Originally planned as a piano bar, at first glance Azucar doesn't really look like a Mexican restaurant. The big, black music notes on the facade are a little misleading. The interior fits a little better.
I met Stacy for happy hour earlier this week and was so excited to see the extent of their $3 menu. In terms of drinks you can get $3 margies, mojitos. martinis and beer. We ordered two margaritas which were big and tangy. The $3 food menu looks great too, with offerings like quesadillas, empanadas, nachos and not-so-Mexican fare like garlic fries. When a few other friends joined us we ordered a few. It's a great deal and the food is tasty - especially the carnita plate - but the apps are small. They really are $3-sized. The quesadilla seemed particularly tiny. But for the price, you could order two!
The other nice thing is that happy hour extends till 7:00 so even Carolyn was there in time to take advantage of the deal! Apparently Azucar turns into a club on weekend nights, so come early if that's not your cup of tequila.
Azucar is at 1616 J Street.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
We'll always have Casablanca
Several times in our lives, we are given the opportunity to try amazing and wonderful food. Often, these meals stick in the back of heads. Latter meals are compared to these. It's like that long lost love--you know how wonderful it is, and you just wish you could go back for more.
Lucky for me, my long lost love of food can be found on the corner of Watt and Fair Oaks, in this little tiny strip mall next to the Shell station. Casablanca looks like it's nothing--next to a liquor store and what is now an empty store front, you would never know that one of the hidden gems of Sacramento is right there.
There are many things great about Casablanca. One highlight is the lack of liquor license. Ok, I know what you're thinking. But just because they can't serve it doesn't mean you can't bring it in. Beer and wine are welcome here without a corkage fee. It's like a huge BYOB party. With belly-dancers. I don't remember any frat parties quite like this! Another great thing is the belly dancer herself. She creates quite a scene, often with the women of the tiny restaurant dancing alongside her (I'm sure encouraged by their rather large liquor intake). While she starts dancing to the traditional Moroccan music, often it turns into a dance party with Abba's "Dancing Queen" playing loudly in the background. And while this could be disconcerting and unappetizing in other places, it just fits here. The host of the restaurant is also quite a draw. Hilarious and irreverant, yet he always makes sure you are well taken care of, that you have everything you need (even if it's just another hit of the orange blossom water). Yes, he can give you a 20 minutes explanation of the Family Guy marathon and always starts his sentences with "Dooood". But you can't help but love him, especially since he calls himself the "Conehead" due to his traditional hat. Truly though, the highlight is the food. A few rules of thumb: don't go to this restaurant with ANYONE who has food issues or who can't get over them. You eat with your hands, and often the food just needs to be eaten, no matter how or what or why. Just eat it. I promise you won't be disappointed. I recommend just going for the Sultan's feast, a huge meal that provides you with all the best the restaurant has to offer. We had hummus, carrots, beets, some small game hen that we could literally pull apart with our spoons, beef, couscous, rice, something else, and the highlight of the evening, a lovely lamb dish that one of my dinner partners called quite simply "Ecstasy" and another commented that it was like losing his virginity for the seventh time. (I'm not sure what this means, but I know it was good.) We ended with baklava and tea that I just couldn't get enough of.
The orange blossom water doused on your hands is the final, lovely step. You come home with your hands smelling so exotic, so wonderful, that you can't help but remember your experience. A few things to keep in mind--this is not the place to go for a romantic night out. It's crazy and nuts, perfect for a celebration. You will drink a lot, or at least want to. Bring plenty and have a cab number handy, or have a designated driver (who I will feel for, being the DD last night). Don't bring any friends likely to freak strangers on the dance floor. And most of all, bring your adventurous spirit and your appetite! I promise this will become a favorite place. (And get there before 9--everybody's hammered by then.)
Lucky for me, my long lost love of food can be found on the corner of Watt and Fair Oaks, in this little tiny strip mall next to the Shell station. Casablanca looks like it's nothing--next to a liquor store and what is now an empty store front, you would never know that one of the hidden gems of Sacramento is right there.
