So my brother-in-law was up on business and we went through the usual song and dance of “where should we go for dinner?” “I don’t know, where do you want to go for dinner?” This goes back and forth for about an hour, whereas if we decide to get in the car, we are more likely to commit to a location. We live in Fair Oaks, making our options somewhat limited (suggestions welcome), so we always focus our easy commute choices on Folsom and Roseville. I know that there are probably choices in Rancho Cordova and Carmichael, but I never can think of them when we are throwing out options. Therefore, we are in the car and heading towards Folsom with no choice made but we do not really feel like the five minute extra drive to Roseville. “Pachanga!” I call out … god, I should have thought of it earlier! Fine, sold, we are on our way.

Pachanga is one of those restaurants that should be packed—the food is good, the bar is stocked and visually appealing, and the overall feel is fun, fine dining, yet casual. So we sit at a table that has a nice direct view of the flat screen (when in Rome you might as well have a good seat) to the baseball play-offs (hey I am with two men!). I graciously offer to have them sit in the seats directly in front of the TV, whereas I am stuck sitting right in line with a ceiling light that is pointed right at me. Now, I would not generally mention this but it was so bad that I had to ask Jason (brother-in-law) for his baseball hat because I literally could not see after asking the waiter if he could please turn it down (the dimmer was broken and I was out of luck). Okay, I am blind, but content.

However, I am in good spirits, so I choose to let this aspect of my experience slide—hey I am a nice girl when I want to be! Perusing the wine list, my husband and I settle on the Boeger Sauvignon Blanc, which is always a solid choice, but continuing on my bad luck streak, the wine of our choice is of course not available.Sigh … this is where you have to either decide that you hate a place because everything thus far is stacked against you or you shrug it off and dig deeper, determined to find the good. “Okay,” I say with a deep breath, “how about the Lava Cap Reserve Syrah?” Yes, they do have that! I am relieved things might be turning around. In all fairness, our server is really a delight and, if anything, seems eager to please us.

On to our menu choices: I have always been a huge fan of their carnitas tacos, but they are missing from the menu tonight so I am slightly bummed but settle on the Asian chicken salad, which I have also had and is always good. Our friendly waiter informs me that indeed, they do still have the tacos but they are now on the bar menu, and I am more then welcome to order them. So we settle on an order of the tacos, the salad, and a dinner plate of ribs, which the waiter says are utterly superb and an absolute must. Hey, when someone is that adamant, you go where the fire is. Now, I’m finally in luck with the food. The carnitas are tender, the salad is crisp with a great dressing, and the ribs are true to the waiter’s word. If I had to pick one aspect of the food to knock, it would be that the ribs do not need that much bbq sauce because they are that tender. Was the evening flawless? Far from it, but the waiter was great, the restaurant had a nice feel, and the food tasted great (aside from the fact that I am still a little blurry from the light)—I am happy and that is always nice.

Here is a link to their menus for your viewing curiosity: Pachanga Dinner Menu.

Pachanga is located at
825 Sutter St.
Folsom CA 95630

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This Saturday in Oregon House (north of Grass Valley and Yuba City), make plans to attend the North Yuba Harvest Festival of food, wine, olive oil, and the arts. There will be newly pressed olive oil from Apollo Olive Oil (2006 Gold Medal winner at the LA County Fair and World's Top Ten olive oil by the I Maestri Oleari, one of the most prestigious olive oil panels in the world!).

You'll also find gourmet food from area restaurants, children's events, crafts, and live music. Tour of local wineries and the olive mill are also planned. The only hitch is that this is reservation only, but it's FREE!

Saturday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
800-655-3277 for information and reservations

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is a rotten time of year to have a cold, but I guess it's better than during the rainy season. In any case, I always crave Thai Tom Yum soup when I've got a head cold. I order it medium spicy (at least) and have them add chicken (Gai). Last night I got the delicious version ($7.95 for a quart) from Taste of Thai on Broadway, but many restaurants around here do it well. Note the nice thick slice of chile pepper and Vitamin-rich tomatoes in this version though!

