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!!
2014 Valentine's Day in Sacramento
When you’re lucky enough to have Valentine’s Day fall on a Friday, the options are endless where romantic dining is concerned.
Should you stay in and set the mood in the comfort of your own home? Do you go grand and reserve a table at the hottest restaurant in town? What about the single ladies and gents – should you defy cupid and indulge in solo pursuits on the most romantic day of the year?
Can’t decide? Not to worry, the Sac Foodies are here to help. We’ve created a list of must-dos for love-struck couples, happy homebodies and single ladies and lads to help everyone’s V-Day sizzle all night long.
Valentine’s Prix Fixe Offerings in Sacramento (Make reservations on Open Table or by contacting each restaurant quickly before it’s too late)
- The Melting Pot – $75 per person offers five-courses of mouthwatering fondue dishes with a variety of dessert and entrée options. There’s also a Lover’s Lane package for $125 per person, which offers four courses, sparkling wine and an embossed photo frame. See the full menu here.
The Melting Pot
814 15th St., Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 443-2347
- Cafeteria 15L – $80 per couple includes a champagne toast, an appetizer, an entrée and dessert options for two. Dinner is served from 5 – 11 p.m. See the full menu here.
Cafeteria 15L
1116 15th St., Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 492-1960
- Ella Dining Room and Bar – An Ella Valentine’s meal is an exquisite four-course adventure paired with one bottle of champagne per couple. The cost is $125 per person and the full menu can be found here.
Ella Dining Room and Bar
1131 K St., Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 443-3772
Creative Ideas for Homebodies (This is what I’ll be doing)
- Netflix subscribers rejoice! Season 2 of the award-winning ‘House of Cards’ premieres on Feb. 14. So tune in, cozy up, and kick off the night with a bottle of red and a home-cooked meal, made with love. Check out these appetizing delights on CookingLight.com for 20 delicious (and healthy!) romantic recipes to set the mood.
- Not in the cooking mood? Here are local hot-spots offering takeout for two.
- P.F. Chang’s – Nothing says takeout, like Chinese takeout! Here’s the full P.F. Chang’s menu to choose from. Call-in your order ahead of time to ensure it arrives quickly.
- Buca di Beppo – Known for their family-style Italian cuisine, Buca di Beppo offers heart-warming, tummy-filling meals to satisfy both you and your love. The best part? They deliver! Check out the full menu here.
- Looking for more delivery options? Look no further than Eat24.com to find any fine dining cuisine in your area that delivers straight to your front door.
- And if you really want to impress that special someone – try this amazingly simple, mood-setting treat guaranteed to wow: chocolate-covered strawberries. Believe it or not, I make these for friends and family at least twice a month because it’s that easy. As in, two-ingredients-one-microwave-and-15-minutes-easy. Here’s my go-to recipe on FoodNetwork.com that never fails.
All the single ladies… Now put your hands up!
- If you’re not marching to the beat of Beyoncé’s ‘Single Ladies’ song, then you’re truly missing out. Let your hair down and have more fun on Valentine’s Night, because you CAN! Consider indulging in these activities with a group of your closest pals.
- Harlow’s Restaurant – All-girl rock band, the Rainbow Girls will be performing at Harlow’s on Feb. 14, so turn Valentine’s Day into Ladies Night and enjoy good tunes, cold drinks and great company at Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub.
- Fox & Goose – Enjoy good folk music from Sea Legs and Davis folk rock group, Red Union Blue at local hot-spot Fox & Goose. Event starts at 9p.m. and tickets are $5.
- Shady Lady – Take yourself back to the Roaring Twenties when jazz and blues were all the rage. This Friday at 9 p.m., Shady Lady will bring original blues orchestra and jazz from Sacramento-based musician, Harley White Jr.
- Are you a single homebody? Then I suggest turning Valentine’s Night into a fun friends or family affair. Include a group of friends, your devoted pet, or perhaps your kids or parents and throw in some ice cream, pizza, beer, wine, or all of the above, and pop in your favorite movie for a full family date night!
Tell us, what are your plans for the big day?
Gnocchi and Zabaglione at Biba
I have found a cure for the Mondays. Last night, a couple of friends and I went for a spontaneous trip to Biba for a celebration dinner, and I almost forgot it was just the start to another week. Amazing desserts, dinners and great service still exist on Mondays. This was the second time I’ve had dinner at Biba so I already knew to expect something spectacular.
This time, I tried the Gnocchi del Giorno and it was even better than it sounds. These perfect little gnocchi bites were doused in a rich tomato and white wine sauce and were just wonderful. With just enough room for dessert, I decided to step away from my chocolate obsession and try something entirely new—Zabaglione con Frutti di Bosco. This classic dessert is likely to become a new favorite. Fresh berries are topped with the Zabaglione sauce made with egg yolks, sugar and sweet wine—it adds the perfect creamy sweetness to summer fruit. With the scorching heat we’ve been enduring these past couple days – this dessert was the ultimate refresher. After scraping every spoonful out of my glass, I could only wonder how I’d been missing out on this all these years!
