Food and Drink

A slice of butchering at Taylor's Kitchen

2010-06-28T04:27:13Z

"Know Your Cuts of Meat" took the form of more than an audience participation game on the "David Letterman Show" Saturday morning. It was a the principle that guided Butchering 101, a class taught by Taylor's Market owner and butcher Danny Johnson at the adjacent Taylor's Kitchen on Freeport Boulevard.

Having wanted to teach it for years, Johnson was only able to make the class a reality this January, because Taylor's Kitchen opened early last year. The monthly class has consistently sold out, and it even received national press when Johnson was featured in Time Magazine.

Saturday's class was again sold out, and 25 people surrounded the butchering school graduate to see him de-bone, slice and trim hefty carcasses of lamb, hog and cattle, each more than one eighth of an entire animal. Students received an in-depth chart with regions to cut pieces of meat including common and choice cuts from the loin, shoulder, rib and leg.

"All the animals have the same bone structure, except for bear," Johnson said. "Learn the bone structure and you can apply that to sheep, pig and beef."

Audience members winced, laughed and took notes as Johnson quickly and carefully cornered off large cuts of meat using a only a saw and butcher's knife. All the while, he gave helpful tips and fielded questions from the group members, who were treated to a light lunch after the class.

Most of the tips were butcher-related, like the advice to only cut with the top inch of the blade. However, Johnson also gave some in-depth cooking advice and recipes for barbecuing ribs and lamb shanks. At one point during the class, audience members passed around a piece of fat, pulled from the hind leg of a lamb.

An audience member asked about germs, and if using the same cutting board for different meats would contaminate the food.

"About 95 percent of food poisoning comes from poor personal hygiene," Johnson said. He also mentioned that most of the cases of E. coli are not from from poor personal hygiene, but from fecal matter on the animal itself.

This was the last comprehensive Butchering 101 class this year, as Johnson has decided to teach more in-depth classes on individual animals. A seafood and poultry butchering class will be taught Aug. 28, a "Hunter's Special" class will follow on Sept. 11 to show attendees how to care for recently slaughtered animals, and a pig and sausage class teaching students all about pork will take place Oct. 23.

All classes start at 10 a.m. and last for about two hours. Space is limited to 25 attendees, and the $40 tickets, which include lunch, can be purchased from taylorsmarket.com. Taylor's Kitchen is located at 2900 Freeport Blvd.

'Follow the Chef' through the farmers market

2010-05-06T03:15:15Z

With more than 10 local farmer's markets open weekly starting this month, it's difficult to navigate all the options and choose something you can easily prepare. Enter Michael Tuohy, Grange Restaurant's executive chef and leading proponent of the Slow Food Movement, whose mission is to "understand the importance of caring where their food comes from, who makes it and how it’s made," according to its website.

Tuohy holds a weekly "Follow the Chef" lunch at the Grange, located on the corner of 10th and J streets inside the Citizen Hotel. At 11 a.m. every Wednesday between May and October, he meets with a group of 15 people or less at the Grange and leads them through a tour of the farmer's market at Cesar Chavez Plaza.

He introduces them to farmers, shows them his favorite farm stands and talks about the different varieties of fruits and vegetables, as well as different ways to prepare them. After walking the group back to the Grange, he cooks up a meal featuring the locally grown produce bought at the farmer's market. It's served at a special "chef's table," the table nearest to the kitchen.

Wednesday was the first Follow the Chef lunch of 2010, now in its second season.

"Farmer's markets are the next-best thing to having your own farm or growing your own vegetables," Tuohy said. "You can truly cook locally here as much as possible."

He noted that spring and summer are great seasons to buy asparagus, artichokes, snap peas, fava beans and English peas. Strawberries, usually ready in early summer, are unusually not sweet so far this year, Tuohy said, pointing to the recent rain for their "waterlogged" taste.

Perhaps that's why a number of usual farm stands at the farmer's market were missing, causing the chef to remark that it looks a little "thin." He explained that since it's the first farmer's market of the season, the produce might not be ready yet.

But for the fruits and vegetables that were there, "the prices are good," Tuohy said. "I feel like they don't charge enough. It's amazing."

And there was still a large variety of in-season produce including cherries, beets, daikon, bok choy, garlic, leeks, broccoli, cabbage, cilantro and dates among others. Local apples are popular year-round, even though they're from the fall harvest. A few early tomatoes are also available, but slightly out of season. There will be more later in the summer.

Tuohy noted that not all of the farm stands are certified organic. But what does that mean, exactly?

"Buying local is more important than buying something organic certified, (as long as) they grow sustainably with no pesticides," he said. "Organic certified is a bonus."

Among other local media outlets, local food bloggers representing The Sac Rag, Cakegrrl, Sac Foodies, Sacatomato and Poor Girl Eats Well all took the tour and sat down for a sample four-course meal paired with wine, usually priced at $35.

The lunch group sat at the chef's table, slightly curtained off from the rest of the restaurant, while Tuohy and his staff worked their magic on the fresh produce in the kitchen.

Dishes included spring onion soup with crème fraiche; asparagus salad with dry beets and local Barioni olive oil; spring vegetable risotto with fava beans, artichoke and English peas; and a strawberry crustada with fresh strawberry, crème fraiche, caramel and St. Germain liqueur - created by pastry chef Elaine Baker (see below for photos). The dishes were paired with a choice of Bogle pinot noir or a Conway Deep Sea rosé.

Dishes vary by week, depending on what the chef purchases at the farmer's market. Reservations for the Follow the Chef lunch are available by calling 492-4450.

Above photographs of farmer's market credit Ashlee Gadd. Food photographs below by Jonathan Mendick.

Spring onion soup with crème fraishe

Asparagus salad with dry beets and local Barioni olive oil

Spring vegetable risotto with fava beans, artichoke and English peas

Strawberry crustada with fresh strawberry, crème fraishe, caramel and St. Germain liqueur

Hina's Tea in legal battle

2010-04-02T02:42:05Z

Hina's Tea announced Monday that it will close soon. Owner Hina Soni, who has been in a legal dispute with her landlord, Gary Orr, since mid-2007, learned last week that Orr was entitled to repossess the property until litigation is complete.

Soni and Orr declined to comment, saying to contact their lawyers.

There are more than 100 court documents attached to the case, number 07AS02841 on the Sacramento County Superior Court's website, some reaching 330 pages.

