Chando's Tacos

Dining News: Opening of Chando's Roseville Delayed Indefinitely

 

Just days after announcing an opening date, Chando's Tacos new Roseville location's debut has been delayed indefinitely.

Although Chando didn't specify a reason, generally, last minute construction hiccups or inspection issues are to blame for a delay this late in the game. This doesn't worry me too much.

The Roseville location was scheduled to open the location in October, but like so many other restaurants, its original timetable was ambitious.

This will be the third restaurant for Chando's Tacos, with the original location on Arden Way, and its second location on Power Inn.

Statistician Nate Silver's 538 Web site named Chando's Tacos the 7th Best Burrito in America, though most connoisseurs recommend the mulitas.

Chando's Tacos Roseville is located at 963 Pleasant Grove Boulevard, and can be found online at ChandosTacos.com.

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Yogis Giving Back - Supported by event sponsors like The Yoga Workshop, they’re taking happy hour to the next level with A’frican Event on January 31 The benefit event will be held at Mulvaney’s B&L and will feature South African beer and wine tastings; a performance by African Dancers; auction and raffle items; music by DJ Dragonfly and a local chef challenge. During the chef challenge, local culinary celebrities, including Adam Pechal from Crawdad’s River Cantina andIan MacBride from Lucca will be given a mystery box of ingredients and have 45 minutes to dazzle the judges with South African-inspired dishes. Sabrina Lockhart on Girls on the Grid.

Sacramento’s Silk Road soda readies for expansion - Silk Road is already off to a solid start. The sodas can be found throughout California via four distributors, including the Sacramento-based Blue Dog Beverages (which also make River City Root Beer and other Sacramento-centric sodas). They’ll also soon be available in Portland, where Silk Road sodas are produced and bottled through the Yoshida Group, which has a pasteurization line that stretches 40 yards and includes keen temperature control. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

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VIDEO: Empowering African Youth through Yoga with Charity Chefs Competition on Sat at Mulvaney's - A local group is reaching out to communities on the other side of the globe. Bethany Crouch is in studio to explain how yoga is helping empower youth in Africa. Bethany Crouch on FOX 40.

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Dining News: Chando's Tacos in Roseville to Open on Feb. 3

Chando's Tacos will expand to Roseville, opening on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

The Roseville location was scheduled to open the location in October, but like so many other restaurants, its opening was delayed.

This will be the third restaurant for Chando's Tacos, with the original location on Arden Way, and its second location on Power Inn.

Statistician Nate Silver's 538 Web site named Chando's Tacos the 7th Best Burrito in America, though most connoisseurs recommend the mulitas.

Chando's Tacos Roseville is located at 963 Pleasant Grove Boulevard, and can be found online at ChandosTacos.com.

More News:

Is Unified starting to outgrow Sacramento? - It’s shaping up to be a packed week at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, which runs Tuesday through Thursday at the Sacramento Convention Center and the nearby Sheraton and Hyatt Regency hotels. Organizers are expecting a record crowd of more than 14,000 to attend Unified, the annual wine industry conference and trade show that doubles as the largest convention hosted in Sacramento each year. Almost every square inch of the Sacramento Convention Center is being scrutinized in an effort to best accommodate all the attendees and trade-show vendors. And good luck finding a hotel room within a walkable distance, or a dinner reservation on Tuesday or Wednesday at Ella Dining Room & Bar or Grange. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

Knee Deep in Great Beer - It takes moxie to tattoo your forearm with the logo of a company that may fold a few months later. But that’s exactly what Jeremy Warren did when he founded Knee Deep Brewing in Auburn. “I tattooed it on there when I started the company,” explains Warren. “That way, every morning when I brushed my teeth, I would have to look at the tattoo to remind myself that this was not going to be easy and I was going to have to work hard. It was a daily reminder of what I was going up against. There was a chance I would have a tattoo of a brewery that didn’t exist.” Catherine Warmerdam in Sac Mag.

Return of foie gras draws some opposition - Despite the barrage of foie gras photos that have appeared on social media in recent days, not everyone's happy the delicacy is back on California menus. Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, reiterated his group's opposition to the news while visiting Sacramento on Friday. "This is an issue of torture of birds," Pacelle said in a phone interview. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

10 fiery ways to enjoy International Hot and Spicy Food Day in Sacramento - In honor of International Hot and Spicy Food Day this Friday, Jan. 16, it’s time to crank up the heat with some fiery and spicy dishes around Sacramento that will curb the winter blues. Ranging from sinus-clearing to delicately sweetened and spiced, here are 10 great dishes, delicacies and treats for those heat seekers looking to add a little extra kick to their day. Featuring Broderick Roadhouse, Vampire Penguin, Mulvaney's B&L, Thai Spice, 3D Candles, Akebono, Preservation & Co., Hidden Sichuan, Sandra Dee's BBQ & Seafood and Tres Hermanas. Alex Hernandez in Sactown Mag.

