Cowtown Eats - Sacramento's Happy Hours

Daily Dining News: Eating Dinner on the Cheap at Happy Hour

In this month's Sac Mag, their Dollar Wise Gourmet talks about turning happy hour into a full meal.

Fun fried finger foods are still traditional happy hour grub. But these days, happy hour is being redefined, with some menus featuring such fare as grilled chicken skewers, flatbread and hummus, even salads. (Yes, really.) With some careful ordering, it adds up to a meal—not to mention a steal of a deal. Here are four local examples, tested in each case by a pal and me. (In other words, everything serves two.)

In her story, she featured Paul Martin's American Bistro, 3 Fires Lounge, Lucca Restaurant & Bar and Piatti Ristorante & Bar. Read Cathy Cassinos-Carr's entire article in Sac Mag.

Let me give you a few more of my recommendations:

• Morton's: This happy hour isn't cheap. But I love their three sliders for $7 during happy hour. A full meal.
• Gallagher's: For those whow want to spend a little less, they have one steak slider and a couple steak fries for just $2.

That's just a couple that I've done recently, but certainly not a comprehensive list. Do you have a favorite happy hour that's a meal replacement? Leave your ideas in the comments below..

Jimboy's in Folsom to give away tacos - The refurbished Jimboy's Tacos restaurant at 708 E. Bidwell St. in Folsom will celebrate its "grand reopening" on Saturday with free tacos. Officials of the Roseville-based company said the outlet will give two ground beef tacos to every person stopping by from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. that day. Mark Glover in the Sac Bee.

Sacramento Beer Week Highlights From Scott Executive Director, Sacramento Beer Week - The third annual Sacramento Beer Week gives you the opportunity to try hundreds of beers from your backyard and from around the world from February 24 to March 4.  This year is marked by several additions to the family of Sacramento breweries and a number of larger events catering to thirsty beer fans from Sacramento and beyond. Here is a selection of Beer Week highlights – go to SacramentoBeerWeek.com for the full schedule – or download the SBW mobile app to guide you to more than 300 unique events including food and beer pairings, brewery showcases, pub crawl, beer fests and more! In Midtown Monthly.

Daily Dining News: Sac Bee Opposes New Food Truck Law

In an editorial in Wednesday's paper, the Sac Bee says Assemblymember Bill Monning's "Ban on food trucks near schools goes way too far."

AB 1678 seeks "to regulate private businesses that aren't on school grounds and that serve customers who aren't students....

"If legislators want to combat obesity, there are other proactive, helpful ways: encouraging and funding programs that get healthy local produce into school cafeterias, helping schools plant vegetable gardens, enhancing public education on good nutrition for children."

Read the entire editorial in the Sac Bee. Photo is a screenshot from USAToday.com.

More News:

The Kitchen, former Sacramento chef receive James Beard nominations -  While the movie industry has its Academy Awards, the James Beard Foundation Awards represent the restaurant and food world's top honors. This year's crop of nominees features some rare Sacramento flavor vying with the country's top restaurants for these awards. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

Restaurants pledge donations to Sacramento Food Bank this week - It's "Eat to Feed the Hungry" week in Sacramento, with 15 top local restaurants each pledging $500 contributions to support the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. From today through Sunday, the participating eateries have promised to kick in $1, to a maximum of $500, for every diner who checks in first at the restaurants' social media sites. Participating restaurants are Cafeteria 15L, Dive Bar, Ella, Gogi's Korean BBQ, Golden Bear, Ink Eats and Drinks, Level Up Lounge, MIX, Pizza Rock, Red Rabbit, River City Brewing Co., Sandra Dee's Bar-B-Que & Seafood, Thai Basil and Zocalo. Andy Furillo in the Sac Bee.

Daily Dining News: Best Restaurant in Sac?

 
In this week's review, Sac Bee restaurant critic Blair Anthony Robertson takes a look at Hawks Restaurant in Granite Bay:

The flavors and the combinations on the plate are broad, focused, often beautiful and, in the case of one dessert involving what I thought would be a German chocolate cake, show touches of edgy, elegant brilliance....

