World Class Travel?

Sunday's New York Times Travel page will have a great article about spending 36 hours in Sacramento. I thought their assessment of our fair city was pretty fair -- although they seemed to only hit the hot spot eateries (ie expensive) with the exception of Tower Cafe.

You can find the article here.

What do you think? If you had a friend coming from out of town for only 36 hours where would you take them?

Eating Through Asia

I had an unbelievably delicious slice of Zachary's pizza today for my first meal back in the States. The crust was flaky, the cheese was gooey and the tomatoes were chunky and just sweet enough. I'm really looking forward to a good Mexican meal in the next day or two.

However, the Asian food I've been eating the last two weeks has been out of this world! Unfortunately, I started taking photos a little too late in my journey to get pictures of everything. I started and ended (and spent a little time in between) in Singapore, where you can basically get any Asian cuisine you want - Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Indian, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern - it's all there and it's all good! The best place to get inexpensive and yummy food was on the street. Hawker stands are everywhere and the selection is a little mind-boggling. One of my favorites was this noodle dish with a side of soup dumplings (there's soup inside!). The noodle guy makes the noodles by hand while you're standing there. It's amazing to watch. I've seen in twice and I still can't figure it out. The noodles are cooked with bok choy and topped with a savory pork sauce. The dumpling contains a hot soup and some meat. It's like inside out wanton soup!

I've had a lot of Chinese food in my day, but this roasted chicken from a restaurant in Singapore's Chinatown had me wanting seconds and thirds - and it even has bones in it! The duck noodles on the side weren't half bad either.

Next stop, Cambodia! The signature dish is anok, which is white fish baked with coconut milk, chili and lemongrass inside a banana leaf. It was served with steamed rice and an icy cold beer. Yum!

Unsurprisingly, the Thai food was amazing in Thailand. I had more fried rice, pineapple rice, pad thai, pad see ew and other delightful noodle dishes that I probably shouldn't have starch again for the rest of my life. There were many chances to take photos of these dishes but I only remembered when I was halfway done with my chili cashew chicken noodles.

In Kuala Lumpur, I had my first taste of beef rendang. It's a dish traditionally prepared for Malaysian celebrations lowly cooked in coconut milk and spices - like ginger, lemongrass and chilies - for several hours. As most everything else, it's served with a side of steamed rice.

In KL's Chinatown, we had a delicious order of sizzling beef. It comes to the table, literally sizzling. Delish!

I had some other great dishes that I didn't have photos of - many of which included noodles. I love noodles. I don't have a photo, but satay is one of Malaysia's signature dishes as well. The peanut sauce is just a touch spicier than most places here in the US. I am also hoping to replicate a chili oil-based condiment that I fell in love with in Asia.

Bueller?

OK, this is kind of random post. (I know what you're thinking. "Carmen? Random? No....") Has anyone been to Morgan's Bar and Grill? That place in the really funky spot on 33rd and S? Anyway, was just looking at the Yelp post and I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing.

Anyway, I'm hoping my readers will know (although you're probably hoping that I know). If you're interested in the randomness, let me know and we can meet for a $5 PBR pitcher on Sunday Funday. Or just tell me how it is.

If not, I suppose I can wait until Jennifer returns from Singapore and we'll give you an update.

Sunday Funday

Sunday Funday has become a ubiquitous term in Midtown this summer. I'm not sure who started it, but it is everywhere. While the days of meandering through Midtown neighborhoods on your cruiser may be over (due to the impending Northern California monsoon), there are still plenty of great deals and fun activities in Sacramento on Sundays. If you've survived your Saturday night, head out drinking on Sunday. Or fight that hangover with bottomless Mimosas.

This was my day yesterday (and I'm really glad I had today off for Columbus Day):

Brunch at Tuli Bistro. Ok, certainly not budget friendly, but holy cow was it good! Bottomless mimosas were a good deal at $8 per person. Their version of Eggs Benedict was so good I could have licked my plate. Jen's spicy goat cheese scramble looked delicious. The people at the table over had the breakfast pizza and the biscuits and gravy. I'm not sure Tuli can make anything that's not spectacular, and with brunch they really seem to have hit their stride. Super laid back, friendly service, and a beautiful day on the patio. I couldn't have asked for a better start to my day.

Jen and were on our bikes and headed over to Taylor's Kitchen for their weekly "Dick's Picks" wine tasting. I love this wine tasting. For $10 Richard Ebert, wine guy of Taylor's Market and Taylor's Kitchen, pours 6-8 of his current favorites. There's no real method to his madness, he just wants people to try something new. He's great--funny, friendly, loves to tell you about wine and quote Shakespeare. His wife is always there and she's super adorable. They have a great cheese and snack selection to munch on, and they are always willing to pour a little more if you haven't quite decided on a wine. Dick also picks wines that are super economical--I don't recall ever seeing anything over $20 on his list. Now, you may be asking why I would promote a $10 tasting when there are plenty of wineries around where you can taste for free (and I protest when they charge). I know Dick is going to pour something worthwhile. The wine is always good, the company is always fantastic, and they are always generous with the pours. It's totally worth the $10.

And more wine at 58 Degrees... Ok, it's no secret that my girlfriends and I love 58 on Sundays. Their no-corkage fee Sundays are a fabulous idea. Post not-so-great-Sac Bee review and perhaps in response to these tough economic times, 58 has reworked their food and wine menus. The result is more economical food choices (instead of the full cheese plate you can pick one or two, etc) and even cheaper wines. They have a few reds under $30 a bottle, which is a great deal normally, and on Sundays when you take $15 off the price it's a fantastic deal. Our service last night was still a little on the sketchy side, but there are some servers who really know their wine. Sit at the bar for the best service.

So, dear readers, what's your favorite Sunday spot?

When did it leave?

According to today's Sacramento Bee, happy hour is back in Sacramento. I didn't realize it had ever left! Check out the story for some specials.