According to the most recent court order, there are several key disputes unresolved. "There is a triable issue of fact as to the amount of back rent, if any, owed," according to the document. "There also is a triable issue of fact as to when, if ever, the lease commenced."

It also found that Hina's Tea is an unlawful detainer of its property, adding that Orr "is entitled to possession of the premises while the parties litigate the issue of damages."

According to older documents, the disputes of rent owed and whether a lease exists arose in 2006, when Soni and Orr initially met to discuss the property rental. Orr was said to have offered to remodel the property for a certain price and to ensure it complied with building codes. The lease was said to be contingent on these renovations, which didn't go according to plan.

"The allegation (is) that in Orr's role as architect, designer, agent and construction manager, the work performed was substandard, over budget and in need of costly repairs," said another document.

Orr's law-firm don't see it that way.

"Hina's commenced this (legal) action in bad faith with the intent to cease payment to my client," said Dan McGee of Ellis, Coleman, Porier, Lavoie & Steinheimer, which is representing Orr. "The bottom line is we have a business who has been operating from the premises rent free."

Calls to Radoslovich Law Corp., which is representing Soni, were not returned.

"In response to Mr. Orr’s attorney’s comments that Hina’s Tea refused to pay rent without justification, Hina’s Tea does not refuse to pay rent," said a written statement on the business's behalf. "Hina’s Tea believes Mr. Orr was paid all that he is due and that he failed to meet numerous obligations ... These issues, among others, remain subject to ongoing litigation with Mr. Orr and it will be left to the Court to resolve them."

McGee said a trial is set for Sept. 29 to resolve remaining issues.

Hina's Tea to close

2010-03-31T04:40:27Z

It's a sad day for Sacramento tea lovers. Hina's Tea is closing shop, losing its employees, online retail store and loyal fan base.

The store received a minute order from the Sacramento Superior Court March 25, saying they were no longer legal tenants of the property and that they should return possession to the owner.

"Defendant (Gary Orr) is entitled to possession of the premises while the parties litigate the issue of damages," said the document. "Orr is entitled to the right to possession of the premises as (the tenants) have failed to pay rent or quit in response to a valid three-day notice to pay or quit."

Hina's Tea informed their customers of store's closure through its website and email.

"After successfully fighting our landlord Gary Orr's effort to evict us for over eight months, we are being ordered out of the premises while our ongoing lawsuit continues," according to a written statement posted Monday to Hina's website. "In light of this news, we believe we have a limited amount of time to sell off all inventory before we are forced out of business."

Though the exact closing date is unknown, it could be as early as two weeks, according to the statement.

Owner Hina Soni, who opened the store five years ago in Folsom, declined to comment on the dispute based on her lawyer's advice. Orr did not respond to a phone call or e-mail by the time of publication.

The store, which was Soni's first venture into tea (she was previously in the computer business), moved to Sacramento three years ago. Soni, who moved to Sacramento in 1989, grew up drinking tea in London, but her travels to Europe and Asia inspired her to open a business with a larger variety of teas.

A few years ago, Soni decided to open up an online retail store to complement the business, because after visiting the shop, people from around the country would want to have tea shipped to them. She said she didn't want to continue online retail because it's not marketable without a physical place to "see, touch, smell and taste the tea."

Soni's store was full Tuesday afternoon, emotions running high, dozens of patrons hugging, drinking and stocking up on tea, which is marked down by 30 percent as the store prepares to close. A group of more than 15 college-age students, which has spent every other afternoon in the tea shop for nearly two years, seemed to be the most disappointed about the news.

"When we discovered tea, we started coming here on a regular basis," said Adam Beckner, a 21-year-old Elk Grove resident. "Getting educated about tea opened a new world for us. We sit in here for hours and talk about different types of tea."

He said his group of friends is composed mostly of people from the South Sacramento and Elk Grove areas, and they have known each other since they were in high school. Several of the group members said they come an estimated three times a week, and have been in the store hundreds of times.

"Customers became our friends," said Soni. "We're like a huge extended family."

Chris Eshenaur, 23, a Natomas resident and Sacramento City College student, is another a loyal customer who said he came to the shop more than three times per week for the last three years. He befriended Beckner's group of friends at the tea shop and was one of several people who cried Tuesday morning after hearing of the impending closure.

"I ended up crying in (Soni's) arms," he said. "She's like a mother to me. She's concerned about my essays and what I do. She's very motherly to me and other people."

Eshenaur, who has helped Soni run several tea classes, said he would study at the shop or go there when stressed out. He called the environment "peaceful" and "zen-like."

"These are the most consistent group of customers," said Stephen Freeman, who has worked at the shop for three years, almost as long as it has been open. "A lot of people are upset about us having to leave."

So upset, in fact, that as a tribute to Hina's, the young group of friends wants to open a new tea shop.

"We are going to open a tea shop by the end of the year," Beckner said. Freeman noted that the students already know how to brew the teas themselves.

"It's the ultimate compliment (and) I have no problem helping them whatsoever," said Soni.

Nevertheless, Soni still feels like she's losing a family, not to mention one of the two tea shops in the grid she knows of (Tea Cozy is the other).

"It's like a loss, a bereavement, and there's going to be a long period of mourning, but I still have a glimmer of hope that someone will swoop down and save us."

Those who want to stock up on bulk orders of tea should do so by Tuesday because Soni is placing the last order to suppliers, according to the Hina's website. Hina's is located at 2319 K St.

Editor's Note: The Sacramento Press editorial department added the second and third paragraphs to this story post-publication in order to clarify the legal status of Hina's Tea, as recorded in court documents.

I can has cheezburger? Squeeze Inn holds grand reopening

2010-03-12T03:28:28Z

Loosen your belts. Sacramento's most famous burger place, The Squeeze Inn, held its grand reopening celebration Thursday morning.

The celebration featured guest appearances by Mayor Kevin Johnson, City Councilman Kevin McCarty and County Supervisor Don Nottoli as well as music, speeches, a raffle and a burger-eating contest. Several hundred people shuffled into The Squeeze Inn throughout the lunch hour for special prices on the burger known for its famous "cheese skirt," which extends an inch beyond the bun.

The burger is constructed by cooking a one-third-pound beef patty and putting "a giant handful of cheese" on top of, and around, the burger, said Squeeze Inn employee Keith Lenhart. Then an ice cube is placed on the grill while the cheesy patties are topped with a lid, creating a steam chamber for the cheese to melt quickly.

