It's a Jungle Out There

Thank goodness the night was not over for Baby Mama, Baby Daddy and myself after the disappointment that was dinner. I don't think the two would have given much thought about visiting me ever again if it wasn't for how the rest of our night went.

We decided to chase the bad memories of Lucca's down with some cold ones over at DeVere's. This is the Irish Pub I told you guys about on my last record-breaking trip. This time around we were just going for some beers... us and the rest of Sacramento and its greater area. We got there and it was PACKED. It took a good amount of time just bob and weave my way to the bar. It's a good thing I have pasty white skin, freckles and red hair because my fellow Irishmen behind the bar served me up quickly. Others were waiting there a bit longer just to put their orders in. I went with my fav SnakeBite, and Baby Mama and Baby Daddy went with some kind of beer on tap that I clearly can't remember.

Normally I love the place. It's a great place to catch up with a bunch of friends, and wander from group of friends to group of friends and chit chat and throw back a few. But if it's just 2 or 3 of you, your going to better served (litterally) going to some place just a tid bit more intimate. We weren't even halfway done with our drinks when we decided all the commotion was all just a little too much for us, and we left.

Baby Mama and Baby Daddy wanted to head back up to the rooftop lounge above DeVere's that we had been to earlier that evening on our Safari where we saw Cougars and Manthers. The problem with Mix is that if you're on a big night out (which we were. Lots of drink and food already consumed with lots more in the future), the cover charge come nightfall hits your wallet pretty hard. It's $20 a head to be able to walk up the stairs to enjoy the night air. Now, that's par for the course in Sacramento so I'm not saying it's more expensive than other places... But it's just that it can get pricey if you're planning on going someplace else rather than the rooftop petting zoo. That's why Baby Daddy turned on his charm.

A few smooth words to the doorman-bouncer-guy and quick shake of the hands, Baby Daddy got the three of us in for half the price. Once upstairs we tried to find a spot just as good as what we had before, but had to settle for a little more exposed spot. It wasn't all that bad though. We did get a nice view of a Manther in his natural habitat. His mating ritual involved sharing the fruits of his labor (cash turned into alcohol) with his unassuming mating partners (a group of 20 something women). But the would-be partners were not to be fooled. They knew their extra bright colors and patterns made them more appealing than most others... and that the Manther's molting fur (slightly balding head) and mangy coat (denim shorts) were no match for them. They huddled together and formed a pack and thwarted the Manther's advances in hopes of finding a more fit one that would be better fit to raise their young. Or buy them more expensive drinks. Same thing really.

After our lesson in the ways of the wild, we moved over to the bar next to the dance floor and proceeded to watch a whole 'nother breed of animals on the prowl. This mix included slightly inebriated young females, slightly inebriated old females, and a few men looking to capitalize. Good times!

We had a round of drinks while taking it all in, and decided the night would not be complete without a(nother) nightcap at a(nother) great light night people watching spot. But we didn't need a tranquilizer dart to make it out of our next place alive, just another stomach ;)

Disappointed by Men

The Friday night Baby Mama, Baby Daddy and I had wasn’t over after the Manther sighting… we had a date with the Governor and his fine culinary friend Lucca. But sadly, all did not end well…

As we were finishing it up at Mix, the three of us spent a bit debating about whether to give up our great corner spot at the lounge and head over to everyone’s favorite Lucca’s, or take our chances on the small plates where we were at. Having never been disappointed by Lucca’s before—and with cheesy polenta on our minds—Baby Mama and I convinced Baby Daddy to head over the eatery on 16th and J Streets. This place serves up a sort of Italian-y/Mediterranean-y mix of food… and it’s just what we needed to soak up some of our drinks if we were going to continue on our record setting night.

I had received an invite from the Governor earlier that day (we’re like this: {fingers crossed}), and he called ahead to make reservations for the four of us. Usually that place can get pretty packed so I recommend calling ahead. After all, everyone wants their chance to take a peek at the Governator. It’s the state’s worst kept secret (other than the fact that they may have a small money problem on their hands) that this is Arnold’s favorite lunch spot. He likes to post up on the back patio, smoke a cigar, and gnaw on some sausage. He says Lucca’s sausage reminds him of the kind he would eat at home. I’ve never had sausage from Austria… But really, when's the last time you heard a foreigner say that something “reminds me of home…” and you didn’t have the urge to shove whatever they were talking about in your mouth? Well, food-wise at least.