If you aren't a fan of Tom Yum soup (or even if you are), try this recipe from my upcoming book:

Gingerrific Chicken Soup

Hands Off: 30 minutes

I developed this recipe to help soothe a cold, but it’s also good for easing the effects of allergies. Spicy ginger, combined with vitamin C–rich potatoes and lime, immune-boosting shiitake mushrooms, and vitamin A–packed carrots make this soup practically medicinal. Luckily, it’s also delicious and lower in salt than canned soup—so don’t limit it to days when you’re sick. The soup freezes well, so you might as well make a big batch. However, if you want to halve it, cook it for just 30 minutes.

Serves 6 to 8

2 quarts chicken broth
About 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken tenders
1 pound new red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 cups baby carrots, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced, or 1 ounce dried shiitakes, rinsed and chopped
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Pour the broth into a large pot. Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the broth along with the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, lime zest and juice, ginger, salt, and pepper.

2. Set the pot over medium-low heat with the lid slightly ajar and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender. Serve immediately or freeze and heat up as needed to soothe a cold.

Hands-Off Technique: To easily peel fresh ginger, use the edge of a spoon to scrape off just the papery skin.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I was invited to lunch at Ettore’s yesterday. And given that I have already established that I have a weakness for food, especially good food, I was there with bells on instead of tending to the growing pile of work on my desk. Ettore’s is one of those places that I find myself saying "god why don’t I remember to go here more often?" They have fantastic desserts and bread and the sandwiches and salads are out of this world. I ordered the chicken Caesar salad on freshly baked ciabatta. The menu described the Caesar dressing as “Ettore’s famous Caesar dressing.” I knew that meant that I was going to love it with all my heart or hate it because it was overly anchovied.

Luckily it was love and the bread literally melted in my mouth. The dish was served with a side of pasta salad, and I know you're thinking "Oh yeah, pasta salad," but this was really good. I am not sure what type of pasta it was, they looked like little martian hats or something slightly more phallic but nonetheless they were great for scooping up the dressing, prosciutto, and red bell pepper bits that accompanied the pasta like little spoons. Handy. My friend also ordered a slice of carrot cake, and although I didn’t have room because I had finished my entire lunch, she only ate half her sandwich (she ordered the same as me which I hate because diversity is the key to dining out). When she offered to share, I, of course, indulged. The frosting was that ideal combination of sweet and a little sour (like in sour cream) that is so perfect with carrot cake. The cake itself was light and moist. I made up my mind there and then that I would be ordering all of my desserts for Thanksgiving from them ... I mean really, they have it down pat and I am still feeling low from a failed attempt at Indian pudding at our Sunday night dinner (separate sorrowful story). Another vow is to remember to dine here more often.

Ettore’s
Sacramento
2376 Fair Oaks Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95825
(916) 482-0708

Folsom
510 Natoma Station Dr.
Folsom, CA 95630
(916) 985-3920

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 8:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I was at the “Food to Grow on Event” in McKinley Park this past Sunday. The event was put on by One Village, which is a collaborative of community groups that have come together to develop 12-18 months of programs geared toward families with young children. The event itself was very nice and I am always struck by how cool McKinley Park is and dream of living somewhere in the vicinity someday. Anyhow, of all the interesting booths that were there, there were two that really stood out. One was a Greek restaurant by the name of Opa Opa (located at 5644 J Street tel. 916-451.4000) which had the most unbelievable falafel and lamb meatballs. I was hungry (I am always hungry), but trust me the falafel was a stand out and if it tasted this good at an event I can only imagine how good it is at the restaurant. I was also informed that adjacent to the restaurant they have a sweet shop so I am going to have to make my way over there and give it a whirl. The second was an 18-year-old kid by the name of Tyler Stone hosting a demonstration kitchen booth. This kid was as composed and as knowledgeable as any food network chef and I kept thinking "god this kid has to go on top chef." Apparently he is pretty famous around these parts already, as he has cooked for Arnold, the Maloofs, and is scheduled to cook for Dick Cheney (I will save my comments) next month. He has a cookbook out entitled “The Kid’s Cooking,” which you can buy directly from him at http://www.cheftylerstone.com There are a plethora of great recipes in there that, of course, are great to cook with kids so I recommend checking it out.

