The latest Selland Family Restaurant to open in Sacramento, OBO’ Italian Table and Bar, is located in East Sacramento next to the new Kru location. OBO’, which opened in June, follows suit with fellow Selland restaurants in that there is no formal table service – you order at the counter, take a number, and your food is delivered to your table when it’s ready. Randall Selland calls it a “non-committal” approach, and I’d have to agree.
I recently grabbed a table at OBO’ on a Saturday night when my husband and I felt like dining out, but just wanted something casual, yet not take-out casual. OBO’, like most Selland restaurants, fits this description perfectly. It’s a best of both worlds approach – I can still have a nice glass of wine and a delicious meal, but skip the formalities and often lengthier process of a typical sit-down restaurant if I’m not in the mood.
We shared two dishes, the Tagliatelle Poached Egg Pasta with prosciutto, lemon, butter, chives and topped with a poached egg, and the Bianca Sausage & Olive Pizza, featuring ricotta, fresh mozzarella, garlic, chili and castelvetrano olives. At $10.50 and $14 respectively, both dishes were not only delicious but reasonably priced as well. We paired our meal with a couple of glasses of Nebbiolo to round things out, because who can enjoy Italian food without Italian wine?
If you are a fan of Selland Family restaurants and haven’t tried OBO’ yet, I highly recommend you do so next time you find yourself hungry in East Sac. Meanwhile, I’ll be awaiting the opening of Selland’s Market-Cafe (and Bike Dog Brewing Co. next door) in my own neighborhood of Land Park, on the Broadway corridor.
OBO’ Italian Table and Bar
3145 Folsom Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95816
916-822-8720
Archives for January 2017
SacFoodies Weekend Picks
By Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt
The Art of Beer
One of Sacramento’s favorite events has returned: The Art of Beer. The event brings 30+ breweries together for a night of tasting not only the beers on tap, but some favorite food pairings from Sacramento’s Farm-To-Fork restaurants as well. While guests enjoy unlimited tastings of food and drink, they can also take a moment to browse and bid on the 30+ art pieces in the silent auction.
All of the proceeds from the auction will go to Sol Collective. General tickets are $50 and VIP tickets are $70 and can be purchased here.
January 27, 2017
5:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
The McCellan Convention Center
5411 Luce Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95652
4th Annual Sacramento Chocolate Salon
Attention chocolate fanatics and aficionados: The Sacramento Chocolate Salon is back for its 4th year and is bringing 20+ chocolatiers and confectioners to the Sacramento area for an event dedicated solely to chocolate. Attendees will have the opportunity to taste and enjoy offerings from the many participants. They will also be able to learn directly from people in the chocolate industry at one of the panel events. Tickets are $20 for advance purchase and $25 at the door. This is a kid-friendly event, children ages 12 and under are $10.
January 28, 2017
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Embassy Suites Hotel: Riverfront Promenade
100 Capitol Mall
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dinner with Chopped Winner Chef Charleen
Chef Charleen dominated the competition on Chopped and now she is bringing the competition to you. Savor Sacramento presents a night in the kitchen with Chef Charleen. She will demonstrate a three-course menu and then participants will break into teams and compete Chopped style, while Chef Charleen provides instruction and help for the teams. The cost is $125 and you can purchase your tickets here for this one-of-a-kind event.
January 28, 2017
5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Lulu’s Kitchen
701 16th Street, Suite 130
Sacramento, CA 95814
6th Annual Bacon and Beer Night
Sacramento Bacon Fest is officially underway and you can check out our roundup of the main events here. A highlight is the 6th Annual Bacon and Beer Night, hosted by Pangaea Bier Café. A menu featuring the award-winning Pangaea bacon burger paired with the Bacon Suicide IPA will be ready to enjoy. Continue the bacon celebration!