VIDEO: Business Owners Near Sacramento Kings Arena Fear Rent Hikes Will Drive Them Out Of City - Armando Ponce has been cutting hair in downtown, just a few blocks away from the arena site, for 20 years. He says several tenants have already moved out of the building where he works because the rent was getting too high, and he fears he could be next when his lease is up. Ian Schwartz on CBS 13.

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Dining News: Opening Dates for Empress, New Magpie, Iron Horse Tavern

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If you read the 32 Sacramento Restaurants Opening in 2014 post earlier this year, you'd already know about these restaurants, but the Sac Bee duo of Chris Macias and Allen Pierleoni have updated some of the expected opening dates:

  • Empress Tavern, at the Crest Theather by the people who brought us Mother: First Half of February
  • Chando's Tacos Roseville: Near the end of January
  • Amaro Italian Bistro, a collaboration between the Shady Lady Team and Abe Cunningham of local alt metal band Deftones at 11th & R: Late March/Early April
  • Iron Horse Tavern, by the Wong family that has brought Sacramento Mason’s (now defunct), Cafeteria 15L, Ma Jong’s Asian Diner and Mix Downtown, at 15th & R: Maybe May
  • Magpie's new & larger location at 16th & P, replacing current location: April
  • Hawks Provisions & Public House, the new East Sac location for the much loved Granite Bay restaurant at 1525 Alhambra Blvd.: April

Needless to say, every one of these restaurants has slipped from its original announced opening date, usually due to permitting or construction issues. Whenever they finally open, I look forward to giving them a try.

See the entire story in the Sac Bee.

See also the 32 Sacramento Restaurants Opening in 2014

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Sacramento lands on list of world's best coffee destinations - Sacramento's coffee scene has already attracted national attention. Now, a travel writer has put the city among the top international coffee destinations. A list on MatadorNetwork.com, an online travel magazine, includes Sacramento as one of 11 of the world's best cities for coffee lovers. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

New brewery tour hits hot spots of Sacramento's beer boom - Those wanting to become savvy in the art of craft beer can start with a tour that stops at some of the Sacramento region’s most celebrated breweries. Grady O’Bryant, proprietor of the locally based company SacTrips, has his first hop-on, hop-off bus tour of breweries set for Jan. 31. O’Bryant will take groups on a trip to five different local breweries: Track 7, Bike Dog, Yolo Brewing Company, New Helvetia and Oak Park Brewing Company. Along the way, guests will learn about the beermaking process, try a curated selection of each brewery’s most popular brews, and socialize with other beer buffs. Alex Hernandez in Sactown Mag.

Woman shot at popular El Dorado Hills pub - A woman was shot and killed near closing time last Wednesday morning at the 36 Handles pub in El Dorado Hills, one suspect is in custody. Brian Hickey on KCRA.

Grab a slice at Wally’s: Owners of FLB open pizzeria and sports bar in Cameron Park - The owners of FLB Entertainment Center and FLB Sports Bar and Casino have opened more doors in Cameron Park. Wally’s Pizza Bar will be open for January and is the next generation of sports entertainment for the Dreher family to offer the community. Laura Newell in the El Dorado Hills Telegraph.

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Dining News: Izakaya Daikoku at 19th & S to Open on Wednesday

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Izakaya Daikoku, located at 19th & S, will open on Wednesday, Oct. 1, a waiter at sister restaurant RyuJim Ramen House told diners (and a trusted Cowtown Eats source) over this weekend.

Izakaya Daikoku has said it will serve dishes in the traditional izakaya style, which is a sort of Japanese tapas.

The restaurant shares owners with RyuJin Ramen House in the Safeway parking lot at 19th & S, and Akebono in Land Park.

Per Sac Biz Journal, they will also serve sushi, sashimi and other dishes available at Akebono.

According the waiter, Izakaya Diakoku was scheduled to open this past week but was delayed due to a last minute hiccup.

I'm very excited for the new restaurant. I'm a big fan of the owner's other restaurants and look forward to trying a traditional izakaya in Sacramento.

