Tag: Budget grub

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”

Let’s, like, totally go get some fro-yo after I tighten my scrunchie

Who knew that frozen yogurt would make such a comeback?  Fro-yo was such a huge part of the ’80s and early ’90s — so much that my college roommate and I had the Yogurt Park “flavor hotline” on speed dial. 

While we don’t see many Penguin or Honey Treat yogurt joints around these days, there are two spots in Sac that put a modern spin on the frozen concoction of yore:

Continue reading “Let’s, like, totally go get some fro-yo after I tighten my scrunchie”

Shakey Jake’s: A Cheerful Earful

There are times in life when all you want is to be left alone, to simply enter an establishment, purchase your foodstuffs and be on yourArrrrgh…where's me bee-day? way without fuss, without conversation and without complications that might interrupt your terribly important inner thoughts about what Dee from “What’s Happening” might be up to these days.  If that’s the kind of mood you’re in, then, by all means, stay away from Shakey Jake’s. Continue reading “Shakey Jake’s: A Cheerful Earful”

Daphne’s: Not Just Scooby Snacks Anymore

scoobydoogang01.jpgIn my work-a-day neck of the woods, a new restaurant opening is treated with the same awe and wonderment that the Incas would have given to a total eclipse of the sun on the summer solstice while the simultaneous atmospheric entry of a comet crushed their god-king during a leap year.  So, it was with great fanfare that Daphne’s Greek Cafe, Richmond Grove’s newest eatery, opened its doors to the hungry public.  Located in the Safeway shopping center on 19th and S, Daphne’s takes up some prime real estate and makes the most of it with conspicuous signage, a logo wrapped SUV in the front parking stall and wafting scents of lamb turning slowly on a vertical spit.

Continue reading “Daphne’s: Not Just Scooby Snacks Anymore”

Plaza Hof Brau: You Had Me at Hof

I’ve been threatening to write about the Hof Brau for months now, ever since the Mrs. and I moved into the DPM (Del Paso Manor) in fact.  So let’s just get this out in the open to start the conversation:  I love the Hof Brau, totally, completely, unconditionally.  There is not one thing I would change about the culinary and cultural timewarp that is Plaza Hof Brau.  Sure, it’s not a place you go on a first date or a place you take clients to when you’re trying to show them the town, but when you’re in the mood for a gut-filling meal with a side of pickles, you can’t ask for a better place. Continue reading “Plaza Hof Brau: You Had Me at Hof”