John from Citrus Heights who commented on our Facebook page! We used the number generator from random.org to select our winner. As John wrote, “Put my name in the hat for the drawing . . . well, forget that! Just send me the gift card and I’ll put it to good use right away. Either way, I’m making a trip to their store. Looks like a great concept for us busy working folk. Will report back my experience. Thanks for the idea!”
Thank you to Roko and Mike Miles at Dinner My Way and to all of our Sac Foodies readers who entered to win!
Archives for August 2009
Dinner – MY Way (And…drum roll, please…a $100 giveaway!)
So, it’s back to school time. You can bid farewell to the laid-back days of summer when meals were ever-so-impromptu, laundry didn’t glare accusingly, and the days had that laissez faire feel. Now, it’s back to serious laundry management, carpool schedules, and earnestly packing lunches and planning meals. If you feel daunted by the specter of BACK TO SCHOOL, relax…and read on!
I’d like to introduce you to your new best friend: Dinner My Way in Gold River. This best friend can provide healthy, delicious gourmet meals assembled and delivered to you for at least 25% less than what it would cost for you to buy it at the grocery store. Seriously!
Roko and Mike Miles own and operate this location of Dinner My Way, and I have to say I’m impressed. They’ve really rolled with the economic times we’ve all been facing, as well as with the healthier eating trend. In visiting and ordering from Dinner My Way, I discovered that I can order a full dinner (which feeds 4-6) and they’ll split it into two separate meals for me (I already feel so much more efficient and budget-wise!). The meals offer Weight Watcher points and a “go lite” option, as well as the ability to remove sugars (for diabetics) and salt. Their meals contain no trans fats and no MSG. They’ll even assemble and deliver the meals to you at no extra charge. Three words: Sign. Me. Up.
I met with both Roko and Mike as I was assembling the Lemonade Chicken and St. Louis Pulled Pork that I ordered. As we measured and mixed, I asked Roko a few questions:
What’s your inspiration for the recipes featured at your store?
I love cooking. I’m actually obsessed with cookbooks, food magazines and watching Food TV. Many of the recipes here are my own inspiration or adaptations of recipes I like.
Did you always love to cook?
I’ve always had a passion for food. I grew up watching “Julia Child” and the “Frugal Gourmet.”
With the economy being what it is, what do you think sets your store apart from others?
We really focus on variety and flexibility, like not charging customers for splitting meals, developing single serving meals for those who don’t have a lot of freezer space or who are only feeding themselves, and no set minimum orders.
I can’t believe you’ll even assemble and deliver meals.
We’re constantly asking our customers what they need. We discovered that, for some, time was an issue, so we offered to create and deliver the meals. No location is too far, and our customers love it!
How have you grown your business, despite the economy?
We just really focus on what our customers’ needs are and find ways to be part of the community, not just the business community. For example, we just began offering catering, and it’s been a big hit. We also are involved with Scrip programs for schools, which is a great way for us to give back.
You regularly offer coupons and discounts on your web site?
At www.dinnermyway.com, if you click on our location, you’ll find special deals each week, plus we regularly run a special, which is 5 Dinners for $99. They’re hearty servings, so many customers choose to split the meals, which gives them 10 meals.
The Lemonade Chicken I made for my family and two guests was a huge hit! My only regret is that I only ordered two dinners – I’m definitely going back for seconds!
If you’d like to try Dinner My Way at Gold River, enter to win a $100 gift card by leaving us a comment here or on our Facebook page. We’ll choose a winner at 3 PM on Friday, August 28.
One Speed, Many Smiles
I’ve been an East Sacramentan for eight years now so we’ve seen quite a few restaurants come and go in the neighborhood. It was bittersweet when Café Milazzo went out of business a couple years ago – it was a casual and comfortable space with friendly service but the food was lacking. We did enjoy $2 Tuesdays when you could get $2 slices of pizza and $2 beers. Little did I know I was in for much, much better pizza within those walls years later…
Ever since I heard Rick Mahan, chef/owner of the Waterboy, was opening a new restaurant, I’ve been dying to try it. The store front was wrapped in brown paper for what felt like years. Finally, One Speed Restaurant opened last month and apparently I wasn’t the only one who had been anticipating that great day. We tried three different times to dine at the fully remodeled restaurant space (Café Milazzo diners will be shocked at the transition) but each time we were told it would be a 45-minute wait – just something we can’t do right now with a toddler and an infant even though the atmosphere is absolutely kid appropriate.
