By Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt
Bella Bru is a classic in the Sacramento area, we love their bread and we really love their desserts. Great news, we found, even more, to love during our recent trip to Bella Bru!
We visited the Carmichael Bella Bru with a few of our foodie friends To say we were impressed with the new items that Chef Tony has created, would be a massive understatement. Each bite was absolutely delicious, the flavors clearly put together with care and experience and you just can’t beat the presentation! Chef Tony has spent quite a bit of time traveling and flavor inspiration from all over is evident in each bite. We’re excited to head back to Carmichael location for this AMAZING menu, and we suggest you come right along with us.
Just a few of our favorite bites below, head over to our Instagram (@sacfoodies) to see more!
Archives for 2018
Tower Bridge Dinner Menu Preview
It’s that time of year again, when we all get a little green with envy at the thought of the ever exclusive Tower Bridge Dinner. This year, the envy is at an all-time high because the one and only Jeremiah Towers is hosting! I know, hold the applause. Traditionally, each chef chosen from the community brings one dish to the table that is specially created, cooked and plated. But this year, the Tower Bridge Dinner is celebrating community and the dinner will be a totally collaborative effort by all chefs, for a menu that is as cohesive as it is inspired. Oh, you’re gluten-free and dairy-free, you say? No worries, the chefs have made sure this dinner is inclusive for all.
Although we didn’t make the guest list, we were lucky enough to partake in the next best thing, the menu preview event! Five courses of beautiful, local, inspired and above all, delicious food. P.s. for more photos head to our Instagram.
So let’s start with the bread. Delicious, flavorful, sesame encrusted bread. Called Epi Bread, this really should have been called EpiC bread because let me tell you, that’s what it was. Served with olive oil and cultured butter, because, of course.
Course 1: Roasted fresh local veggies. Oh boy, why doesn’t every meal start with an overflowing bounty of summer squash, cherry tomatoes, roasted eggplant and blistered peppers? I think we should all, as a society decide to start all meals this way from now on. Especially when it comes with a side of sesame seed gremolata.
Course 2: Sturgeon. This dish was my favorite dish we sampled. Smoked sturgeon with sturgeon skin chicharon, a lightly pickled lemon cucumber salad, and of course, caviar. The deep flavor of the fish paired amazingly with the briny caviar and rich Russian dressing. Spy that pink sauce in the background? Remoulade. Fantastic.
Course 3: Duck. Confit leg of duck and roasted breast was served with cardamom and black pepper roasted figs, mahgoney and black rice, and charred grapes in late harvest zinfandel. Chef Brad Checci described this dish as duck served with everything a duck would eat. I’m sold.
Course 4: Lamb. Braised shoulder of lamb with roasted cipollini onions, tomato confit, heirloom been gratin and salsa verde. I will admit, I’m not the biggest fan of lamb, but this dish might have converted me. The lamb was so tender and flavorful, and the roasted onions were the perfect counterpart.
Course 5: Cheese. Ricottage cheese with preserved peaches and lemon verbena, chicories and baked pears, preserved Meyer lemon vinaigrette, and tomato oil crackers. The Chef’s inspiration for this dish is the man himself, Jeremiah Towers. Jeremiah ate canned peaches and cottage cheese when he was a kid, so the chefs of the Tower Bridge dinner stepped it up a notch with a local ricotta and cottage cheese blend paired with preserved summer peaches. The best part, the cheese maker from Orland Farmstead Creamery will be on the bridge serving this iconic dessert.
And now for the main event…the chefs!
The Village Feast 2018
September in Sacramento is one of our favorite times of the year, and it’s not just because the weather is FINALLY cooling down . . . it’s because it’s Farm to Fork Month! We’re preparing (emotionally, mentally, physically) for a month of non-stop foodie fun and we can’t wait to see what Farm to Fork Month has in store for us.
One of the events we’re most excited for is the upcoming The Village Feast, a communal meal held outside at Central Park in Downtown Davis from 1:00pm – 4:00pm, September 29. The Village Feast will bring up to 350 people together for a meal highlighting local farmers and the bounty of the Sacramento region.
