by Laurel Harrison
The long-awaited Mendocino Farms is finally making its appearance at the R Street Ice Blocks on December 6th, and we could not be more excited! They already have a cult-like following in SoCal and the Bay Area, and the SacFoodies are ready to drink the seasonal, locally-sourced Kool-Aid.
For those who aren’t familiar, Mendocino Farms is a popular sandwich and salad restaurant that emphasizes premium, locally-sourced ingredients in creative and seasonal dishes. Mendo (as the fans call it) is devoted to partnering with local farmers and food artisans to create tasty food while supporting the local food economy.
Co-founders Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen (a dynamic husband-and-wife team) wanted to come back to their roots with a Midtown location, inspired by Del Pero’s own childhood experiences with Sacramento’s rich food scene.
Del Pero spent his youth in Sacramento, eating peanut noodles from the now-closed David Berkley Fine Wines & Specialty Foods and taking inspiration from Berkley’s commitment to high-quality, soul-satisfying food. In fact, Del Pero says that Berkley, and his dedication to the community, was a huge inspiration for the Mendocino Farms culture. It seems only fitting that Mendocino Farms is coming back to where it all began – right here, in Sacramento.
“I grew up less than an hour outside Sacramento in Yuba City, so this restaurant opening means a lot to me. It feel like we’re coming home. People here have such a great appreciation for the farm-to-table philosophy we’ve always embraced, and Midtown is such a sophisticated and vibrant community.”
What are the SacFoodies most excited for? Right now, it’s a toss-up between the Pork Belly Banh Mi and the Save Drake Farm’s Salad, but we’re sure we’ll find more to crave as we work through the menu.
Most of all, we’re happy to welcome Mario and Ellen home to Sacramento – we hope you stay a while!
Lazy Dog Spring Menu
The SacFoodies love trying new restaurants, especially on a sunny spring day. When we were invited to lunch at Lazy Dog, we quickly “barked” yes! The foodies (and puppy foodies in training) headed out to Roseville to try the spring menu.
Jessi: To start, I had the Huckleberry Mule! I’m a big fan of mules, especially when they are served in a metal mug (as every good mule should be). This mule contained craft vodka, ginger beer, lemon, soda, and huckleberry puree. I really loved how fruity this drink was without being too sweet. As my first course, I had the slow-cooked lentil soup. This thick and flavorful soup was a great starter! It was delicious during lunch and even more delicious leftover when the evening got a little chillier. For my main course, I had the BBQ Veggie Burger. Now, I am very picky when it comes to veggie burgers, because it’s just so easy for them to be dry and boring. This burger, however, was delicious and moist thanks to the combination of black beans, ancient grains, and beets. Plus, it was topped with roasted garlic, pickles, and fried onion strips which are my all-time favorite burger toppings. I would 100% order again! The spring menu was very well put together and you could tell a lot of thought went into curating this collection. I’ll definitely be back!Cheyenne: I’ve been excited to try Lazy Dog ever since I found out I could bring my pups, not to mention the food looks fresh and fun! The spring menu has many options, which made it hard to choose which delicious dish to try. Nothing says warm weather like enjoying a fresh and fruity cocktail outdoors. I ordered the peaches and moonshine, and I was not disappointed, the fresh flavor of peach and citrus mixed with the kick of moonshine and a hint of mint. It was basically summer in a glass! If I had to give one pro-tip for going to Lazy Dog, go for the weekend brunch! I think there are some really great options that are on the menu exclusively for brunch that you won’t want to miss. I got the bacon and egg mac and cheese and I’m still thinking about it! It was all the delicious parts of breakfast and all the best parts of lunch mixed into one dish, which sums up the meaning of the word brunch. I was already in foodie heaven with the mac and cheese that I almost forgot that I ordered a main dish! If it’s cheesy I’m probably going to get it and those sentiments are multiplied by at least 7x if it’s burratta. With that being said, I ordered the burrata and heirloom tomato crisp. Now, I’m not usually a thin crust type of girl, but I made an exception here for the cheese, obviously. I was so glad I did! The crisp was so fresh and light but most importantly flavorful. 10/10 would recommend!
Brandon: Everything we sampled at Lazy Dog was fantastic! When we arrived and took a look at the menu, I was seriously torn on what to order! I decided to order a little bit of everything and see what the new spring menu was all about. Let’s start with the street corn wheels. This was one of my favorites of the day! How can you go wrong with grilled corn, tajin and queso? Next up was the veggie burger bowl. This dish really surprised me! I’m usually the last person to order a veggie burger, but when our server brought it to the table I was taken back by how fresh and vibrant the dish looked. More importantly, it tasted amazing! It was light and fresh, but felt very substantial when you ate it. This is a great spring lunch option to fill you up without slowing you down. Finally, we have the mother of all brunch items…the steak and eggs benedict. I am an eggs benedict connoisseur. I am always on the hunt for hollandaise. Lazy Dog’s take on the breakfast classic places flat iron steak over sautéed peppers and onions on top of a hash brown for a Potatoes O’Brien-esque flavor. They then top it with perfectly poached eggs and some seriously good hollandaise!