Previous Coverage:

Dining News: Everything You Need to Know About Izakaya Daikoku

Izakaya Daikoku will be located at 1831 S Street, and can be found online at http://www.izakayadaikoku.com/.

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Dining News: Why Chando's Tacos has the 7th Best Burrito in America

Chandos

In June, Nate Silver's Five Thirty Eight Web Site data-driven Web site hired a burrito correspondent to determine who had the best burrito in America. Silver is probably best known for his elections prediction blog run for the New York Times, where he successfully predicted the 2012 presidential election with stunning accuracy.

Based on five categories worth 20 points each - tortilla, meat, other ingredients, presentation and flavor profile, each burrito was rated on a scale of 1 to 100 by their special burrito correspondent Anna Barry-Jester.

Unfortunately, Chando's Taco's didn't make it out of the first round due to an unlucky draw. However, when sorting by straight numerical rating of first round scores, a Cowtown Eats analysis reveals that Chando's Tacos, with a score of 91, is tied for their 7th highest rated burrito in the country.

Here are the top 10:

Rank
Restaurant Name
Score
1 La Taqueria 98
2 Al & Bea’s Mexican Food 96
3 (T) Taqueria Cancún 94
3 (T) Manuel’s El Tepeyac Café 94
3 (T) Athenian III 94
6 Delicious Mexican Eatery 92
7 (T) Chando’s Tacos 91
7 (T) Taqueria Tlaxcalli 91
7 (T) Tortilleria Y Taqueria Ramirez 91
10 (T) Rosa Maria’s Drive-In 90
10 (T) La Azteca Tortilleria 90

For more about their rating methodology or to find out who wins their tournament, visit fivethirtyeight.com/Burrito.

I've actually never tried a burrito from Chando's, but since math tells me that they're one of the best in the country, I'll make that my order the next time I'm in.

Chando's Tacos now has two locations, a taco truck and a third location coming soon in Roseville. Find their exact addresses at http://chandostacos.com/locations/.

More News:

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Dining News: Aji Japanese Bistro in El Dorado Hills 'Still Finding Its Voice'

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Aji Japanese Bistro launched with great fanfare in December, scoring a feature in the Sac Bee by Chris Macias touting the level of service a diner might expect at the restaurant.

Four months after they opened, Sac Bee restaurant critic Blair Anthony Robertson tells us whether they lived up to the hype.

And yet our experiences so far suggest all that focus on nuance might be best reserved for later. Right now, Aji could use greater emphasis on its cooking – how it can take its eclectic and often inspiring words on paper and make them come together for a more consistent, dynamic and entertaining eating experience.

While the restaurant already exhibits a sense of sophistication when it comes to the ambiance and service, there were simply too many missteps from the kitchen. The seasoning of the food, the use of ingredients, the composition of the dishes – much of it seemed random, if not clunky.

Despite its rather uncommon concept, Aji finds itself in the most competitive restaurant category in the region. Casual upscale dining, in fact, is the direction fine dining is going throughout the country. It’s less formal and often more fun. But to distinguish itself, a restaurant has to make the food really sing and dial in the value.

Read the entire review in the Sac Bee.

I've only eaten there once - the weekend after I read the Bee's profile since I was already at the outlets in Folsom. On my one visit, I found it middling. Maybe that's too strong. I was ready for an experience that would blow me away, but what I got was what you'd typically expect from a new restaurant. There were some good dishes and others that had execution issues. The service was friendly, but not world class.

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Instead of underpromising and overdelivering, they made the mistake of overpromising and falling short. On the bright side, they really nailed the modern Japanese decor.

El Dorado Hills is a long drive for those who live on The Grid. I have no doubt that they'll be successful with those who live out there, but I'm not sure if they'll continue to draw people from other areas in the region unless they start delivering what they promised.

Aji Japanese Bistro is located at 4361 Town Center Blvd in El Dorado Hills, and can be found online at http://www.aji-bistro.com/.

More News:

A (Fresh) Fish Tale - An all-star restaurant team launches a sushi-focused Japanese bistro in El Dorado Hills that keeps things pure and simple. Anita Chabria in Sactown Mag.

Chando’s Tacos plans to open its third location in Roseville in May - Restaurateurs Lisandro and Karla Madrigal will open a third Chando’s Tacos location, this one in a shopping center at 943 Pleasant Grove Blvd. in Roseville. An opening date hasn’t been set, but it will be sometime in May. “We had to kind of tweak our business model a little bit to make it work,” said Lisandro Madrigal, whose nickname is Chando. “We like standalone buildings or more end-cap buildings, but there’s a lot of traffic there. It’s next door to Starbucks.” Cathie Anderson in the Sac Bee.

