Food Truck

Daily Dining News: Blackbird Entree 'a delicious tumble of flavor & texture'

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Blackbird Kitchen & Bar opened two months ago, and it's had a some time to get its bearings as a restaurant. How's it doing? Sac Mag's Kira O'Donnell gives us an update.

Never much of a chowder fan, I was stunned on two occasions by the lushly flavorful clam and seafood chowder. Lampkin applewood-smokes the clams daily, then steeps them in cream overnight to maximize the soup’s alluring, smoky flavor. The soup is velvety, aromatic, and filled with soft chunks of potato and fish.

The entrée selections at Blackbird are limited, but each one I tried was impressive. The Maine lobster and roasted beet salad teemed with large, sweet chunks of lobster and was sprinkled with roasted pistachios and an intriguing Banyuls vinaigrette. The Arctic char had an irresistibly crispy skin and was served with tender fiddlehead ferns and romanesco broccoli—a delicious tumble of flavor and texture.

Read the entire post on Sac Mag.

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New owner, familiar face - The tough choices begin as you approach the front of the line at Baguettes Deli in Elk Grove. Will it be the warm brie and Granny Smith sandwich or the California BLT with cheddar, smoked bacon, avocado and honey? The creativity continues from there, with each bundle priced at $7 to $10. Baguette's new owner, Paula Hunley, is trying hard to ensure that the lunch crowd won't miss cafe founders Bret and Debora Bohlmann. The couple grew so busy with the deli, Boulevard Bistro and Clarksburg's Old Sugar Mill that Bret was doing more management than cooking, and that didn't sit well with him. So they sold the year-old Baguettes at 9380 Elk Grove Florin Road to Hunley in May. She used some of her retirement savings to buy it. Cathie Anderson in the Sac Bee.

End of an era: Taylor's Market and Ford's Hamburgers part ways - OK, maybe it came off as a bit of a dig when the much-admired and locally owned Taylor's Market posted a brief note on Facebook, informing its fans that it would no longer be the supplier to locally owned Ford's Hamburgers just up the street. It went like this: "We are sad to announce that after 25 years our business relationship with Ford's Hamburgers has ended. We wish the owners well and hope they are able maintain the same level of quality while using a corporate source for their beef." Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

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Daily Dining News: Altertnative Sac Food Truck Alliance Forms

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By now, we've all heard of SactoMofo -- the group behind those wildly successful mobile food festivals. But the most recent SactoMoFo, about half of the local trucks were missing. I'd heard grumblings that -- surprise -- it was about money, but Brandon Darnell seems to confirm it in Sac Press.

The group, Norcal Food Trucks (@EatNorcalTrucks), was started as both an alternative and a companion to the organization that has represented the food trucks so far – SactoMofo.

While SactoMofo is run by food truck advocates, Norcal Food Trucks will be run by the truck owners, according to Chris Jarosz, the owner of the Wicked' Wich truck and one of the organizers behind Norcal...

Another factor that likely played a role: money.

While SactoMofo was started as a nonprofit organization, the group more recently became a for-profit company and began to charge trucks referral fees for events it organizes.

Norcal, on the other hand, has no plans to charge trucks referral fees, according to Jarosz.

Read the entire article in Sac Press.

You can find Norcal Food Trucks at http://www.norcalfoodtrucks.com.

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Firestone brings corner back to life - The developers of the Firestone Public House were beaming at a fundraiser Thursday introducing their new restaurant. After all the work — some of it coming at the last minute — the restaurant was in fine form for its debut. “We really like the way it turned out,” said Henry de Vere White, one of the owners. Mark Anderson in Sac Biz Journal.

Cafe Bernardo opens with an outdoor patio and longer menu - Most restaurants have signature dishes. If Sacramento has a signature restaurateur, it's the pioneering Randy Paragary. The "corporate menu" of the Paragary Restaurant Group includes Paragary's Bar & Oven, Esquire Grill, Centro Cocina Mexicana and Spataro. Add to the list four Cafe Bernardos, the newest one opening a couple of weeks ago downtown along the K Street mall. It's serving breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends. Its menus offer more choices than its three siblings' menus. Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.

