Fox & Goose

Dining News: RIP Wicked 'Wich in West Sac

Wicked wich

Wicked 'Wich's location at the West Sac Community Center closed in late November, the City of West Sac newsletter announced recently.

Community Center Café Changes for the New Year
The owners of Wicked ‘Wich located inside the Community Center are closing current café operations as of November 23. The owners are looking at a new menu and format, and anticipate re-opening by January 19, when Los Rios College Spring Semester starts and the students return from break. Information on the new menu and format will be shared as it is received.

I reached out to Matt Chong of Team Broderick for more info, but he did not return an e-mail earlier in the week.

Team Broderick, formally known as Working Class Heroes, has been busy this year. They're currently working on working Saddle Rock, replacing Capital Dime at 1801 L Street. In recent months, they've opened a second Broderick Roadhouse at 18th & L and Localis at 21st and S. I have faith that they'll make good use of the West Sac space come January.

As a side note, chef Matt Cannedy left Wicked 'Wich in November and is now the Executive Sous Chef at Esquire Grill. That position became open when Chef Jason Azevedo was promoted to become Chef de Cuisine at Hock Farm.

* Photo via the Wicked 'Wich Facebook page.

More News:

Temple, Old Soul land on Coffee Review best of the year list - Coffee Review has chosen its top 30 coffees of 2015, and four Sacramento-roasted batches made the list. Temple Coffee and Tea led the way at No. 6 with its Panama Don Pepe Estate Geisha Single-Origin Espresso. It was released back in October and received a 96-point rating. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

Bad news for Mimi's Cafe fans - Mimi's Cafe is shuttering one of its Sacramento-area locations. The restaurant at 3511 N. Freeway Blvd. in Natomas will have its final day of business on Dec. 20, according to a spokeswoman for the company. The location opened in 2006. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Happy Hour Hound: Easy on I - If you spend enough time at neighborhood bar Easy on I, it will quickly start to become a place “where everybody knows your name.” Owners Mark and Carol Hoyt know all the regulars, always welcome new patrons and are always caught laughing behind their bar. It’s obvious that Mark and Carol have a love for what they do, which is running one of the best watering holes on I Street. They make the bar and grill, on the corner of 18th and I, seem more like your local hang out spot. Easy on I is a casual, low-key bar and grill that is perfect for a Friday night or Wednesday afternoon. It’s full of everything you want at your local bar: good beers, comfortable atmosphere, awesome food and friendly people. It’s the kind of bar that you can grab a drink, a bite to eat, and meet someone new sitting on the bar stool next to you. Amy Serna in Submerge Mag.

New future for former Italian deli in El Dorado Hills - The El Dorado Hills Town Center is getting another new restaurant. Rubio's Coastal Grill will fill a space previously occupied by Mama Ann's Deli & Bakery, which closed in October. Sonya Sorich in Sac News & Review.

Linden teen wins $10,000 on Food Network’s ‘Chopped Junior’ - The Food Network threw everything from orange push-ups to a vegetable sushi roll at 14-year-old Linden resident Elisabeth Watkins, but she kept her cool and came out a winner on a recent episode of “Chopped Junior.” Cathie Anderson in the Sac Bee.

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Dining News: Now Open - Rum Rok Tiki Bar at 15th & H

Rum rok

Rum Rok Tiki Bar, by Sacramento night club king Bob Simpson, opened over the weekend.

The new bar is scheduled to be open Wednesday through Saturdays until 2 a.m. Most days, Rum Rok opens at 8 p.m., with an early opening on Fridays at 5 p.m.

Rum Rok's cocktail menu reads like a standard tiki bar's menu, featuring Mai Tais for $8 and Mojitos for $7. Most cocktails cost between $7 and $11.

They also feature classic cocktails such as an Old Fashion and French 75, both for $7. Click here to see the entire cocktail menu.

Good Day Sac reporter Cambi Brown Instagrammed a photo of the interior during a visit during their preview weekend.

Rumrok

Rum Rok Tiki Bar is located at 805 15th St., and can be found online at http://www.rumrok.com/.

* Corrected cross street in the title.

More News:

Cielito Lindo Mexican Gastronomy: From the ashes, excellence - Despite the building’s original purpose, this is no fast-food taqueria. Instead, Alarcon and his staff provide exceptional service and vibrant flavors where customers might normally expect less...Don’t let the casual interior confuse you. It belies the fine-dining quality of the service and food. Ann Martin Rolke in Sac News & Review.