When we got to Lucca’s they didn’t seat us in the Governor’s fav patio… and in fact, it turns out the Governor didn’t even show up for our date (how rude!). But that didn’t keep us from enjoying the great outdoors. We got seated on the main patio. This outdoor area is off to the side and covered so it stays nice and cool in the summer, and warm in the winter with all the heat lamps. There’s also a nice outdoor fireplace where you can request to be perched in front of. We all did that for my dad’s birthday one year… in the middle of December. The heat lamps and fireplace made it the perfect temperature, and we got to enjoy the fresh air. It’s kind of the reverse of my other favorite dining experience: Sitting outside in the heat and getting a cold blast from inside.

I don’t remember what we had to drink when we got there, but I’m pretty sure I was trying to pace myself so I went with a Diet Coke. I’m not sure what anyone else had to drink because all I could remember was the food. For better or for worse.

Now, I’ve been to Lucca’s many times and never walked away disappointed. Especially after ordering mine and Baby Mama’s fav Polenta. They serve a huge dish of this cheesy cornmeal mixture as a side, and top it with fresh homemade marinara sauce. Calling it a side dish is deceiving, because it’s definitely enough to count as an entire meal. Baby Mama and I split it this time around. It was so creamy and cheesy tasting, that I imagine they use a whole stick of butter and whole wheel of cheese to make it. They use Fontina, so the cheese doesn’t taste doesn’t bite you… it just makes you want to move it all around the inside of your mouth to ensure that every possible taste bud gets to covered in goodness.

After the polenta and my mouth had a sweet reunion, the main courses were served. Baby Mama and I decided to split the Chicken Saltimbocca, and Baby Daddy went for the steak.

Let’s just rip the Band-Aid off and delve straight into the bad. It’s not that the chicken was bad, just sooooo disappointing for Lucca’s. Everyone raves about this place whenever we go there, so to get served a meal that tasted like Thanksgiving in a cafeteria made me really sad for Lucca’s. Kind of like a mother being disappointed in a child when they don’t do well on a test in a subject they excel at…. or me being disappointed in Kobe for missing a no-look-through-the-legs-behind-the-back-blindfolded-while-handcuffed dunk. It’s like “Come on! I know you can do better!” I know because I’ve tasted better from Lucca’s.

When I read the description of the chicken on the menu, I thought it looked delish: stuffed chicken breast with pancetta, Fontina and sage with mashed potatoes. I had just had a love affair with the Fontina in the polenta, this can’t be much different, right? Well, not really. The chicken was dry and it wasn’t so much “stuffed” as it was “accessorized” with the equivalent of a quarter of a sage life and one shred of cheese. Then, it was topped off with what tasted like the type of gravy you make out of those little packets at the grocery store. Just add water. Oh, it makes me sad just writing about how disappointed I was. Eh tu, Lucca?

Thank goodness Baby Daddy was on this trip. His dish nearly saved the night (he has to be good for something ;) ). He ordered the Grilled Bistro Steak topped with a blue cheese sauce and was served with mashed potatoes and asparagus. The meat was perfectly cooked and the creamy bite of the blue cheese sauce balanced out the meatiness of the slab of cow on his plate (sounds appetizing huh?).

We decided to skip on dessert because we had still had a long night ahead of us. But I didn’t walk away empty-handed. The night’s meal taught me a couple of lessons:

1) Don’t trust men who wear high heels. (Sorry Governor, I don’t take being stood up lightly). You know what they say about short men, Governor? Me either.

2) Don’t order chicken off a restaurant menu. Ever. Come on, there are so many better things to try.

3) Go more places with Baby Daddy….

As we learned later that night-- whether it be ordering the right dishes, or slipping the right guy the right amount of cash—he’s a handy guy to have around. At least one guy was good for something that night.

What's a Male Version of Cougar?

Because that's what myself, Baby Mama and Baby's Daddy were dealing with when we started the new Freckled Record.

After Zocalo's we headed over to this new-er bar in downtown, called Mix. It's a rooftop bar that serves small plates. And when the sun goes down the cover charge goes up and it turns into a club... one the of the hottest in downtown.

For their Happy Hour, from 4-7, they don't charge to lounge around in their open-air digs. The whole lounge isn't totally out in the open... the back half is covered. And in the winter they pop a huge tent over the other half, making it semi-open-air. In the summer it can get pretty hot up there if you're their for Happy Hour... but when the sun starts to go down it's one of the best places to just sit back and relax. We got there just as the sun was heading down, and took up a GREAT spot in the corner. This place has retro-style lounge chairs, Adirondack chairs, and benches all around the perimeter with cushions and pillows.


