Sacramento food sources

[marlena spieler]

"marlena, Roma Pizzeria 2 is out on Folsom (past Sacramento State), not Stockton."

sorry, what was i thinking!

"It's in kind of a bleak location, but I agree that they have good pizza, and Maria (the owner) is great. I'm pretty sure the margherita is on the menu year-round."

but the tomatoes are only good about oh, i don't know, 4 or so months a year (and when they're good, they're great, sacto has such good tomatoes).

"By the way, if you have the name of the big Russian smorgasbord restaurant, I'd love to know."

i'll have to ask my aunt next time i speak with her (i'm in europe right now).

cheers,

marlena

[Jensen]

I have found bread!

I just got home from book club, which was held in Midtown. After we left, my friend took me to The Bread Store on J (can't recall the cross street but it was next to The Beat). Marge bought a loaf of their asiago bread. She must have been planning this because she had a cutting board and a bread knife in the car. She sliced it right there in the parking lot and we each ate a piece.

Wonderful. Their other breads looked good too.

[Jensen]

Another bakery located...

New Roma Bakery on E St. I haven't tried the bread yet (I bought a loaf of Italian bread) but it smelled wonderful. Other offerings were French (and baguette), sourdough, milk bread, multi-grain, a selection of dinner rolls (none of them with the chewy crusts I prefer though), and lots of sweets.

We also hit the Pasty Shack on J (I think). I got two Cornish pasties and put them in the freezer for dinner later this week. I had a laugh with the fellow behind the counter because there was Tapatio sauce on the tables instead of HP...

[Bob Musa]

greetings from the downtrodden west side of sacto. i'm so glad i found this thread. i'll add some more recommendations tomorrow after i get names straight but sushi king on camino (one block west of I5) is one of those places that if it were located in folsom or roseville, would have a line out the door. excellent sushi at reasonable prices, rarely crowded. good place to stop before a kings game.

also, i'll join in the recommendations of taylor's. great meat department. i'll look at their selection before i decide on dinner. they often have meats and fish you just can't get anywhere else.

[Lois]

I wanted to note that the new issue of Sacramento magazine has a great roundup of local food sources (farmers' markets, CSAs, great grocery stores/food markets, and more). It's the cover story, by Kira O'Donnell, and it's excellent and very comprehensive.

[phage]

Out in Rancho Cordova there is the huge Koreana Plaza supermarket. Though mainly Korean, there is also a large section of Russian food, Bulgarian, Mexican.... Good amount and quality of produce. Kimchi, frozen fish, rice cake, Korean alcoholic beverages. There's a small restaurant with the usual Korean dishes.

Some smaller Korean shops along or near Folsom in Rancho Cordova and across into Sacramento. JinMi is in a shopping center at Folsom and La Riviera - they make their own rice cake - various types, and kimchi (tastier than what you'd get from the larger manufacturers - less bland. The guy's from the south end of South Korea, where they use more chile and more sea products in their kimchi....

Lots of Asian shops in south side but they are not as good as what Ive found in the Bay area or in Seattle. I heard there was a "Seafood City" Filipino supermarket west of 99 on Mack Road. Haven't been there yet, but other stores of that chain have a good bit to offer.

-- Phage

[phage]

Saw a 2 1/2 year old reference to a Russian buffet in Sac'to - is the place still extant and if so what is its name and location?

Also, does anyone have a recommendation for ethnic (particularly Asian) buffets in Sacramento? Something other than the usual cookie-cutter Chinese places that get their menus from the grand poobah of Chinese buffets nationwide, wherever he may be located or whatever his identity may be......

-- Phage

[hzrt8w]

Also, does anyone have a recommendation for ethnic (particularly Asian) buffets in Sacramento?  Something other than the usual cookie-cutter Chinese places that get their menus from the grand poobah of Chinese buffets nationwide, wherever he may be located or whatever his identity may be......

←

I like to go to:

New China Buffet

located in that Asian mall: 65th Street and Stockton Blvd.

I think their Chinese food buffet is better than the other typical Chinese buffet places. Dinners are better than lunches because they bring out some seafood dishes. Be warned though that the crabs (salt and pepper style) they use are typically not fresh. But their clams in black bean sauce and steamed oysters in half shells are pretty good. Salt and pepper shrimps are good. Other Chinese stir-fries are pretty good too.

[phage]

I like to go to: New China Buffet, located in that Asian mall:  65th Street and Stockton Blvd.

I think their Chinese food buffet is better than the other typical Chinese buffet places.  Dinners are better than lunches because they bring out some seafood dishes.  Be warned though that the crabs (salt and pepper style) they use are typically not fresh.  But their clams in black bean sauce and steamed oysters in half shells are pretty good.  Salt and pepper shrimps are good.  Other Chinese stir-fries are pretty good too.

←

Thanks muchly for the recommendation. It was certainly a cut above the usual Chinese buffets I've eaten in around the country. Alas, I didn't make it there for dinner, but lunch had all that I wanted to eat, and more.... Maybe my favorite thing there was not Chinese at all, but Mexican - the menudo in the soup section. I had three cups of it! I tried many of the various dishes - I'm allergic to wheat so there were a number I couldn't eat, but even so, I was in no danger of wasting away.

The little octopi, the pigfeet, the deepfried tofu, the good variety of vegetables (It'd be not a bad place for a vegetarian who caould tolerate being surrounded by so much tasty meat). Also the interesting and uncommon varieties of sushi - don't know what was in all of them, but they were good. I didn't try the Mongolian BBQ or the salads. Ten varieties of ice cream! At least five kinds of soup. I finished my meal and headed north on I-5 - got over the Siskiyous on a clear highway in the brief period between snowstorms. I'm looking forward to a return visit to the New China Buffet.

--phage

[marlena spieler]

Oto's Japanese (and other asian foods, also some western foods, often surprising ones such as tamales or lets see, it was something jewish...) anyhow, an amazing array of noodles and good fish, lots of frozen things and rice and shoyu, kimchi, different vegetables in season.....a great place to shop for inspiration as well as japanese specialist goodies......the new location is much larger than the older one was, so offers more stuff.......

on freeport blvd, in hollywood park, past the big raleys on the way towards the executive airport......

[Audiofan2]

Don't think I read any suggestions for Grateful Bread Co. on this thread yet. They are located at Fair Oaks and Fulton/Monroe. http://www.gratefulbreadcompany.com

[Yiannos]

To add to the Sac thread, there is a great Mediterranean Market (that's the name too) on Fulton Ave in Sacramento, tons of Middle Eastern groceries and products, a small deli section with all kinds of fresh olives and cheese. If you are out in the North/Roseville area, there is a smaller but equally well-stocked one on Harding Blvd in Roseville. The Roseville shop for example had mastic when no one else around did, if that says anything.

 

[Jacksoup]

I like that market on Fulton