Restaurant Reviews

Dining review: Once-dependable Indian restaurant slips from favor - I asked our server if my order was correct, and he responded sharply: "Yes." At a real restaurant, where employees actually care, a server would have noticed that something was amiss, asked if everything was OK and, preferably, if I'd actually like some meat with my meat special. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Wayside Noodles: Late night pho king - Depending on the waitress, the food may come swiftly, but not always the check. And for a place with myriad entrees, it’s odd the drink options are fairly limited. There’s the inevitable avocado shake but no lemonade with soda, fresh-squeezed or otherwise, a Vietnamese stalwart. Probably just part of the fast-food thing. Greg Lucas in the Sac News & Review.

Surprising bargains lurking at farmers markets - Whatever the motivation for hitting the farmers market, underlying it all is one act: shopping. And these days, shopping is all about deals. Yet many farmers markets have evolved into hot spots for the urban upper crust. (Those monogrammed jute bags are the giveaway.) So The Bee's Food & Wine staff wondered: Can the average shopper find bargains at a farmers market? Niesha Lofing in the Sac Bee.

Sacramento says no to hot new food trend - The hottest new food trend literally rolls through the country, using Twitter and other social media to alert hungry customers... But that food truck wouldn't be able to stop for long in Sacramento. The City Council adopted ordinances in 2008 that make it nearly impossible to create a regional version of Kogi BBQ, a mobile food truck featured in Time magazine and Bon Appetit that tweets its latest location to 70,000 followers. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

Local food stars compete for slots at new airport terminal -  Some of Sacramento's top food stars lined up Thursday to compete for restaurant concession spots at Sacramento International Airport's new $1 billion terminal. Tony Bizjak in the Sac Bee.

Inside the secret world of Trader Joe's - But Trader Joe's is no ordinary grocery chain. It's an offbeat, fun discovery zone that elevates food shopping from a chore to a cultural experience. It stocks its shelves with a winning combination of low-cost, yuppie-friendly staples (cage-free eggs and organic blue agave sweetener) and exotic, affordable luxuries -- Belgian butter waffle cookies or Thai lime-and-chili cashews -- that you simply can't find anyplace else. Beth Kowitt in Fortune Magazine.

Tuli Two? - Speaking of restaurants, the owners of Tuli Bistro have just signed on to run the food-service operations at downtown Sacramento's venerable Sterling Hotel & Ballroom. Bob Shallit in the Sac Bee.

Ready for takeoff - At long last, the Good Eats gourmet grocery and restaurant is set to open. CEO Julie Rollofson says the Folsom Boulevard restaurant, takeout emporium and wine bar will have a "very soft" opening Monday, starting at 6 a.m. Bob Shallit in the Sac Bee.

Looking for more restaurant news and reviews? Find previous roundups at http://www.cowtowneats.com/happy_hour/weekly-news-roundup/