That was the view from our corner spot. (The woman on the left is a perfect example of the type of people that like to frequent this place. Not saying anything bad... just saying. The key demo for this place is the over 30 crowd. 'Nuff said.)

We sat back and ordered a few beers to water down the cocktails we had just had. They've got a specialty cocktail menu, a wine list, and small plate menu. I've tried some of the small plates when they first opened and wasn't overly impressed, but I'd be willing to give it another try (if you're in town I'll let you treat me to some ;). We decided to stick to just beers as we had reservations later on that evening.

Just because we didn't eat doesn't mean we didn't have a lot to digest. There were some interesting people there. Including the male version of the cougar to our left. I've heard of Mougar, Billy Goat, Trout, a Cobra or a Manther. I'm going to go with Manther. I say he was staring at Baby Mama, but Baby Mama says he was staring at me (poor guy must have already had his beer goggles on).

Anywho, the three of us (Baby Daddy included, not Manther) concocted the story of our lives if he were to approach us. The first two characters were Baby Daddy and Baby Mama:


These two were in Sac getting to know hockey big-wigs because he was looking to make the move from playing overseas to playing in Cali. Next up was Baby Mama's cousin, who was Baby Daddy's assistant:


The story couldn't be that hard to keep straight, right?

We eagerly awaited Manther's approach, but alas, he never came. I didn't know whether to be flattered or embarrassed that a balding man his late thirties didn't hit on me. It didn't matter... we had dinner reservations to catch at one of my family's favorite spots. After all, we had a date with the Gov-nuh.

New Freckled Record!

Oh, I can always count on you guys to help me in quest to gain as much weight as possible. That's what friends and family are for. In the case of a couple of weekends ago, I had family to blame for the extra pounds I was carrying around come Monday morning. And I had them to thank for helping me set a new record: Seven eateries in only two days! Really it was nine if you count the places we went twice. (If you remember, the old record was six eateries in three days.)

After I finished up in Redding I raced home in eager anticipation of what I knew was ahead: Visitors! Oh, how I love visits. Especially from people I like ;) My two cousins came up the other weekend- Baby Mama and her Baby's Daddy- and we had a grand ol' time. At least I'd like to think so. I'm sure they left wondering how much longer I'll survive up here with all the food and drink consuming that I've got going on.

Baby Mama and Baby Daddy came up on a Friday evening... sans baby. You know what that meant, right? Time to par-tay! They were looking forward to walking around and having a couple of cocktails, and I was looking forward to showing them how I roll/waddle.

Our first stop was just down the block from me (isn't everything?). We strolled into Zocalo- which is a fancy Mexican food place- right at the end of Happy Hour and were able to order up some of their specialty drinks. We all started off with their house special Blackberry Margarita:


This little mix is pretty tasty. The blackberries give a nice tartness and the Agave (natural sweetener) made sure to mask the alcohol just enough that you could drink and drink and drink and drink and not feel it... until you stand up. It was a little too sweet for Baby Daddy... his next drink was a Caipirinha (let me try this out... KIE-purr-een-YAH). It's normally made super strong with Cachaça, which is a Brazilian distilled liquor. It's been a while, but I don't remember this version to be anything to write home about. Baby Mama on the other hand, was perfectly content with the sweet Blackberry Margarita:


The happy hour prices were $5 a drink... but normally they're $10. I recommend trying it out first during Happy Hour... and then decide if it's worth going back to pay full price. In my opinion, they're good drinks- but not great. So I'm a Happy Hour girl there :)

One thing that didn't cost a dime, and is a great thing about this place... is that they give you chips and salsa with your drinks, even if you're sitting at the bar. But it's not your every-day chips and salsa:


At Zocalo's they give you freshly made tortilla chips, two different salsa choice (one is sp-sp-spicy and the other is mild) and a bean dip. The bean dip is my fav. No, it's not Frito-Lay bean dip (does that even contain beans?). Here they mash up some really smokey tasting black beans (and I'm sure some other stuff) and top it with some crumbled Cotija cheese. Now those close to me can tell you that I don't normally like smokey-tasting food, but the smokey flavor mixed the Cotija- and sometimes dipped again into the salsa- is pretty good. It's nothing fancy, but it's the perfect compliment to their cocktails.