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Daily Dining News: Firestone Public House's Menu Details Emerge

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Firestone Public House is opening to the general public on Friday, May 12 (while holding a $75 per person fundraiser for the UC Davis Children's Hospital on May 11). The Sac Bee's Chris Macias has the scoop on the food they'll be serving.

Executive chef Christian Palmos, who also oversees the food program at sister restaurant Cafeteria 15L, has created a fairly lengthy menu at Firestone Public House. You'll find 10 different pizzas - the business after all inherited CPK's pizza oven - which run from $10 to $14 a pie. Sandwiches include an array of burgers and house-smoked meats, along with a Philly cheesesteak and others that cost between $9.95 and $14.95 (including fries or mixed greens). Entrees cost between $14.95 (brandy fried chicken bucket, fish n chips) and $21.95 for a New York steak.

Read the entire story in the Sac Bee.

The Sac Biz Journal also has a photo gallery of the new space.

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Lunch at Biba - If you are ever in Sacramento and love authentic Italian cooking, or need an elegant place to enjoy a meal, you may want to check out Biba. The owner, Biba Caggiano, has written cookbooks on Italian cooking and is a local food celebrity. Her restaurant recently got a facelift, and my husband and I headed over for one afternoon last week to celebrate his birthday and check out the lunch menu at the remodeled location. We went on a Friday. This is a very important detail, because Biba's most famous dish of all is her lasagna, which is made only on Thursdays and Fridays. This masterpiece consists of ten layers of spinach noodles, intertwined with Bolognese meat ragu and creamy bechamel sauce. Stacy Grow on In Search of the Finer Things.

Bistro La Petite France opens for lunch; dinner coming Saturday. - What's good for Folsom is a loss for Granite Bay. Bistro La Petite France, which gained such a loyal and enthusiastic following through the years for its French cuisine and charming personal service, has reopened in Historic Folsom after the restaurant was unable to come to terms with the lease in Granite Bay. The restaurant is at 718 Sutter St. For more information, (916) 608-2148. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

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Daily Dining News: Heartwarming Tale of Gang Banger Turned Pastry Maker

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Everybody loves a good story of redemption. The Sac Bee's Chris Macias has a great story involving Edward Martinez, a gang member who turned his life around and is now one of the top pastry chefs in the region.

Martinez serves as executive pastry chef of Hawks in Granite Bay, which specializes in seasonal ingredients and is among the region's finest restaurants. Even in a chocolate-stained apron, Martinez doesn't look like a guy you'd want to mess with. He stands over 6 feet tall with a shaved head and a black widow spider on the back of his neck. His body is an evolving canvas of tattoos, some of which hark back to a past that he's since left behind: membership in one of California's most notorious street gangs.

Learning to make pastries may have saved Martinez's life, or at least spared him a stretch in the state penitentiary. In 2005, facing three felony charges, Martinez promised to enroll in a pastry-making program, leading to a reduced sentence – and perhaps a last chance at an honest life.

Martinez's Facebook photos show a collage of the sweet and a bitter taste of his past. There's a shot of his moelloux of white chocolate, compressed mandarins, pistachio macaron and mandarin sorbet; an "I heart foie gras" T-shirt sported by his baby son; and the casket of one of Martinez's homeboys from his Fresno gang days being lowered into the earth.

"I never expected to get this far," said Martinez, who recently turned 27. "I expected … (to be) in jail, or dead."

Read the entire story in the Sac Bee. I promise you it'll be worth your time.

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Roseville to review food truck rules - The Roseville City Council will discuss at tonight's meeting a call for more restrictive rules for food trucks. The discussion comes even as the city is working to build downtown foot traffic by attracting more of the mobile vendors. The push for tighter regulation of food trucks in Roseville comes from the owners of an Old Town hot dog establishment. Ed Fletcher in the Sac Bee.