And now a message from our furry friends…
Morphe: I’m so glad to make my blogging debut on SacFoodies! I tried to hide my excitement when I heard we were going to Lazy Dog, but naturally, my tail gave me away. I don’t know a lot about food except that I eat it, so I’m always down to try a dog-friendly eatery. When I trotted in the door, I noticed the menu housed in a massive fire hydrant, so I knew I was welcome here! What a nice touch. I walked on to the patio and made my presence known. I may be small but my voice certainly isn’t. Our waiter brought me a bowl of the finest tap water they had, I usually prefer sparkling but on this warm day, I was pleased with the flat. It was hard to talk to the other doggy diners since they were so far away, but I tried (apparently that breaks the “No Barking” rule). I chose the hamburger and rice from the menu, it was so delectable, I threw my manners out the window and thoroughly enjoyed my meal! I can’t wait to go back I give it four paws up!
Lexi: I had the best day at Lazy Dog with all my friends! Food and my best buddy Morphe!? What a perfect day! I ordered the grilled chicken and rice and washed it down with the freshest water around. I was happily full after my lunch, and had a nice rest in the sun while my friends finished eating. I wish I could have tried some of the food that my human friends ordered! It all smelled so good. I can’t wait to comeback!
Let's Get Saucy!
It’s National Sauce Month, everybody! If the SacFoodies love anything, it’s getting #lostinthesauce (in the most culinary sense of the phrase). We’ll be featuring a different kind of sauce each week of the month, ranging from barbecue to chocolate. Bring on the ranch, marinara, caramel, and curry – we’re hunting down our favorite sauces, and all the delicious food that goes under them!
For our first saucy spot, we stopped by – you guessed it – Sauced BBQ & Spirits on 7th and K. Sauced takes pride in the quality of their meat, the integrity of their smoking process, and their generous (i.e., gargantuan) portions. We had a great time at our lunch, which included great service, a lively atmosphere, and an overall satisfying work-day meal. Below, we each talk about our favorite part of the meal, and of course, our favorite sauce!
Laurel: For my lunch at Sauced, I ordered the appetizer Smoked Wings plate. As someone who doesn’t like my meals pre-drenched in sauce, I was happy that the wings came spiced, smoked, and with sauce on the side. This meant that I could add as much sauce as I wanted, and experiment with different kinds! Sauced has four house BBQ sauces – Tin Roof, Hot Tin Roof, Pig Candy, and Georgia Gold. I felt like the Georgia Gold, which is mustard-based, went best with the smoky chicken, but I definitely liked all four. Disclaimer: I also love mustard and vinegar, so it wasn’t suprising for me to pick this as my favorite!
Cheyenne: When I see tater-tots of any form on a menu, I’m blinded by their golden light and know that I have to have them. Even with the incredible number of menu options at Sauced, tater-tots had my heart. I ordered the Tot-Tas for lunch. “What exactly are Tot-Tas?” you may be wondering. Well, according to the menu it is a plate of tater-tots covered with cheddar cheese, bacon jam (yes, bacon jam!), sour cream, green onions and jalapenos. If you ask me what a Tot-Ta is, I’ll tell you it’s how Sauced made me say goodbye to plain tots forever. I’m counting bacon jam as the sauce on my meal, because there was really no need for anything extra on that plate. Every single thing – from the crunchiness of the tots, to the sweet, salty, smoky flavor of the bacon jam – made me fall in love with each bite. I probably could have used a little more sour cream, but that is a personal preference. If you are going to stop by Sauced I cannot recommend the Tot-Tas more, whether you plan on keeping them to yourself or sharing. Though I didn’t need anything extra on my meal, you can’t go to Sauced and not try the BBQ Sauce! If I had to choose one I would go with the Tin Roof, it is a classic ketchup-based sauce and I’m a classic kind of girl, but they were all delicious in their own special ways.
We can’t wait to go back to Sauced and try more #saucyspots throughout the rest of March. Word to the wise: Sauced is the spot to go before Golden 1 events, but be ready for crowds! We liked going for lunch to reap the rewards of a Sauced lunch without dealing with the pre-game rush. Tot-Ta for now! (Get it?)
Sacramento Christmas Day Dining
We know not everyone plans to whip up an elaborate meal and eat at home on Christmas Day and for those interested in restaurant fare on December 25th, it can be quite a challenge to find a local restaurant that is open.
So, to make the process a bit easier, here is a list of Sacramento restaurants open on Christmas Day. Give them a call ahead of time to ensure seating. Happy Holidays!
Esquire Grill
1215 K St
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone number (916) 448-8900
Bandera
2232 Fair Oaks Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95825
Phone number (916) 922-3524
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
501 Pavilions Ln
Sacramento, CA 95825
Phone number (916) 286-2702
The Porch
1815 K St
Sacramento, CA 95811
Phone number (916) 444-2423
For Elegant Dining and Craft Brews, Blackbird Soars
By: Amanda Frew and Jake Ferguson
For those of us that work in downtown Sacramento, keeping us in the area after work hours is not easy to do with midtown’s many bars and restaurants luring us away after we leave the office. On a recent visit to Blackbird Kitchen + Beer Gallery though, two of us Sac Foodies found ourselves happily whiling away the evening without the slightest thought of our usual midtown haunts.
This February, Blackbird reopened its doors with a new identity. They now feature dishes starring local farm-fresh produce and incredibly fresh fish for their many raw offerings and to live up to their namesake as a “Beer Gallery,” Blackbird also boasts over 50 beers on tap from all over the world. It’s not often you have the chance to partake in upscale food with such a wide range of craft beers, but we highly suggest you visit Blackbird soon to do so. Below is a recap of our delicious evening.
Salmon Crudo with Pickled Shishito Peppers
This dish was full of flavor and was the perfect size for an appetizer. The tangy peppers cut the fattiness of the salmon and the crunch of the sea salt on top created and exceptional bite.
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