Biba Restaurant
2801 Capitol Avenue
Sacramento, California 95816
Valet Parking between
28th and 29th on Capitol
916.455.2422
The Rustic Puff: Artisanal Marshmallows
By Ana Marie Aguas, Caity Heim, Jake Ferguson and Sara Ortega
Last week, we were lucky enough to sample handcrafted marshmallows from Lodi’s The Rustic Puff. It might be hard to imagine a marshmallow as anything else but the rubbery white squares you find at the grocery store, but these marshmallows just might amaze you. Believe it or not, marshmallows with flavors such as Salted Margarita, Sea Salt Caramel and Chocolate Stout exist—and we think they’re fantastic.
Jennifer and Heather, creators of The Rustic Puff, love what they do, although Jennifer actually started as a party planner. When one of her clients requested artisan marshmallow party favors for an event, Jennifer whipped up a batch of her own. Little did she know this would be one of many batches to come!
When developing their marshmallow recipes, The Rustic Puff prides itself on sourcing local ingredients when possible. In the Root Beer Float marshmallow, Jennifer uses locally brewed root beer combined with vanilla extract for a dessert puff with truly authentic flavors.
Lately, The Rustic Puff’s popularity has grown, with an appearance on Good Day Sacramento and participation in the Williams-Sonoma Artisan Market earlier this month. They will also be joining other local up-and-coming artisan vendors at the Sonoma County Shoppers Boutique Expo on June 23rd.
Want to try one of these delicious gourmet creations? Order the puffs online to find out why they’re making such a name for themselves!
Some of the SacFoodies’ Favorite Puffs:
Caity:
Salted Margarita Puff: When Heather from The Rustic Puff came to visit our office I was so overwhelmed by the variety of flavors to sample that I didn’t know where to start! She began to describe the puffs one-by-one as she took them out of their box and about half way through, one flavor caught my attention: Salted Margarita. This delicious marshmallow, although tiny, packed a punch of flavor. Made with real, fresh squeezed lime juice, top shelf tequila and an added hint of salt, this puff had the flavor of my favorite pie, key lime. I had no idea a marshmallow could taste so amazing. The perfect combination of sweet and sour was just right for that hot summer afternoon!
Ana Marie:
Creamsicle Puff: When Heather walked into our office armed with a box of handcrafted gourmet marshmallows, I knew it was going to be an amazing day! As she began to introduce each flavor, I quickly jumped at the chance to sample the Creamsicle Puff – a bite-sized taste of heaven in the form of a creamy Popsicle-flavored marshmallow. I was thoroughly impressed and pleasantly surprised by the taste. The texture was perfectly smooth and creamy, and the flavor was beyond anything you’d expect from a marshmallow. The first bite was like tasting a cold Popsicle on a hot day – refreshing and very satisfying. Made with pure orange extract and classic bourbon vanilla with a dash of orange zest, the Creamsicle Puff made for the ultimate sugary snack for a hot summer workday.
Tiramisu Puff: This marshmallow-version of tiramisu is a dream come true. If you think you like tiramisu, you’re going to love the amazing combination of a soft marshmallow texture and the authentic Italian flavor of tiramisu. With tiny chunks of tiramisu and the bursting flavor of espresso and lady fingers, the Tiramisu Puff made for the perfect dessert. Forewarning: once you try one, you won’t be able to stop!
Jake:
Chocolate Stout Puff: I made it a point to try nearly all of the flavors Heather brought to our office and the one that stood out most to me was the Chocolate Stout. This delicious fluffy marshmallow had the familiar texture of a marshmallow with the flavor of a delicious hoppy beer, which was also locally sourced!
Additional standouts included: Strawberry Chocolate Malt, Espresso Sprinkle, Strawberries and Champagne, Neapolitan, Cookies n’ Cream, Salted Pretzel and Strawberry Fields.
The Rustic Puff
Tel: (888)290-4227
[email protected]
TreyBCakes of Sacramento Competes in Final Round of Cupcake Wars
by Ana Marie Aguas and Sara Ortega
When the SacFoodies found out that local bakery, TreyBCakes was competing in the Food Network’s tastiest food competition, Cupcake Wars, we were thrilled for the chance to sample their nationally recognized cupcakes!
On last night’s episode titled “Aloha Cupcakes,” Jenni & Stacy of TreyBCakes, competed for a chance to serve their cupcakes at the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival in Oahu. Jenni and Stacy weren’t chosen as the winners, but really demonstrated their talented culinary skills by putting forth quite the cupcake: Pineapple Pork with Roasted Pig – a pork flavored cupcake enriched with mango kim chee chutney & pineapple cream cheese frosting.
Conveniently located on the corner of 18th and L street, TreyBCakes is in a prime location for easy cupcake access and a delicious selection of lunch items. We stopped by and were delighted to find all of the cupcakes from the competition ready to go. We also walked in at the perfect time to meet the owner, Trey J. Luzzi and were excited when he welcomed us into his bakery and served us the amazing cupcakes himself.
Trey’s favorite cupcake, you ask? The delightful Carrot Cupcake. A succulent carrot-flavored cupcake topped with sweet cream cheese and walnuts. Rich, creamy and distinctively delicious only begins to describe the wonderful taste of TreyBCakes & Gourmet’s sweet desserts.
TreyBCakes is a family-inspired bakery, brought to a reality two years ago when owner Trey J. Luzzi resigned from his job working for the State of California, and found a way to follow his true dream of opening a high-end bakery. This chic bakery/eatery combination works deliciously well right in the heart of central midtown with L Street Lofts across the street and the business crowd nearby 5 days a week.
TreyBCakes
1801 L Street, Suite 70
916-442-7270
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- …
- 8
- Next Page »