Sac Foodies

Favorite food: Salty: Pepperoni pizza. Sweet: Chocolate chip milkshake.

Favorite local restaurants (formal dining, ethnic, neighborhood bistro): Being the “FHoodie” who works from her home office in the San Francisco Bay Area, my favorites aren’t local Sacramento hangouts, but I highly recommend them if you’re ever visiting the Palo Alto area:

Formal: Evvia is an upscale Greek restaurant in downtown Palo Alto (420 Emerson Street, Palo Alto, 650-326-0983); don’t miss the Oktapodaki tou Yiorgou appetizer and the specialty of the house entree, a whole fish roasted with lemon oregano vinaigrette. The atmosphere makes you feel as if you’re dining on the island of Santorini.

Ethnic: Amber India is an institution in the South Bay. I think the best location is the original one in a strip mall in Mountain View, but if you’re looking for a younger crowd check out the newer site at Santana Row. In either case, the Butter Chicken with rice is as good the next day for lunch as it is served piping hot at your table from a silver-plated tureen.

Neighborhood bistro: Sadly, this area of Los Altos is severely lacking in cute little neighborhood restaurants. My favorite restaurant of this type is in New York City and it’s called Snack Taverna. If you’re looking for a non-stuffy but romantic date night and find yourself in the West Village (63 Bedford Street @ 7th Avenue S; 212-929-3499), you owe it to your loved one to make a reservation! Since I work on the United States Potato Board account, I always try potato dishes at restaurants and the Cypriot Potatoes (fingerlings roasted with coriander seed and red onion) are exceptional. I’d never be able to return without ordering the boneless free range chicken with chick peas, raisins, tomato, and roasted endive. It’s served in a large, flat soup bowl and the sauce perfectly complements the crackly-skinned chicken.

Favorite dining experience of all time: This would have to be the meal served at a beautiful and intimate 40th birthday party my dear friends, Kathy and Greg Goumas, threw for me at their home in Los Altos Hills. The outdoor setting was spectacular, the weather was warm, all my favorite foods were served, and I was surrounded by my lovely friends from throughout my life.

Earliest food-related memory from childhood: My dad insists that the first thing I ever “read” was the A-1 steak sauce label at a young age. Obviously, it wasn’t a very complicated label!

Most impressive dish you’ve whipped up using only ingredients on hand: My husband Frank loves a pasta dish I make of penne mixed with bits of leftover rotisserie chicken, fresh spinach, sautéed mushrooms, and pesto sauce. The resulting mixture is green and not very pretty, but all three of my “boys” wolf it down and ask for it time and time again.

Favorite family recipe: This would have to be my Aunt Marge’s lasagna. It’s gooey and saucy and has a hint of fennel seed which makes it unique. Plus, I adore this woman, so anytime I eat it I think of her.