In nearly eight years covering the Sacramento region’s food scene, I’d never had (or sought) a dish named after me. The closest I came was being asked to design a pizza named for my former employer, The Sacramento Bee, at a newspaper-themed pizzeria that’s since closed its Sacramento locations. My suggestions of hot honey, prosciutto and bee pollen were unfortunately outside the scope of the pizzeria’s operation.
That’s why I was shocked to learn that not only had a restaurant named a dish after me, but it was Localis, the fine dining concept that holds one of Sacramento’s two Michelin stars. I went out recently to taste Course 4 on the menu, inspired by my cultural background and the hearty soups my working parents made throughout my childhood. You can see that video below.
Today’s City Of Treats also looks at a prolific Mexican restaurateur’s new-ish seafood restaurant in Midtown Sacramento, still in its first year of operation. As awards season and NFL playoffs continue, I’ve got tips on hosting a low-key, budget-friendly watch party with a spread your friends will gobble up.
And contributor Becky Grunewald is making sure your meal starts out on the right note with her list of nine classic Sacramento appetizers. Give it a read, then nominate another in the box at the bottom of her story.
Mangia!
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Benjy’s Bites
Here’s my favorite item or two from a local restaurant this week. Send me yours at begel@kvie.org.
Octopus Baja | 2731 K St., Sacramento | 916-754-2172
Craving sunny coastlines in the middle of winter? Check out Octopus Baja, where customers lean into wicker chairs, striped umbrellas shade the patio and murals of sea life cover the walls. Ernesto Delgado’s Midtown Sacramento restaurant, opened last March one month before his Octopus Peru downtown, focuses on Mexican seafood more so than his other restaurants such as Mayahuel, Oaxaca and Mesa Mercado.
The pulpo de Baja (market price, $24.50 on my visit) is the flagship, a tender, salty octopus tentacle surrounded by chorizo crumbles, wakame and mango salsa. For the octopus-averse, I recommend the Gulf shrimp tacos (three for $20), where each blue corn tortilla holds plump shrimp coated in Aleppo pepper, a glob of housemade guacamole and mango pico de gallo. Don’t skip the langoustines sarandeados ($18) appetizer, a spicy, savory Nayarit preparation of lobsters’ miniature cousins.
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.
“Team bad, vibes good.” Thus began my e-vite for an intimate Kings-Lakers watch party last week. After stocking the fridge with Allagash White, Fort Point Villager IPAs and Donna’s Pickle Beer (my beverage obsession for the past year), I got to work on a green goddess hummus from Alyse Whitney’s cheekily-named cookbook “Big Dip Energy.” Jammed with parsley, cilantro, basil and other greenery blended into hummus’ traditional ingredients, it was an herbaceous, garlicky landing for a crudité platter’s veggies.
For dinner, my partner Abbey and I set up a baked potato bar with bacon bits, chives, sour cream, shredded cheese, leftover chili and the Lebanese garlic spread toum among the toppings. Dessert, Ghirardelli Chocolate brownies made from a box mix, was the one dish that bore no leftovers. And the night ended with a Beam, as the Kings surprised us all by toppling their SoCal nemeses 124-112.
In the news
Sometimes, the starters are just better than the mains. Contributor Becky Grunewald’s latest story pinpoints nine classic Sacramento appetizers, from The Waterboy’s veal sweetbreads to Kodaiko Ramen & Bar’s shrimp toast.
Localis‘ current tasting menu features dishes tied to “10 Interesting People,” and I’m both proud and somewhat embarrassed to be one of them. Chef/owner Chris Barnum-Dann put together a root vegetable soup inspired by the hearty bowls my mom served me as a kid, as well as my Hungarian and Jewish ancestry.
Happening this week
- The Sacramento Chocolate Salon will take over the Citizen Hotel in downtown Sacramento next Sunday. Tickets are available online or at the door and include tastings, talks and demonstrations.
- Two Latin day parties will pop up in Sacramento on Sunday: Cafetón at Mix Downtown, and Caféron at Maya Cantina in the River District. Both start at 10 a.m. and promise coffee, alcoholic drinks, music and dancing.
- Concept Coffee will open next Monday at 1912 P St. in Midtown Sacramento. The cafe is a collaboration between Ty Manukyan, the co-founder of Kingdom Coffee Roasters in Folsom, and Scott Ostrander, who co-owns Gami Burger in midtown and Carmichael as well as Origami Asian Grill in East Sacramento.
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.