The Kitchen: Standard-bearer - So when Sacramento’s own The Kitchen Restaurant was nominated as one of 20 of the nation’s most outstanding restaurants, the news brought surprise and shock to the Selland Family Restaurant Group. “We were blown away by the whole thing,” says The Kitchen owner and Executive Chef Randall Selland. “If you look at the list of restaurants, it’s just phenomenal.” Adam Saake in Submerge Mag.

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Daily Dining News: Bill to Limit Food Trucks Dropped

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After receiving an avalanche of negative feedback, Assemblymember Bill Monning (D-Carmel) caved and dropped his bill that would have effectively ended food trucks in many cities across California. With that, Sac Bee's Chris Macias tries to figure out what's next.

So does that mean the Sacramento City Council is ready to hold hearings about food trucks? A recent hearing before the city's Law and Legislation committee was cancelled until the fate of AB 1678 was decided. That was the third time that mobile food vending issues were to be heard, and third time in a row they were taken off the books. We'll see what city leaders have to say now.

Read his entire post in the Sac Bee.

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Food trucks possible to return to Sac State campus - After a long absence, food trucks could be coming back this fall to Sacramento State to give students an alternative to current restaurants on campus. Sean Keister in the State Hornet.

Hot City Pizza - Baseball season is officially in full swing, which means T-ball games on Friday nights for the Hurley household and many other East Sac families. After our first game last week, we took our little sluggers to Hot City Pizza for some amazing pizza featuring their signature wheat crust and pies with names like The Angry Pig and Triple Garlic Happiness.  The beer selection (for the parents of course!) is equally as impressive. Kris Caputo Hurley on Sac Foodies.

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Instant Reaction: Fuzion Eatz

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Every time I hear about a new food truck, I start trying to figure out how when they’ll be in my neighborhood next so I can give the truck a try. The same held true for Fuzion Eatz, a truck that specializes in gyros, “sam'mchs,” waffle fries and salads, when it hit the scene in earnest late last year.

But Fuzion Eatz proved elusive. Even when I was able to align my schedule with theirs, they’d run out of food by the time I got there, or they’d have a last second change in plans. Such are the growing pains of a small business. While I wasn’t happy about it, I understand that they’re still getting their act together.

I finally caught up with them on Second Saturday at about 6 p.m. Since their self-proclaimed specialty is gyros, I ordered the “Pancho Villa” gyro along with a “Rosemary’s Baby” sam’mchs and waffle fries.

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Daily Dining News: Mini Burger Truck to Add Brick and Mortar Location

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Following in the footsteps tire tracks of Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen, Mini Burger Truck is looking to open permanent location to augment its mobile food business in the fall, reports Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

The final details on Vculek's lease are still being worked out, but Vculek plans to serve an expanded version of his burger-themed menu. The exact location should be announced soon. However, there's one catch. Once its second truck goes online, MiniBurger will begin operating under a different name. Vculek wasn't able to trademark the name "MiniBurger" because it was too general, so the new as-yet-untitled name will have more of a brandable and catchy ring to it.

Macias also reports that Mini Burger Truck is about to expand its fleet, but Cowtown Eats readers knew about that back in August 2011.

Read the entire story in the Sac Bee.

More News:

Burger scandals in East Sac, and how they can be resolved - Two of the best gourmet hamburgers on planet earth can both be found on J Street within a couple of blocks of one another in East Sacramento. But life at the top isn't all it's cracked up to be. In fact, there's burger-centric controversy simmering at both restaurants - Juno's Kitchen and Delicatessen and Formoli's Bistro. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Whiskeys Galore - The folks at de Vere’s Irish Pub in downtown Sacramento pride themselves on knowing their Glenlivet from their Glenfiddich. In fact, the bar boasts the largest and most varied collection of fine whiskeys in the metro area. “We try to find things that are a little bit random,” says co-owner Henry de Vere White. Catherine Warmerdam in Sac Mag.

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