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 9:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, I've been sitting on this review for over a month and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I don't want the place to become overrun with people seeking the hottest new thing. Because one of the biggest charms of Mulvaney's is that it's intimate and quirky and feels really personal. And guess what? They don't have a flat-screen TV anywhere on the premises! I know that's a shocker for a Sacramento restaurant, but thank goodness chef/owner Patrick Mulvaney didn't feel the need to fall into that trap.

Mulvaney's is so good that I went twice in one week, which is pretty unusual for me with a restaurant that costs more than $5 for a meal. And both times everything that I ate was delicious, beautifully presented, and just a bit unusual. Not screamingly avant garde, but slightly challenging in a San Francisco restaurant kind of way.

My first visit to Mulvaney's was with a group of Russian journalists who were in the country to learn more about almonds (CA grows 85% of the world's supply, in case you didn't know). I called ahead and reserved a table on the patio and had the chef create a special menu showcasing almonds in a variety of dishes. He also matched each course with wine and spoke to the journalists about how he uses almonds and other local ingredients. Our menu was:

• House-Smoked Salmon on Homemade Potato Chips with Crème Fraiche and Chives
• Roasted Figs with Bleu Cheese and Caramelized Chopped Almonds
• Del Rio Botanical Salad with Toasted Almonds and Red Wine Vinaigrette
• Almond Smoked Pork Chop with Slough House Corn
• Courtland Pear Tart topped with Almond Ice Cream

The pork was a double-thick chop smoked over almond wood and coated with almonds, accompanied by a fresh corn saute, but also Mulvaney's version of scrapple, which is practically unheard-of on the west coast. See, I grew up in Delaware, where we like our scrapple fried and full of pork pieces and other things you don't want to know about. This scrapple was a California revelation, with a bit of pork for flavor, but mostly fresh, buttery local corn ground together and cooked into a flavorful mash. The chop was delicious, but so big I had to bring home leftovers, which the husband sucked off the bone like barbecue.

Just a week later, my in-laws were in town and, fueled by his memory of that leftover but killer pork, my husband lobbied for a visit to Mulvaney's. I didn't need much convincing, so we settled in at a table inside this time--in a high-ceilinged space carved out of the original 1920s fire station (that used to be the New Helvetia Coffee Co.). The open kitchen was visible but not the prime focus, while the room held an eye-catching array of old books, antique furniture, and mirrors.

The waitstaff at Mulvaney's seems to be very well trained and I was happy to see several staff members surreptitiously scanning the tables for any guest need. The chef was present and came out to greet several tables. Our menu that night included:

• an amuse bouche (free hors d'oeuvre) of endive with blue cheese and toasted walnut
• a garlicky cool Del Rio Cucumber Soup with cilantro, mint, and drops of golden olive oil ($6)
• a small portion of the Housemade Tortelli stuffed with fresh Mozzarella and tossed with early lady beans and heirloom tomatoes ($8)
• Butter Pear Salad with Del Rio Arugula, nasturtium petals, candied walnuts, blue cheese, and sliced pears ($7.50)
• Pan-Seared Line-Caught Salmon with fennel latkes (oniony, not oily) and paper-thin beets with micro greens ($20)
• Bacon-wrapped Bledsoe Pork Loin with that fresh corn scrapple (see above menu) and black bean salsa ($20)
• Grilled Squab with Fig Risotto, prosciutto slices, a fig sauce, and early lady beans ($22)
• a cheese plate with 3 California cheeses, a chunk of oozy honeycomb, candied walnuts, spicy cashews, red grapes, and crackers ($8)
• Housemade pluot sorbet ($4)
• Housemade cinnamon ice cream ($4)
• AND milk caramels handmade by local pastry chef Ginger Elizabeth ($2/each)

Can you believe we walked out of the place? The high points were definitely the perfectly ripe pears complemented by the salty cheese and sweet walnuts; the moist, pink smoked pork; the luxurious fig sauce with the squab; and all of the desserts. The sorbet was pure fruit, while the ice cream was dense with spicy, incredibly fresh cinnamon. And the milk caramels are some of the best I've ever eaten, with a slight bitterness and a buttery, pourable caramel filling. Heaven!