After we were done with our drinks and chips we decided the night was still young and we still had A LOT of room left in our little tummies. We decided to head over to this fab roof-top bar/club thingy/place. I would go into more detail, but what would that leave me with to write about tomorrow?? Come on people! I've got to keep you coming back for more!

So let me revert to my old career and give you a little teaser: "Coming up, the story of three pretty young thangs who spent a night on the town that included cougars, a near brush with the Governator, and a Hot Bag of Donuts... after the break." Take that Katie Couric!

Perfect Monday Night in Sac

Oh if only I were in my bed writing about the wonderful time I had tonight from the comfort of my own bed. Instead I'm sitting on a hotel couch in Redding, eating olives from Safeway, wishing it were last Monday. That's when I had the perfect Monday night in Sac.

After work, Spiderwoman and I headed over to Trader Joe's. I consider myself an expert in Trader Joe's shopping, so I filled her in on some of my super secret insider tips. Like did you know their pre-marinated Korean beef ribs are perfect for cooking? Or that their asparagus can either be steamed or oven roasted? Where would Spiderwoman or you guys be without me filling you in?!? Anywho, we walked the store and I continued to point out the obvious... then decided we had enough food-shopping and wanted to do some food-consuming.

My first thought was to head right next door to Burr's Fountain, located on Folsom Boulevard near 49th Street. I've always driven by and seen people sitting on the picnic tables outside and they looked like they were enjoying themselves. Well, they must have been enjoying their ice cream, because I don't think they would like as happy if they were eating dinner there. Inside they have a sort of deli that serves up mostly sandwiches. Everything looked pretty plain and possibly not so fresh. With so many great places to grab a sandwich in Sac, I wasn't going to waste my calories there.

Spiderwoman and I wanted to try some place new, but every place I pulled on Yelp was closed on Mondays. I was trying to think of what was close, and remembered one of my favorite dinner spots. How could I forget? 33rd Street Bistro was right down the street, had a nice little patio, and had some delish sandwiches on the menu. Off we went.

We drove over to the restaurant located on 33rd Street and Folsom Boulevard. There are a couple of other locations in El Dorado Hills, Davis and Midtown (just down the street on 16th and K Streets), but this one is my fave. The Midtown location is a little on the trendier side, so I never feel as laid back in there. However, with that comes great people watching, especially for weekend brunch (hot bag of donuts! Seriously!). The Davis location is actually pretty awesome with a humongous outdoor eating area, but is too far away for me to enjoy. And the El Dorado Hills location... well I actually haven't been out there but I can't imagine it's better than the original location Spiderwoman and I chose.

We set up shop on the front patio which sits right on the Folsom Boulevard sidewalk. It's the perfect spot to watch people drive by, ride by on their bikes, or run or walk by. And on a night like we were having, it was the perfect spot to just sit back and enjoy the awesome weather. Nothing beats a summer night in Sac.

We couldn't decide on what to eat because it all looked good (especially after grocery shopping). Last time I was there I had the Tillamook Cheddar Cheeseburger and Fries, and finished it off with their much loved Trio of desserts (how can you go wrong with three normal sized portions of dessert? By the way, my pants can answer that question). Because we couldn't settle on anything we decided to split. First up, The Gorge:


This hearty sandwich is loaded with turkey, bacon, havarti, greens and mayo on a ciabatta bun. You can see they don't skimp on the turkey which is a plus right off the bat. Combined with the soft texture of the havarti and distinguishable creamy-ish taste, the luxurious herby mayo (any time I eat full-fat mayo I consider it luxurious), crispy bacon and the hearty bun... MMMMM MMMMM MMMMM. It is a very satisfying sandwich. Well, it was a satisfying half. Next up was The Puget Sound:


This super-calorie treat is a mix of crab, shrimp and artichokes topped with Tillamook cheddar sandwiched between two crusty pieces of sourdough. The genius part is the sourdough served with seafood... perfect combo. I don't know what the binding part of the mix is... I'm assuming mayo and possibly a bit of cream cheese. Either way it makes for a super rich filling. The seafood taste was not overpowering as teh creaminess took care of that. Not exactly the healthiest choice but that's why they serve it with salad right?

It was too bad the salad the sandwiches came with wasn't all that great, because I barely ate any of it... making my meal even that much healthier for me. It's basically just greens and a very light dressing of olive oil and a little bit of vinegar (or even just plane old lemon juice). No tomatoes, no croutons, no cheese, no nothing. I thought, If I wanted diet food I clearly wouldn't have ordered the sandwich!

