Pizza Pizza!

It's no secret that I love pizza! I love it! I could eat probably it every day. It's been that way since I was little. I was the pizza kid and my sister liked fried chicken. We've always been different that way.

I've also found that people are passionate about their pizza. You've got your New York style, your deep dish, your fancy schmancy gourmet, your take and bake. I could go on and on. And although I'm partial to New Haven style, I will eat pretty much all of them.

Last week, Nancy and I sat down at Masullo Pizza on Riverside Drive. There's not much signage - or light at night - so it can be hard to see from the street. The restaurant is an open space with tables for two and larger family-style tables. We each ordered a small salad and split a pizza. Mine was a mixed green salad with prosciutto, tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette and served with two generous wedges of flat bread. Our pizza (the name escapes me and it's not on their online menu) was toped with tomato, spinach, green olives, red onion, feta and capers. This pizza is in the Neapolitan style, which has a thin crust prepared by hand (not with a rolling pin). I'd say it was crispy and tender at the same time.

The toppings were excellent, with the right balance between the salty ingredients and the sweetness of the tomatoes. The toppings compliment the crust, rather than the crust serving as merely a vessel for them. If you prefer a pizza that's piled high with toppings, this might not be the pie for you. However, I really enjoyed it and even had a slice leftover for lunch the next day!

There were lots of yummy sounding options to choose from in both vegetarian and meaty options. Their menu changes seasonally based on available ingredients so I'll definitely go back to try another variety.

As for value, our salads were about $6 each and the pizza was $12. Not a bad price for a dinner for two! The restaurant isn't open for lunch.

Blue Cue Happy Hour

I used to go to the Blue Cue quite a bit when I was about 21. For some reason I thought it was the "cool" downtown bar. (Ok, before you make fun of me, remember that I grew up in the 'burbs and was living in the Bay Area at the time. I thought all Sac bars were like that.) Anyway, I hadn't been for years, even though now I live a few blocks away and frequent other bars on the street. I've been twice in the past month, and I have to say, the recent renovations were a definite improvement. The bar looks sleeker, less cheesy, and the clientele is a little less cheesy as well. Other than the abnormally small chandeliers around the perimeter and the television set to "Deal or No Deal" it was a pretty cool place to grab a drink and chat with friends. They also have a pretty cool happy hour:
$2 Shoestring Potatoes
$2.5 Draft Beer
$3 Grilled chicken and pineapple skewers, Hot wings w/bleu cheese dip, import draft beer and well cocktails
$4 BBQ Spare Ribs with hoisin-honey glaze, Red Diamond Cabernet Sauvignon, Sterling Chardonnay
$5 Pepperoni Pizza

Speaking of Lunch Deals...

A few years back there was a sushi restaurant on the corner of S and 18th. I don't remember what it was called (I am sure somebody out there does). I remember it being good, but then it was gone and now it's Ju Hachi by Taka (was Taka the name of the place??).

Stacy and I hit Ju Hachi for lunch today and I wanted to pass on their lunch specials. I was originally going for sushi, but their menu was too good to pass up. For $8 you can choose one of the following items, along with soup, salad and rice, and for $11.50 you can choose two items.

• Tempura (shrimp and vegetables)
  
• Chicken Teriyaki
• Sesame Chicken
• Spicy Chicken Teriyaki
• Chicken Katsu
• Beef Teriyaki
• Sushi (five pieces, chef's choice)
• Sashimi (five pieces, chef's choice)
• BBQ Albacore
• BBQ Salmon

I had the BBQ albacore and the sesame chicken while Stacy had the same BBQ and the tempura. The portions were huge -- I really was shocked by the size of my albacore portion! Both my items were great and Stacy liked hers too. We were both stuffed for $12 each!

The dinner menu looks good too and I definitely want to go back and try some sushi!

$10 Lunch Specials

I just got an email from Spataro announcing new $10 daily lunch specials (all of which are served with a cup of soup):

Monday
Spaghetti and Meatballs - San Marzano tomato sauce, Parmesan

Tuesday
Chicken Parmigiana - Fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, sauteed spinach

Wednesday
House Made Ravioli - Stuffed with ricotta, herbs, fresh tomato-basil sauce

Thursday
Pork Milanese - Lemon, arugula, roasted potatoes

Friday
Lasagna - House Made Italian sausage, spinach, mozzarella, San Marzano tomato sauce

Updates!

Our crack R & D team (Sheri Madsen) has been hitting some new happy hours and her research has led to some updates on the Happy Hour Quick List. Check it out!

http://sachappyhour.blogspot.com/2007/10/cheers.html