Now just so you don't think I've lost all perspective, there were some small faults with the dinner: the beans with the squab were too subtle for the other flavors and the tortelli were tender but not exciting. But overall, I can hardly argue. Besides, they had copies of Edible Sacramento magazine in the men's room (I'm an equal-opportunity bathroom user) and the bill came in an old copy of a book called A Meal to Die For, in which past patrons had left comments and greetings.

So pick up the phone RIGHT NOW and call them for a reservation, and then fantasize about some of the things I ate when I was there, because they change the menu daily. The relevant info is:
Mulvaney’s Building & Loan
1215 19th Street
916-441-6022

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

If you don't have plans yet this weekend, here are a few opportunities to expand your food and wine knowledge:

California State Championship Chili Cook-Off
Saturday, 10/21 at Woodbridge Winery, 5950 E. Woodbridge Road, Acampo
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with judging at 2; free admission
209-365-8139
The three California teams with the highest scores will qualify for the Terlingua International Chili Cook-Off in Terlingua, Texas in November 2007, and will receive an etched 3-liter bottle of Woodbridge Select Vineyard Series by Robert Mondavi.

Placerville Downtown Association's Art & Wine Festival
35 foothill wineries will offer tastings at various merchant locations on Main Street
Saturday, 10/21, 6 to 9 p.m.; $25
530-672-3436

Carvalho Family Wines Octoberfest
Sat. & Sun., 10/21 & 22, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Old Sugar Mill, 35265 Willow Avenue, Clarksburg
916-744-1615
German food ($8) and local wines (free tastings!)

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

What: Abuelita's Sonora Style Corn Tortillas and Micaela's Original Recipe California Wheat Tortillas (whole wheat and white)

Where: Abuelita's at Corti Brothers and Nugget; Micaela's at Corti, Nugget, and the Sacramento Co-op

Why: These locally made tortillas (Abuelita's are from Sacramento and Micaela's are from Woodland) are beautifully irregular in shape and marked with flecks of brown from cooking. Both brands are moist without being gummy and they're flexible (no more broken tortillas for enchiladas!). Plus they're super delicious—even the Micaela's whole wheat version.

Perfect for quesadillas, which sounds great right about now.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 9:21 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Just the Facts:
When: Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006,
Hours: 2 - 5 p.m.
Where: Downtown Auburn, California
Who: Wineries, restaurants, caterers and the Auburn business community team with the Placer County Wine & Grape Association to showcase food and wine from the Sierra Foothills wine region.
Cost: $35 per person (in advance)
$40 if purchased "at the door".

(Must be 21 or older to participate)

More than 10 wineries will be pouring and several local restaurants and catering firms will be offering their finest dishes in retail establishments across Downtown. Participants will not only get to taste great food and wine, they'll have the opportunity to shop at the same time and get a close-up look at the historic gold rush community of Auburn and all it has to offer.

Placer County wineries —

Green Family Winery, Ophir Wines, Pescatore Winery, Mt. Vernon Winery, Secret Ravine Winery, Fawnridge Winery, Rancho Roble, Dono Dal Cielo and Viña Castellano will be joined by other foothill wineries — Naggiar Vineyard & Winery, Solune, Lucchessi, Smith, Sierra Knoll, Renaissance and Pilot Peak wineries will be pouring during the Auburn Wine Festival. Several of these wineries are not open to the public so this is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to sample these wines.

Restaurants

Open Door Café, Salad Shop, Nija Sushi, Monkey Cat and the Clubcar.

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Like most people, I wake up thinking about what I am going to prepare, or where I am going to dine, for lunch and dinner. I am not counting breakfast here, because most mornings if I have coffee and toast I am good to go, this of course is not counting Sundays (you have gone here with me before). Now as the saying goes, I have good days and bad days. Now I know that this wasn’t originally said with the intention of how well one eats, but for me it is very apropos.