New owners maintain tradition at Sacramento’s Fox & Goose - But Berkey and Monson won’t be chasing what’s new to try to keep up. Though they are not Daltons, they are part of the larger Fox & Goose family – especially Monson, who has worked there for 16 years compared with Berkey’s two. “We know who we are,” Monson said. “What makes Fox & Goose so great is people have a special (association): ‘I had my first beer there,’ or ‘I met my wife there.’ ” Monson and Berkey said they plan to make improvements, but in a subtle manner Fox & Goose management always has favored, so as not to startle the natives. Carla Meyer in the Sac Bee.

Update on former Downtown Plaza businesses, plus new Milagro photos - After checking out Downtown Plaza's sad remnants, we couldn't help but wonder about the status of two former tenants: River City Brewing Co. and Spinners bakery. Despite shutting their doors in Downtown Plaza, the businesses found new locations and once planned to open by the end of the year. Actually, both places once expected to open by early September. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Meet the couple behind and in front of Formoli’s Bistro - For its first four years, Formoli was located in a considerably smaller space at 33rd and J Streets, five blocks west from its current location. Then it literally swapped sites with Gonul’s, which featured Mediterranean cuisine. “The thing that I find curious,” Formoli tells me one recent morning in the restaurant, “is that when we were in the smaller space we were more of a destination restaurant. We’re doing very well here but we’ve noticed that most of our customers are from here in East Sac.” Ed Goldman in Sac Biz Journal.

B-Side - Don’t expect to see a cocktail list at B-Side; instead mixed drinks are ordered dive bar-style through word of mouth with the lounge’s expert bartenders. Though the bar itself won’t serve food, B-Side is expecting to host a variety of food trucks every day of the week. In Sactown Mag.

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Dining News: More Details on Binchoyaki in Former Doughbot Spot

In an effort to cover $22,000 in unexpeted renovation costs, Binchoyaki owners Craig and Toki Takehara launched a Kickstarter to ease the financial burden of opening the Japanese BBQ restaurant.

In doing so, they revealed a couple more details about the restaurant. Here's a partial transcript of the video, where they describe their new venture:

It's a Japanese BBQ restaurant. We do yakitori, and kind of an izakaya-style dining...

Sacramento's also the Farm-to-Fork Capitol of America, so we're going to take some authentic Japanese recipies, use our local ingredients, and make a different kind of food with it...

So our concept is fabulous yakitori plus good sake plus awesome company equals Binchoyaki experience.

Their Kickstarter expires in two weeks.

Click here if you want to contribute.

Binchoyaki

When it opens, Binchoyaki will be located at 2226 10th St., and can be found online at http://binchoyaki.com/.

More News:

Sammy Hagar space in downtown Roseville finally has a new tenant - Ninja Sushi & Teriyaki will fill a downtown Roseville space at 238 Vernon St. previously occupied by an ill-fated Sammy Hagar restaurant, officials with the city announced on Tuesday. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Dramatically different use planned for former Carrows in Placerville - A well-known El Dorado County brewer is opening a dining concept in a space previously occupied by Carrows. Jack Russell Farm Brewery plans to fill the former Carrows site at 209 Main St. in Placerville with a restaurant and tasting house, according to Matt Dillon, a bartender at the company's brewing facility. He said the new concept is slated to open in December or January. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Caviar - San Francisco-based food delivery service Caviar has launched in Sacramento. Meals from 20 local restaurants—including Lotus Thai Cuisine, Ink Eats and Drinks, Pizza Rock, Osaka Sushi, Liquidology Bar, Oscar’s Very Mexican Food and Bombay Bar and Grill—can be brought to your door, typically within 60 minutes (there is an 18 percent service fee and a delivery charge ranging from $1.99 to $4.99 depending on location). In Sactown Mag.

Fox & Goose Public House - Jessa Berkey and Peter Monson, two former general managers of Fox & Goose Public House, took over ownership in September from the original owners’ daughter Allyson Dalton. In Sactown Mag. (Second Item.)

Cornflower Creamery now scooping in downtown Sacramento - At last, downtown Sacramento’s only ice cream shop is open for business. Cornflower Creamery held its grand opening celebration over the weekend at 1013 L Street, in what used to be Cafe Roma. The walls got a fresh coat of neutral paint, but otherwise, the interior looks about the same. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

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Dining News: RIP Cafe Roma

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Cafe Roma, the lunch spot across the street from the Capitol on L Street, has closed, reports the Capitol Morning Report.

Owner Abe Saadeh opened the establishment in 2010, offering coffee, pizza sandwiches, gelato, etc. Two years later, the restaurant doubled in size when Saadeh took over the adjacent space that once housed Mr. Don's Hair Design. The expansion allowed Saadeh to add several more tables, something he thought was necessary at the time to accommodate busy lunch crowds.

Read the entire entry in Tuesday's Capitol Morning Report (subscription required).

I stopped by on Tuesday evening and saw that all the tables and most of the equipment for the restaurant had been removed. A quick check on its very active twitter account shows that the last post was on June 11.