How does it work? You bring your own table settings (picnic baskets, plates, silverware, glasses and napkins) and sit down for a family-style meal of passed platters and local wines. This year’s menu includes heirloom tomatoes, grilled leg of lamb, local vegetables and a pear galette. For a full menu and wine list, take a look here!
This seasonal soiree benefits the Sacramento chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier and Davis Farm to School, two charitable organizations who work in support of education in food and agriculture. The Dames provide scholarships to women pursuing careers in food, wine and agriculture, and Davis Farm to School provides garden grants, field trips and support for local fresh food in schools.
At The Village Feast you get a fantastic local meal in a beautiful place and it goes towards a great cause. Is there a better way to celebrate Farm to Fork Month?
To purchase tickets (before they sell out!) click HERE.
Best Vegan Hot Spots in Sacramento
Sacramento – the city of trees and farm-to-fork living – is quite accommodating to its vegan friends. While not many restaurants are 100% vegan, you can often find totally vegan menus or offerings at many most-loved hot spots.
After going vegan about a year and a half ago, I’ve eaten my way through the city to find the best of the best—well, and the worst—but I won’t talk about that today.
Below are my tried-and-true top vegan picks for any occasion. Looking for a recommendation that wasn’t covered here? Leave a comment; I’m here to help!
Best Baked Goods: Pushkin’s Bakery
If you’re a Sacramento native, this will absolutely come as no surprise. Holy moly does Pushkin’s do vegan goodies well. If you have time to spare, my best piece of advice is to visit on a Sunday when they offer an array of vegan doughnuts. The line around the block is proof of their goodness!
Best Brunch: Hook & Ladder
While I absolutely love everything at Pushkin’s Restaurant, no brunch is a true brunch without a Bloody Mary. And Hook & Ladder does it well. And fortunately, they have a yummy vegan menu for that other important part of the brunch deal.
Best Lunch: Vibe Health Bar (on Broadway)
From juice cleanses to acai bowls, I’ve tried it all here. But, my favorite menu items happen to be fall in the lunch department. Their “Root Awakening Wrap” is insanely, good, boasting ginger beet hummus, quinoa, avocado, fermented veggies and carrots. They also have the best Avocado Toast in town.
Best Dinner: Veg Café
Veg Café comes from Suleka Sun-Lindley, owner and chef of the Thai Basil restaurant family. This cute and quaint little spot is directly above Thai Basil on J. The menu is bright and flavorful, and totally vegan. Order from the delicious assortment of daily specials!
Best Pizza: Hot Italian
I’ve ordered the #21 “Muti” vegan pizza so many times I can’t even count. It’s simply seasonal vegetables, tomato sauce and arugula. Should you please, you can also add Daiya vegan cheese. Regardless, do NOT forgot to ask for spicy oil and rosemary oil.
Best Thai: The Coconut on T
Whether you’re dining in or ordering delivery, The Coconut makes it super simple to vegan-ify your order. I often mix it up, but one of my favorite dishes is Cashew Nut with Organic Tofu. Bonus: they even have vegan vanilla ice cream!
Best Indian: Curry Club
Living only a block away, I often find myself ordering takeout from the Curry Club on a busy weeknight. The staff is so friendly and the food is so, so good. My favorite dishes are Channa Masala and Aloo Muttor. Ask, and they will special-order vegan naan flatbread for you!
Best Sushi: Lou’s Sushi
I loved Lou’s before, but I’ve come to appreciate this spot even more as a vegan. They have a vegan appetizer and sushi menu, and everything is truly dynamite. Order the “Vegan OMFG” roll and “Vegan Firecracker” ASAP!
Best “Burger”: Broderick Roadhouse (Midtown)
If you’re not munching on a “Carrot Nutburger” from Mother, and looking for more of an “it tastes like the real thing”-kind-of-burger, Broderick is the spot for you. They offer Beyond Burgers and/or Impossible Burgers, and vegan items are clearly marked on the menu (including buns!), making it easy to order tasty vegan accompaniments.
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!