Today, I woke up and I had a ton of work that really needed to be done, but around 11:30ish my mind was drifting towards lunch (it was probably more like 10:00). Now the mature, economical decision would have been to have leftovers, but really how interesting does leftover chicken seem to you? So being of a selfless mindset, I set out on some errands early so I could find something that really piqued my stomach’s interest and more importantly was bloggable for y’all. I settled on Mr. Pickles. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be worth writing about, but you can never go wrong with a good sub. There was a woman behind me in line and then a guy came in to join her. I wasn’t really paying attention to them but I did notice the guy smelled pretty darn good, so I casually looked over and saw that he had a bag in his hand. It was from La Fogata, which is a taqueria across the way, and I realized that was where that wonderful odor was wafting up from. Anyhow, the funny part of this story is that I have bugged Daren (my husband) forever to try this place and he always shoots it down. In all fairness, we lived in Southern California for most of our lives and there is at least one good to possibly great taqueria on each block, or at least it seemed that way. However, the primary reason he determined that this particular one was going to be bad was because the restaurant itself looked too “nice.” However, the smell was far too good to ignore, so of course I bowed out of line and headed across the parking lot to La Fogata to get my hands on two carne asada tacos.

The first wow factor, although not verified, was that their corn tortillas seemingly are hand made. They were fairly thick and soft with absolutely no crumbling, which is essential for good taco eating and they are exactly the size of the palm of my hand. Second wow factor was that the asada, I kid you not, was so tender (slightly spicy) it melted in your mouth. The taco was finished off with a simple chopping of cilantro and onion. Perfecto! So as days go, or at least lunch goes, this was a good day. I cannot wait to take Daren there to see what he thinks. I am interested if anyone else has some great taquerias that they know about ... please share!!! Nonetheless, I am off to figure out dinner.

La Fogata
5253 Sunrise Blvd.
Fair Oaks CA 95628
906.966.9650

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Did you make it to the 19th annual Hoes Down festival last Saturday at Full Belly Farm? If not, you missed a gorgeous day of Indian summer in the Capay Valley. There were horse-drawn wagons, hay forts, a silent auction, delicious organic food, and LOTS of kids. I tried a bean and cheese burrito and the most perfect pear I've ever eaten. It was a Warren, and only about 2 inches tall. I also ate a surprisingly good whole wheat tortilla made by a 4-year-old, from wheat berries that he ground and then kneaded and pressed. There were lots of animals to pet or watch and some pretty entertaining people, too--not to mention musicians. Plus a blacksmith! And a masseuse! And a farmer's market!

Put it on your calendar for next year. You can camp overnight in the picturesque orchards and enjoy breakfast and workshops on the farm the next day, too.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Well now we feel like real food bloggers. We got tagged by Garrett of Vanilla Garlic fame for our first meme (a sort of viral posting challenge) and it went like this:

WHICH MENU WOULD YOU SERVE BLOGGING FRIENDS FOR A WELCOME DINNER UPON THEIR FIRST VISIT TO YOUR HOME?

• Describe a sort of "signature menu" revealing much of your personal cooking style and culinary preferences; it's up to you how many dishes you choose or if you prefer a buffet or a different way of presentation; let your phantasy play!
• If you are interested in food/wine pairings you are welcome to add complementary wine suggestions if you like.
• As usual please link to this post and send me a note when your menu is on.
• Please do not forget to tag some of your blogging buddies.

Jennifer already posted hers, so here's my very different take. She did help me with wine pairings though, as I wanted to showcase local food and wine in my menu.

Warm California almond-stuffed Siegfried dates with lemon zest and Apollo olive oil
Wine: Matchbook Chardonnay 2005

Cardamom-Courtland pear pie
Wine: Lavender Ridge Vin-Doux 2005
Sweet mint tea

So you can see that we have different styles, but a shared interest in fabulous food. I definitely hope I'm invited to her food blogger party! Now for tagging (you're it!), I'd like to invite Chris of Offal Good, Heidi of 101 Cookbooks (she may have done this already), and David Lebovitz (a multi-course chocolate dinner per chance?). Let the drooling begin.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The other day Ann and I were asked “What would we serve a food blogger?” By fellow Sacramento food blogger Garrett from Vanilla Garlic.

So I sat down, during dinner (what a concept) with my husband last night and we cracked out a menu. I tried to be true to the season and of course we had to pair each course with wine. It goes a little like this....