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A restaurant matching its description was, at least at one point, on sale on RestX.com.

Having worked in and around the State Capitol for more than a decade, I've eaten at Cafe Roma more than a dozen times, but I haven't been there in several years. While the food was often good, I never felt full or satisfied after eating one of their salads. I don't have that same issue eating salads at other local restaurants like La Bou or Chicory.

While I feel for the owners and workers at the restaurant, I'm also excited for what comes next. Downtown needs a Pluto's or Jack's Urban Eats. Maybe this makes the perfect location for a takeout only store? One can only hope.

More News:

BLT Week, general bacon mania return July 7 - Bacon is almost back. Not that it ever really went anywhere. But the dudes behind Sacramento Bacon Fest (full disclosure: one of those dudes is SN&R’s Nick Miller) will pork up the town for the third annual BLT Week, July 7 through 13. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

Winning isn’t everything - You won’t find Elizabeth McCleary crying in her gelato, though she didn’t finish among the top three contestants in the North American leg of the Gelato World Tour...Although McCleary’s recipe didn’t win the crowd vote in the Austin leg of the tour, it did rank as the No. 2 gelato in a vote by the 16 gelato chefs. After Bertolazzi gave McCleary a Facebook shout-out, several of Bertolazzi’s old pals in Italy asked if they could get the recipe to make in their gelato shops. Cathie Anderson in the Sac Bee. (Third item.)

I’m just tired of driving all the way to Rocklin to get a good slice of pizza… - Grayson and Sonia Lee are craftsmen. The Lee’s are the co-owners of Il Pizzaiolo in Rocklin and another location about to open in Loomis. These stores are the 2nd and 3rd of the Pizzaiolo family with the first being the brainchild of Lee’s partners, Pete and Jacqueline Lostritto. The Lostritto’s own the original location in Colfax (opened in 2012)  and co-own the new locations with the Lee’s. The Colfax restaurant has garnished much praise including a rare perfect 5 star yelp rating (after 60 reviews) and kind words from the dough-obsessed Bee food critic Blair Anthony Robertson. Their approach is simple. The dough, sauces, dressings, gelato, tiramisu, and croutons are all made in house. The prices are low, with a 12″ priced at $8. The pizza is Neapolitan style cooked in under 2 minutes at 800+ degrees. The ovens are built by Forno Bravo and named after Volcano’s, Rocklin’s oven is dubbed “Etna” and Loomis’ “Vesuvius”. Ryan Donahue in Sac Foodways.

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Dining News: Why Doughbot Is Closing For Good in August

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Doughbout, The Grid's favorite artisan donut shop, will close in August, they announced on Facebook early Saturday morning.

Hey, you lovely doughnauts, staunch and fervent supporters of from-scratch, hand rolled, hand cut, deep fried goodness- whatever rumors you may have heard about Doughbot closing are true.

Bryan and I have hustled our asses off for the past 3 years, from gutting the remains of Ricksha, to having a record sell-out National Donut Day. We’ve been given incredible opportunities like competing (and kicking ass, if I do say so myself) on Donut Showdown, and giving a voice to small business in DC in regards to closing tax loopholes exploited by multinational corporations. We’ve worked with amazing local folks- big ups to Insight Coffee and Edible Pedal! It’s impossible to put in to words the gratitude we feel for this community. We really have the best customers, the best FAMILY, honestly.

We’ve hesitated in announcing our closure. It’s difficult to inform the same people who tell you, “We’re so glad you guys are here, doing what you’re doing,” that you just can’t do it anymore. As rewarding as these last few years have been, they’ve also been incredibly difficult. We’re simply burned out.

We’ll remain open through the first weekend of August, and try to cycle as many of your favorites through the menu as possible until then. We sincerely appreciate your continued support over the years, and we hope we’ll see you soon.

I met Bryan, one half of the team that makes up Doughbot at the Have An Offal Day event last year, and I asked him about his schedule. It sounded brutal. Essentially, when you go to sleep, he's up and headed to the store to make the next day's donuts. After hearing it described to me, I'm impressed they lasted this long.

With that said, they were very thoughtful in announcing their impending closure seven weeks in advance, giving loyal fans many opportunities to give them a final visit or two before they start their next adventure in life.

I hope they don't give up their recipes for good, though and continue to give us occasional opportunities to keep getting our Dougbot fix at pop up stores, in partnerships with existing restaurants or at Farmers markets.

Doughbot is located at 2226 10th St., and can be found online at Doughbotdonuts.com.

