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.
When I take people out to eat for work, I usually end up ordering for the table with some input from others. But with new friends, one question can shape the evening: “Any dietary restrictions I should know about?”
Vegetarians and (especially) vegans exist in an omnivore’s world. Those dietary choices, whatever the reason for making them, inherently mean fewer options when dining out. Most restaurants have at least a courtesy veggie burger on the menu, but when only one dish will work, you’re locked into that item while others can explore the menu.
People ask me for vegetarian or plant-based recommendations all the time. This City of Treats is full of ‘em. There’s a mostly-vegan café in Auburn with smoky coconut “bacon,” jerk tempeh and a full coffee bar. Mushrooms are spawning across soggy Northern California hillsides, and Sacramento diners can reap the benefits at restaurants or grocery stores. Then there’s the first Cooking in Season recipe of 2026, which tasks locals with cooking an entire head of Savoy cabbage, along with grown-up butter noodles.
Americans are increasingly steering clear of booze, too. We asked bar staff in Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Davis and Arden Arcade: What do you recommend to customers who aren’t drinking? In 2026, they said, you have to have something for everyone.
Benjy’s Bites
Here’s my favorite item or two from a local restaurant this week. Send me yours at begel@kvie.org.
Nectar Cafe | 948 Lincoln Way, Suite A, Auburn | 530-820-3314
Health-conscious skiers and snowboarders heading back down Interstate 80 from Tahoe slopes will want to stop at Nectar Cafe, Katie Schleder’s almost-all-vegan restaurant and espresso bar (Terranova Coffee beans) in downtown Auburn. The calm, cozy dining room is a choice place to unwind over veggie burgers, craft beverages or Tahoe Pops popsicles at the end of a trip. A rotating crop of desserts are all gluten-free and vegan, and the entire menu can be adapted to fit those dietary needs.
The jerk bowl ($16) called, and it wants you. Also available as a wrap, its pineapple-marinated tempeh anchors a parade of colors — black beans, sweet potatoes, cilantro, yellow mango sauce, slivered onions and carrots — over brown rice. A pair of cauliflower tacos ($16 with rice and beans) in flour tortillas carry some real heat from the vegetables’ buffalo sauce marinade, while the smoky coconut “bacon” in the BLTA sandwich ($15 with side salad) is hard to keep between slices of sourdough toast.
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 recent rain brought locally-foraged mushrooms to Sacramento-area restaurants, and inspired me to use up a few pantry items. Last Thursday, I rehydrated some dried porcini gifted to me by a friend, chopped and sautéed them, then spread El Dorado County-raised Jollity Farm Goat Dairy cheese over naan crackers and topped each with the mushrooms.
I then strained the mushroom water and used it to cook up a package of instant polenta, adding some extra umami while turning the grains brown in the process. Spicy chicken sausage slices hit the frying pan next, and joined the polenta in bowls topped with cilantro, more goat cheese and a dab of pesto. It was a homey, nourishing dinner, ideal for melting into the couch while catching up on “Stranger Things.”
In the news
Whatever your reason for not drinking — Dry January, pregnancy, sober living — you may find yourself at a bar where others are doing so. We asked six area bartenders, bar managers and bar owners what they recommend to non-drinkers at their establishments. Options range from hop waters and NA beers to mocktails crafted with care.
Food media outlets have dubbed 2026 “the year of cabbage,” and Zoe B. Soderstrom is on board. Her first Cooking in Season recipe of the year, caramelized cabbage with miso butter noodles, uses an entire head of the vegetable currently available at area farmers market stands.
Happening This Week
- The Dante Club’s annual crab feed is Saturday night, with $80 tickets (all-you-can-eat crab, Caesar salad, rigatoni and more) still available online. Be sure to get your tickets in advance: the Italian American organization in East Sacramento, which will celebrate its 100th birthday later this year, does not allow walk-ins.
- For a cheaper East Sac option, spot by Cheaters Sports Bar’s 30th anniversary party on Friday. The dive on Folsom Boulevard promises “great vibes, legendary regulars, stiff drinks and stories that probably shouldn’t be repeated,” in addition to food and beverage specials.
- LA Bangin’ Bowls will open its second brick-and-mortar restaurant Thursday at 1600 Fulton Ave. in Arden Arcade. “LA” stands for “Latin American” in this case; expect to see grilled steak bowls, birria ramen and salchipapas (loaded fries with sausage slices) on Nadia Daoud’s menu, as at the original Davis location and food trucks.
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.