Passed Appetizers – Flatbread topped with calabrese, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil and olives (If you read my post the other day you will realize we are on a little flatbread kick but hey it’s my party and they’re really good.)
Wine
Paolo Saracco Moscato di Asti 2005

First Course – Fall squash soup with red curry, heirloom peppers and housemade goat cheese crème.
Wine
Maximim Grunhauser Herrenberg Kabinett 2005

Second Course- Housemade linguini with Chorizo and Clams
Wine
Sartarelli Verdicchio Classico 2005

Third Course- Braised Short Ribs with root vegetables
Wine
Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape 2003

Dessert Course- Housemade coffee ice cream ligeois
Wine
Inniskillin Cabernet Franc Ice Wine 2003
Or
“Cat Nap” which is steamed milk and frangelico

Ann will also be providing a menu, because of course just one party won’t do!

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

If you happen to find yourself in Roseville, then you absolutely must stop at Fosco's Fine Italian Market. It has been a haunt of my husbands and mine for at least a year. Most visits are answering our cravings for true “Italian Style” pizza where we order up a Speck and a Sausage, but you can’t go wrong with a margherita which sends me straight back to Italy (as a tourist of course). After we are finished in the café, we head over to have a complimentary espresso and start planning out dinner. All of Fosco's products are made and imported from Italy. Yesterday, my husband and I could not decide what we wanted to make for dinner with some friends that were in town. We had just returned from a evening in Napa where we had enjoyed a nine course dinner at Redd (located in Yountville) and we were all still feeling the guilt of pure consumption, and worth every last bite...but god was it a lot of food. So we settled on homemade grilled flatbreads

My husband has flatbreads down to a science and if you have not had a grilled flatbread you absolutely must. FYI Williams Sonoma has a great basic recipe. So of course when your doing a flatbread it is imperative (in my mind) to have fantastic toppings. So we chose some great pepperoni, calabrese, Mandara buffalo mozzarella which to me almost eats like a burrata, sweet peppers, saracena olives (pitted), fresh basil, heirloom tomatoes, and a wedge of gorgonzola that was so creamy I could have ate it alone. We also picked up a bottle of Arnoldo Caprai from Umbria (Sangiovese) and a Adami prosecco to sip on while we prepared the dough and toppings, or rather, looked on while my husband did. Dinner turned out great, and I couldn’t help but be thankful that we had this great Italian deli available to us, now if I could just get him to open up down town.

Fosco’s Fine Italian Market
8405 Sierra College
Roseville CA 95661
916.791.8225

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

So I've lived for almost four years not half a mile from Jamie's Bar & Grill on Broadway and never been there before. From the outside, it's not exactly inviting, with no windows and a dark wood shingle facade that almost butts up to the street. I figured it was the neighborhood dive bar, especially since my husband and his workmates like to go there for drinks. But the food-savvy husband told me it was worth eating there, so in we went for dinner.

Once you open the door to Jamie's, it's like stepping through a looking glass. There's an enormous dark wood bar, brass rails setting off a dining area, and friendly employees. We went on a Monday, and there was hardly anyone there, although the bartender said that was pretty unusual. Maybe it was the Monday-night football? It certainly wasn't the food. That big bar, by the way, survived the earthquake of 1906 in San Francisco aboard a yacht and is now restored to all its gleaming glory, complete with bell.

We got menus and looked over the nine specials, including Chinese chicken salad, navy bean soup, and shrimp louie. The bartender told us that the turkey for their sandwiches and salads is house-roasted and he gave us some recommendations. My husband spotted the meatloaf and mashed potato special ($14.95) and zeroed in on that. I went for a half order of the garlic steak sandwich with onion rings ($7.95). This seemed like a great idea--you get one small hearty sandwich instead of overdoing it with two (I needed room for the onion rings, didn't I?).

Well the sandwich consisted of two slices of juicy sirloin grilled (I think) to perfect medium-rare and nestled in a fresh garlic-flavored roll. It came with mayo and a not-too-bad tomato slice and those rings. Sadly, there were only three, but the bartender immediately asked for more and we got a steaming plateful of the most crispy, crunchy, satisfying onion rings I've had in a long time. The onions were well cooked, so they didn't slide out of the coating, leaving you with crumbs. And I'd guess those were panko breadcrumbs making the outside so crispy.

My husband's plate had thick slices of meatloaf and a mound of obviously real, slightly chunky, mashed potatoes, a side of zucchini with corn freshly cut from the cob, and a smothering of gravy. The meatloaf had an unusually sweet topping on it, but the insides were studded with chunks of vegetables to give it lots of flavor. We had to wait for a while for the potatoes to cool down enough to eat them, but they weren't gummy or gluey or any of the other unfortunate things that restaurant mashers sometimes become. That al dente zucchini saute was a nice colorful addition to the otherwise brown and white plate.