With its fine staff, meticulous training and attention to detail from kitchen to dining room, Hawks is doing enough to be considered the best restaurant we've got.

Read the entire reivew in the Sac Bee. (Also see Kira O'Donnell's thoughts in Sac Mag from March 2011.)

I've never had the chance to try Hawks. Mostly, it's the distance from Downtown that's kept me away, but I do have their Sunday fried chicken dinners on my to do list. I hope they rumors that the owners are looking at a space at Stockton & Alhambra are true.

(See Hawks happy hour information here.)

More News:

The Kitchen Named Semifinalist for James Beard Award - The Kitchen Restaurant, helmed by the Selland Family, is a semifinalist for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant. (The James Beard awards are the Oscars of the resturant world.) On JamesBeard.org

Eat to Feed the Hungry debuts this week - Starting Feb. 20 and running through Sunday, community members can turn their dinners out on the town into a battle against hunger in the Sacramento region. Sara Islas in Sac Press.

Daily Dining News: Bill to Effectively End Food Trucks?

The low level fight between food trucks and restaurants is a tough one. On one hand, restaurants employ thousands of Sacramentans and shouldn't have to put up with a food truck parking in front of their business day after day, siphoning off their business.

On the other hand, food truck operators are entrepreneurs who are trying to make a better living for themselves. As Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen has proven, the food truck can be a stepping stone to a brick and mortar eating establishment.

But a new bill, AB 1678 by Assemblymember Bill Monning (D-Carmel), who happens to be running for state senate, goes too far. His bill prohibits mobile food trucks from selling within 1,500 feet of a school between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. His stated rationale is that the food is unhealthy and the trucks could be a traffic threat to student safety.

While reasonable people can agree that food trucks shouldn't be allowed to sell at any time at any place, this bill looks like an attempt by restaurants to eliminate mobile food as competition, using childhood obesity and safety as an excuse.

To put this in perspective, this bill does nothing to prevent fast food restaurants from opening up near schools.

This issue received extensive coverage over the weekend. Here's the take by Jim Sanders in the Sac Bee.

If you're looking for a way to get involved, a new group Food Truck Freedom was created late last week to fight this new bill. Find them on Facebook, Twitter or Google + to get the latest.

More News:

Philadelphia Cheesesteak Co: Sacramento cheese-steak showdown - In the universe of food, it’s a question on a par with the existence of God and the meaning of life. And, like those timeless puzzlers, a definitive answer can be elusive. Perhaps, like the Holy Grail, the quest is more important than ultimate success. So who really serves the best Philly cheese steak? A final answer won’t be found below, but the results of some preliminary questing will. Greg Lucas in Sac News & Review.

Check it Out: Cantiga Wineworks Zinfandel - I was surprised and delighted by a unique Zinfandel I tried recently while dining at a favorite restaurant in Truckee called Pianeta. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.

Daily Dining News: Best Mexican Dishes in Sac?

Sac Mag restaurant critic Kira O'Donnell has rounded up a list of her 13 favorite dishes at Mexican restaurants across the Sacramento region. Among her choices are:

Ernesto’s Mexican Food: Enchiladas Suizas - Enchiladas appear on practically every Mexican restaurant menu, and they’re often uninspiring. But these are a knockout, thanks to the electrifying green sauce that smothers the dish.

Tequila Museo Mayahuel: Chile Relleno de Queso - Delicate and light as a cloud, Mayahuel’s chile relleno is one of the restaurant’s finest dishes.

Centro Cocina Mexicana: Camarones y Calamares a la Parilla - For this enticing, light appetizer, chefs marinate Monterey Bay squid and shrimp in olive oil, serrano chilies and oregano, then quickly grill the meat, infusing it with a deliciously smoky flavor.

See her entire list in Sac Mag.