There are many things great about Casablanca. One highlight is the lack of liquor license. Ok, I know what you're thinking. But just because they can't serve it doesn't mean you can't bring it in. Beer and wine are welcome here without a corkage fee. It's like a huge BYOB party. With belly-dancers. I don't remember any frat parties quite like this! Another great thing is the belly dancer herself. She creates quite a scene, often with the women of the tiny restaurant dancing alongside her (I'm sure encouraged by their rather large liquor intake). While she starts dancing to the traditional Moroccan music, often it turns into a dance party with Abba's "Dancing Queen" playing loudly in the background. And while this could be disconcerting and unappetizing in other places, it just fits here. The host of the restaurant is also quite a draw. Hilarious and irreverant, yet he always makes sure you are well taken care of, that you have everything you need (even if it's just another hit of the orange blossom water). Yes, he can give you a 20 minutes explanation of the Family Guy marathon and always starts his sentences with "Dooood". But you can't help but love him, especially since he calls himself the "Conehead" due to his traditional hat. Truly though, the highlight is the food. A few rules of thumb: don't go to this restaurant with ANYONE who has food issues or who can't get over them. You eat with your hands, and often the food just needs to be eaten, no matter how or what or why. Just eat it. I promise you won't be disappointed. I recommend just going for the Sultan's feast, a huge meal that provides you with all the best the restaurant has to offer. We had hummus, carrots, beets, some small game hen that we could literally pull apart with our spoons, beef, couscous, rice, something else, and the highlight of the evening, a lovely lamb dish that one of my dinner partners called quite simply "Ecstasy" and another commented that it was like losing his virginity for the seventh time. (I'm not sure what this means, but I know it was good.) We ended with baklava and tea that I just couldn't get enough of.
The orange blossom water doused on your hands is the final, lovely step. You come home with your hands smelling so exotic, so wonderful, that you can't help but remember your experience. A few things to keep in mind--this is not the place to go for a romantic night out. It's crazy and nuts, perfect for a celebration. You will drink a lot, or at least want to. Bring plenty and have a cab number handy, or have a designated driver (who I will feel for, being the DD last night). Don't bring any friends likely to freak strangers on the dance floor. And most of all, bring your adventurous spirit and your appetite! I promise this will become a favorite place. (And get there before 9--everybody's hammered by then.)
Thursday, February 7, 2008
If only I could yell it like Marlon Brando...
I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I was lucky enough to be invited to the new restaurant Ella twice last week. And not have to pay either time. I never turn down a free meal (it could have been at Chili's and I probably would have gone) but a free meal and the new hot restaurant? I'm there!
Both times Ella proved that it deserved the hype it's received. My first meal there was on a rainy Thursday night. I went with some friends from work, and the two of us that went together were struck by how low-profile the restaurant is. If you don't know where to look, you can't even find the front door. Once inside, you are treated to fantastic service. A free coat check (always appreciated in our crazy winter weather) and lovely hosts greet you at the door. We sat in the bar and waited for our friends and the cocktails were delicious. They make their own tonic at Ella, which is interesting and has a totally different taste than the bottled kind.
I sat on opposite sides of the restaurant for both visits, although I had the same waiter. Noel was kind and attentive, and very helpful with the wine list. Sometimes at very nice restaurants the wait staff can seem pretentious and snobby, but she was very relaxed and rather funny. We ate family style for both visits. The first trip our table ordered the Ella cured salmon on flatbread, grilled calamari, wood oven meatballs, giant fried rock shrimp, gnocchi, and mushroom ravioli. All was delicious. I was especially impressed by the calamari--it wasn't fried, but had the texture of fried calamari, while being lighter and airer than you usually find it. The rock shrimp was also delicious, slightly spicy, and not at all heavy. The second trip we got a plate of oysters (heavenly), wood grilled prawns (a little spicy and smoky), the meatballs again (while I rave about everything else, I think these are my favorite. They manage to be both light and full of flavor), the beets (I'm passing judgement on them, since I'm not a fan, but they were apparently delish), and the crispy skin duck breast (sooo good, although the breast itself was a little salty, but with the risotto it was perfect).