More News:

The Death of Craft: Hard Work Sucks - Do we put too low a price on the “authentic”? Should a thoughtfully made doughnut with organic ingredients, precisely sourced toppings, and hand crafted fillings cost more than a Twinkie? How much more? How much will you pay for a hand-formed burger patty? Does it cover the cost of rent, licenses, health insurance, business insurance, ingredients, fixtures, electricity, gas, certifications, college loan debt, and still leave enough for a decent wage? On The Sac Rag.

BevMo opened Friday in midtown - In addition to a large selection of beer, wine and liquor, the store features many special touches specific to the Sacramento region. Those elements range from local beers to wine-themed bike racks designed by local artist Gina Rossi. Guests also can expect a tasting room. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Yui Marlu: Another sushi dimension - Yes, Yui Marlu serves up California rolls, plus a menu full of American-style makizushi. But its mastery lies in Japanese-style sushi and an assortment other traditional Japanese fare. Jonathan Mendick in Sac News & Review.

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Dining News: 10 Great Places for Sunday Brunch

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Sactown Mag is one of our city's gems, and they didn't disappoint with a recent feature on some of the region's best brunches. Here's a snippet on one of midtown's favorite brunch spots - Bacon & Butter.

Creative comfort food reigns supreme—and sublime—here with inventive dishes by chef-owner Billy Zoellin, formerly of The Golden Bear, such as his perfectly cooked, made-from-scratch buttermilk pancakes in rotating flavors like blueberry ricotta and pumpkin bacon that just might be the best flapjacks in town; the deeply satisfying breakfast biscuit sandwich with bacon, eggs, onions, chives, mascarpone and a crispy cheese skirt; and thick slices of French toast dipped in orange custard and topped with cranberry sauce and whipped cream.

The article also features Roxy, Fox & Goose, The Porch, Four Sisters Cafe (Roseville), Mama Kim Eats, de Vere's Irish Pub, Monticello (Davis) and Tower Cafe.

Read the entire story in Sactown Mag.

More News:

An inside source drops a dime on The Dime - Now we have our first glimpses of the food, which is going to be around $10. It's a great spot in teh 1800 block of L Street and, if the quality of the cooking lives up to expectations, folks are going to be lining up around the block to eat here. The dirty little secret in the farm-to-fork movement is that the food is often really expensive at restaurants that tout this way of cooking and eating. If Zonca and company can feed the masses for $10 a pop, The Dime could be the next big thing. Here's what my source reported to me. They're his words and his photos. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Big changes (and a grand opening) come to Maranello - Things are shaking up at Maranello in Fair Oaks, and a grand opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday will show them off...The menu has gone gastro-pub, with emphasis on bites, small plates, salads and pizzas (don't miss the ground shortrib burger). Entrees have gone from a couple dozen to seven. Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.

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Daily Dining News: Sactomofo 5 Lineup Announced

SactoMoFo, the very popular mobile food truck event, has announced the lineup for its fifth iteration taking place on Saturday, July 21 at Sixth and X streets, reports Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

Sacramento area vendors:

Drewski's
Krush Burger
Squeeze Inn
Simply Southern BBQ
Smoothie Patrol
Addison's Originals
Miz Shirley's
Fat Face
Star Ginger
Leila's Lumpia
Coast to Coast
Chando's Tacos
Lil Rich's Shaved Ice
Emma's Tamales
Willie's Burgers
Volkswaffle
Addy's Paella
Swabbies
Whole Foods Market
Gizmo's Rolling Video Games

Bay area and No Cal vendors:

The Chairman
Koja Kitchen
Seoul on Wheels
El Porteno
Sanguchon
Hapa SF
Curbside Cuisine
Curry Up Now
Red Truck

I'm not sure if I'm going to food truck festival. I like food as much as the next guy, but there's no banh mi or taco worth waiting 45 minutes for. Maybe I'll be smarter this time and go after the lunch rush, but before the dinner rush and hope they still have food.

Read his entire post in the Sac Bee.

More News:

Wondering about the Food Trucks Lately? An Update - Over the year we have had quite a few meetings with the City of Sacramento, restaurants, the CA Restaurant Association, truck owners, SactoMoFo, and myself. Over the course of discussions (both privately between a few parties and also the bigger, all inclusive meetings) it became clear that there was a difference of opinion from the trucks. It pretty much broke into two factions. Some trucks didn't agree with how SactoMoFo was approaching ordinance discussions, talking lawsuits, and how they were conducting their events. These trucks decided to break off and finally create that truck association. They created it under the name NorCal Food Trucks. Catherine Enfield on Ms. Munchie.

Try It: Bangkok Garden in Natomas - Thai restaurants abound in the Sacramento region, and many of them serve up some very tasty and distinctive fare. But one of my favorite spots is Bangkok Garden in Natomas, whose cozy, wood-paneled walls and tasteful, intricately decorated interior sets the stage for the kitchen’s scrumptious menu items. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.

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