Yuengling. Say that ten times fast.
While it may sound like nothing more than a child’s toy or an overplayed rap group, Yuengling is a force to be reckoned with. On a trip to North Carolina last week, I was lucky enough to take a quick sip of Yuengling at one of Charlotte’s great sports bars – the BlackFinn.
I first tried Yuengling in Florida and was immediately ridiculed for never having heard of it before. An urgent history lesson ensued and I quickly found that Yuengling is the pride of Pottsville, Pennsyvlania and is notorious for being America’s Oldest Brewery.
According to their Web site, Yuengling is only available in NY, PA, DE, MD, DC, VA, NC, SC, TN, AL and of course, FL. So unfortunately it may be a while before I can satisfy that craving again. If you know of anywhere that sells Yuegling or has it on tap locally, please let us know!
Archives for September 2008
Last Friday at Zócalo
My fiancé and I wanted to kickoff the weekend by trying out a restaurant in Sacramento that we had never been to. Since we both are pretty new to the area, this wasn’t a difficult task. I’m a Mexican food lover and I had heard good things about Zócalo, so we decided to give it a try.
Zócalo immediately reminded me of this gorgeous villa I stayed at in Puerto Vallarta a few years ago. The restaurant was very spacious with large open windows and authentic décor – I felt like I was back in Mexico the whole time I was there!
We started out our meal with chips and margaritas, as we do at most Mexican restaurants we go to. The chips were warm, salty and delicious – the quality of chips and salsa are always very important to my dining experience. The margaritas were smooth and refreshing.
There were so many choices on the menu that I had a tough time making a decision. When it came time to order I chose the flautas de pollo and my fiancé chose the carnitas burrito.
The flautas were crunchy and topped with cabbage and radish, which was a fresh twist. The carnitas burrito was absolutely delicious, the pork was very tender and flavorful – I kept stealing bites off of my fiancé’s plate! The entrees were served with black beans and tasty cilantro-flavored rice.
We were also surprised to find that a mariachi band plays at Zócalo on Fridays. There’s nothing wrong with being serenaded while eating delicious food!
Zócalo
1801 Capitol Avenue
(916) 441-0303
Foodie Snapshots from Switzerland
This past spring my boyfriend, Joe, and I spent a week in the beautiful town of Montreux, Switzerland. In a country known for producing my two favorite loves, cheese and chocolate, needless to say, I was in heaven! As Joe and I traveled (and ate) our way through this beautiful, vineyard-filled countryside (oh yeah, they have some amazing wine there too) there are a few foodie moments that I will never forget!
Like this beautiful view of the sunset while having dinner at Relais de la Poste set among the vineyards of Lake Geneva.
Where we ate filets of Perch, Meuniere’s style and French Fries!
My favorite boutique in the historical town of Bern (the capital of Switzerland) – Confiserie Tschirren, a chocolate shop of course!
The only insect I will ever eat – a bug-shaped candy made of chocolate and almonds!
Below is a photo of Joe and I shot in front of Chalet de Gruyeres where we enjoyed the town’s traditional cheese fondue dinner.
The first course included a plate of air-dried beef, bread, pickles and onions.
Then there was the amazing cheese plate!
And a basket of potatoes for dipping!
And at a restaurant close to our hotel, we had the most amazing pizza! (Yes, that’s an egg on top!)
But of all the amazing meals we had on this trip, my favorite was one I don’t even remember – a dinner cruise on Lake Geneva where Joe proposed! Now I have another reason to love Switzerland!
The Sacramento Salmon Swap
My fiancé, Stefan, recently went on an Alaskan fishing adventure with his father and grandfather. They stayed at Alaska’s Sea Otter Sound Lodge, which is located 100 miles by float plane from Ketchikan. Some of the highlights of the trip were the gorgeous scenery, sea otters, seals, bald eagles and humpback whale sightings.
After five days of non-stop fishing, the three of them had caught more than 300 pounds of fish – mostly salmon! This would be great news for any seafood lover, but my seafood experiences rarely venture beyond shrimp and clam chowder.
I made the decision to be optimistic and proactive with this bounty of salmon – it was falling out of my freezer, what choice did I have? I decided to swap some salmon with the seafood lovers in our office, in exchange for some tasty recipes. I’m hoping they will inspire me with their favorite salmon dishes – stay tuned for their culinary creations!
