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!
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.
Put Your "Backbone" Into It: New Lunch Spot on J and 8th Brings Fresh Life to the Area
by Laurel Harrison
If you work or live in Downtown Sac (like the SacFoodies), you know that the neighborhood has been growing by leaps and bounds since the Golden 1 Center opened its doors in late 2016. Construction is everywhere, food trucks abound and new restaurants are popping up as fast as we can try them.
One newcomer is Backbone Café, located near the corner of J St. and 8th St. You might’ve noticed the striking mural on the face of the restaurant. A previously nondescript wall, the storefront is a now an arresting shade of burgundy, decorated with a spine that meets an abstract pineapple at the top. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’ll know it when you do. The SacFoodies started hearing about Backbone a few months ago and were excited to see that this hip, seemingly Midtown-esque eatery was putting down roots in the heart of Downtown. We’re always looking for an easy and delicious workday lunch spot, and it seems like Backbone fits the bill.
Backbone is run by brothers Joey and Tomas Woolston, who decided to open the restaurant after a spinal injury derailed Joey’s focus on martial arts. If you were wondering where the name came from, Chef Joey freely tells the story of how he fell off a giant pineapple (yes, you read that correctly) at Burning Man and broke his back. Months of rehabilitation turned into a focus on wellness and healthy cooking, which subsequently turned into a restaurant featuring all wellness foods. Backbone Cafe’s menu doesn’t ascribe to a specific diet or health fad, but every dish on the menu could be something out of an athlete’s book – lean proteins, tons of veggies and made-from-scratch sauces.
We took a stroll to Backbone for lunch and were blown away by the simple yet inventive lunch options. Chef Joey prides himself on a locally-focused, whole food philosophy, using only organic ingredients and humanely raised (or wild!) meat options. From vegan to Paleo to gluten-free, Backbone has you covered. Are you a staunch meat-lover with a vegan pal? At Backbone, they can have the Vegan Mushroom Carnitas, you can have the Bone Marrow with Bacon Jam. It’s a win-win!
For lunch we tried the Mahogany Chicken Tacos, Free Range Fries and Chicken Power Bowl. The Chicken Power Bowl also had Mahogany Sauce (a tangy, spicy citrus sauce made in-house) on it, and it managed to be flavorful without feeling overpowering. The servings were generous, the chicken was tender and the roasted veggies still held a slight crunch. All in all, it felt a lot like a healthy home-cooked meal with a little extra pizzazz. The Mahogany Sauce was our preferred star of the show and we highly recommend giving it a try on whatever dish you order.
As someone who gets veeeerrrrryyyyyyyy sleepy after a big lunch, I was so pleased to find a dish that was satisfying without being over-filling. If I have a busy afternoon at work, the last thing I need is an after-lunch food coma but Backbone’s dishes are light enough to ward off the afternoon snooze. The portions on the Power Bowls are pretty generous, so it would even be possible to package up some leftovers for a 3pm snack (if you, like me, need to eat almost constantly).
At the moment, Backbone Cafe is only open for lunch, but we look forward to seeing expanded hours in the future! To miss the main rush at Backbone, which is already a lunch hub in the area, we’d recommend heading over on the early side. The overall atmosphere of the restaurant is ultra-welcoming and relaxing, and it feels like a great spot to read, hang out and enjoy a cup of Keto Coffee. If Golden Milk is more your thing, don’t worry – they have that too.
To check out Backbone Cafe and learn more about their menu, visit their site here.
Guess what? Backbone was also just reviewed by the Sac Bee and Sac News & Review! You can check out their takes here and here, respectively. (We absolutely have to try the Bone Marrow after reading Kate Washington’s review.)
Sacramento Farm-to-Fork All Stars
By Sidney Burt
Since proclaimed America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital in 2012, Sacramento is making its mark on the culinary map. With local chefs and restaurants regularly populating top 100 lists, the city is bustling with high-caliber food and top-notch talent. And finally, one of the food scenes most sought after events is giving Sacramento the recognition it deserves.
This year, Pebble Beach Food & Wine is hosting a collaboration of ‘Sacramento’s Farm-to-Fork All Stars’. An event that will feature nine of Sacramento’s finest culinary heroes and highlight the beauty of Sacramento cuisine. Tickets are still available and undoubtedly, worth the hefty price, but, if you can’t swing the weekday getaway, no need to feel left out.
Lucky for Sacramento residents, you can venture to one of the featured chefs’ establishments just about any night of the week. No matter what you’re craving, or perhaps you just want to create your own ‘Sacramento Food & Wine’ adventure, don’t wait to visit one of these fine establishments.
Featured Chefs:
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