"We go through about 200 to 300 pounds of cheese per day," said employee Charles Rogers.

"And about 270 pounds of potatoes," added Lenhart.

Lenhart, who said he has been eating at the Squeeze Inn for 15 years, only recently started working there a few months ago. Now, he and Rogers are in the process of opening a new Squeeze Inn on the corner of Sunrise Avenue and Douglas Boulevard in Roseville next month.

With locations in Sacramento, Galt and Napa, a Roseville location would be the fourth for the Squeeze Inn, which originally opened in Sacramento 34 years ago.

"This is the perfect location," Lenhart said of the burger joint's new digs on Power Inn Road in Sacramento. "I love it. It helps serve the people better, and (soon) we will get this great product out there in Roseville."

After being featured on Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," hosted by Guy Fieri, the restaurant gained national fame. It was later mentioned on "Good Morning America" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

It also gained notoriety for not being in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. After several lawsuits, the Squeeze Inn moved to its new location.

"We (would have) had to make changes to the restaurant that would destroy the character, so we decided to move to another location," said owner Travis Hausauer. "The great people of Sacramento gave us wonderful support, and it was amazing what everybody did for us. We're really happy with the location, and we hope to have another 34 years here."

Now larger and wheelchair-accessible, the new location still retains the feel of the old restaurant. It incorporates the entire front entrance, all the bar stools and many of the decorations from the old location.

Michael Whipple, a Certified Access specialist for ADA Resource Associates and wheelchair user, said the old Squeeze Inn location had some wheelchair accessible seating. Although he doesn't eat burgers for health reasons, he helped plan the new location to make sure everything from the entrance to tables to the bathroom, were completely accessible.

He presented Hausauer with a plaque to put in the window. It certified that the restaurant is now fully accessible.

Ginger Elizabeth chocolate classes

2009-11-15T02:19:13Z

Several years ago, Ginger Elizabeth Hahn opened her wholesale chocolate operation, Couture Chocolates by Ginger Elizabeth, on nothing but a $5,000-limit credit card. After a name change to make it simpler, and a lot of dedication, her Midtown store Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates is now one of Sacramento's premier chocolate boutiques.

Hahn studied under famous chocolatiers like Jacques "Mr. Chocolate" Torres, Daniel Budd and En-Ming Hsu, and opened her store at the age of 24. Today, her store produces about 3,000 French-style square-cut truffles per week (22 kinds in all), cakes and a handful of other chocolate-based foods.

Hahn grew up in the foothills, but it was a course at Culinary Institute of America's Napa campus at the age of 16 that convinced her to pursue a culinary career. She studied to be a pastry chef in Santa Barbara, Manhattan and Chicago before deciding she would pursue chocolate, her "first love."

"I love the art, the beauty of (chocolate) and the other aspects like science and agriculture," Hahn said. "You have to study under people. It's a very specific trade."

Now 28, Hahn has mastered the French truffle. Acclaimed dessert author and blogger David Lebovitz has said her chocolates are some of the best he's ever tasted. She's even made a sculpture of interlocking chocolate orbs, displayed in the store, which took over ten hours, she said.

"Making chocolate into something that would resemble art is difficult," she said. "Making a perfect mousse or ganache for a truffle is just as hard to achieve perfection."

Several years ago, Hahn began teaching chocolate tasting classes in her store, but they quickly outgrew the shop's 200 square feet of retail space. Busy with a 6-month-old baby, she stopped teaching them altogether.

So when Hahn decided to start classes up again, the two classes both filled up within a week: first a holiday cupcake class scheduled for Dec. 5, then a Nov. 14 holiday dessert class. Held in a penthouse in the L Street Lofts across the street from the chocolate store, Hahn will demonstrate how to make the treats, and participants will taste them.

Since the class sold out so quickly, and there are over 10 people on the wait list for the cupcake demonstration, Hahn expects to hold a second Dec. 5 class after the first one. If that ends up happening, be sure to check the discussion section of this story for details. Otherwise, the next demonstration will be right before Valentine's Day, Hahn said.

One thing she would like to teach people about chocolate is how much work it takes to farm it.

"It takes so many families of farmers in South America and Africa to let us enjoy this beautiful chocolate," she said. "Sometimes the farmers don't get a taste of fine chocolate, they just eat it (in) fruit (form)."

Hahn recommends the Palet d'Or, literally "ring of gold," which is a bittersweet ganache made with chocolate from the Lake Maracaibo region in Venezuela. They can be purchased here, or at the retail store, 1801 L Street., Suite 60.

Introducing: The Grub Crawl contest

2009-08-26T04:31:07Z

The Sacramento Press is teaming up with The Sacramento Grub Crawl to offer three community members a chance to win a pair of tickets to Wednesday's bike crawl.

The Grub Crawl is celebrating one year of providing a myriad of crawls, including pub crawls, the wine crawl, bike crawls, and events like Christmas crawl, Halloween costume crawl, Valentine's Day crawl and Mardi Gras March.

Each "crawl" consists of visiting up to five new or favorite restaurants for free appetizers, drink specials, prizes and giveaways in an organized social-networking setting.

Although crawl participants normally walk to each venue, this healthy alternative to driving around and looking/paying for parking brings bike enthusiasts together for an enjoyable tour of Sacramento's hot spots.

Founder Cline Moore is extending an open invitation for you to put your best idea forward. If money were no object, and you could design a crawl around any idea, what theme would you pick, and what would you name it?

The more details the better: where to go, what type of food/drinks, costumes? Three of the most creative ideas will be selected and the submitter will win a pair of tickets to Wednesday night's bike crawl starting at Bikes & Bites.

If your idea is feasible, you could be selected as honorary "King or Queen of the Crawl" (of your design). Check back in the comment section by one p.m. Wednesday the 26th to see if you've won.

Also, Sapporo Steakhouse has recently joined Wednesday night's grub crawl route with delicious Japanese cuisine. They are giving away gift certificates to every participant and raffling off prizes.

Route: Bikes & Bites, Sapporo Steakhouse, Brew-It-Up!, Sofia's on 11th, Table 260 and 3 Fires at the Marriott. See the following map:

View Larger Map

Sacramento's Solar Cookers International shine

2009-08-26T04:02:40Z

Sacramento's Solar Cookers International (SCI), a group that helps communities harness the power of the sun to cook food and pasteurize water, will be holding their annual "Shine On" event Wednesday evening. The event will educate SCI's supporters on their successes of the last year and highlight future projects, said the event's coordinator Rene Hamlin.

