As a Pastafarian, I have to be mindful of places where I can enjoy the Sacred Meal in all its wondrous variations. Here are some of my favorites.
The Old Spaghetti Factory is a local institution. Located in the Midtown area, between 19th & 20th Sts. on J St., it is in the former train depot. Freight trains often roll by during the day. Their menu is well-known, their bar is good, and there are many small areas where groups can congregate. (There are at least 3 other members of the chain in Sacramento's Greater Metro Area.) My favorite is the mizithra/garlic/butter sauce over spaghetti.
Olive Garden is another chain that features pasta. The food there is not always what I would call outstanding, but it is unusually dependable for consistency of quality. The closest one to downtown is on Arden Way, across from the Arden Fair shopping center.
My personal favorite for Italian food is El Espanol. No, that's not a misprint. This place used to be the restaurant of the old Espanol Hotel downtown. They moved to East Sac many years ago, and are currently located at the corner of 58th St. and Folsom Blvd. I'm a huge fan of their minestrone, and the bread that comes along with it. That, and a salad, and you have lunch. Dinners are served family style, and you get the huge bowl of soup, another huge bowl of salad, a variety of antipasti, and a range of entrees. You get sides of pasta, too. Don't go for a full dinner unless you haven't eaten all day.
My favorite non-Italian place for pasta is Shabu, located at the corner of 16th & R. It specializes in sushi and in shabu-shabu, the Japanese soup that is similar to Mongolian hot pot or veggie fondue. Your table is fitted with a heating element in the center, and a metal bowl of your chosen broth is brought to your table. (My favorite is the spicy miso broth.) When you order, you pick both the broth and the items to be cooked, ranging from Wagyu beef, lamb, pork, chicken, or shrimp, tofu, noodles, and veggies. You get two kinds of mushroom, fresh shiitake and enoki, sliced green onion, some kind of cabbage or bok choy, carrots, or whatever else is fresh. Just place your veg in the broth once it comes to the boil, then dip in your meat or tofu to the desired doneness, scoop into your serving bowl, and enjoy. You also get a side of rice with this feast. Lots of fun with small groups. The downside of this place is its size--large parties need not apply. They are able to handle one or two parties of 6-8, but no more than that. They do open for lunch.
There is a huge Vietnamese community in town, and places that serve phở are everywhere. If you've never tried this wonderful noodle soup, you should take the opportunity to do so. There are numerous places downtown and midtown where you can take your hunger for slightly exotic Asian fare at reasonable prices.
And on the subject of Vietnamese food, the Queen of that Cuisine in Sacramento is Mai Pham. Formerly a news reporter for the local NBC affiliate, she opened up what soon became a conglomerate of Southeast Asian eateries. Her flagship restaurant is called Lemon Grass. Among other things, it has a wonderful noodle bar! Her company operates La Bou Bakeries and Cafes, and she owns Capricorn Coffees and Teas. La Bou has the biggest presence, although they usually are closed by 3 pm. In 25 years of eating there, I've never found anything on the menu that wasn't fresh, tasty, and just enough to make me want more but not feel the need to go get more. (Confessions time: as of this writing, I have yet to try the Lemon Grass noodle bar; it's on my short list. But reliable friends have praised it to me.) And oh yes, the apricot croissants at La Bou are to die for!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Attractions in the Sacramento Area--Old Sacramento
At the risk of sounding like someone from the tourism board, there's a lot of history in this town. The first permanent settlement by Europeans was at what is now called Discovery Park, at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers, near the I Street Bridge and Old Sacramento. The first European settler, a Swiss immigrant named Johann Augustus Sutter, set up camp along the river, later building a fort several miles up the American River and above its flood plain.
Sutter's Fort is one of the city's most popular attractions. School children who study California history often spend overnight campouts at the fort as part of the curriculum. There is an active living history group there, as well as a museum showing the daily lives of the original inhabitants of the area, our local Pomo, Maidu, and Nisenan peoples. (This isn't the place to discuss the fascinating history of the Native Americans of California, but I do note that there is an SFnal connection of a sort. The cultural anthropologist most famous for his study of Califiornian natives is Albert L. Kroeger, the father of Ursula Kroeber LeGuin.)
