by the SacFoodies
We love all things flavorful here at Sacfoodies and cooking with fresh herbs is one of our favorite ways to turn up the tasty in any dish.
In this installment of SacFoodies Survey, we set out to discover the preferred culinary herbs of our authors.
Check out our top picks in the info graphic below.
We’ve also created more free prints for your empty wall space. Feast your eyes on these awesome illustrations of our favorite herbs! Which would get your vote?
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by Harrison Reilly
The annual Outside Lands music festival was held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park this past weekend and I was lucky enough to attend all three days. In between watching bands like Radiohead, Third Eye Blind and Duran Duran, I was able to try food from vendors across the Bay Area. It was a SacFoodie’s dream!
With help from my lovely sisters, I complied this list of the best food we tried at Outside Lands.
Spicy Tater Tots from The Japanese Pantry.
These tater tots were the perfect snack on a cold and foggy afternoon.
Rambenburger from Nombe.
This burger included 50/50 pork belly & Kobe patty, blue cheese, buttered shiitake, pickled onions, and Miso Sauce.
You might have noticed that last month on SacFoodies we celebrated all things fabulous. Well, even though it’s now March, I have something really fabulous to share with you today. Call it fabulous, marvelous, something out of a dream, or whatever you’d like – you’re going to want to know about this.
Have you ever had a dream that you were one of the kids that got to tour Willy Wonka’s factory and play in his magical room filled with candy? You know, the one that has a chocolate river, whipped-cream filled mushrooms, trees with gummy leaves and numerous other sweet treats. Well I’m about to tell you that right here in Sacramento you can have an exclusive experience that will make those dreams come true.
After hours, Andy Paul of Andy’s Candy Apothecary, provides exclusive, curated tastings of some of the highest-quality confections available, all in the privacy of his gorgeous candy store. From old-timey sweets, to artisan chocolates, to unique treats (spicy and zesty tequila lime tortilla chip brittle, anyone?), he leads groups through tastings akin to a wine tasting with a skilled sommelier. Speaking of wine, Andy also encourages groups to bring in their favorite wines to enjoy with the treats. An evening filled with candy and wine, how bad can that be?
I can tell you from personal experience that it’s not bad at all – in fact, it’s pretty great! I recently had the pleasure of attending one of these exclusive candy and wine gatherings at Andy’s with a group of 10 of my friends, and we had an absolute blast. We enjoyed 17 different candies (you read that right!) and brought a selection of wines which we paired with the unique candies that we tasted. Andy guided us through the tasting, encouraging us to enjoy each piece of candy and think about the nuances of flavors and textures (these are not run-of-the-mill candies, so it’s truly worth savoring each bite).
The seemingly never-ending selection of candies to try, and the fact that we had the store all to ourselves, made me feel just like a kid in Wonka’s factory (without the fear of turning into a giant blueberry) and it was the perfect way to spend a Thursday night with friends.
All in all, we learned a lot, tasted some delicious treats and had a great time. I’m already thinking of excuses to do it again.
If you’re looking to do something fabulous, book yourself a private tasting at Andy’s Candy Apothecary. I promise it’ll be sweet!
For pricing and additional information on private tastings, click here.
Andy’s Candy Apothecary
1012 9th St.
916-905-4115
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10:30am-6pm; Sunday 11am-4pm
What’s the most fab day of Feb? Valentine’s Day, of course! It’s a double holiday for me because my adorable daughter turns 7 on the 14th. I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect sweet to celebrate my little sweetie and here’s what I’ve learned by making a few phone calls and scouring the Internet (FYI, not all Valentine’s Day menus are posted online so be sure to check out Facebook or Instagram for some mouth-watering photos):
Andy’s Candy Apothecary
1012 9th St.
MON-SAT: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
SUN: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
When the SacFoodies made a stop at Andy’s in December during our holiday outing, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. Hands down the best caramel ever!!!! I spoke to Andy himself this week and he says the store pretty much looks like a Valentine’s Day shrine. From traditional conversation hearts and heart-shaped boxes to sour or sweet gummies to foil-wrapped chocolates, there is a candy for every taste bud. Andy says to come early because they often sell out!
Ettore’s
2376 Fair Oaks Blvd.
MON-THURS: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
FRI-SAT: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
SUN: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Boxes of 4 or 6 chocolate-dipped strawberries are available and adorably packaged as well as Valentine’s Day-themed cookies (sugar sprinkle, tuxedo and conversation heart butter cookies!), cake pops, petit fours and individual Chocolate Cherry Cake Cups, a rich truffle sponge cake cup with chocolate and cherry mousse. For the record, the Princess Torte is one of my favorite cakes ever and would be a perfect Valentine’s Day treat (order the pink) but, lucky for us, it’s available year-round.
Freeport Bakery
2966 Freeport Blvd.
MON-FRI: 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
SAT: 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
SUN: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
No surprise here, Freeport has a lot to offer with a Valentine’s Day theme. Strawberry Heart Tart (made with fresh strawberries), Two of Hearts (think strawberry mousse filling and chocolate ganache poured on top), Jewel Box (like you see during the holidays), Valentine’s Day Log (also like you see during the holidays) are all available, plus an assortment of cookies, cupcakes and more. If you know Freeport, you know there’s no shortage of amazing sweets!
Ginger Elizabeth
1801 L Street, Suite 60
TUES-THURS: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
FRI-SAT: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
SUN: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
MON: Closed
If it were my Valentine birthday, I’d be asking for the Chocolate Heart Box, which is filled with ten chocolate caramel hearts (have you figured out yet I have a thing for caramel?!). Also available is the Valentine’s Entremet, a Dark rum custard soaked banana cake with banana pudding and 64% Dominican Republic bittersweet chocolate mousse. Holy, wow! Adorable heart-shaped chocolates and milk chocolate discs sprinkled with Vahlrona cocoa nibs, sour cherries and candied rose petals also fill Ginger’s darling shop on L Street.
And don’t dismiss your local grocery store for great Valentine’s Day treats. Stores like Safeway, Nugget, Trader Joe’s and Raley’s all have a delicious display of sweets.
Happy heart day to all! I hope it’s the sweetest ever!!
