Java City’s Nick Tucker pours samples of French-pressed Ethiopia Sidamo
This month’s Second Saturday Art Walk served up a smorgasbord of art, food, fashion and music for culture-hungry Sacramentans. My boyfriend Joe and I met up with fellow Sac Foodie Melinda and her husband Johnnie at our place, downtown, and enjoyed pre-festivity margaritas as we charted our course for the evening. Our first stop was Java City’s 18th & Capitol café. Java City is a beloved FH/Sac client, and we had a great time at a coffee tasting class where we learned how to “slurp” coffee, the best way to assess a coffee’s flavor. Very similar to wine tasting, we were educated on how to evaluate the aroma, acidity and body of three different coffees from Africa – the birthplace of coffee. The group favorite was Ethiopia Sidamo, a highly aromatic and full-bodied coffee that was softly acidic with a sweet flavor. In other words, it was delicious!
Johnnie, “Big” Joe and Melinda sniffing and slurping
After the caffeinated tutorial, we were ready to stroll the streets also buzzing with incredible energy. We crossed the street to Dragonfly to check out local artist James Cameron, a Second Saturday staple that is always a must see. Next followed a trek towards the recently relocated Phoenix Gallery. On the way there, we had to swim through a swarm of people outside Zocalo which was celebrating its three year anniversary, mariachi band, dancers and all.
As we sambaed our way through the crowd and crossed over to the corner of 18th & L Street, entrancing jazz music lured us into the courtyard of the chic new 1801 L Street Apartments, where we found a trove of captivating artwork and a flock of people carrying wine glasses. We were instantly inspired to take a detour into L Wine Lounge. We were able to score a table on the terrace where we could enjoy the music; we were soon joined by fellow Second Saturday enthusiasts and friends Stefani and Michele, who filled us in on their adventures at the Phoenix Gallery, and I do mean adventure, but that’s a story for some other time. We ordered the seasonal cheese and cured meat plate, gnudi, calamari, French fries and of course…many glasses of wine! The weather was perfect, the music was soothing, the food delicious and the evening carried on with laughter-filled conversation. Looking back, the night was nothing short of a masterpiece and I am looking forward to the September sequel!
The L Wine Lounge courtyard has the buzz of a Manhattan eatery
Archives for August 2007
Midweek Morsels 08.15.07
The downtown plaza has a great farmers’ market on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We usually head over at lunch time, but last week we had a staff meeting so ended up going close to 2:00, which ended up being very fortuitous for us as you can get incredible bargains! The farmers bagged up their produce and some of our bounty included a huge bag of peaches, pluots and nectarines for $3; huge bag of seedless red grapes $3; cantaloupe $2; bag of green grapes $1.50; bag of pears $1.50; three gorgeous heirloom tomatoes for $1, and flowers for $3 a bunch.
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Thursday is Cajun night at the Shack, 5201 Folsom Blvd.
A Little Piece of Heaven in Des Moines
I was in Des Moines for business a few weeks back and had the pleasure of visiting the test gardens for Better Homes and Gardens magazine. It was incredible! The head gardener has broken the garden into separate sections from evergreens to heirloom tomatoes and peppers. We even stumbled upon them doing a photo shoot for strawberry festival recipes that will run in ’08. If you ever happen to be in Des Moines for business or pleasure, take a stroll through this free public garden located at Locust and 17th. Here are a couple of my favorite pics.
Weekend Round-Up
Here’s two coffee-cups up to Steady Eddy’s coffee house in Winters. We dropped in this weekend for a light lunch and got more than we bargained for – good food, friendly service and a pleasant atmosphere that fostered a gentle hum of conversation among locals and cyclists passing through on their way from Davis to Lake Berryessa.
The paninis, with clever names like Holy Cow and Sgt. Pepper’s Blue Cheese, were yummy, and we also recommend the pecan bar. Big enough for a three-way split between me, my husband and son, my husband’s comment was that it was “better than pecan pie.” And, he is right – lots of nuts and not too syrupy. We’ll be sure to make our way back to the “instantly comfortable” setting of Steady Eddy’s again soon!
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Dessert on Lake Shasta
Houseboating is the ultimate vacation. I had the pleasure of spending three lazy days with my family and dear friends who invited us aboard their houseboat on Lake Shasta this past weekend. We spent hours sitting on the deck telling stories, playing Rummikub, and plunging into the lake. It was heaven. But as a foodie, true heaven is measured by the food that is served in paradise. That said, I owe props to my mother, the best pie maker I know (besides Kira O’Donnell). She brought aboard two scrumptious pies – strawberry rhubarb and raspberry. Thanks mom!
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New “Midtown Taqueria” in East Sac
Housed in the old Sidewalk Pizza building, Midtown Taqueria on 37th and J has only been open for a few weeks, but already is a thriving outdoor eatery. After doing vigorous yard work, we decided to ride our bikes over and check it out. Even though I am very adventurous in dining, I pretty much always order the same thing with Mexican — bean and cheese burrito or carnitas — so those are my standards when judging a new place. The bean and cheese burrito was just the way I like it — not too much cheese and the beans not too saucy. My other set of criteria for judging a new place is the quality and variety of its salsas and Midtown delivered.
They had four full, fresh bowls with a salsa fresca, a mild tomato and onion, a medium poblano avocado, and a medium-spicy orange-ish salsa (not sure of the chiles used). We shared an order of nachos with carnitas, also yummy, but too much sour cream for my taste. My husband got a dang chicken quesadilla that was perfectly fine. The staff was very friendly and the interior and outdoor eating areas very clean. They carry Corona, Pacifico, Modelo (especial and dark) as well as Coors. We’ll definitely be back to try some of the yummy-sounding mariscos — nice to see they have seafood beyond shrimp, which is the case at most taquerias. Next time I’ll trade my bean and cheese burrito for either the bass filet or grilled tilapia.
The Shack, Sacramento
It was a night that couldn’t have been more perfect at The Shack on Thursday, August 9, yet it was still “the pits!” Actually, just one pit, a hand-built-for-the-occasion roasting pit, that yielded the succulent spread for “Food From a Hole Night.” At about 7:30 PM, Chef Gary and his buddy “Kiwi Bob,” with shovels in hand began unearthing the delicacies that awaited the captivated crowd. The food had been roasting for several hours and after the dirt and the coverings were removed, a troop of helpers began carting away seemingly endless mounds of steaming whole chickens, roast pork, potatoes and cabbages.
The bounty was served with an amazing shrimp and citrus salad, and delicious mini-meat pies that were also a huge hit. The music of Section R added to the ambience of a most beautiful night (this is Sacramento in August, right?), and the evening was capped off with a delightful fruit pavlova, made with kiwi, strawberries and fresh whipped cream, all layered between homemade meringues. It was one of those desserts that made you think, “I’ll just have a little of this,” and before you knew it, you were wishing that society allowed you to lick the plate. Another in a seemingly never-ending string of great Thursday nights at The Shack!
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Tomorrow is Second Saturday — Julie Ficker will report on activities at her favorite midtown spots including Java City, L Wine Lounge, Phoenix Gallery, and more!