The SacFoodies love anything that makes finding the best food in town easier. When we were notified of some awesome free foodie smartphone apps, we just had to share. Below are some apps we think you should download today!
Elixr
Elixir is the social network for mixology enthusiasts. Users can create their own profile and share pictures of their favorite cocktail, spirit, beer or wine with friends. Share a photo and add filters for additional flair, similar to Instagram. When posting your potion, you can tag your location and rate the beverage, and friends and followers can comment on your updates. Cheers to that!
Farmstand
Support locally-grown food at your surrounding farmers’ markets by downloading Farmstand, the ultimate farmers’ market app. Farmstand allows you to find farmers’ markets in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, New Zealand and more. You can share photos of your experiences, post deals, and share content with your Facebook and Twitter followers. Users can discover what is new in any farmers’ market with up-to-date information and then store their favorite findings for future reference.
Eat24 Order Food Delivery & Takeout
The late-night snacker will love the Eat24 Order Food Delivery & Takeout app which allows users to order food wherever, whenever! The app includes over 20,000 restaurants in more than 950 cities and offers a variety of search options so that users can search for specific cuisines, restaurants and dishes. Inside the app you can view Yelp reviews, save your favorites, pay with PayPal, utilize coupons and cash back features, share your experience with photos and post updates on Twitter.
Archives for June 2013
Thursday Happy Hour, SacFoodies Style
One Thursday every month, the SacFoodies love to indulge in a good happy hour. Sometimes we crave beer and wings, and other times we’re hungry for calamari and a cocktail. Whatever our mood, we know where to go to find great bites and quality drinks that hit the spot! Here’s a list of some of our favorite happy hour spots to fit any mood.
Incredible Selections: Whether you’re craving fire cracker shrimp, a cheeseburger or spinach dip – McCormick & Schmicks has the menu to match! Prices range from $2.99 to $5.99 for food and $3.75 to $7.00 for drinks. To see the full happy hour list, visit their menu here.
McCormick & Schmicks
Happy Hour: Monday – Friday, 3:00pm – 7:00pm
1111 J St.
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 442-8200
Eat. Drink. Drink More.: If you’ve had a long day and need a tall drink to calm the nerves, treat yourself to Morton’s “Power Hour” menu. The bar offers a long list of beer, wine, cocktails and “Mortinis” priced from $5.50 to $8.00 each. Pair your drink with an appetizing treat from the bar menu, which offers a selection of Parmesan Truffle Fries, Mini Crab Cake BLT’s, Petite Filet Mignon Sandwiches and more. Yum!
Morton’s
Happy Hour: Monday – Friday, 4:30pm – 6:30pm and 9:00pm – 10:00pm
621 Capitol Mall
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 442-5091
Amazing Appetizers: House Kitchen and Bar promises an excellent happy hour with amazing appetizers. Conveniently located right across the street from our office, it’s one of the SacFoodies’ go-to spots for a guaranteed good time. Appetizers include pulled pork sliders, chicken lettuce wraps, mac ‘n’ cheese and even sweet corn tamale cakes – all for $5 each. Specialty cocktails and house wines are also $5, with some draft beers priced at $2.
House Kitchen and Bar
Happy Hour: Wednesday – Friday, 4pm-8pm
555 Capitol Mall
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 498-9924
Beer, Wings and Fun: Some days nothing sounds better than an ice-cold glass of beer with a big basket of garlic fries and wings to match. When those days call, Chicago Fire answers. Best known for their Chicago-inspired thin crust, deep dish and stuffed pizzas, Chicago Fire also boasts a delicious happy hour menu that can satisfy your craving for wings, fries and pizza for days!
Chicago Fire
Happy Hour: Monday – Friday, 3:00pm – 6:00pm
2416 J St
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 443-0440
The Ultimate Sangria: Paesanos is loved for many reasons: the great food, friendly staff, prime location and more notably, the refreshing sangria. Enjoy sangria and many other delicious drinks on their happy hour menu for $4.00 and pair with an appetizer for an additional $5. Cheers!
Paesanos
Happy Hour: Monday – Friday, 3:00pm – 6:00pm
1806 Capitol Ave
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 447-8646
Tell us, what’s your favorite happy hour spot?
Ju Hachi
Sacramento is filled with great sushi and since moving to Sacramento, I have enjoyed sampling several sushi hot-spots. Thinking that I already had my go-to establishments nailed down, I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon a new favorite: Ju Hachi. Nestled on the corner of S and 17th, not only does Ju Hachi feature delicious, reasonably priced sushi—but also boasts some of the friendliest staff around. The quaint and inviting atmosphere will quickly make you feel like a regular and for those looking for a deal, be sure to pay close attention to Groupon, as they frequently run some pretty great deals. $40 for $20? $20 for $10?—yes, please!