January 28, 2017
5:00 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Pangaea Bier Café
2743 Franklin Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95818
Bacon Paella on the Patio
The bacon celebration just won’t stop! This Saturday, in honor of the Sacramento Bacon Fest, Selland’s Market Café is cooking up some paella with a special guest: bacon of course. Their paella will include house-cured bacon and chorizo bacon as well, a serving of paella is going for $12. A glass of the house sangria is a perfect companion and will be served by the glass ($5) or the pitcher ($15).
January 28, 2017
11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Selland’s Market Café
5340 H St.
Sacramento, CA 95819
Old Vine Express
The Old Vine Express is kicking off its monthly wine tours this weekend. This Sacramento classic offers guests a chance to try Northern California wines, enjoy a live band and a smooth ride on the Old Vine Express. Each tour offers a selection of 15 wines, eight tastes of your choice and a souvenir tasting glass. Though a meal is not included in the ticket price, there is an option to purchase one with your ticket.
Tickets can be purchased here.
January 28, 2017
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Boarding Location
400 N Harbor Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95816
Branch to Box
When the team at Branch to Box contacted us to ask if our office wanted to try a sample box of fresh fruit, of course we jumped at the offer. The company, founded by 6th generation fruit grower Chiles Wilson of Walnut Grove, Calif., offers curated boxes of fresh fruit and healthy snacks designed to be enjoyed by offices of various sizes. The Wilson family has been farming in the Sacramento Delta since the 1840s.
Branch to Box launched in 2016 with the goal of making it easy, affordable and enjoyable to eat healthy in the workplace – and who can argue with that? Our box arrived full of fresh fruit ranging from oranges, tangerines and apples, as well as healthy snack packs made up of nuts and dried fruits. The box even included a handy “small fruit box map” to serve as a guide for identifying each piece of fruit.
Do you have an office that could use a new healthy snack option? Branch to Box offers a new mix of fresh fruit and snacks every week, free delivery and uses shipping boxes made from 50 percent recycled material – so you can really feel good about snacking at work. Click here to give Branch to Box a try!
Sacramento Bacon Fest is Back!
By Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt
Bacon: a food that needs no introduction. It is not only one of the most delicious foods, but also one of the most versatile. Bacon can be a key ingredient from breakfast to dessert and everything in between.
Starting Monday (Jan. 23) and going until Saturday (Jan. 29), bacon will be getting its annual recognition as a true delight with the kickoff of Sacramento Bacon Fest.
Sacramento Bacon Fest has been bringing the best of bacon to Sacramento for years and this year is no different. Each day of the week promises an event filled with fun, good drinks, good food and of course, bacon. Listed below is the schedule of events and almost certainly something that will please your palette. The year’s closing event, the 6th Annual Chef’s Challenge, is unfortunately sold out at this time, but tickets will be given away at other events throughout the week, so make sure you attend one of those for your chance to win a sought-after ticket!
Monday, January 23:
Opening Nite Party
Kick off the week at Formoli’s Bistro! A ticket includes your first drink and access to six different bacon appetizers.
Formoli’s Bistro
3839 J Street
5:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $30 (includes one drink)
Tuesday, January 24:
Bacon Bao Bing
The Golden Bear and The Jungle Bird are also joining in on the festivities. Each restaurant will create their own version of Moo Shu Pork, alongside some delicious appetizers and cocktails. Start your night at either location and head over to the other when you are ready. Purchase tickets here.
The Golden Bear
2326 K Street
The Jungle Bird
2516 J Street
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $40 (includes Moo Shu Pork at both locations)
Wednesday, January 25:
Bacon Burger Battle
Empress Tavern hosts this battle of epic proportions. Three chefs will go head to head to create the end-all and be-all of bacon burgers. Witness the battle and enjoy some of the food and drinks on special for the night. Purchase tickets here and read our review of Empress Tavern here.
Empress Tavern
1013 K Street
9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Cost: $5 (does not include food purchase)
Thursday, January 26:
Bacon with Keller Crafted Meats
Sure, you know that bacon is delicious, but what about everything that goes into it? Learn that and much more with as Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op presents Mayumi Tavalero of Keller Crafted Meats. Tavalero will demonstrate a four-course meal featuring everyone’s favorite ingredient. Guests will get a taste of each recipe and a complimentary glass of wine. Purchase tickets here.
Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op Community Learning Center and Cooking School
2820 R Street
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $49 (general) and $40 (for co-op owners)
Friday, January 27:
Kevin Bacon Soundtrack Tribute Show
There can be no Bacon Fest without throwing a little Kevin Bacon in there too. Torch Club is hosting a night where eight local bands cover songs featured on Kevin Bacon soundtracks, with some bacon treats mixed in too.*
Torch Club
904 15th Street
9:00 p.m.
Cost: $8
* Ages 21+
Saturday, January 28
Nick and Guido Bottle Release
Bike Dog Brewing Co. kicks off Saturday’s events with the unveiling of a special brew named after Nick and Guido, the founders of Bacon Fest. The imperial brown ale, with a hint of smoked malt and a touch of a maple syrup, will be on tap and Chef Kelly Hogge, 2013 Triple Crown Bacon Fest winner, will be dishing out a bacon inspired breakfast.
Bike Dog Brewing
2534 Industrial Boulevard, Suite 110
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Bacon, Bites, & Beer
Once breakfast is over, Track 7 Brewing Co. is making sure the party doesn’t stop. The event has brews on tap and Cecil’s Taste will be parked outside promising a menu loaded with bacon.
Track 7 Brewing Co.
3747 W. Pacific Ave, Suite F
12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 29
6th Annual Chef’s Challenge
The most exciting event of the week, hosted by Mulvaney’s, will feature ten chefs competing for a variety of titles all surrounding their creativity in using bacon. A ticket grants access to a taste of each dish, wine and beer and some swag from Sacramento Bacon Fest. Unfortunately, this event is now sold out, but tickets are being given away throughout the week, stay up to date on Bacon Fest happenings!
Mulvaney’s B&L
1215 19th Street
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
SacFoodies Weekend Picks
By: Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt
Midtown Bizarre
Identity Coffees is serving up more than a great latte this Saturday as they host the first Midtown Bizarre of the year. The Midtown Bizarre showcases a wide range of handmade goods and products from Sacramento locals.
Burly Beverages, a locally owned company that specializes in small batch sodas and soft drinks, will be in attendance. They’ll be serving a soda made with locally sourced ingredients and brewed with care by owner Gabriel Aiello.
Conscious Creamery will be dishing out six of their dairy-free gelato flavors. All of their products are all natural and vegan made with produce from local growers.
Grab a directly-sourced coffee, sip, shop and enjoy.
January 14, 2017
12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Identity Coffees
1430 28th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95816
Midtown Arts
Midtown is known for its eye catching murals and thriving art culture as the neighborhood continues to open new restaurants offering a variety of menus and tastes. The Local Roots Food Tour explores not only the art and culture that encompasses the Midtown area but also gives guests a chance to try some of the great places to eat.
The food tour focuses on restaurants that embrace farm-to-fork and farm-to-glass to ensure that all tour goers get a taste of everything Midtown has to offer.
Grab your walking shoes and your appetite and immerse yourself in Midtown.
Tours take place every day from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. The tour, presented by Local Roots Food Tours, spans the Midtown area, and you must purchase your ticket in advance.The cost is $78 per person, $74 for children and military and $70 for seniors (65+)
Midtown, Sacramento, CA 95816
Dine Downtown (January 12-22, 2017)
Sacramento has made a name for itself in foodie circles. There are so many fine dining areas Downtown, it is hard to decide which one to try. Now there are no limitations as the 12th annual Dine Downtown has kicked off.
For the next 10 days, 35 downtown restaurants will be offering special 3-course experiences for $35. Not only will you get to experience all that the Downtown dining scene has to offer, one dollar of each meal purchased with Dine Downtown will be donated to social services and food literacy programs, like the Food Literacy Center
Odds are, one of the 30+ participating restaurants has what you are looking for. Book online to save some time and enjoy your experience.
The cost is $35 for a 3-course prix fixe meal.