Brittany – I love brunch. And I love pizza. Now I’m no mathematician, but I’d like to think that in the case of brunch and pizza, the whole is even greater than the sum of its parts. Are you following? To clarify …
BRUNCH + PIZZA = AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS
How did I discover this, you ask? Recently, fellow Sac Foodies Cecily Fuller, Julie Berge, Christine Schunk and I had the pleasure of sampling what we now know is one of the best brunch offerings in town, and it’s found at none other than Hot Italian. We feasted on pizzas and, of course, dabbled in the dessert, my favorite being the Zucchero – organic Italian chocolate hazelnut spread wrapped in a delicious dough then dusted with powdered sugar!
Cecily – I was looking forward to brunch at Hot Italian all week and I wasn’t expecting anything short of delicious – and boy did they deliver! Each entrée combines two of my all-time favorite foods (pizza and eggs) but with new and oh-so-yummy flavor like the Ventura pizza that features two sunny side up eggs, tomato sauce and fior di latte cheese! I also enjoyed the traditional Italian music that the restaurant plays during brunch hours.
Julie – As a recently converted vegetarian, I have come to learn that breakfast and brunch dishes without a ton of carbs and still full of flavor are hard to come by, which is why my taste buds were thrilled to discover the Nibali pizza at Hot Italian. The thin-crusted pizza consisting of scrambled eggs, mushrooms, spinach, truffle oil and crescenza cheese was incredible and a definite group favorite. (Note: for those meat lovers, there is the option to add prosciutto for just $2 extra.) I also especially enjoyed washing my meal down with the tasty Prosecco cocktails that are offered in three flavors including bellini (peach), tiziano (strawberry) and arancia rossa (blood orange). Finally, the icing on the pizza pie was that there was no wait to sit down and begin enjoying our Italian brunch experience.
Christine – I can’t wait to go back before this local breakfast secret gets out, because it’s just a matter of time that this place will be buzzing in the mornings. I definitely agree with Julie that the Nibali pizza was my favorite – perfect brunch pizza that could easily pair with a nice Italian latte, or a Prosecco cocktail (we “sampled” with both just to be sure, hee hee). I always knew pizza for breakfast was a good thing, but pizza made for breakfast is even better!
Hot Italian’s brunch menu is served on weekends from 11 AM – 4 PM.
The Big Nosh for a Better Sacramento
Ever wished you could do something you love and benefit a good cause at the same time? Well for this food-loving blogger, The Big Nosh for a Better Sacramento just might be the answer.
The Big Nosh is a food and pub crawl where participants can eat and drink their way through Midtown – and it’s happening this Sunday, October 25. It’s not too late to buy tickets, either. They are $36 per person available at www.bignosh.com and will include an appetizer and drink sample at each participating location. Quite a few of our favorite Sacramento eateries are participating in The Big Nosh, including:
Brew It Up! Brewery and Grill
The Melting Pot
Azul Mexican Food & Tequila Bar
Kru
Hot Italian Pizza & Panini Bar
Aioli Bodega Restaurant
L Wine Lounge & Urban Kitchen
Bistro 33
The Big Nosh for a Better Sacramento is presented by the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region benefiting Jewish Family Services, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center, Save Ourselves Breast Cancer Resource Center and Wind Youth Services. A few of us SacFoodies are hoping to make it out, so let us know if you’re going!
For more information, follow The Big Nosh on twitter here or become a fan of The Big Nosh on Facebook here.
Lotta Love for L Wine Lounge
A while back, fellow Sac Foodie Liz and I discovered Fox 4 Frugal Fridays (and even blogged about it here), where you can purchase gift certificates to great restaurants in town for half the price of what they’re worth. So, I put down $25 and got a $50 gift certificate in the mail to L Wine Lounge & Urban Kitchen. . . it was like Christmas! I’ve been to the restaurant on a few occasions in the past, but is it just me or is there something about knowing you’re getting more than you paid for that just makes everything taste that much better?
My dinner date and I must have been on a roll, because we only ordered two dishes and they were both delish. The first was the L Burger with Manchego & Frites. The pommes frites (French fries) at L Wine Lounge are some of the best in the area, if you ask me. Perfectly cut and served in a plentiful heap, they can truly hold their own next to a stellar burger – which is exactly what the burger was – cooked to perfection and stacked high.
Our other treat of choice was the Seared Ahi Salad Nioise, which is the perfect choice when you’re feeling hungry, but are looking to have a meal that won’t feel like it’s weighing you down even hours after you’ve dined. I’m a huge seared Ahi fan, so I was pleasantly surprised with the generous serving of fish atop the gorgeous bed of greens.
Cheers to Chef Ame and the crew over at L Wine Lounge for another great meal!
L Wine Lounge and Urban Kitchen
1801 L Street
Sacramento, CA
916.443.6970
Follow L Wine Lounge on Twitter
Become a Fan of L Wine Lounge on Facebook
Zelda’s Gourmet Pizza: Deep Dish Takeout
There’s something about deep dish pizza that just makes me happy. It’s a treat, it seems uncommon and it’s often associated with fond memories. Or is that just me? In college, I was a loyal supporter of Zachary’s Gourmet Pizza. But it seems that the Berkeley, CA establishment hasn’t yet expanded its delivery area to include Sacramento. So what’s a pizza-loving girl to do? Well, last night I stumbled across Zelda’s, thanks to a recommendation from my roommate, so we gave it a try!
First and foremost, I must warn you that if you’re walking around midtown Sacramento in an attempt to find Zelda’s, you probably never will. The front of the building consists of nothing more than an inconspicuous door amid a large grey wall with just one sign indicating that you’ve arrived.
After picking up our medium veggie pizza, I rushed home excited to dive in and was pleasantly surprised! The pizza was delicious – a perfect combination of hidden veggies in a crust that more closely resembled the kind you would expect on a chicken pot pie than a traditional pizza crust. Of course my hunger got the best of me, so I remembered to take a photo only after I’d had a slice!
Zelda’s Gourmet Pizza
1415 21st Street (between N and O Streets)
Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 447-1400
What do Strawberry, Mixed Berry and Vanilla Honey Have in Common?
They’re all delicious flavors in Starbucks’ new line of Vivanno™ Yogurt Smoothies – and they’re all available in Sacramento now!
(Photo courtesy of Starbucks)
On June 30, select local Starbucks locations added three new flavors reportedly made fresh with natural, high-quality ingredients, including non-fat probiotic yogurt, fruit juice and honey. Here at Sac Foodies we were lucky enough to give each smoothie a thorough taste test earlier this week and are pleased to report that the smoothies passed with flying colors! The jury is still out on whether Strawberry or Vanilla Honey is the favorite, but we unanimously concluded that if you’re a Starbucks regular looking to mix up the morning routine, they’re worth a shot.
Tempted? We’ll make it just a little easier for you to give Vivanno™ Yogurt Smoothies a try:
Leave a comment below telling us what your go-to Starbucks order consists of, and you’ll automatically be entered to win one of two $25 Starbucks gift cards that we’re giving away!
Two winners will be selected at random on Friday, July 10 at 12 PM PST.
And, don’t forget to enter a slogan in our Sac Foodies t-shirt contest – see the below post for details!
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