SacFoodies

An Olympic-Sized Happy Hour at Grange Restaurant and Bar

by SacFoodies

As the world’s elite athletes gathered in London for the 30th Summer Olympic Games, the SacFoodies came together last Friday to kick off the opening celebrations with a gold medal-worthy happy hour at Grange Restaurant and Bar.
The Grange’s Executive Chef, Oliver Ridgeway, has pulled together a brilliant happy hour menu inspired by his home country’s traditional British cuisine. But this is no ordinary pub fare – each dish incorporates seasonal and fresh ingredients.
And while there is no Olympic event for eating, Team SacFoodies has perfected the sport of tasting to bring you the menu highlights:
Jake
Favorite sipper: The West Bengal Cocktail – which is made with Hangar One Mandarin, orange zest and Darjeeling-Infused Yellow Chartreuse giving it a taste of tea-fitting for celebrating London
Gives the appetizer gold to: Artisan Sausages with Flavored Mustards
Won’t miss Olympic event: Swimming
Sarah
Favorite sipper: California London Style Gin Flight – favorite gin was the No. 209 San Francisco CA
Gives the appetizer gold to: Wild Salmon Croquettes
Won’t miss Olympic event: Any swimming event with Ryan Lochte
Shelly
Favorite sipper: The English Ale
Gives the appetizer gold to: Miniature English Scones with House Preserves and Clotted Cream (crazy good!)
Won’t miss Olympic event: Women’s gymnastics
Vanessa
Favorite sipper: The house sangria
Gives the appetizer gold to: Wild Salmon Croquettes with Pickled Cucumbers
Won’t miss Olympic event: Women’s gymnastics
Kim
Favorite sipper: What the Blue Blazes, but loved the presentation of the California London Style Gin Flight
Gives the appetizer gold to: Artisan Sausages with the Horseradish Mustard
Won’t miss Olympic event: Swimming!
Liz
Favorite sipper: What the Blue Blazes (this isn’t part of the Olympic Happy Hour menu, but it’s delish!)
Gives the appetizer gold to: Chilled Watanabe Tomato “Tea” with marinated baby tomatoes
Won’t miss Olympic event: Gymnastics! It’s the most nerve-wracking sport to watch
Rachel
Favorite sipper: The No Pimm’s no. 1 Cup
Gives the appetizer gold to: The Scotch Eggs with Jalapeno Remoulade
Won’t miss Olympic event: Women’s gymnastics and diving
Tracy
Favorite sipper: The No Pimm’s no. 1 Cup – so refreshing and scores a gold for presentation
Gives the appetizer gold to: Artisan Sausages with Flavored Mustards
Won’t miss Olympic event: Women’s gymnastics – I hold my breath during each event!
Sallie
Favorite sipper: The No Pimm’s no. 1 Cup – huge fan of Pimm’s cup and this one did not disappoint!
Gives the appetizer gold to: The English Style Cheeses with Chutneys and Pickles
Won’t miss Olympic event: The water sports – swimming, diving and water polo
This high tea happy hour runs for only a limited time until August 12 from 3-6 p.m. daily, so head over to the Grange to cheer on Team USA in true foodie fashion.
A special thank you to the Grange and Chef Oliver Ridgeway for providing us with a complimentary spread of their happy hour menu.

Happy Hour at Zocalo

by SacFoodies

I always enjoy a good happy hour. Discounted eats and reasonable prices on specialty drinks? Sounds good to me! Last week I swung by Zocalo, one of my Sacramento favorites, and enjoyed their awesome happy hour with a friend. Their happy hour runs Monday-Friday from 3-6 p.m. with a variety of beverages on special and select appetizers for only $5.
Insider tip: Be sure to visit Nick the bartender as he mixes up some of the best drinks in town.
Zocalo
1801 Capitol Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95811

Thursday Happy Hours at Crocker Café by Supper Club

by SacFoodies

The new Mel Ramos exhibit at The Crocker is a sight to behold.
But if the pop paintings of nudes alongside larger-than-life sodas, candy and oranges set your tummy rumbling (like they did mine), you’re in luck.
The museum’s newest food offering—located on the ground floor of the sleek, sunlit Friedman Court—is appropriately called the Crocker Café by Supper Club. And it offers a few artful spins on counter staples sure to satiate even the staunchest critics.
I’ve been here before, when it was run by Mulvaney’s B&L. The look and feel is mostly the same, as are the quietly elevated menu items. Think: White truffle asiago or sweet potato fries; a BLT on walnut wheat bread; or a chili lime Caesar salad.
Nothing too ground-breaking, to be sure. But a delightful way to while away an afternoon after soaking in some of the museum’s diverse cultural offerings on the floors above, from ancient Egyptian figurines to stunning 21st Century sculpture.
My advice? Time your visit to coincide with the café’s alluring 4-6 p.m. happy hour on Thursdays. At just five bucks apiece ($7 after 6 p.m.), the surprisingly filling menu items are a great way to cap off a multi-floor cultural walkabout with an array of artful eats.
My museum buddy and I splurged on three of the menu’s four items last week, as outlined below.
¼ lb. Angus cheddar burger with shoestring fries
I don’t mean to over-qualify museum fare. But this burger was surprisingly good! From the toasted bun to the gobs of melted cheddar, it rivals my other favorite happy hour burger special at McCormick & Schmick’s on J Street. And while the photo hardly does it justice, that whopping heap of delicious, slightly crispy shoestring fries was a killer bonus.
Hawaiian-style pulled pork sliders with coconut lime slaw and sweet potato fries
Again: the portions. For $5, this was a solid amount of food! The sweet Hawaiian buns, the juicy pulled pork and the deliciously sweet and tangy slaw offered an array of enticing flavors. The fries were served piping hot with a perfect dusting of sea salt. Yum!
Pizza bread with pepperoni, four cheeses and red sauce
I hate chewy bread. And when we ordered, I was admittedly the least excited about this dish. But any doubts lingering on the canvas of my mind were wiped clean upon first bite. The dough was delightfully light—like biting into a savory cloud, peppered with Parmesan. A great option for cranky kids or famished adults.
The can’t-miss Mel Ramos exhibit runs through October 21, but the Crocker Café’s Thursday Happy Hour is part of the museum’s permanent collection. At least for now.
Drink specials at the full bar offer another enticing reason to get out and soak up some local culture, too.
Crocker Café by Supper Club
Crocker Art Museum
216 O Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 808-1865