Another popular historical attraction is Old Sacramento. The buildings date for the most part from the Gold Rush era. It is famous as being the Western terminus of the Pony Express, and a monument exists on what is thought to be the exact spot of the building. After falling into disrepair, the area was revitalized in the '60s and '70s to become a shopping and restaurant haven. There are a number of interesting shops (I recommend Evangeline's for costumers in particular) and food emporia (Fat City, run by the family of the late restauranteur Frank Fat, offers the best banana cream pie in the world, and the Firehouse is one of the most popular upscale places in town.) Nightlife is available in Old Sac as well, with watering holes such as Fanny Ann's (which offers some of the tastiest burgers around), Laughs Unlimited (one of our local comedy clubs, frequently featuring Big Name talent), and Suspects Dinner Theater (like a good murder-poo with your dinner?)
Museums? We have them in droves--well, maybe not, but there are five in Old Sac and 7 more nearby. Like trains? Try the Railroad Museum. Local history? The Sacramento History Museum is just next door. There is a museum devoted to California's military history, and a certain Major Banking Corporation (you know, the one with the stagecoach?) has two museums, one in Old Sac and one just outside the area at 4th St. and Capitol Mall.
Another museum just outside Old Sac is the Crocker Art Museum, newly refurbished and expanded this year. It contains works by local artists from the Gold Rush era and later, European masters, sculpture, furnishings, and all sorts of other things.
Leland Stanford was an early governor of the state and a noted philanthropist (he endowed an institutuin of higher learning in the Bay Area and named it for his son, Leland Jr. You may have heard of it.) The Stanford Mansion is now a state historic park, and has been used for Regency dances locally for years. The mansion is located downtown at 8th and N Streets.
On the downside: If you are driving, parking in Old Sac is really tricky. There are two large public parking lots, one at the northern edge of the area, the other at the south end. On weekends and holidays, it fills up fast. There is curbside parking as well, but you have to make the correct offerings to the gods of parking in order to get one. The upside of this is that the area is so small, it can be walked by someone who is semi-mobile (walkers or crutches). Most, if not all, of the shops are fully accessible, although access may not be easy to find. When in doubt, ask a local.
This is just a summary of what is available near the downtown area. As we get closer to July 2013, these items will be reviewed and updated.
Sutter's Fort is one of the city's most popular attractions. School children who study California history often spend overnight campouts at the fort as part of the curriculum. There is an active living history group there, as well as a museum showing the daily lives of the original inhabitants of the area, our local Pomo, Maidu, and Nisenan peoples. (This isn't the place to discuss the fascinating history of the Native Americans of California, but I do note that there is an SFnal connection of a sort. The cultural anthropologist most famous for his study of Califiornian natives is Albert L. Kroeger, the father of Ursula Kroeber LeGuin.)
Another popular historical attraction is Old Sacramento. The buildings date for the most part from the Gold Rush era. It is famous as being the Western terminus of the Pony Express, and a monument exists on what is thought to be the exact spot of the building. After falling into disrepair, the area was revitalized in the '60s and '70s to become a shopping and restaurant haven. There are a number of interesting shops (I recommend Evangeline's for costumers in particular) and food emporia (Fat City, run by the family of the late restauranteur Frank Fat, offers the best banana cream pie in the world, and the Firehouse is one of the most popular upscale places in town.) Nightlife is available in Old Sac as well, with watering holes such as Fanny Ann's (which offers some of the tastiest burgers around), Laughs Unlimited (one of our local comedy clubs, frequently featuring Big Name talent), and Suspects Dinner Theater (like a good murder-poo with your dinner?)
Museums? We have them in droves--well, maybe not, but there are five in Old Sac and 7 more nearby. Like trains? Try the Railroad Museum. Local history? The Sacramento History Museum is just next door. There is a museum devoted to California's military history, and a certain Major Banking Corporation (you know, the one with the stagecoach?) has two museums, one in Old Sac and one just outside the area at 4th St. and Capitol Mall.
Another museum just outside Old Sac is the Crocker Art Museum, newly refurbished and expanded this year. It contains works by local artists from the Gold Rush era and later, European masters, sculpture, furnishings, and all sorts of other things.
Leland Stanford was an early governor of the state and a noted philanthropist (he endowed an institutuin of higher learning in the Bay Area and named it for his son, Leland Jr. You may have heard of it.) The Stanford Mansion is now a state historic park, and has been used for Regency dances locally for years. The mansion is located downtown at 8th and N Streets.
