Four Months of Photos

I do believe this might be the longest break I’ve taken from blogging. I needed to focus on other things and now I’m back to share the past four months of eats and life with you.

I finally made it to Magpie Cafe with some of my girlfriends (Kristen and Marnie)

Magpie outgrew their small space at 14th and R Street and have since moved to their new location – 1601 16th Street, Sacramento CA 95814. I’m looking forward to trying their new expanded menu, but for now you get the old stuff. 

We had all checked out the menu online, they update it daily. Their menu is inspired by fresh, seasonal ingredients with an emphasis on sourcing from Northern California. 

The first thing I noticed when I walked through the door was their branding. Total designer geek moment – From their menus clipped into clip boards to the signage once in the restaurant. The Yellow-Billed Magpie is native to the Sacramento area, and is the only bird found solely on the California mainland. It is easily identifiable by its bright yellow bill and contrasting black and white coloration and looks great in their logo.

We knew going in that we wanted to share dishes. We started by each picking one item. Our selections included Roasted Asparagus and Green Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette (Local greens, fennel, watermelon radish and candied almonds) made this one of my favorite dishes of the night. The amount of dressing was perfect. I didn’t get a photo of the roasted asparagus, the spears came with a delicious tarragon-caper aioli. The grilled bread with caramelized onion and olive tapenade was also delicious. The risotto (Lundberg Garm Arborio Rice, asparagus, fava greens, spring onions, green garlic, mint, lemon and aged jack cheese) was incredible. The Berkshire T Bone Pork Chop included roasted asparagus, heirloom cannellini beans and romesco. There was no way we were passing up dessert – we enjoyed the creme brulee with honey and lavender and the carrot cake cookie ice cream sandwich. We were happy with all of our choices and look forward to our next food adventure. We meet up every couple of months to try a “new to us” place. 

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Next up was Bacon & Butter. I finally made it to the Tahoe Park location for brunch with my friend Liz. The wait was just under an hour, but well worth it. I ordered the leek and lardon omelet (lardon (bacon), creamed shallot rings, cheddar and a side of fruit) – Liz ordered the bananas foster french toast and after stealing a bite, I knew without a doubt that Dan would have LOVED that dish. I’m more of a savory eater, so mine was just perfect for me. I will definitely be taking the hubs there soon. 

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We enjoyed a weekend day trip to Sutter Creek and stopped into Pepita’s with some friends. Dan was craving nachos and I opted for the street tacos. All cravings were satisfied that day. 

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Double fudge/brownie ice cream was also enjoyed at the Sutter Creek Ice Cream Emporium. The location was the town drug store for over 70 years, but now it’s filled with a soda fountain, candies, fresh-made fudge and everything an old-fashioned ice cream/candy store should have. 

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Next up on my phone photos was a cultural event at Frasinetti Winery in Sacramento. The Frasinetti Winery was founded on the southern edge of Sacramento 118 years ago, in 1897. The cultural event started with wine tasting/mingling and in 104 degree weather, the Sauvignon Blanc hit the spot. I didn’t get to choose from the entire restaurant menu since it was a private event in the banquet room, but I did enjoy my vegetarian pasta dish followed by spumoni ice cream.  

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I met some more girlfriends in Placerville where we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Sweetie Pies. This cute little Victorian house was built around 1865 and was one of the first homes on Main Street. Sweetie Pies opened for business in 1991 and my girlfriend Carolyn had been talking about taking me for quite a while. It’s one of her favorite breakfast places. I absolutely loved it. I got the veggie scramble (Zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, fresh spinach, green onions, tomatoes, and a cheddar & jack blend) and took part in the shared cinnamon roll. 

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I also made another stop into Ten 22 located in Old Sacramento and probably had the best dessert I’ve ever had in my life. The waiter billed it as that and I laughed, thinking… does he know how many desserts I’ve had over the years? The Fuzzy Peach and Sea Salt Caramel Bread Pudding – made with local peaches, burnt caramel, croissant, bourbon and vanilla ice milk. The BEST $8 I’ve ever spent. The sweet berrymisu was excellent too. 

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A few weeks later I rolled myself over to Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co. to meet up with another group of girlfriends for brunch. I’d been there for dinner and happy hour several times, but never for brunch. We sat out on the patio and opted to share items. The four of us shared the Crispy Carnitas and Egg Quesadilla  (Habanero Jack Cheese, Pickled Red Onion, Guacamole, Black Beans & Charred Tomato Salsa) the Breakfast Pizza (Bacon, Roasted Potatoes, Cherry Tomato, Red Onion, Broccolini, Calabrian Chilies & Two Sunny Side Up Eggs) – the pancake of the day (can’t remember it’s been too long) and extra sides of Fireman Potatoes and gravy. We did not leave hungry. 

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Dan and I  hit up a local food truck event with friends and I got to try Cichy Co. for the first time. 

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The Pulled Pork Sandwich (Tangy BBQ Sauce, Pickles, Fried Onion) and fries were amazing! We waited about 45 minutes in the long line, but I’ve been thinking about the sandwich ever since. That is definitely a good thing. 

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Dan is a huge calamari fan, so we stopped into another restaurant in our travels for a quick appetizer/drinks and won the sticker/bar code jackpot! Ha-ha – I have the most random photos on my phone. While most people snap photos of other people, my photo stream is filled with everything food. Go figure. I can’t even remember where we got the calamari – I should probably take notes to go along with my photos. 

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I visited Paul and Tom for a weekend and that included a stop at their shared garden space. They grow peppers to make their fabulous pepper jelly – which I’m hoping I get to witness in person this year.

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The jelly is addicting and they make sure I’m well stocked each visit. 

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I’m also blaming them for my new Sweet Potato Triscuit addiction and for popping my Moscow Mule cherry. 

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This ginger beer is incredible – Paul gets it from the World Market and I’m pretty sure it will be a staple item in my Moscow Mule making supplies. I did find that I also like the Mexican Mule – made with tequila instead of vodka. 

All of these food shenanigans, road trips and meals out with good friends have been followed by…

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lots of Fitbit steps. A bunch of us got Fitbits at work and at first I was uber obsessed. Like walking around my house to meet the 10K step goal obsessed. I was logging my food on My Fitness Pal, syncing data between the two apps while getting in extra steps/miles on my treadmill using iFit while watching shows on my iPad and I came to the realization that I need to get outside more often. So I stepped away from the technology and just enjoyed life. So that is what I’ve been up to, what’s new with you guys?

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2 comments

  1. Um, YUM. I know what you mean about technology getting to be a burn out… I had a FitBit for a while, but all the syncing and stuff made it hard to maintain.

    • Leslee on August 27, 2015 at 4:26 pm

    Another interesting and fun recap of your food travels 🙂 I have wanted to check out Cichy & Co. food truck, but have to catch up to him. I hear you on the Moscow mules, we just began making them last month, YUM!!!

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