The following is from City of Treats, a food and drink newsletter by Abridged senior food editor Benjy Egel. Want it sent directly to your inbox? Sign up here.
Talking to chef Byron Hughes at The Pantry last week, he emphasized how special it was for the Roseville restaurant’s Muslim customers to have a full menu to choose from. Brunch spots are normally fueled by mimosas and bacon, but The Pantry is 100% halal, inviting those customers to experience the restaurant in full rather than find a dish or two that’ll work within the confines of Islamic dietary law.
It reminded me of going to Veg Kitchen & Bar with a vegan friend, or the way my gluten-free friend’s eyes lit up the first time he walked into Pushkin’s Bakery. For us omnivorous eaters, going out to eat is a chance to sample multiple dishes with our dining companions or pick a favorite item from a dozen on the menu. For those with dietary restrictions, it’s normally more limited — Option A or Option B, perhaps with a plea for no cross-contamination.
It’s hardly surprising, then, that 30-40% of The Pantry’s customers are Muslim. But the restaurant should be on locals’ lists regardless of religious affiliation. Hughes, a veteran of Sacramento and Bay Area restaurants, expertly melds classic American diner fare with North African, South Asian and Middle Eastern flavors, resulting in must-try dishes such as harissa hot chicken sandwiches and pumpkin chai pancakes. You can read more in my latest story here.
Today’s City of Treats also takes us to historic Auburn, where a locally beloved deli turns out their own riffs on some classics. You can also beat the heat with Hagen’s Orange Freeze at its new Fair Oaks location, or pick up a local shop’s mix to make your own root beer.
Let’s dig in.
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Benjy’s Bites
North Fork Deli | 886 Lincoln Way, Auburn | 530-745-4001
After hiking Auburn’s Tamaroo Bar Trail a couple Saturdays ago, I became the sweatiest customer at North Fork Deli, a much-loved sandwich shop in the Placer County town’s historic district. Opened in 2018 and purchased by Aaron Semenoff and Amber Taeza in 2023, it’s open daily for breakfast (with a variety of flavored protein waffles and shakes) at the mouth of the old Gold Country Mall. There’s local beer and cider on tap, including from Ponderosa Cider Co. less than a mile away, and you can even drink it on the go Friday-Sunday in Auburn’s entertainment zone.
North Fork Deli is best-known for its tri-tip French dip weekend special, but those had all sold out Friday before my visit. The Auburn cheesesteak ($8.70 half/$15 full) is a close runner-up, a fresh-tasting, California-ized version made with roast beef, Swiss and jack cheeses, sautéed red peppers and onions and a mildly garlicky aioli on a sourdough roll.
And while crisp bacon may seem like sacrilege on the Cali Reuben ($9.50/$16), the original sandwich is treyf to begin with, and it adds some texture to the pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing, brown mustard, and a layer of avocado on thin-sliced marble rye. Be sure to grab a deli container of smoky, spiced potato salad ($3.50) with bacon and egg whites.
Egel’s Nest
I live, play and cook in this community just like you. This recurring section is a window into my life outside of restaurants and bars, always with a food and/or drink angle.
Growing up in Davis, my dad and I took relief from the Sacramento-area summer heat in one treat my mom wouldn’t touch: root beer floats. Neither of us drink as much soda these days, but when I saw The Allspicery’s root beer kit in the East Sacramento spice shop last year, I grabbed it as a holiday present for the guy.
Last weekend, we finally dumped the bag of sarsaparilla, sassafras, dried orange peel, wintergreen oil and burdock root (with a single vanilla bean laying diagonally across the top) into a pot of water and turbinado sugar. After bringing it to a simmer, waiting 15 minutes and straining, we had our syrup, which went into the fridge to chill.
A few hours later, we mixed it with seltzer, threw in a scoop of Dreyer’s and were transported back to the sunny days of the 2000s. With no high-fructose corn syrup, the root beer itself wasn’t quite as sweet as some storebought brands — a welcome change for us non-kids, though an additional spoonful or two more could have gotten it closer.
In the news
The Pantry, opened in December 2024, is home to Placer County’s most inventive brunch program — and maybe its best. Owned by Havva Munir and Sofyan Abbasi, who cut their culinary teeth in Munir’s father’s IHOPs, it specializes in cross-cultural halal dishes such as baklava pancakes or “pitaquiles” tossed with shakshuka.
Lisa Lin’s new Cooking in Season recipe centers around long beans, similar to green beans but with rougher, thicker skins (and, y’know, extra length). Pick them up at a local farmers market, stir-fry them with ground pork and savory ingredients and serve them over your favorite grains or noodles.
Pistachios are having a nationwide moment — in coffee drinks, ice cream, Dubai chocolate and more. That’s led to more and more growers planting the nut trees in Yolo County, Daniel Hennessy wrote. The Capay Valley’s relatively available water supply differs from farther south in the Central Valley or even abroad in Turkey and Iran, historically major pistachio producers.
Kru and Mikuni agreed to six- and seven-figure payouts earlier this year, the latest Sacramento-area businesses to settle costly Private Attorneys General Act lawsuits. While the law is meant to empower employees against wage violations, some argue that it mostly benefits law firms, which can rake in significant paydays from quick settlements. The California Labor Workforce Development Agency is considering new rules to curb serial or slapdash PAGA lawsuits.
Happening this week
- Hagen’s Orange Freeze opened a second location on Aug. 18, this one at 7405 Winding Way in Fair Oaks. Former Merlino’s Freeze employees opened Hagen’s original Carmichael location in 2003 using the same recipe for the classic Sacramento-area frosty treat.
- Clarksburg’s Old Sugar Mill, normally dedicated to wine tastings and events, will have a Filipino takeover Saturday for its Mabuhay Market. Expect lumpia, halo-halo and other Filipino dishes for purchase, along with live music and handmade goods.
- You’ll find dumplings, wings, poke bowls and more at the sixth annual South Sacramento Festival in Valley Hi Park on Saturday. The free-to-enter celebration will also feature cultural dances, kid-friendly activities and free haircuts from the Mixed Institute of Cosmetology.