The lack of greens in my meal would have been the perfect excuse to turn down dessert. I didn't need more calories in the form of bad carbs and saturated fat... but what fun would that have been? I have you guys to entertain and tell my adventures to. If I passed on dessert, would you have been satisfied with just tales of sandwiches? I think not!

But-- and there's always a but (or in the case of this meal, a butt)-- how could I survive my second night in Redding if I didn't have dessert to reminisce about? We will all have to wait until tomorrow to hear about the dessert that I know will at least make one of you ready to hop in the car and come visit me. In Sac, not Redding.

Time Travel

Let’s go back, way back. All of the way back to the very beginning of my three day weekend, which started on a Friday night… late Friday night.

It’s not very often I’m in town on a weekend, and when I am I like to hit up friends from my old job and see what they’re up to. Usually they’re attending or throwing some going away party, because that’s how the business goes. And that’s how it went Friday night.

I called up Blondie to see what was going down and much to my delight, she was meeting up for a going away party (Gasp!) at one of my favorite places to grab a drink: Riverside Clubhouse on Riverside Blvd., just off of Broadway by Target. I think it’s a favorite because it brings back memories of my going away party, and almost every going away party I’ve been to in Sac for that matter. I’m also a big fan because it’s a great solo-dining spot: Good food, good drinks, nice bartenders, big TVs, modern setting and interesting people.

Of course these going away parties don’t start until everyone gets off at 11PM, so when we got there I expected the place to be packed full of the young professional, young urban family crowd that’s usually there. Sadly, that was not the case. It looks like Riverside is feeling the effects of Sac’s sad state of affairs. The place was practically empty. All the more reason for me to order as much as I could to help them out ;)

My favorite cocktail to order anywhere is a Lime Rickey, and Riverside was the first place I’ve had one… and I still haven’t been able to find a place that makes one that tastes even close, or even knows how to make one at all. It’s nothing fancy, just Grey Goose, lime juice, and soda. Like I said, nothing fancy but it’s def the best thirst quenching, food-neutral drinky drink.

I ponied up to the U-shaped stone bar and ordered one, and was helped by some guy that has worked there for a while. I remember this because he bailed me out one night when I was dining solo at the bar, and two drunk ‘tards kept hitting on me. He didn’t remember me (it had been a while) but I’ll always remember him calling them a cab before they even finished their food :)

I took my drink to the patio- one of the best I’ve EVER been to. It’s covered in those triangular shaped sail thingys, has tables and lounge chairs, a three tiered fire pit, and waterfall along the entire back wall. This place has also got those garage-type doors like at Capitol Garage that gives you the nice indoor/outdoor mix if you sit anywhere near it. And if you’re not down with the great outdoors, there’s a lounge area near the entrance with tables, an open floor for dancing or mingling, and an ultra-swank gas fireplace with glass instead of coals. Oh yeah, and a huge TV.

We all opted for the patio and I stayed out there until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. It was 12:30PM after all, and I am getting old (don’t worry it was sleepiness, not drinkiness. I only had one). I had to leave there without having my fav dessert: Warm Chocolate Cake. Don’t worry as much as I like that place, I guarantee you’ll hear more about that. And see more once I figure this picture thing out.

So I left Riverside and bid farewell to the gigantic bull on top of the building (don’t ask), apologized for not being able to spend more, and hopped into my time travel machine (it’s real), that brought me back to today so I could tell you about my adventures. That, my friends (well most of you are family), is how you spend a three day weekend in Sacramento. I dare you to come up here and try to beat six places in three days (Call me!).

1 Down, 2 to Go….

After SpiderWoman, IronWoman and I left de Vere’s, we went to the other side of the block to a personal favorite, Capitol Garage. Located on the corner of a parking garage on 15th and K Streets, this restaurant was the first I ever visited as a newbie here in Sac, so it holds a special place in my heart. It's the perfect spot to grab a bite to eat or sip on a drink during warmer weather. It's got two garage doors in place of two walls on either side of the entrance, and they roll 'em up when the weather is right. It's the best feeling to sit on that patio and get the mix of the AC blowing from the inside and the warm weather of the outside. Kind of like riding in your car with your windows down and AC blasting in the middle of the summer.

