub in the surrounding communities. If you’re heading west on I-80, pull off at t Travis Blvd in Fairfield and grab a sandwich at Kinder’s fine meats. The barbecue ball-tip sandwich is happy-dance inducing. Try it with he solid potato salad and you’ll be a happy traveler. Continue reading “Road Eats”

Rice Rice Baby!

Unless you’re on a low-carb diet, or are a Kearneyite, odds are you like a nice serving of rice now and then. Rice is universal and ancient, a staple of some of the oldest cultures on this planet. What you may not know though, is that California, especially the Sacramento Valley, produces more rice than just about anywhere else on Earth.

This isn’t news to too many of you. If you’ve been calling Sacramento home for more than a few years you’ve caught on to the fact that rice grows here in more abundance than genital warts on Lindsey Lohan. What may be new to you, though, is the new, revolutionary, healthy, and tasty Sacramento product, Rice Expressions. Continue reading “Rice Rice Baby!”

‘Twas a Weekend of Newness

With the rain falling and the mercury stuck at a stubborn fifty-five, I took it upon myself to go out and experience some new things in our fair city this weekend. Undaunted by the wet weather and soggy spirits I managed to eat, drink, and laugh my way to a pretty darn good weekend.

Friday night was a double dip into newness, visiting the newly remodeled Sacramento Comedy Spot as well as sampling the grub from the highly anticipated Suzie Burger.

The show at the Sacramento Comedy Spot was a rousing success. Labeled a “Grand Re-Opening,” the lineup included four different shows to a sold out audience. Shows run most Fridays at 8pm. Check out http://www.saccomedyspot.com for show details.

Suzie Burger was another story. The newly opened burger joint, brainchild of the Haines brothers, has been “coming soon” for quite a number of months now. The former auto repair shop on 29th and P streets has been teasing me with the thought of burgers and cheesesteaks for long enough. It was time to indulge. Continue reading “‘Twas a Weekend of Newness”