While both times there was a slight mixup in our order (the first time our gnocchi came with the prosciutto, and we had ordered it without, and the second time our hot food showed up prior to our oysters) the wait staff was quick with pulling away the incorrect items and immediatly fixing the problem. They were also very kind about it, never making us feel bad for ordering what we wanted, when we wanted it.
The restaurant itself can be a little uncomfortable. The first time I was there we sat by the long row of windows and froze the entire meal. The second time we were much warmer, but we sat right next to a curtain partition. While it was nice to have the privacy the curtain offered, I think it caused a problem for those sitting on the other side. Somebody fell off their chair and managed to hit our table and chair. I was more worried about them hurting themselves, but it was a little disconcerting to have the entire partition moving about. But it's nothing that would prevent you from going back.
My second visit was with friends from the Bay Area, and Catherine told me I could quote her as saying that Ella is just as good as any four star restaurant in San Francisco. I highly recommend it for any special occasion. Or even just for meatballs and a cocktail.
Oh, and the title? That's what I'd yell if the restaurant ever closed. "Elllaaaa!!!" Get it?
Both times Ella proved that it deserved the hype it's received. My first meal there was on a rainy Thursday night. I went with some friends from work, and the two of us that went together were struck by how low-profile the restaurant is. If you don't know where to look, you can't even find the front door. Once inside, you are treated to fantastic service. A free coat check (always appreciated in our crazy winter weather) and lovely hosts greet you at the door. We sat in the bar and waited for our friends and the cocktails were delicious. They make their own tonic at Ella, which is interesting and has a totally different taste than the bottled kind.
I sat on opposite sides of the restaurant for both visits, although I had the same waiter. Noel was kind and attentive, and very helpful with the wine list. Sometimes at very nice restaurants the wait staff can seem pretentious and snobby, but she was very relaxed and rather funny. We ate family style for both visits. The first trip our table ordered the Ella cured salmon on flatbread, grilled calamari, wood oven meatballs, giant fried rock shrimp, gnocchi, and mushroom ravioli. All was delicious. I was especially impressed by the calamari--it wasn't fried, but had the texture of fried calamari, while being lighter and airer than you usually find it. The rock shrimp was also delicious, slightly spicy, and not at all heavy. The second trip we got a plate of oysters (heavenly), wood grilled prawns (a little spicy and smoky), the meatballs again (while I rave about everything else, I think these are my favorite. They manage to be both light and full of flavor), the beets (I'm passing judgement on them, since I'm not a fan, but they were apparently delish), and the crispy skin duck breast (sooo good, although the breast itself was a little salty, but with the risotto it was perfect).
While both times there was a slight mixup in our order (the first time our gnocchi came with the prosciutto, and we had ordered it without, and the second time our hot food showed up prior to our oysters) the wait staff was quick with pulling away the incorrect items and immediatly fixing the problem. They were also very kind about it, never making us feel bad for ordering what we wanted, when we wanted it.
The restaurant itself can be a little uncomfortable. The first time I was there we sat by the long row of windows and froze the entire meal. The second time we were much warmer, but we sat right next to a curtain partition. While it was nice to have the privacy the curtain offered, I think it caused a problem for those sitting on the other side. Somebody fell off their chair and managed to hit our table and chair. I was more worried about them hurting themselves, but it was a little disconcerting to have the entire partition moving about. But it's nothing that would prevent you from going back.
My second visit was with friends from the Bay Area, and Catherine told me I could quote her as saying that Ella is just as good as any four star restaurant in San Francisco. I highly recommend it for any special occasion. Or even just for meatballs and a cocktail.
Oh, and the title? That's what I'd yell if the restaurant ever closed. "Elllaaaa!!!" Get it?
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