I suggest enjoying the complimentary cucumber salad with an ice cold Japanese import beer.Then, enjoy a variety of the fresh and delicious specialty rolls and don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations. I suggest giving the Kohaku Roll a try, which features shrimp tempura, avocado and cucumber and is topped with red and white tuna, scallions and garlic cream sauce.
Ju Hachi
1730 S St.
Sacramento, CA
(916) 448-3481
Hot Dog! (It’s National Take Your Dog to Work Day)
Not only is it the first day of summer, but it’s also National Take Your Dog to Work Day. If you already got the memo and Fido is by your side at work right now, you might now be wondering: What’s for lunch?
Here are a couple of dog-friendly restaurants in Midtown that are offering special discounts (and maybe even a dog biscuit or two!) to those who dine with their dog today:
Capitol Garage
1500 K Street
The Porch
1815 K Street
What are your favorite places to dine in Sacramento with a four-legged companion?
The Rustic Puff: Artisanal Marshmallows
By Ana Marie Aguas, Caity Heim, Jake Ferguson and Sara Ortega
Last week, we were lucky enough to sample handcrafted marshmallows from Lodi’s The Rustic Puff. It might be hard to imagine a marshmallow as anything else but the rubbery white squares you find at the grocery store, but these marshmallows just might amaze you. Believe it or not, marshmallows with flavors such as Salted Margarita, Sea Salt Caramel and Chocolate Stout exist—and we think they’re fantastic.
Jennifer and Heather, creators of The Rustic Puff, love what they do, although Jennifer actually started as a party planner. When one of her clients requested artisan marshmallow party favors for an event, Jennifer whipped up a batch of her own. Little did she know this would be one of many batches to come!
When developing their marshmallow recipes, The Rustic Puff prides itself on sourcing local ingredients when possible. In the Root Beer Float marshmallow, Jennifer uses locally brewed root beer combined with vanilla extract for a dessert puff with truly authentic flavors.
Lately, The Rustic Puff’s popularity has grown, with an appearance on Good Day Sacramento and participation in the Williams-Sonoma Artisan Market earlier this month. They will also be joining other local up-and-coming artisan vendors at the Sonoma County Shoppers Boutique Expo on June 23rd.
Want to try one of these delicious gourmet creations? Order the puffs online to find out why they’re making such a name for themselves!
Some of the SacFoodies’ Favorite Puffs:
Caity:
Salted Margarita Puff: When Heather from The Rustic Puff came to visit our office I was so overwhelmed by the variety of flavors to sample that I didn’t know where to start! She began to describe the puffs one-by-one as she took them out of their box and about half way through, one flavor caught my attention: Salted Margarita. This delicious marshmallow, although tiny, packed a punch of flavor. Made with real, fresh squeezed lime juice, top shelf tequila and an added hint of salt, this puff had the flavor of my favorite pie, key lime. I had no idea a marshmallow could taste so amazing. The perfect combination of sweet and sour was just right for that hot summer afternoon!
Ana Marie:
Creamsicle Puff: When Heather walked into our office armed with a box of handcrafted gourmet marshmallows, I knew it was going to be an amazing day! As she began to introduce each flavor, I quickly jumped at the chance to sample the Creamsicle Puff – a bite-sized taste of heaven in the form of a creamy Popsicle-flavored marshmallow. I was thoroughly impressed and pleasantly surprised by the taste. The texture was perfectly smooth and creamy, and the flavor was beyond anything you’d expect from a marshmallow. The first bite was like tasting a cold Popsicle on a hot day – refreshing and very satisfying. Made with pure orange extract and classic bourbon vanilla with a dash of orange zest, the Creamsicle Puff made for the ultimate sugary snack for a hot summer workday.
Tiramisu Puff: This marshmallow-version of tiramisu is a dream come true. If you think you like tiramisu, you’re going to love the amazing combination of a soft marshmallow texture and the authentic Italian flavor of tiramisu. With tiny chunks of tiramisu and the bursting flavor of espresso and lady fingers, the Tiramisu Puff made for the perfect dessert. Forewarning: once you try one, you won’t be able to stop!
Jake:
Chocolate Stout Puff: I made it a point to try nearly all of the flavors Heather brought to our office and the one that stood out most to me was the Chocolate Stout. This delicious fluffy marshmallow had the familiar texture of a marshmallow with the flavor of a delicious hoppy beer, which was also locally sourced!
Additional standouts included: Strawberry Chocolate Malt, Espresso Sprinkle, Strawberries and Champagne, Neapolitan, Cookies n’ Cream, Salted Pretzel and Strawberry Fields.
The Rustic Puff
Tel: (888)290-4227
[email protected]