About 250 people are expected to fill the Sierra 2 Center from 5 to 9 p.m. to listen to speeches by SCI co-founder Dr. Bob Metcalf and Capitol Public Radio food reporter and solar cook Sherry Cole. Those who attend will be able to view cooking demonstrations, eat solar-cooked food and even participate in a silent auction featuring art by Mary Frank, a long-time solar cooker and inscape (abstract) artist.

SCI began in 1987 when Metcalf, a microbiology professor, got together with Beverly Blum and solar cookers Sherry Cole and Barbara Kerr. They put together manuals to enable others to build solar cookers, and shortly afterward, they began manufacturing the cookers themselves.

There are three types of solar cookers that have unique functions, Hamlin said: a box cooker, a parabolic cooker and a panel cooker. A box cooker can bake, a parabolic cooker can fry, and a panel cooker can cook a stew, but most people use all three like a crock pot heater, she added.

"When we're educating and introducing [people] to solar cooking, we talk about it as if it's a crock pot," Hamlin explained. "You can do slow-cooked foods or one-pot meals really easily in the solar cooker."

A benefit of the panel cooker is its portability. Though most other solar cookers use heavier material like glass, wood, and plastic, it uses lightweight materials like cardboard and reflective aluminum and can be folded to the size of a vinyl record.

"In the United States, it's an alternative to using electricity or gas so you can save money," Hamlin said. "Outside the United States in fuel-scarce communities, it's an alternative to cooking over an open fire."

SCI also has an office in Nairobi, Kenya, where they have been working with the Ministry of Water and Irrigation on educating officials on how to test for bacteria like E. coli. They are also working with U.N. officials on building a mobile microbiology lab to be able to test water supplies.

Available for sampling at Shine On will be solar roasted vegetables, vegetarian hot dogs, cakes, cookies and pies. The event is free and the Sierra 2 Center is located at 2791 24th St.

"Sacramento is really nice for solar cooking and has about 200 solar cooking days a year," Hamiln explained. "You need to make sure they are cloudless days, [and] not rainy or too windy."

For more information visit SCI's website, solarcooking.org and The Solar Cooking Archive Wiki.

Photographs credit Solar Cookers International.

Winecrawl on Tuesday features a taste of Sacramento's wine selection

2009-08-08T03:07:47Z

Ever wondered where to try a good glass of wine in Sacramento? This Tuesday night, Grubrawl USA's Winecrawl will guide a group through Sacramento's bars, lounges and restaurants with extensive wine selections.

The tour begins at 6 p.m. at L Wine Lounge, then continues to Michelangelo's Italian Art Restaurant, The Grand Wine Bar and 58 Degrees and Holding Company before ending at Lounge on 20. It costs $25 to register.

Grubcrawl USA started as a food crawl organization, touring a number of Sacramento's restaurants. The group has held a bike crawl, a Mardi Gras crawl, and will now expand into the realm of wine.

"The wine crawl adds a focus on different types of wine tasting at the stops," said Michelangelo's owner Lauren Barton. "It focuses on people who feature wine, as opposed to the other ones which were food crawls."

Though the restaurant does not focus strictly on wine, restaurant co-owner Jacqueline Barton, Lauren's daughter, works there as as a sommelier, or wine steward. As a certified wine sommelier, she tastes, purchases and selects wines to be featured on the restaurant's menu.

"[The wine crawl] upscales the Midtown area, and makes it more interactive for people," Lauren Barton said. "Instead of trying to figure out what restaurant to [drink] at, this gives you a chance to go out and interact with the restaurants and talk to people associated with it."

For the Winecrawl, the restaurant will put out foods that complement a white Italian wine called Gavi, Barton added. It comes from the Piedmont area of Italy, and is Italy's most expensive white wine offered in the United States.

58 Degrees and Holding Company, which features over 500 selections of wine, will also be providing finger food such as bruschetta and cheese, said general manager Joshua Vigil.

"I think that it's still kind of fledgling," Vigil said of Sacramento's choices for quality wine. "I love Grand Wine Bar, L Wine Lounge, Michelangelo's, but I still think it's a niche area in terms of restaurants."

"I do think [they've] had an impact on regular restaurant wine lists in terms of people adding to their selection," he said. "[Regular restaurants] know there's competition out there for people interested in non-corporatized wine lists, and people are really still into wine even though the economy is down a bit."

58 Degrees and Holding will also be offering discounts on wine purchased on Tuesday.

Here are the locations and the route for the crawl:

View Larger Map

Mark Miller visits Sacramento to promote cookbook

2009-07-17T04:21:39Z

Mark Miller admitted being flattered when Life magazine named him one of America's most influential chefs of the 1980s alongside Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck and Paul Prudhomme.

But he isn't comfortable with his celebrity chef status.

Miller is most famous for popularizing the southwest cooking style worldwide. He's written 10 cookbooks altogether, and seven of them deal with southwestern-style cooking, including The Great Chile Book and Coyote Café, named after his famous Santa Fe café.

However, what Miller really wants is to inspire people to cook.

"Sometimes we watch too much television, and we are preordaining what the [culinary] experience is," Miller said. "People should really develop their own palates through their family's [food] and their traditions."

Wednesday night, Miller promoted his new cookbook, Tacos, inside the Grange Restaurant and Bar. His cousin, Grange's Executive Chef Michael Tuohy, used the book's recipes to create a special menu of tacos for the occasion.

About 50 people came to sample Miller's signature southwest dishes. Meanwhile, the chef met fans and signed copies of Tacos, which made NPR's list of the top-10 Summer cookbooks.

On the menu was a taco plate that included a squash blossom and green chile taco, a Baja-style fish tempura taco, a pork chorizo taco and a Zacatecas-style skirt steak taco. It came with a side of charro beans and Baja cabbage slaw.

"California was Native American, then Hispanic, then it became American," said Miller of the southwest style. "Certainly [the style] doesn't represent one thing, it's new cuisine that fused different traditions."

"Expressive, bold flavors" are his key, he says. "More is better," is his motto, especially when it comes to flavor.

Tuohy, on the other hand, takes a different approach to cooking. A follower of the "slow food movement," he said he believes fresh ingredients give his food great taste.