Table Talk
When a new restaurant pops up downtown, we are apt to notice, but it’s rare for the Sac Foodies to swoop in en masse. But, when we heard that Table 260 had opened a second location – this time in downtown – we made it a special outing by inviting The Sacramento Bee’s Rick Kushman to join us. Between bites of southern soul food, we talked foodies, TV and, of course, Table 260.
Brittany Mohr:
When I hear the phrase “soul food,” I tend to make generalizations along the lines of “deep-fried.” Table 260 taught me that “deep-fried” can be fabulous. I love to try unfamiliar foods – give me black pudding or haggis any day. Eating chicken and waffles together (with syrup, the way it’s supposed to be done) had never really crossed my mind prior to last week’s dining experience. My main takeaways are that the hush puppies were dangerously good (the kind of good where you could probably devour an entire basket if no one were watching), and the chicken and waffles is a must-try, if for no other reason than to say you did it.
Kris Caputo Hurley:
It’s risky business trying out a new restaurant only four weeks after its opening. My expectations got even lower when we were the only party seated in the main dining area. There was just one other couple seated at the bar the entire evening. Thankfully, good food and good company made up for the lack of energy. I insisted we share an order of hush puppies from the appetizer menu and I’m so glad I did! Not only was it one of the most generously proportioned apps I’ve seen in a long while, they were absolutely delicious and as comforting as I’d hoped they’d be. Half joking, I also claimed that I could drink the garlic butter that the grilled prawns were cooked and served in. Instead, I delightfully soaked the sliced bread in the sauce and would have been pleasantly full with just these two fantastic starters. Fellow Sac Foodie Kim Bedwell and I shared the house salad (very fresh and well dressed) and crab cakes, unique with its panko crust. All in all, it was a delightful evening full of conversation (Rick is practically a celebrity with all his visits to various TV sets!) and very good food. It’s just a matter of getting people in the door!
Ashley Paul:
My dining experience at Table 260 has taught me that soul food equals comfort food. The fried green tomatoes, hush puppies and sweet potato fries were addicting and delicious – the perfect prequel to the main course, which was chicken and waffles. I admit that I was skeptical of combining one of my favorite breakfast dishes with fried chicken wings (I’m one of those people who does not like my pancakes and bacon to touch), but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try it. A few bites in I surprisingly found myself dunking forkfuls of chicken and waffle into syrup – in fact, I actually wanted more chicken, and was wishing for a thigh or a drumstick! Fellow Sac Foodie Brittany Mohr and Rick Kushman were also daring enough to try this unusual combo, which they both said they enjoyed. It was refreshing and fun to venture out of my typical culinary comfort zone and try something new.
Julie Ficker:
The best way I can describe Table 260 is by comparing them to my favorite pair of designer jeans. Both offer the kind of sensation you can only get when you know you’re about to experience something truly authentic. They both provide that familiar, down-home comfort. And like my favorite pair of denim, Table 260 is ideal for just about any occasion. Whether you’re celebrating a family birthday, watching Monday night football or getting ready for a night out on the town – it’s that staple you can pull from your restaurant repertoire and know it will be just the right fit. And finally, at the end of the day (or end of your meal) you will always feel it was well worth the indulgence!
Maria Chacon Kniestedt:
I couldn’t wait to eat at Table 260, but not for the reasons you might expect. Fannie Flagg is a favorite author – as are many southern writers – so the occasion felt like jumping into the plot of a great story, especially when I learned that fried green tomatoes were on the menu. Of course, I envisioned a current take on the Whistle Stop Café – you know, Idgie Threadgood (aka the Bee Charmer) and her best friend, Ruth Jamieson (cue the train here!) dishing up a wallop of chocolate frosting and good fun. Table 260 serves fried green tomatoes (and they are good), but this is no café. The ambiance is sleek and urban, and the service top-notch. In addition to fried green tomatoes, the hush puppies and sweet potato fries were definite favorites, and my salmon was perfectly seasoned and grilled. One of the best parts of the evening, though, was dining with Rick Kushman who gets to live “The Good Life” on a regular basis. Plus, he has the real-deal, inside scoop on all our favorite TV programs. “Mad Men” fans, unite!
You’re only as good as your last picture
The Sac Foodies pose for Pulitzer Prize-winning Sacramento Bee photographer, Renee Byer, at Il Fornaio for a photo featured in Rick Kushman’s column “The Good Life.”
“You’re only as good as your last picture,” she told us.