On the downside: If you are driving, parking in Old Sac is really tricky. There are two large public parking lots, one at the northern edge of the area, the other at the south end. On weekends and holidays, it fills up fast. There is curbside parking as well, but you have to make the correct offerings to the gods of parking in order to get one. The upside of this is that the area is so small, it can be walked by someone who is semi-mobile (walkers or crutches). Most, if not all, of the shops are fully accessible, although access may not be easy to find. When in doubt, ask a local.
This is just a summary of what is available near the downtown area. As we get closer to July 2013, these items will be reviewed and updated.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Some musings on Ethnic Food
Sacramento was recently named the most ethnically diverse city in the country. Looking at the food scene, it's certainly true. Within a 5-block radius of City Hall, one can find Indian, Japanese, Ethiopian, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern, and French, to name just a few.
Sacramento is home to a burgeoning foodie community, and a surprising amount is fan-friendly. Where else can you have dim sum in the morning, samosas at lunch, and a steak dinner with all the trimmings in the evening? We can serve special dietary restrictions, too. Vegan? Try Kathmandu, a Nepalese place that specializes in vegetarian fare. Kosher? Well, in the Downtown/Midtown area you might have trouble finding a place, but we do have a kosher deli-restaurant a few miles away, or you might try some of the halal places nearby. Gluten-free? Our local food co-op has a prepared food area that always serves something gluten-free for you, too. In days to come, we will be exploring all these options, and more.
We also have areas of town that are food-centered. There are several places close to Downtown that are concentrated "food rows". 16th Street from about R Street down to E Street has at least one eatery on every block. Broadway between 10th & Alhambra (about 20 blocks) is home to the aforementioned Kathmandu, the Tower Cafe (built in the old Tower Drugs Building, where Russ Solomon started Tower Records), fast food joints of every stripe, soul food, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese....well, you get the idea. Farther out, the area of Stockton Boulevard from Fruitridge Road to Florin Road has been called "Little Saigon". There are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of Vietnamese food shops, many specializing in banh mi (those wonderful sandwiches!) or pho (that wonderful noodle soup!) Again, that is for the future.
In the coming days, I will, with a coterie of assistants, be exploring the Sacramento food scene and reporting our findings here.
Sacramento is home to a burgeoning foodie community, and a surprising amount is fan-friendly. Where else can you have dim sum in the morning, samosas at lunch, and a steak dinner with all the trimmings in the evening? We can serve special dietary restrictions, too. Vegan? Try Kathmandu, a Nepalese place that specializes in vegetarian fare. Kosher? Well, in the Downtown/Midtown area you might have trouble finding a place, but we do have a kosher deli-restaurant a few miles away, or you might try some of the halal places nearby. Gluten-free? Our local food co-op has a prepared food area that always serves something gluten-free for you, too. In days to come, we will be exploring all these options, and more.
We also have areas of town that are food-centered. There are several places close to Downtown that are concentrated "food rows". 16th Street from about R Street down to E Street has at least one eatery on every block. Broadway between 10th & Alhambra (about 20 blocks) is home to the aforementioned Kathmandu, the Tower Cafe (built in the old Tower Drugs Building, where Russ Solomon started Tower Records), fast food joints of every stripe, soul food, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese....well, you get the idea. Farther out, the area of Stockton Boulevard from Fruitridge Road to Florin Road has been called "Little Saigon". There are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of Vietnamese food shops, many specializing in banh mi (those wonderful sandwiches!) or pho (that wonderful noodle soup!) Again, that is for the future.
In the coming days, I will, with a coterie of assistants, be exploring the Sacramento food scene and reporting our findings here.
Welcome!!!!
This is my effort to acquaint the greater science fiction and fantasy fandom with my hometown, Sacramento, site of the 66th Westercon. For the next two years, I will be posting restaurant info and reviews, lists of sources for party supplies, local attractions, and anything else that the Inquisitive Fan might want to know.
Sacramento has hosted 2 Westercons in the past, in 1981 and 1985. Both were held at what was then the Red Lion hotel, now the Sacramento DoubleTree. A third bid was made in 1991, but the vote went to Vancouver. If you attended either of those conventions, don't expect the same thing again.
Basic info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento,_California
Historically, the fannish community in Sacto has skewed either toward the media fen, including comics and anime, or the SCAdians and reenactors. Literary fandom exists, but it keeps a low profile. There are quite a few Regency dancers in the area as well as Faire folk.