Every Wednesday, he holds a "follow the chef" lunch for $35. Participants follow Tuohy to Cesar Chavez Plaza's farmers market as he buys ingredients.

Then he prepares a three-course meal out of the ingredients. Sacramento is a great place to purchase fresh produce, he said.

One thing Miller and Tuohy do share is their French Canadian background and the fact that food was always important in their families.

"It was never a question of really being a chef; I cooked for myself, and I cooked really interesting food," Miller said when asked how he began his career. "People loved my food -- even Alice Waters used to eat at my house."

People today do not want to cook, especially college students, Miller noted. They should learn how to make food themselves, he said. It would teach them to "understand how good a chef is when they [tried] to cook something on their own," he added.

"Most people think that if it doesn't come out in five minutes, there's something wrong with the chef."

Photo Essay: cocktail competition features Domaine de Canton

2009-06-04T07:25:32Z

Lounge on 20's second cocktail competition was held Wednesday, June 3 at around 6:30 p.m. But this time instead of gin, French liqueur Domaine de Canton, took center stage, and sponsored the competition.

The ginger-flavored drink was popular during the French occupation of Southeast Asia.

The contestants included Ken Lipska of Crush 29, Vincent Laform of Lounge on 20, Rene Dominguez and Chris Dooley of Ella Dining Room and Bar, Eric Giardina of Tres Agaves, Steve Gontarz of Capitol Garage, and Nicole Tyler of Hangar 17.

Judges included Garrett Van Vleck of Shady Lady Saloon, Chris Tucker of L Wine Lounge (the winner of the first Lounge on 20 cocktail competition), Alma Martinez of Tres Agaves, and Steve Childs, publisher of Sactown Magazine.

Each contestant used one half ounce of Domaine de Canton. They were allowed 10 minutes for prep time and 15 minutes to create their concoction.

Drinks were judged based on originality, taste, and presentation.

The following is a photojournal of the competition:

Rene Dominquez from Ella Dining Room and Bar dabs a drop of foam on top of his citrus-inspired "Ginger Whiskey." His drink ended up winning third place.

Foreground: "Ginger Whiskey." Background: Dominguez explains to the audience what his drink contains.

Judges from left to right: Steve Childs, Chris Tucker, Garrett Van Vleck and Alma Martinez.

Eric Giardina of Tres Agaves strains his drink into the cocktail glass. Its red color comes from pomegranate juice.

Though each contestant made two drinks to pass around to audience members, some of the audience took the time to admire the drinks and pass them on instead of sampling them.

At the end of the day, first place went to Chris Dooley of Ella Dining Room and Bar, second went to Vincent Laform of Lounge on 20, and third place went to Rene Dominguez of Ella Dining Room and Bar.

Jim-Denny's celebrates 75th anniversary

2009-05-15T04:36:32Z

BMX stunt show, local music extravaganza, hamburger eating contest -- Jim-Denny's 75th anniversary celebration will have it all. Everyone is invited to the massive celebration Saturday, May 16 which will take place at Jim-Denny's hamburger joint on 12th Street and spill into side-street Terminal Way.

Says owner Patsy Lane, a $3 breakfast buffet will begin at 8 a.m. and include scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, and mini pancakes. Then at 10:30 a.m. a pancake eating contest will see who can eat a "hubcap-sized" pancake the fastest. A $20 donation is required to enter the competition, and the winner will be awarded a prize.

Every hour on the hour, there will be a raffle held for prizes such as IMAX tickets, dinner from local restaurants, manicures and pedicures, Rivercats tickets, and more. Also on sale will be commemorative T-shirts for the celebration.

All proceeds from the event will go to creating an outdoor patio for the restaurant, which will provide a year-round seating area.

The buffet-style lunch menu will include Jim-Denny's famous burgers, and at 2 p.m. there will be a burger eating contest which will prove who can eat the most half-pound "Superburgers" in five minutes.

To top it all off, a beer garden will be serving Bud and Bud Light, while local bands like Tattooed Love Dogs, The Regulars, Ol' Cotton Dreary, and Who & The What Now! will provide the tunes. All the while, children will be able to play games and have their faces painted.

"The original owner owned it for 55 years, and we serve the same meat he does. We always use fresh, local Del Monte meat, and we cook fresh food, so we just about make everything here," said Lane when asked what they owe their success to.

"[The celebration ends at] 6 p.m. but we might just start it and not end," she added.

Photos courtesy Jim-Denny's

Firestone Building warms up to California Pizza Kitchen

2009-05-14T03:12:46Z

Sacramento is not lacking in pizza. With options like Chicago Fire, Pieces, recently opened Papi's Pizza, family-owned businesses like Zelda's and Luigi's, or wood or brick oven-cooked Italian pizza from Hot Italian or Masullo, it's hard to imagine the need for more pizza establishments.

But on Monday, May 18, midtown residents will be treated to the opening of a California Pizza Kitchen on 16th and L, the 253rd incarnation of the restaurant. One of the most impressive reasons to dine at a CPK could be its extensive children's menu that was recently named "The Best Kids Menu in America" by Restaurant Hospitality Magazine.

Located in The Firestone Building, it will be open Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. except Friday and Saturday when it's open until 11 p.m.

But does California Pizza Kitchen have a place in midtown?

Instead of current pizza places feeling endangered by this big chain, they welcome a competitor to the scene that they seem to have well under control.

"We welcome it," said Luigi's employee Terra Soto.

"With the midtowners, they like the mom and pop shops, and they don't really like the mainstream. The midtowners are pretty much set in their ways; we already have our following" she added.

"It's important to realize that we've been around for 50-something years, and the only thing that really changes the neighborhood is going to be Second Saturday," she said matter-of-factly when asked whether or not a pizza chain would change the neighborhood dynamic.

When asked the same question, Linda Ellington, manager of Zelda's Gourmet Pizza, answered, "We have our own following. There are other [pizza places] around us, so it gives people a choice. For some people it's not their style. We're more of a comfort food, a pan pizza."

"People that like that kind of pizza are going to go [to California Pizza Kitchen], and people that like our pizza are going to come here," Ellington said.

"I'm happy if they can make a go; besides, we're in different neighborhoods," said Robert Masullo, owner of the newly opened Masullo Pizza.

However, he wasn't completely thrilled at the idea of a chain.

"[With] the big chain, you get the feeling like you're everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It tastes the same everywhere. Why bother being in Sacramento?" asked Masullo.