More News:

Fox & Goose takes to Facebook for an expanded response - Here's an update on the dust-up over a short but negative review of Fox & Goose in the Feb. Midtown Monthly. Social media is a powerful tool. Is this a good response from the pub? Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

10 most popular midtown restaurants - Two things make a restaurant popular: lots of diners. And lots of passion. To measure which midtown Sacramento restaurants capture both, the Sacramento Business Journal created an index that incorporates both the average rating and number of reviews on two popular online rating services: Yelp and Urbanspoon. Sac Biz Journal.

Daily Dining News: New Sports Bar on K St?

George Karpaty, the man behind Dive Bar, District 30 and Pizza Rock, is planning on adding to a sports bar to his K Street empire, reports Michael Shaw in the Sac Biz Journal.

Despite the elimination of Sacramento’s redevelopment agency, officials believe the guidelines will permit the release of $2 million in funds for another trendy venue on K Street by San Francisco nightclub owner George Karpaty.

He is proposing a new sports bar and grill on the ground floor at 1012 K St. Plans include bocce courts in the basement and virtual golf, shuffleboard and other games on the second floor lounge. It’s next door to Karpaty’s other venues, the mermaid-themed Dive Bar, the District 30 club and Pizza Rock restaurant.

Read the entire article in the Sac Biz Journal. (Subscription required.)

More News:

5 Kid-Friendly Restaurants (That Adults Will Like, Too) - I shudder when I hear the phrase “kid-friendly restaurant.” It often refers to an eatery that’s boisterous, loud, inexpensive and, honestly, adult-unfriendly – both in ambience and food quality. But there are a number of great dining choices in the region that manage to satisfy (and entertain) both youngsters and their parents (and they don’t serve pre-frozen chicken fingers or gelatinous macaroni and cheese). Here’s five of our faves: Mikuni, Hot Italian, Capitol Dawg, Vic's Ice Cream & Sunflower Drive In. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.

Dining review: Despite a few misfires, the Broiler gets old-school quite right - This is not culinary artistry. It is steak and potatoes, maybe salmon with a glaze that will put a smile on your face. The wine list won't win any awards for originality, but you'll find something in your price range to go with steak or fish. More than anything, the Broiler is about something that won't go out of style: the human element that is so tough to get right at a restaurant. During three recent visits, we had one good server, one very good server and one exceptional server. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Daily Dining News: Monsoon Cuisine of India (16th & K) Reviewed

Many people had high hopes for Monsoon Cuisine of India, the restaurant that replaced Spin Burger Bar at 16th & K. I've been there to check out their happy hour and liked their naan, but didn't have a chance to try out a full meal.

Greg Lucas of the Sac News & Review stopped by recently and prety much agreed with the Sac Bee restaurant critic's recent review.

Like so many things in life, there is always room for another good Indian restaurant. And, in the aggregate, Monsoon is good. It is not great. Not to be a broken record or scratched disc or whatever the 21st-century cliché is, but Bombay Bar & Grill at 1315 21st Street is an inspired Indian restaurant where, unlike, Monsoon, mango chutney is available—free of charge—at every meal. Free mango chutney being but one of the smaller of Bombay’s superior attributes. And despite little affinity for Indian lunch buffet, Pooja Indian Grill in West Sacramento lays out an expertly prepared spread that offers almost as much variety as Monsoon’s truncated lunch menu. For the Indian buffet aficionados who wish to remain on foot in the greater downtown environs, Mati’s Indian Express at 1501 16th Street gets the nod over Monsoon with its engaging but eagle-eyed matriarch stationed behind the chaffing dishes to ensure her creations are just so.

Hopefully they're still working out the kinks and they'll go from pretty good to great.

See the entire review in Sac News & Review.

More News:

Artful cuisine - The Crocker Museum has found a new operator for its airy, first-floor cafe. Matt and Yvette Woolston, who run Matteo's Pizza & Bistro and Supper Club catering, have been selected to take over the job as of Feb. 28. Bob Shallit in the Sac Bee.

Site selection - We now know the location of the Leatherby's Family Creamery planned for Elk Grove. It's going in to the long- vacant Mandango's Sports Bar & Grill site at 8238 Laguna Blvd. Bob Shallit in the Sac Bee.