GETTING AROUND IN TOWN
Streets are laid out in a typical Western grid. Numbered streets run north to south, lettered streets run east to west. Once the alphabet has been exhausted, the numbered avenues begin. Many streets in the downtown area are one-way, so great care must be taken to avoid driving the wrong way. Buses downtown and in the Midtown area are plentiful and reasonably frequent. The Light Rail system is particularly nice if you live in a outlying community and work downtown.
More details on Sacramento will follow in the coming months. Until a hotel has been secured, most of the information will be pretty general. For now, I will use the Capitol Building as a reference point when measuring mileage. Once the hotel has been determined and a contract signed, mileage data will be revised.
FOOD
There are literally hundreds of eating establishments in downtown Sacramento, including everything from high-end steakhouses, world-famous eateries, down to chain fast food, food trucks and hot dog carts. Surprisingly, state office buildings have very good cafeterias, many of which are open to the public. Since the Sacramento area has been named one of the country's most ethnically diverse areas, you can find nearly anything you might want somewhere in the greater metro area. A large percentage of these are to be found downtown and in the Midtown district.
The Downtown Plaza is a large open-air shopping mall along K Street. In the area of K St. between Interstate 5 and 15th Street, you can find a small food court, at least two brew pubs, a Middle Eastern cafe, three burger chains, at least two chain coffee houses, hotel restaurants, and several hold-in-the-wall sandwich shops. Side streets increase the number of possibliites. On L Street, across from the Capitol Building, you will find a See's Candy shop, among other things.
Next time, I will begin to explore individual localities.
DISCLAIMER
The information contained in this document is my own opinion and is not in any way connected to or to be construed as anything official from the committee of Westercon 66. Any errors contained in this document are mine. Corrections to errors in fact will be made and credit given to the first person to contact me with correct info.
"Westercon" is a registered service mark of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, Inc.
Sacramento has hosted 2 Westercons in the past, in 1981 and 1985. Both were held at what was then the Red Lion hotel, now the Sacramento DoubleTree. A third bid was made in 1991, but the vote went to Vancouver. If you attended either of those conventions, don't expect the same thing again.
Basic info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento,_California
Historically, the fannish community in Sacto has skewed either toward the media fen, including comics and anime, or the SCAdians and reenactors. Literary fandom exists, but it keeps a low profile. There are quite a few Regency dancers in the area as well as Faire folk.
GETTING AROUND IN TOWN
Streets are laid out in a typical Western grid. Numbered streets run north to south, lettered streets run east to west. Once the alphabet has been exhausted, the numbered avenues begin. Many streets in the downtown area are one-way, so great care must be taken to avoid driving the wrong way. Buses downtown and in the Midtown area are plentiful and reasonably frequent. The Light Rail system is particularly nice if you live in a outlying community and work downtown.
More details on Sacramento will follow in the coming months. Until a hotel has been secured, most of the information will be pretty general. For now, I will use the Capitol Building as a reference point when measuring mileage. Once the hotel has been determined and a contract signed, mileage data will be revised.
FOOD
There are literally hundreds of eating establishments in downtown Sacramento, including everything from high-end steakhouses, world-famous eateries, down to chain fast food, food trucks and hot dog carts. Surprisingly, state office buildings have very good cafeterias, many of which are open to the public. Since the Sacramento area has been named one of the country's most ethnically diverse areas, you can find nearly anything you might want somewhere in the greater metro area. A large percentage of these are to be found downtown and in the Midtown district.
The Downtown Plaza is a large open-air shopping mall along K Street. In the area of K St. between Interstate 5 and 15th Street, you can find a small food court, at least two brew pubs, a Middle Eastern cafe, three burger chains, at least two chain coffee houses, hotel restaurants, and several hold-in-the-wall sandwich shops. Side streets increase the number of possibliites. On L Street, across from the Capitol Building, you will find a See's Candy shop, among other things.
Next time, I will begin to explore individual localities.
DISCLAIMER
The information contained in this document is my own opinion and is not in any way connected to or to be construed as anything official from the committee of Westercon 66. Any errors contained in this document are mine. Corrections to errors in fact will be made and credit given to the first person to contact me with correct info.
"Westercon" is a registered service mark of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, Inc.
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