"It's one thing to have clean water everywhere, but it's another to have food taste the same everywhere," he added.

Two events are already scheduled for the new restaurant. On Sunday, May 17, the eve of the grand opening, there will be an invite-only preview for selected people to view the new location. And on Tuesday, May 26, California Pizza Kitchen will donate 100 percent of their proceeds to Big Brothers Big Sisters, a national youth mentoring organization that matches children to qualified adult mentors.

A brief history: farmers markets promote family farms in Sacramento

2009-04-24T22:00:31Z

California has a long history of farming, and as the capital of California, Sacramento provides a great central location for farmers from around the state to sell their crops.

Sacramento Press already posted a story on the four farmers markets opening in the grid on May 1. One of the first Sacramento farmers markets started with family farmers Dan and Renae Best in 1980.

Danielle Best, daughter of Dan and Renae, wrote an article in the Bee about her experiences growing up with parents who managed the Certified Farmers' Market. She is now the manager of several of the markets, following her parents' footsteps.

She describes the appeal for farmers and buyers when they participate in farmers markets. "By selling their crops directly at the market, farmers eliminate the middle man and can make the money they rightly earned. And when the local family farm can make a decent living, there is more incentive to keep on farming," she wrote in the article.

Danielle grew up on her family's farm, and as a young girl, worked part-time selling produce at the farmers markets. The Bests have been providing direct marketing for small family farms to remain viable and sustainable in California for nearly 30 years.

Each Sunday, the Central Farmers Market displays the largest and most diverse amount of crops of the local farmers markets. But according to Danielle, "many of the farmers attend multiple locations, and each market has a good balance." She added that the Downtown Plaza market is the smallest.

Three weekday markets--Roosevelt Park, Fremont Park, and Cesar Chavez Park--also have a number of non-farmer vendors who are permitted to sell food and other items by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. According to Annie Stuckert, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership's event manager, the most successful are "kettle corn, shaved ice, Mexican food, barbecue, Señor Dogs, and booths promoting Sacramento events."

If shoppers are having trouble finding a certain type of produce, traveling to farmers markets outside of the grid might be worth a try. Danielle Best says the newly opened market on Florin Road "stands out. It might have the most ethnically diverse customer base of any market."

Bo Tyler, a manager of several Sacramento farmers markets, said the Florin Road farmers market is "the Southeast Asian market. You can find a lot of things here that you can't find at the other markets."

Here are some Sacramento-area farmers markets outside the grid:

Sunrise Mall Farmers Market

5900 Sunrise Mall (approximate), Citrus Heights, behind Sears Auto. Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon. Open all year.

Country Club Plaza Farmers Market

2405 Butano Dr. (approximate), corner of Butano Drive and El Camino Boulevard. Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon. Open all year.

Cosumnes River College Farmers Market

8401 Center Pkwy. (approximate), East CRC entrance, Bruceville Road Parking Lot D or E. Sundays, 8 a.m. to noon. Open May through October.

Elk Grove Park Evening Farmers Market

9950 Elk Grove Florin Rd. (approximate), Elk Grove, Pavilion parking lot. Wednesdays, 4 to 8 p.m. Open May through August.

Florin Road Farmers Market

5901 Florin Rd. (approximate), front parking lot on the corner of Florin Road and 65th Street. Open Thursdays, 8 a.m. to noon. Open all year.

Denio's Farmers Market and Swap Meet

1551 Vineyard Rd. (approximate), Roseville. Open Fridays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. ($3 parking). Open all year.

Davis Farmers Market

Central Park, 4th and C Street. Open Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. all year and Wednesdays, 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. March through October.

photographs provided by Denio's Farmers Market

Four farmers markets to open weekly beginning May 1

2009-04-19T02:08:15Z

The following is a schedule of farmers markets in the grid. While Sacramento Central Farmers Market is open year round, Roosevelt Park, Fremont Park, Cesar Chavez Plaza, and Downtown Plaza Farmers Markets will be open starting May 1, 2009. The next article in this storyline will interview the owners of the farmers markets.

Sacramento Central (Southside Park) Farmers Market

Located in the State Parking Lot 8th and W Streets, the farmers market is open from 8 a.m. until 12 noon on Sunday mornings all year long.

Roosevelt Park Farmers Market

Roosevelt Park is among two farmers markets along P Street held weekly on Tuesdays. "Along the perimeter of the park, shoppers can buy vegetables, fruits, nuts, meats, herbs, flowers, baked goods and cheeses," says the California Federation of Certified Farmers' Markets website.

9th and P Streets, Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May 1 through October 30.

Fremont Park Farmers Market

16th and P Streets, Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May 1 through October 30.

Cesar Chavez Plaza Farmers Market

10th and J Streets, Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May 1 through October 30.

Downtown Plaza Farmers Market

4th and K Streets, Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May 1 through October 30.

A few tips from california-grown.com:

"Bargaining for small amounts is not well received. Bargaining for big boxes or great amounts is usually acceptable. Remember that these are the growers of the produce you are bargaining for. Do not insult them. They worked very hard to sell so cheap.
Have patience with the growers. They are not polished sales people, they are just farmers. They were up late picking and irrigating and up early to load and drive the truck several hours to market.
If you smile at and appreciate them, you will find them smiling back and appreciating you in return. That is what certified farmers' markets are really about. Smiles and mutual appreciation. Families growing food for families. Californians supporting California."

Local honey combats allergies

2009-03-28T01:48:05Z

If you are like many Sacramentans, right about this time of the year you get a runny nose, begin to sneeze, and have a lot of chest mucus. These symptoms are part of your immune system's reaction to allergens, also known as allergies. But did you know that besides taking traditional medicine for allergies, there might be another supplement that can help alleviate your symptoms? It's honey — specifically, wildflower honey — and it can do much more than just help your allergies.

Sacramento Press caught up with local bee farmer and honey producer Britt Floyd, and he spoke in an email interview about why buying his honey at the Southside Park Farmers Market might help one's allergies, beekeeping, and barbecues in the following email interview:

Are you originally from Sacramento, and how long have you lived here?

[I was born in] a tiny hospital off Highway 160 near Del Paso Boulevard in Sacramento and I have been here ever since.

When did you begin honey farming, and what inspired you to do this?