Not all taps are created equal - As the Sacramento area continues to embrace craft beer, you’re going to see more and more tap handles at bars, restaurants and beer-specific pubs...All those selections can either be a great thing, a confusing thing or, if the lines that run the beer from the keg to the handle are not properly maintained, a downright funky thing. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

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Dining News - Now Open: Block Butcher Bar

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Monday will be Block Butcher Bar's first official day open for business.

The restaurant is by the owners of and adjacent to LowBrau at 20th & Capitol Streets. Instead of trying to distill the concept myself, I'll let Chef Michael Touhy do it in his own words, via his blog.

The menu for block is very "Pork Centric". Artisan Salumi from some of the very best producers in the US, such as La Quercia, Olli, Fra' Mani, Olympic Provisions and Salumeria Biellese. More traditional offerings of Prosciutto di Parma, San Danielle, Jamon Serrano & Iberico round out the selection. Artisan & Farmstead Cheese fit into the mix featuring mostly domestics such as North Valley Farms, Jasper Hill, Rogue River, Pedrozo, Vermont Creamery and more, along with a scattering of Europeans in the mix.

Perhaps one of the most interesting thoughts about the whole concept of Block from a culinary perspective is, there is no real hot kitchen or cooking aparatus. We have a sandwich press and two immersion circulators, 2 slicers and, that's it! Hence the way the menu is layed out between items that are; pickled, cured, fermented & marinated. For me, this is very unique. Having cooked with Wood-burning grills, rotisseries & ovens, as well as many other bells and whistles that come with most commercial kitchens, it forces you to think differently, and stretch your boundaries...

The Bar & Cocktail program has been curated by Bar Manager Dave Steinberg & General Manager Patrick Ramos. Both have been running the show at LowBrau, and have created a brilliant selection of Scotch, Bourbon, & Rye. Of course some select gins, tequilla's and other spirits have a place, the emphasis is clearly on Brown Spirits. We have a well orchestrated and focused Craft Beer selection, Craft Cocktails and a small smart Wine List all designed to complement the menu.

Read his entire post here.

I was tipped off on Friday evening by a loyal reader that Friday night was a soft opening for the place and was able to check it out. I'll post my thoughts about the new restaurant on Monday.

Sactown Mag's S.T. Vanairsdale has a little on the tic toc of how Block Butcher Bar came to be.

The demonstration space has been in the works since before even LowBrau opened in January 2013 in the space formerly occupied by the restaurant and bar Lounge on 20. (Even the cleavers dotting the back of LowBrau’s bar foreshadowed the more intensive developments to come.) The partners were using the vacant 1,100-square-foot space next door for kegs and storage when, last spring, their landlords informed them that they planned to put it on the market.

Later in 2013, Hargis says, word that a national chain had expressed interest in the vacancy “lit a fire under our butts” to fast-track a business plan and rough look for Block. Hargis, who coordinated LowBrau’s design and has a background in architecture, drew the original conceptual sketch on a bar napkin.

Once the landlords signed off, Hargis and Nutting took the plans for Block to their LowBrau investors, who looked at the plans and doubled down on the new venture. “We thought we had something that would really complement what we were doing at Lowbrau,” Nutting explains. “And we decided, instead of doing LowBrau Part Two, to do another brand that really complements what we were hoping to present.”

Read the entire post in Sactown Mag.

Over the weekend, Andrew Blaskovich, owner of food truck Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen tweeted his thoughts about the new restaurant.

Keep up with Block Butcher Bar on Facebook at Facebook.com/BlockButcherBar.

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New food handling law causes an uproar in the restaurant industry - After years of not being required to wear food safety gloves or use tongs, California decided it is now unsanitary for bartenders to touch the lime, lemon or orange slice garnishing many alcoholic beverages. “I wash my hands so many times,”said Elliott Ames, a bartender at Vanguard on 1415 L Street. “I do not have to wear gloves we use tongs and it is not that big of a deal.” Kelly Abercrombie in the Sac State Hornet.

Legado de Ravel leasing faster than expected - University of Beer, which already has an outlet in Davis, was originally supposed to open next month but will miss that target, according to an employee at the Davis location. Ben van der Meer in Sac Biz Journal.

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