Cowtown Eats - Sacramento's Happy Hours

Dining News: Jamie's on Broadway 'Might Become Your Favorite Little Joint'

Jaime's on Broadway is one of those places that you just hear about. Friends rave about it. You've heard it's been on TV, but when you drive by, you're not sure if you're at the right place.

Sac Bee restaurant critic Blair Anthony Robert assures you that you are.

Jamie's is about the food, the clientele, the friendly but unfussy service and a jovial, hearty spirit that isn't trendy and doesn't go out of style. Jamie's isn't fancy, but neither is it cheap. Pay attention to the specials, scribbled in bright marker on a small board. Some, like the massive smoked prime rib and the barbecue platter on Fridays, cost $29.95 and $25.95, respectively.

So why are we here? And why are we reviewing a place that is already too beloved and too famous to accommodate all its admirers? We simply want to see how this old-school joint stacks up against some of the area's best newcomers. Is Jamie's burger, for instance, as good as the burgers at Bacon and Butter, Juno's or Formoli's? Not quite. Can its much-lauded clam chowder hold its own with the smoky, rather amazing chowder at Blackbird downtown? Again, no.

But pound for pound, year after year, there may not be another restaurant that does more great cooking, is more sincere and less showy about it than Jamie's on Broadway.

Read the entire reivew in the Sac Bee.

Find Jamie's online at JamiesonBroadwayGrille.com.

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Dining News: RIP Mongo Mongo, Welcome Sawasdee Thai Cuisine

Mongo Mongo, the only Mongolian BBQ restaurant on The Grid, opened in January 2012, and based on its Yelp reviews and Facebook posts, it looks like it closed in late February or early March.

Efforts to contact owner John Ng (no relation to yours truly) via his cell phone, e-mail and Facebook were unsuccessful, so I don't have any insight into why it's closed.

But replacing it will be Sawasdee Thai Cuisine. The windows were covered when I paid the place a visit earlier this week, but I could peek through and see that not much work had been done on the location. Mongo Mongo's unique open kitchen design was still there and the tables were stacked in the middle of the room.

It doesn't look like Sawasdee Thai's opening is immenent.

(H/T to Allison Joy on Sac Press who first reported Mongo Mongo was closed.)

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Jin Men: Take comfort - A friend who was born in Korea told me about Jin Men, a restaurant that bills its itself as Chinese but actually specializes in Korean-Chinese (hwagyo) food...I came specifically for the Korean specialties. The most popular of such is the ja jang myun, described as “black bean paste noodle.” Initially, I thought this meant the noodles were made from beans, but the thick chewy noodles are actually wheat based, and the sauce is made of black-soybean paste. Ja jang myun is based on the Chinese dish zhajiangmian (fried noodles with sauce) and is one of the “national foods” of South Korea. Jin Men’s rendition is made with little squares of chewy pork and tiny shrimp mixed with lots of sweet sautéed onions and slightly salty bean paste. We also tried a blander vegetarian version and the spicy noodles, which were fairly fiery. This addictive dish is served in a bowl just the right size to keep all to yourself. It may be one of my new favorite comfort foods. Ann Martin Rolke in Sac News Review.

Dining News: More on New Helvetia Brewery

New Helvetia Brewing Co., which Cowtown Eats first reported on its soft opening, will likely have its official grand opening during Sac Beer Week in late Feb. 2013, reports Karen Wilkinson in Sac Press.

While the brewery doesn't serve food (yet), customers are welcome to bring their own, or have it delivered to the business. Eventually he hopes to partner with some local food trucks, and maybe even somewhere down the road, add a restaurant as a complement to the brewery and tasting room.

Parking is not ideal right by the brewery, so customers can park at the Chase bank lot on 16th Street and Broadway.

There are only two beers to choose from at the moment: an IPA and a lager. More will be coming.

Read the entire story in Sac Press.

I hope to make it down on Friday for a taste of the IPA. If you have the time, I urge you to support the local business and help them get off the ground.

New Helvetia Brewing Co. is located at 18th & Broadway.

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Ten22 bartender earns bragging rights, $350 for best hot toddy - But when all the points were tabulated, one competitor didn't just win the competition - she owned it. That would be 1st place winner Karina Martinez of Ten22, who scored the $350 top prize. She went all out with her creation, printing a poem on a small coaster underneath the toddy glass, made her own monogrammed tea bags and torched some cinnamon bark for added aromatics. The drink itself was fantastic, which included almond water and Torani syrup, that was perfectly sweet, spiced up and just punchy enough with the bourbon. In short, she nailed it. A few of us wondered, "Who is this Karina Martinez, anyway?" I've judged cocktail competitions around town and never seen her participate, nor have I heard much buzz about her. Judging by her showing Monday night, she can definitely hang with the best bartenders in town due to her creativity and culinary skills. I'm going to make a point to drop into Ten22 to try some more of her cocktail creations - and you should, too. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

Daily Dining News: RIP Sweetwater Restaurant & Bar

Sweetwater Restaurant & Bar moved to midtown from East Sac in August 2009, replacing Finns, a seafood restaurant. In that time, I've gone there for happy hour a few times and ate brunch there recently on a Groupon. I thought their happy hour food as solid, but their brunch left a lot to be desired.

Here are some more details bout the closing from the Sac Bee's Chris Macias:

[Co-owner Brad] Ross said diners simply aren't spending money like they used to.

"Business had been solid but the economic climate has changed," said Ross. "People rely on Groupons and happy hours. It's now a big part of our culture, but the profit margins haven't changed. Therefore, some other things have to change as well. People used to come in and spend $100 on the way home from work. That $100 doesn't exist very often now."

Ross, who co-owned Sweetwater with Tom Rockenbaugh, said there's no plans for now to re-open Sweetwater in a different spot.

Read the entire story in the Sac Bee.

So maybe I was their exact problem. I'm sad that they're gone and for those who have lost their jobs, but I'm hopeful that a new and vibrant (and better) restaurant will fill that spot.

PS: I want to add that I'm forever thankful that Sweetwater hosted the one charity event we did a couple years back. At that event, we raised $100 so a needy family could have gifts that Christmas. I wish their owners good luck in whatever their future holds.

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