I have been a beekeeper since around 1995. I have always been into "clean" food and have long recognized the need to grow food crops in a way more in harmony with nature. Even then chemicals were in widespread use to control the many imported pathogens and diseases that plagued bees, which was not my cup of tea, providing the incentive to raise bees! Keep in mind that the honey bee, apis melifera, is not a native to the USA but was imported from Europe back in the early 1800's.

In a nutshell, my inspiration was a desire to provide clean, pure honey for myself and a few friends using methods inspired by God and the bees as free of manmade chemicals as is possible in today's world. Frank, my accomplice in crime, has been a beekeeper in the valley for over 55 years and taught me the ropes. Frank Leinert's label is on most of the honey we sell at the market. I sell my excess to him as I consider his honey to be among the finest available on the West Coast and the finest except for mine in Central California.

What is your favorite type of honey and why?

I have no favorite honey. There are so many different kinds of honey, each unique in its own way with subtle flavor found nowhere else, making it impossible to narrow it down to just one. I can say I tend to like ones that have a thick, creamy texture on the tongue which are generally of darker color, like wildflower usually is.

What do you think of the Southside Park Farmers Market in Sacramento?

The Farmers Market does have drawbacks but in general it is the only place the average person can go and actually meet the person that produces his/her food. When a person puts their name on something, they are making a statement that this product is produced to that person's personal standard. So by meeting this person and learning the kind of person he/she is, [this] enables one to better judge the quality of his products. I know farmers that put their name on product, but product that isn't up to their specs, and this happens to all farmers and is no fault of [their’s], they sell off to clearing houses that then pack it under their generic names.

Some of the farmers at the market are large operators and use the market for side income or to sell culls. Culls are just product that is the wrong size [and/or] color but is still good to eat and often better than the supermarket grades. Other farmers are small in size with only a few acres and what they sell is their livelihood. I prefer to buy from the little guy, maybe because I am one of them or just maybe because I like to shake hands with those who produce the materials my body is made out of and repaired with.

I've lived in Sacramento for a long time, but only recently heard of eating honey to combat my spring allergies. Can you tell me why eating honey would help allergies?

Honey contains five antioxidants as well as small amounts of pollen. Pollen is the male sex cell or gamete of flowering plants, and in the spring breeding season, wafts through the air, irritating our lungs [and] causing hayfever and asthma. Wildflower honey contains small amounts of pollen in it from many different kinds of plants, which is ingested instead of breathed, allowing [our] body’s immune systems to produce substances protecting us.

Pollen, when breathed, lands on sensitive mucus membranes in our lungs which can become irritated from the pollen’s presence, causing a runny nose, coughing and other symptoms if our immune systems have not produced substances to protect us. Many people use bee pollen that beekeepers trap from bees in its pure form to jumpstart their immune systems. This looks like tiny pellets of different colors and is sold by the pound. Bees have baskets on their legs which they will fill with pollen, then when they return to the hive, if their hive is equipped with a trap, when they enter, the trap will knock off the pellet for the beekeeper to collect.

Besides combating allergies, what other benefits are there to eating honey?

It is almost twice as sweet as table sugar in taste so one can cut the amount of sweetener one uses in half without losing the sweet taste. This means half the carbs, and that is good. Honey kills all bacteria so it helps clean one's mouth and can protect a person against bacterial infections that can cause sore throat. It’s also hydroscopic so that if you bake bread with honey instead of sugar it will stay soft for a longer period with better taste. According to one study, if you use honey in your barbecue sauce instead of sugar, the nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic, that form from the dripping juices, do not form and that is a big plus because I love barbecue. There are many more.

*photos credit Mark Forsyth and Jonathan Mendick

Cocktail Contest has bartenders ginning

2009-03-19T09:20:46Z

A mouthful of gin spews into an open flame sending a ball of fire several feet into the air and the heat from the blast can be felt from the audience. With the fireball's deafening sound, Kris Laidlaw, bartender from GV Hurley's, draws the whole room's attention as well as a round of applause.

Earlier, this article previewed Wednesday night's cocktail competition, which took place from 6-8 p.m. at Lounge on 20. To add to a base of Broker's London Dry Gin, the competitors used ingredients as diverse as frozen papaya to Peruvian chili peppers to edible flowers.

Ali Mackani, owner of the Lounge on 20 MC’d the event and interviewed the 10 competitors for the nearly 100 people who showed up. After finishing their drink creations, Laidlaw pleased the gatherers by breathing fire, and later Chris Tucker of L Wine Lounge made a handful of extra drinks for audience members to sample (coincidentally, they both placed in the top three).

Here are the winners:

Third place went to Kris Laidlaw, who prepared a "London Dragon," a combination of starfruit, blood orange, gin and "a little love."

Second place went to Tripp Harrison from Biba Restaurant who created a unique twist to the traditional Gin and Tonic by adding lemongrass, hibiscus flower and kiwi.

First place went to Chris Tucker's "Paint it Black," which included a combination of blackberries, ginger and star anise in addition to the Broker's gin.

Cocktail competition in Sacramento

2009-03-18T17:12:44Z

Anything goes Wednesday night when eleven area mixologists will mix drinks in a cocktail competition with only one rule: the drink must include Broker's London Dry Gin. But aside from that, contestants will be putting in anything and everything else to express their creativity and win a cash prize.

The event host, Lounge On 20, will open doors at 5 p.m. and the competition will begin at 6 p.m., with a specially priced cocktail menu being served all night. It is sponsored by Broker's London Dry Gin and company Director Andrew Dawson will be one of the four celebrity judges along with Joe Anthony Savala of Z´calo, Darryl Corti of Corti Brothers, and Mike Heller of the Heller Company.

Alma Martinez, Beverage Manager of Pueblo Chico Cantina in El Dorado hills is excited to bring her fresh, "oddball ingredients that nobody has ever heard of" but she did not provide any details on what those ingredients were.

Martinez participated in her first bar tending competition at Zócalo last summer which was sponsored by Partida Tequila, and this one will be her second. "Mixing with gin is not everyone's favorite cocktail, so it's kind of challenging to create a cocktail that showcases the gin, in away that people want to drink more of it," she said.

Two other bartenders in Wednesday's competition actually won second and third place in last summer's mixing competition at Zócalo: Russ Eastman of Lounge on 20 took third place, and Chris Tucker of L Wine Lounge took second place. A woman named Victoria D'amato-Moran of San Francisco bar and restaurant La Mar Cebiche won the competition.