Therefore, we’ve done takeout twice until our most recent attempt last Sunday, which happened to be our sixth wedding anniversary. We were told again it would be a 45-minute wait and we decided to place our order to go yet again. While we were waiting, my husband had the great idea to entertain our two-year old with a walk down to Burr’s (East Sac’s neighborhood ice cream parlor featuring Vic’s ice cream) to pick up ice cream to go for dessert.
Upon the boys return, the one table in the bar opened up and the amazingly friendly staff sat us and served the gnocchi with browned butter and sage (a well-portioned appetizer perfectly cooked for melt-in-your-mouth potato pillows in my favorite decadent sauce), plus the two pizzas (classic Margherita and Rick’s – potato, caramelized onions, pancetta, goat cheese, olives and arugula, OMG) we had ordered piping hot. The ambience, the service, and the food were well worth the wait (the years and the minutes) and we look forward to having One Speed in the neighborhood for many years to come.
One Speed Pizza
4818 Folsom Blvd.
Sacramento, CA
(916) 706-1748
Roma’s Pizzeria II
I’m pretty sure that pizza is the most perfect food ever. It can have all the four food groups and can be thin-crust, deep-dish and everything in between. I’m even a fan of its cousin, the calzone. My husband is a Yelp addict and he’s always looking for great hidden finds in Sacramento. One day he asked if I was in the mood for pizza (duh…of course!) because he’d been eager to check out this pizzeria he found on Yelp. We piled in the car and headed down Folsom Blvd. to Roma’s Pizzeria II, not to be confused with Roma’s I on Franklin or Roma’s III in Folsom—although I have no doubt each of them serves up delicious pizza as well.
What I love about Roma’s is its old-school family feel. You won’t find any swanky bar stools or uber-gourmet pizza toppings here. Instead, you get a homemade pizza that oozes with high-quality ingredients such as hand-made pizza dough, whole milk mozzarella that seems never-ending as you pull each slice apart and big chunks of sausage and slices of pepperoni that are pure heaven. Roma’s also serves many pasta dishes in addition to its pizza, and they have great drink prices too! I read a funny comment on Yelp once that said, “This is one of the restaurants that I gauge a person’s taste by, if they don’t like Roma’s, I don’t trust them.” So true! When I found out we were doing Pizza Week, I knew that I had to let everyone in on my Roma’s secret.
On a recent visit, we tried out two pizzas: the Guiseppe Special that packs on the cheese, mushrooms, salami, pepperoni, sausage, olives, linguica, beef and bell peppers; and the Margherita Special with olive oil, cheese, Roma tomatoes, basil, garlic, artichokes and chicken. Both were tasty, but my heart is with the Guiseppe Special. It’s just that kind of pizza that you burn the roof of your mouth because you are so eager to bite in to it.
I think on my next visit to Roma’s, I may go just straight pepperoni and cheese. It’s a classic combo and I couldn’t take my eyes off the one that was delivered to the table next to ours on our last visit. I’m sure I’ll get around to trying the pasta, but with that magic that is coming out of their pizza oven, it’s going to be hard to say no to Roma’s pizza.
Roma’s Pizzeria II
8491 Folsom Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95826
(916) 383-9264
Zelda’s Gourmet Pizza: Deep Dish Takeout
There’s something about deep dish pizza that just makes me happy. It’s a treat, it seems uncommon and it’s often associated with fond memories. Or is that just me? In college, I was a loyal supporter of Zachary’s Gourmet Pizza. But it seems that the Berkeley, CA establishment hasn’t yet expanded its delivery area to include Sacramento. So what’s a pizza-loving girl to do? Well, last night I stumbled across Zelda’s, thanks to a recommendation from my roommate, so we gave it a try!
First and foremost, I must warn you that if you’re walking around midtown Sacramento in an attempt to find Zelda’s, you probably never will. The front of the building consists of nothing more than an inconspicuous door amid a large grey wall with just one sign indicating that you’ve arrived.
After picking up our medium veggie pizza, I rushed home excited to dive in and was pleasantly surprised! The pizza was delicious – a perfect combination of hidden veggies in a crust that more closely resembled the kind you would expect on a chicken pot pie than a traditional pizza crust. Of course my hunger got the best of me, so I remembered to take a photo only after I’d had a slice!
Zelda’s Gourmet Pizza
1415 21st Street (between N and O Streets)
Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 447-1400