Where: Magpie Caterers Market & Café located in the new R Street corridor
What: A delightful hard apple cider made with, of course, juice from blood oranges and produced locally by Two Rivers Cider.
Why: In addition to its shocking hot pink color, this cider is a stand-out for other reasons including a refreshing, fruity taste and the perfect amount of carbonation.
When: Next time you’re having a case of “the Wednesdays.” Grab a co-worker and head over to Magpie after work to enjoy a glass of Blood Orange Cider and a California Farmstead Cheese Plate. Those mid-week blues will be gone before you know it!
Magpie Caterers Market & Café
1409 R Street Suite 102
Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 452-7594
Tightwad Tuesday: Our Favorite Happy Hour Spots
What could be better for a Tightwad Tuesday than our favorite happy hour suggestions? Here are a few of our local favorites for the occasional after-work drink and appetizer. We’d love to hear about yours as well, so leave us a comment below if you’ve got one to share!
Christine Schunk – “My favorite is Bistro 33 in Davis – their daily usual happy hour only goes until 6:30, which is too early for this working girl. But, on Monday nights they have Pub Quiz nights where happy hour goes late into the evening and is pretty entertaining. Plus, some of my favorite menu items are on the half price happy hour menu, including the Salt & Pepper Calamari and the Sweet Potato Fries with Three Dipping Sauces.”
Kim Bedwell – “Il Fornaio because it fulfills two main requirements: 1) It’s walking distance from the office and 2) Free food!”
Liz Conant – “A good patio is the selling point for me. I like Capitol Garage for the beer selection and happy hour prices. And, both the Rubicon and the Tower Café have great patios and both happen to have their best specials on Tuesdays.”
Brittany Mohr – “Tokyo Fros and McCormick & Schmick’s are my favorites: Tokyo Fros has delicious, high-quality sushi rolls for half price, which honestly just can’t be beat. McCormick & Schmick’s (a client of ours) offers full meals at their happy hour and unbelievable prices. My personal favorite is the tasty $2.95 cheeseburger with fries!”
Cecily Fuller – “Fuzio is a definite favorite when I’m in the Italian mood. Their Universal Pastas (a long list, all of which look delish) are half off every Wednesday. Then on Thursdays, bottles of their featured wine are half off. Tonight’s special event is a Heringer Estates wine tasting where $10 buys you a tasting flight and one free appetizer from 6pm-8pm!”
Take a Walk on the Shady Side
We’ve been hearing a lot about a shady character frequenting the neighborhood near 14th and R Streets. This character’s been known to show her full colors when the sun sets. Word on the street is that she serves up some mean cocktails and a unique take on southern food. Some have even hinted at the possibility of live entertainment. Who is this mystery lady? None other than the Shady Lady Saloon, located at 1409 R Street in downtown. So on Sunday, I gathered a posse of the shadiest ladies I could find, and we decided to check this place out.
The space itself feels a bit like old New Orleans to me – exposed brick, dark wood, velvet settee – with booths lining the perimeter and a beautiful U-shaped bar in the center. It’s clear this is a place to both wine and dine.
The menu is well-focused; it doesn’t try to cover too much territory (a pet peeve of mine). Instead, it offers a really nice selection of urban meets southern food in a chic setting that’s affordable. We started with the fried green tomatoes – an excellent choice: Crunchy on the outside with a delightful tarragon-infused sauce. In fact, these were so good, we ended up ordering a second plate!
Our entrees ranged from the BBQ pulled-pork crepes, vegetable muffuletta, cheese steak sandwich, and shrimp po’ boy to the green bean salad with chicken, watercress salad and a divine take on macaroni and cheese (more about this later). All of our food was very good and artfully presented. The salads were crisp, fresh and flavorful; the sandwiches more than filling; and the crepes tender, tangy and original.
Now, a word about the macaroni and cheese. First of all, you must order this! The macaroni and cheese is fried into a golden rectangle, like an unexpected present. And, oh, what a present it is! Crunchy texture gives way to a delicious and delicately flavored macaroni and cheese. Again, we couldn’t stop at just one plate!
If you haven’t been to the revitalized R Street corridor, you must go soon. And stop by the Shady Lady Saloon for some great eats – no shady disguises required.
Shady Lady Saloon
1409 R Street
Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 231-9121
Speakeasy at Lounge ON20
Midtown’s Lounge ON20 is rolling out the red carpet this Saturday to celebrate the debut of local band Jackson Road’s new “Speakeasy” music video. The Roaring Twenties inspired premiere party runs from 5:00 – 8:00 pm. During this time I suggest taking advantage of the Saturday night drink special, a $10 tasting of three bubbles. And once you spot the plates of food being brought to other tables – each like a little piece of art – it’s almost impossible not to order a few bites of your own! My “must-haves” include the Arancini “Fried Risotto” with White Truffle oil, Fennel-Spiced Seared Ahi with Seedless Watermelon and Local Strawberry and Asian Pear Salad.
There is no cover charge for this event, however reservations are recommended for parties of six or more. For more information, call Lounge ON20 at (916) 443-6620.
Are you “Game”?
Another September, another sister trip to Los Angeles – the city of angels, of glam, and of great food. This year’s trip was a shopping bust but, luckily, a food boon.
We arrived on a Friday night, and almost immediately headed to Lotería Grill, my sister Cara’s current favorite restaurant. It’s not difficult to figure out why. This regional Mexican kitchen on Hollywood Boulevard boasts a varied menu at reasonable prices, plus mouthwatering margarita concoctions.
We started with a pitcher of tamarind margaritas which were curiously sweet and sour, as well as the probaditas sampler, which was a plate of mini tacos.
We sampled a number of dishes (it helps that there were five of us), including the summer salad; the red snapper with capers, olives and plantains; the green arroz (uniquely minty); as well as the papas con rajas taco and the mole poblano con pollo taco. We also were treated to dessert (gratis!), including their oh-so-good coconut flan and the refreshing lime-tequila sorbet.
The open floor plan of Lotería allows guests to see what’s happening in the kitchen and in the bar. The restaurant’s décor is all clean lines and warm wood, with painting-sized vintage Mexican playing cards lining the walls. “Lotería,” in fact, refers to a family game, similar to bingo we were told. Hey, we’re game!
On Saturday morning, we hit The Aroma Café for a breakfast/lunch thing. I loved the feel of this café – a worn-brick patio and lush garden setting with a chandelier overhead and an attached bookstore.
The food was great, too. While we didn’t sample their desserts, which looked mightily tempting, their breakfast and lunch offerings were a big hit with my sisters, including the Eggs Aroma and their tuna salad sandwich. And what’s a visit to LA without a star sighting? While we would never think of interrupting his meal, we wanted to say, “We loved the Ocean’s movies!” Can you guess who it was?
On Sunday, just before our flight home, we headed to the Mustard Seed Café located in Los Feliz (across the street from my favorite café, the Alcove, which I discovered is a partner restaurant to The Aroma Café).
The environs at the “Seed” are humble, but the food is fresh, delicious and eco-conscious. Our orders were all over the place – the chicken chutney salad, BBQ chipotle chicken wrap, a fancy BLAT, a veggie omelet, and the grilled vegetable and goat cheese sandwich – but the food was true to its reputation.
As always, it’s hard to say farewell to LA and our annual sister weekend, especially since we’re choosing a different city for next year’s trip (Cabo? Seattle? Carmel?). Stay tuned!
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