Eastman and Tucker have more in common than being award winning bartenders. They also both spoke of the importance of making a balanced drink with a little sweetness, sour, and even something special leaving a lasting impression on the palate long after the drink is gone.

They also both admired a number of bartenders from the San Francisco area, which is according to Eastman is "an epicenter of the cocktail world."

Eastman credits some of his fascination with bartending to meeting award winning bartender David Nepove [aka Mr. Mojito] at a bartending convention. "[Nepove] got me into the idea of improving the craft," he said.

As for the competition itself, look for Eastman's drink to hold a special combination of honey and grapefruit. Tucker on the other hand, is "playing right now with blackberries, making a little something special with star anise and some ginger."

"I'm excited because I'm hoping this will be the first of many [local competitions] since we're trying to open up Sacramento to the art of cocktails. It's basically the lead bartenders from a number of restaurants in this town and it shows what we're made up of to the public," Eastman added.

For more information please see the attached flyer.

Fat Tuesday in Sacramento

2009-02-24T08:11:30Z

Tuesday, Feb. 24 is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), and tradition demands that it's once again time to dust off the costumes, enjoy some Cajun food, and drink like a fish. This year though, instead of searching around for the best places, why not join up with a tour to guide you to the happenings?

Grub Crawl USA, a local promoter of social dining events, is holding it's first annual Grub Crawl at 5 p.m. beginning at Sofia Restaurant on 11th and H Street, where a special Cajun menu will include Louisiana-style gumbo and shrimp po'boys. There, participants will prepare for the night by by donning masks and getting their faces painted by local Sacramento artists. Parking will be free in the Sheraton Grand Hotel Garage on 13th between I and J Street after 6 p.m.

Then the crawl will proceed to the Sheraton, where participants can eat and drink at Morgan's Bistro before stopping at Pyramid Brewing company, the Parlare EuroLounge and Table 260. The group plans to spend an hour at each location, and each restaurant puts out their best free appetizers and serves specially-priced drinks to the participants.

The event costs $25 per person and people can register at grubcrawlusa.com all the way up until the time of the event, or just show up and pay at the door. Cline Moore, founder of Grub Crawl said, "It's a fun way to get to know Sacramento".

Sacramento Press searched for other other local celebrations, but most were already held last weekend or could not be confirmed.

Will you be attending the Crawl? What are some other local celebrations of Mardi Gras happening in Sacramento? How will you be celebrating?

*Photos courtesy Sofia Restaurant

Hot Breakfast Month in Sacramento

2009-02-19T21:08:46Z

Breakfast is suddenly a very hot commodity in the news -- and not just on the kitchen table.

We are in the midst of "National Hot Breakfast Month," an annual celebration of the meal first proposed by the Jimmy Dean Food division of the Sara Lee Corporation. There are about fifteen other American holidays that celebrate breakfast foods, and also Feb. 24 is National Pancake Day.

This month's issue of Esquire has sixteen pages dedicated to the trendy topic in their article, "Breakfast in America." Not to be outdone, local magazines Sactown and Sacramento magazines have featured breakfast in their cover stories.

The Sacramento Bee and Sacramento News & Review have each weighed in on the matter with articles of their own. In the Bee article, Rob Turner, Sactown's co-owner said, "I think we can all agree on the real winner here today: bacon."

Sacramento News & Review poked fun at the situation, drawing a mock-up of what their publication would look like if they did an issue on breakfasts (pictured above). Nick Miller, associate editor of News & Review, explained on its blog, "Great minds think alike... so we wanted in on the action."

The Sacramento Press has decided to take a different approach to the matter. Rather than making our own cover page of breakfasts, or interviewing the editorial staff of the magazines, we analyzed the content of the magazine articles and their usefulness to the average Sacramento breakfast consumer.

Sacramento "is a big breakfast town," says Sactown magazine reporter Kate Washington. With 40 different breakfast spots between the respective headquarters of Sactown and Sacramento, Washington would seem to be correct. Both magazine articles shared quite a bit in common, agreeing on a handful of great breakfast options - Fox & Goose, Ink Eats And Drinks, Roxy Restaurant and Bar, 33rd Street Bistro, Tower Cafe and Zócalo.

Tower Cafe's French Toast was a particular favorite, with both periodicals describing it in detail and displaying a photograph of the breakfast treat. They differ in that Sactown's photo and description are larger; Sactown even gave a history of the restaurant's french toast recipe, which is over 20 years old.

Both magazines focus on Sacramento area restraurants, but Sactown magazine covered a larger radius of surrounding areas such as Auburn, Fair Oaks, and Davis, while Sacramento magazine covered Grass Valley, Rocklin, and Natomas.

Sacramento magazine relied on the strength of their photography by Ron and Yvonne Schwager, and largely focused on one popular dish at each restaurant. For example, Sacramento magazine published a full page photograph of huevos rancheros from Ink Eats & Drinks, while dedicating an entire paragraph to the same dish. This was incredibly effective in getting all of the readers' senses involved, but the coverage was hurt by the limited selection of dishes.

Sactown magazine, on the other hand, gave a comprehensive look at an even larger and more diverse group of restaurants. In addition to featuring one favorite dish for each restaurant, it provided alternate choices and price comparisons for other dishes (six alternates for the Roxy Restaurant and Bar as opposed to Sacramento's focus on one), which makes it more of a guide than Sacramento magazine's cover story. With its smaller font, Sactown magazine was able to cram in more information, such as the hours of each restaurant, history about restaurant chefs and owners, and descriptions of the restaurant architecture.

Sactown also published an almost two page spread for New Canton, which is perhaps the most unique choice of all. Who would think of eating fried Chinese appetizers for breakfast? It's both brilliant and cost effective, but most importantly, a great hangover cure. Marc Thomas Kallweit and Jeremy Sykes' photos of the food complemented the article, and made the breakfast appealing.

Sacramento magazine included a feature called "Liquid Gold," a chart comparing seven breakfast drinks, while Sactown magazine featured a comparison of four doughnut shops. Sacramento magazine's drink supplement would appeal to a larger audience of the 9-5 workers who need a fast-paced breakfast, while Sactown magazine's doughnut blurb likely appeals to a smaller, more leisurely-paced breakfasting crowd.

So if you had to choose between one magazine for your all-encompassing breakfast guide, it's safe to say your best bet would be Sactown.

Now, if only the city of Sacramento had as many late night choices as they did breakfast choices.