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.
Once a week throughout the summer, my softball team heads to Tallac Lounge in Tahoe Park for postgame drinks. We come in 3/4 sleeve shirts, sit at the same booth when open, tip well and generally end up chatting with another patron or two.
I’ve been playing with this team for several years now (it’s how I bonded with my Abridged colleagues Ryan and Dan, incidentally), and I’m not sure exactly when I became a Tallac Lounge regular. But reading Helen Harlan’s latest story, published this morning, I can see that those repeated actions cemented me as such. It helps me feel an intangible connection to Tallac Lounge and its staff, and allows me to get away with a bit that only I find funny: ordering tequila sunrises at a crusty dive bar. There’s a serious side to the connection, too: I’ve never seen Tallac Lounge as full as it was for bartender Peter Winters’ celebration of life last summer.
Helen’s a cocktail server at Freeport Bar & Grill, a 30-year-old institution at the mouth of the Delta. She drew on more than 20 years of her own experience, as well as insights from other Sacramento hospitality pros, to author this guide on how to become a beloved regular at your favorite local spot. Follow her lead, and your barista may have your order ready the next time you hit the counter.
Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, Mike Dunne has local wine recommendations for all sorts of occasions, from a milestone birthday party to horror night at book club. I found comfort in steaming Thai rice bowls, and pasta with a local grocery store’s much-heralded meatballs. And we’re approaching a great weekend to explore the Capay Valley, as an almond festival takes over five small Yolo County towns in the agricultural region.
Let’s get to it.
Benjy’s Bites
Here’s my favorite item or two from a local restaurant this week. Send me yours at begel@kvie.org.
Tuk Tuk Thai | 4400 Freeport Blvd., Suite 140, Sacramento and 1600 Ethan Way, Suite 70, Sacramento | 916-897-4561 and 916-505-9261
Named for the motorized rickshaws ubiquitous throughout Southeast Asia, Tuk Tuk Thai has a pair of compact dining rooms in high-traffic areas — one just south of William Land Park, the other in Howe ‘Bout Arden shopping center. Vitoon Assavarungnirund’s restaurant serves familiar dishes in disposable takeout containers branded with Tuk Tuk’s name, plus a few creations such as mango sticky slush ($6.45), a frosty, drinkable imitation of mango sticky rice.
The Thai basil ($16) rice bowl is the move here. A steaming bowl of peppers, green beans and the namesake herb are joined by your choice of protein and a sweet-savory gravy. For smoky and fruity flavors, try the mango cashew chicken ($19) rice bowl with its charred nuts and onions. Be warned, though: spice level rises drastically from “mild” to “medium” (and “hot,” I’d imagine).
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.
The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op’s butchers make a product they simply call “the best meatballs,” and I suspect they may be correct. Priced at $11/pound, they’re a savory mix of beef and pork with flavor that jumps out no matter the vessel. I’ve enjoyed them à la carte, over polenta and, last week, with boxed bucatini from a nearby shelf.
I halved the XL meatballs and browned them on the stovetop while the bucatini bubbled on the next burner. When the meat was a couple minutes away from being done, I carefully blotted the grease and dumped a jar of Rao’s Marinara Sauce into the pan. Finished with shredded Parmesan and a sprinkle of porcini mushroom salt from San Francisco-based Omnivore, I devoured them with a side of steamed broccoli for a craveable weeknight dinner.
In the news
Need a bottle of Sacramento-area wine for a friend’s milestone birthday? A Gen Z housewarming party? How about the Winter Olympics’ closing ceremony? Mike Dunne knows a standout local wine for any occasion and budget, and paired up 13 of them in this guide published last Friday.
Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. Follow this guide from Helen Harlan, an Abridged contributor and local waitress, to become a beloved regular at your favorite restaurant, bar or coffee shop. Her tips include showing up consistently, sitting in the same seat and, well, tips.
Happening this week
- The 111th annual Capay Valley Almond Festival will flow through five Yolo County towns (Rumsey, Guinda, Brooks, Capay and Esparto) on Saturday and Sunday. There’ll be celebrations all throughout the weekend in each town, with the main bash slated for Sunday in Esparto.
- Juice Time held its grand opening Feb. 13 at 7887 Madison Ave., Suite C in Citrus Heights. The Middle Eastern juice bar and dessert shop has several Dubai chocolate-inspired items, including crêpes, waffles and brownies.
- Crème Coffee will open Sunday at 1011 7th St., an old Victorian building in Downtown Sacramento. Gina and Inga Arakelyan’s cafe’s signature drink will be a creamy, Einspänner-inspired latte, with salads and pastries available for purchase as well.
Benjy Egel is the senior food editor at Abridged. Born and raised in the Sacramento region, he has covered its local restaurants and bars since 2018. He also writes and edits Abridged’s weekly food and drink newsletter, City of Treats.