I thought I’d start a thread for the area(s) I spend a good chunk of my year in. I don’t eat out much when I’m hitting the books, but I have a few favorite spots. Today was my third trip to Taqueria Quetzal in Woodland. Delicious meats, handmade tortillas and gordita and sope shells. Today I went with a buche taco and chicharron verde gordita. Their carnitas is also a winner. Option of carnitas mixtas as well. Their salsa bar has four varieties of salsa, with heat from medium to lip-tingling hot. Friendly folks and nice bright dining area.
After another visit to Taqueria Quetzal for an early dinner, I stopped by Churros Union De Tula, a popular food truck offering churros & champurrado in Woodland. My friend and I ordered churros ($1 each) and chocolate champurrado ($3/16oz). The churros are served fresh from the fryer, dusted in cinnamon sugar and tucked into a paper bag. The champurrado was rich, thick, and pleasantly spiced. Also on offer were churros topped with cajeta, chocolate, strawberry, and Bavarian cream, and a coiled giant churro - allegedly 9 feet in length. The flavors of champurrado available last night, aside from chocolate, included guava, caramel, pineapple, and walnut. Churros and champurrado made for a perfect pairing on a chilly autumn night.
Parked at 609 East St in Woodland
Their basic menu (additional options listed at the ordering window)
Bag of 4 churros
Champurrado
One down immediately in the car
Round two shortly after getting home
Tried the generically named Hong Kong Cafe in Davis today. Large menu, but I came to try the Hainan chicken rice. It was my first time trying this dish so I don’t know how this one might stack up to the better versions, but I was quite satisfied. Tender chicken in a light sauce with ginger paste and peanuts on the side. The rice was rich with chicken and ginger flavor. Also ordered a side of Chinese broccoli. My dining companion had their duck soup, which featured a very large portion of roughly chopped bone-in duck.
First trip to the Little Saigon area of South Sacramento. Lots of places I want to try, but my friend and I started with Quan Nem Ninh Hoa. I selected the half order their signature dish, build-it-yourself spring rolls with rice paper wraps, grilled pork skewers, fermented pork, fried wrapper, vermicelli noodles, pickled daikon and carrots, cucumber, lettuce, various herbs, and a nice peanut citrus dipping sauce. My first roll was more like a taco, but after our server saw me struggle she demoed how to properly roll. I got the hang of it by the last spring roll Fresh and delicious. An ample portion for about $10. Next time I might go the easy route and order the pre-made
Lovely lunch on an unseasonably cool and gray day at La Trattoria Bohemia in East Sacramento, a Czech and Italian restaurant. My friend and I split the Bavarian pork goulash with dumplings and a side of red cabbage. Lovely presentation of our food in enamelware. The goulash was hearty, deeply flavorful, and warming. Cut steamed dumplings on the side were tender and soaked up the goulash nicely. Sour cream on the side as well. Their red cabbage was perhaps the best I’ve ever tried. Beautifully spiced and cooked enough to retain some crunch while still being nice and tender. Small restaurant that is at once casual enough to stop in on a regular day, but nice enough for a special occasion meal.
Interesting menu; my in-laws are in the area and love Czech food - this will make them happy.
Working in Sacramento this summer has allowed me to (slowly) try more area restaurants. I reviewed a delicious meal at Yang’s Noodle here: Beef roll and other delights
Last night I tried Com Tam Dat Thanh, a broken rice specialist in Sacramento. The combo plate I ordered came with a mound of broken rice, BBQ beef, BBQ shrimp, fried shrimp cake, shredded pork skin, egg cake, and pickled veggies, plus cups of broth and sweeted fish sauce on the side (with a bottle to refill on the table). The plate offered such a nice variety of flavors and textures. The marinade for the BBQ items was delicious. Plate was just under $14 and I got two meals out of it. With plenty of other plate options (BBQ pork, pork chop, beef ribs, meatballs, shrimp on sugar cane, etc.) I’ll be back to try more. Their egg rolls fried in rice paper are supposed to be top notch as well.
Salted plum soda
Com tam dac biet