I'd love to go back for the Chinese chicken salad, highly recommended by the bartender. I did notice that both the employees ordered the meatloaf for their dinners, and my husband says the burgers are good. On Friday nights, they serve a big barbecue, including hot links, cornbread, and chicken (among many other things). During the rest of the week, lunch is served from 11 to 2 and dinner from 5:30 to 8:30. But be warned: They're closed on the weekends!

So don't judge the bar by its cover, dive on in for some surprisingly good food.

Jamie's Bar & Grill
427 Broadway
442-4044
Mon-Fri only

1-11-07 update: Just had the club sandwich for lunch and it was terrific! Fresh roasted turkey, thinly sliced avocados, and some of the best honey-cured bacon I've ever eaten. Definitely get your bread grilled. They could go a bit thicker on the bread to hold in the generous fillings. The onion rings are still crunchtastic! Let's hope the recent Bee review doesn't spoil this hideaway by making it too crowded.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

It has become a family tradition for us to have Sunday morning breakfast at the Sutter Street grill in old town Folsom. The only problem with this tradition is that the wait to be seated can sometimes be horrendous. My husband and I are fairly used to it and we just wander around looking at the eclectic shops that flank the restaurant. However, patience isn’t a strong point of some of our family members and the whole twenty minutes that the server suggested it might be to have our party of six seated was out of the question.

Now let me be clear here...a tradition wouldn’t be a tradition if it wasn’t worth the wait, and Sutter Street Grill is worth its wait in gold to me for two items. Buttermilk biscuits and the cinnamon roll French toast. But it was not to be, so the question was where do we go? Sutter Street does have a few choices but how were they going to measure up to what I consider the best greasy spoon restaurant perhaps of all time, oh and could they get us seated ASAP? Tall order, but we were off to find a restaurant. Two minutes later, restaurant found. At Seasons on Sutter, I walked in to inquire how long the wait would be for our party and they said that they could seat us right away. Um, is that a good sign or bad...either way my sister in law was relieved, thus the rest of the party was relieved.

We sit and I survey the dining room. Nice enough, they had already brought fall in to the decor with candy corn filled vases and orange/brown silk flower arrangements, but it was decidedly more upscale then my beloved Sutter Street with the mere fact that everyone at our table had a matching coffee cup. On the other hand the gal next to our table was reading a book titled “Drink as much as you want and still live longer,” so things were looking up.

Since I had in my mind all morning that I would be having the cinnamon bun French toast at Sutter Street I was still in the mindset of something completely unhealthy and sweet for my breakfast. So I settled on the caramel apple French toast as it seemed like a nice way to compare. My husband settled on Oatmeal...which I thought was a miserable idea, but he has been on a health kick and held strong with his decision. My sister in law of course ordered whole grain cereal, at which point my shoulders were slumped in defeat. GREASY SPOON folks! This is why we work out (or why I do)--so we can get to eat! My brother and mother in law slightly improved the orders with one having a Denver omelet (egg whites) and the other opting for scrambled eggs and sausage with wheat toast.

My French toast was good...not great but good. The apples were nicely cooked and the French toast had good flavor and was not overly eggy, which I can’t stand. They provided some nice warmed maple syrup on the side but the dish didn’t need it. Was it the same as my beloved cinnamon bun French toast down the way? No way, but it was probably quite a bit better calorie wise which seemed to be the theme this morning. My husband’s oatmeal was a disappointment to him; hmmm I wonder why? Cause it is Oatmeal maybe. My sister in law of course loved her cereal. Of course. Everyone else was happy with their meals, or at least they were full and keeping any major feelings of dismay to themselves. It occurred to me as I took another cursory look around the dining room this wasn’t a destination restaurant; this is the overflow restaurant or maybe even more aptly put, this particular restaurant is the bridesmaid to the Sutter Street Grill bride. It has to be tough being in the shadow of the greasy spoon.

Seasons on Sutter
719 Sutter St.
Folsom CA
916-608-9894

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 1:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)