Wasabi, Elk Grove

by SacFoodies

Five years ago, the only sushi I ate was veggie rolls, such as avocado rolls and cucumber rolls. I played it safe, since I was hesitant to try more complex, flavorful sushi rolls. But things have now changed.  After being introduced to other types of sushi rolls about a year ago, I can’t seem to get enough of it.
After my recent move to the Sacramento area, I was eager to try some new sushi restaurants nearby. I’m already a big fan of Mikuni in Sacramento (a SacFoodies favorite) and Sushi Unlimited in Davis, but now I’m also a huge fan of Wasabi in Elk Grove.

Wasabi Sushi is setup as a teppanyaki-style (similar to Hibachi-style) Japanese restaurant, in which bar-style seating surrounds large cooktops where chefs cook food directly in front of the diners. Families with kids seemed to especially enjoy this dining style. While we were there, a teppanyaki chef used a spatula to fling a piece of steak into a young boy’s mouth, which had almost the whole restaurant cheering.

While Wasabi’s teppanyaki-style cuisine looked delicious, my boyfriend and I sat at the bar to watch basketball on their large flat-screen TV. We were there during happy hour (daily, 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.), so we were able to take advantage of the discounted drink and sushi prices, which was great. We loved having our sushi made by General Manager and Head Sushi Chef, Thep Manokoun. He was very funny, made delicious sushi and created an entertaining dining experience for us.

We began with a bowl of warm edamame and a combo tempura platter of fresh vegetables, shrimp and chicken. Once we finished our appetizers, we enjoyed three sushi rolls: a California Roll, a modified Dragon Roll and a roll from Wasabi’s “secret menu,” called the Spot Roll.

The California Roll was simple, yet delicious, containing just avocado, cucumber and imitation crab topped with sesame seeds. The Dragon Roll (that we modified slightly) had shrimp tempura, imitation crab, avocado, cucumber and cream cheese, topped with seared salmon and a tasty “special sauce”. We learned about the secret menu from our sushi chef and decided to give the secret menu’s Spot Roll a try. It was stuffed with deep-fried salmon, shrimp tempura, cream cheese and jalapeños, topped with three sauces: hot sauce, teriyaki sauce and the “special sauce.”

The sushi rolls didn’t disappoint. Everything was fresh, flavorful and filling. Even the presentation was great—the ginger was shaped into a rose and the wasabi was shaped into a leaf (so cool!). We couldn’t resist eating everything until our plates were clean and our stomachs were full. We will definitely we be back for more sometime soon.
Wasabi
2745 Elk Grove Blvd # 300
Elk Grove, CA 95758-7158
(916) 683-8188
Hours:
Sunday-Thursday 4:30 p.m. -9 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 4:30 p.m. -9:30 p.m.
Note: There were groups of people waiting for tables throughout the evening, so I’d recommend making reservations for the teppanyaki-style tables. For reservations, call (916) 683-8188.

Quick Bite: PB&J Sandwiches at Jax on H in Modesto

by SacFoodies

By Liz Conant, Jenna Buhagiar and Brittany Mohr
During a recent trip to Modesto, we stopped by Jax on H for drinks and were served complimentary PB&J Sandwiches. The petite, triangle-shaped sandwiches were a fun change from typical bar food and best of all, they were FREE.
If you find yourself in Modesto, stop by Jax on H Monday-Friday, 3-7 pm to enjoy some great happy hour specials:

Make Monday Marvelous
$2 cans of Tecates, all the free popcorn you can eat

Take Me Away Tuesdays
$4 tropical cocktails, $3 pupu platters

Weiner Wednesdays
$3 draft beers and $2 hot dogs

Hit Me With Your Best Shot Thursdays
$2 shots (bartenders choice), free PB&J sandwich squares

Punch Out Fridays
$15 alcoholic punch bowls and 25¢ bacon wrapped tater tots
stuffed with jalapeños

Jax on H Restaurant & Bar
1016 H St
Modesto, CA 95354
(209) 522-4529
Restaurant Hours:
Mon-Thu: 11am-9pm
Fri: 11am-10pm, Lounge open 10pm-2am
Sat: 5pm-10pm, Lounge open 10pm-2am