This time the three of us skipped the patio and sat up at the bar so I could get a clear view of the TV (and Kobe's butt). I ordered a Newcastle (Gasp! A Beer! I admit, I like the sweet carmel-ly flavor of this one), as did IronWoman. SpiderWoman was thoughtful enough to order some dessert and share it with two willing taste-testers. She ordered the S'more Cheesecake, and it wasn't the first time for either of us. The two of us had gone to the Garage earlier in the week with coupons in hand for a "Buy 1 Get 1 Free” special. Now that’s a real special. We shared two appetizers and the same cheesecake. She was more impressed with it than I was… having had better cheesecake at places like Tower Café, and even the Cheesecake Factory. Not to say this wasn’t good… it’s just not fall-out-of-your-chair amazing. The crust wasn't graham-cracker-crunchy enough for me, and the marshmallow topping didn’t taste enough like a marshmallow. It could have used a good torching on top to give it that campfire taste. However, with a nice drizzle of chocolate sauce across the top, the flavors did all blend together for a sweet treat. Especially after two beers. Yup, I drank TWO beers.

We stayed at the Garage for the rest of the second half, and lucky for the two Women, the Lakers won. If they hadn’t, I don’t think I would have been game for number three of our 3 for 1 special.

2 down, 1 to go....

The Best Mornings Ever

OK, I'm still working backwards on last weekend's adventures in food. So before there were spiders, milkshakes and burgers... there were coffee and magazines.

My absolute favorite thing to do on a weekend morning (on the rare occasion I am actually in town), is to wake up, walk down to my favorite coffee spot, buy a few mags, and sit back and read and people watch. That's just what I did, and this time joined by my spider killing friend, who from here on out shall be called SpiderWoman.

SpiderWoman and I had plans to meet there at 10:30 Monday morning (remember, it was a three day weekend). I had woken up a early, and decided to go for a little stroll before our planned meeting time. So I laced up my new Nikes (bright LiveStrong Yellow.... LOVE them) and headed out the door. Normally I like to walk through the neighborhoods around me and check out the historic homes and see what's on the market, but Sunday I decided on an easy stroll around Capitol Park. 

I live right across from the park, and if you walk the path all of the way around it, it's just over a mile. That's why it's a favorite for runners and walkers alike. Plus, there's only two spots where you might have to wait at a crosswalk (both are entrances to the Capitol's underground parking garage). Anywho, I started my walk around there, and observed the following: a wedding in progress (the Rose Garden is a constant merry-go-round of weddings in the warmer months), a horse taking a potty break (CHP offices patrol the park on four legs), and a tourist yelling at a homeless person. Ah, what a beautiful day.

Thirty minutes later I made it to my destination: Peet's Coffee. Oh Peet's, how I love thee. I got stuck on Peet's after trying their sugar-free-nonfat mocha. If you think it sounds less than appettezing, that must be because you've tried the same thing at Starbucks. If so, you'd be right. BUT, this version of the 195 calorie drink (medium, no whip) does not taste like chemicals, as its counterpart does. This one tastes like the real thing. So much so that the first couple of times I ordered it and tasted it, I went back to them and asked if they were sure they made it sugar-free-nonfat. They assured me it was, and I have been a loyal drinker ever since. 

Now the best part about the Peet's that I frequent, is that it's built in this complex that takes up an entire block between J and K streets. It's part of the MARRS (Midtown Art, Retail and Restaurant Scene) building. There are nine different businesses that open up onto a huge wooden deck. Peet's is on the end of the building, and therefore gets a nice large chunk of the deck, with MARRS supplied chairs and tables. This is the perfect place to sit down with your drink, as evidenced by the steady stream of people rotating out of the tables with their dogs/lovers/friends/laptops/small children. 

SpiderWoman and I stepped inside to place our orders. They already knew what I wanted (they always do) and started my order right away. SpiderWoman ordered a hot chocolate and savory ham and cheese muffin to boot. Once we got our orders we stepped outside on the glorious deck. Of course the tables were all taken, so we wandered down a bit and took a seat on a bench. We chit-chatted and I tried a bit of the muffin. To her dismay it wasn't warm (and Peet's advised they did not have a microwave), but still pretty tasty. It wasn't so much a muffin as a really dense bundle of goodness. It had small chunks of ham, and the amount of cheese inside made it really thick. Probably not the healthiest choice, but worth the calories. 

After SpiderWoman left I headed right next door to Newsbeat. I'm pretty sure Newsbeat has every magazine ever made, and can print up any Newspaper that is published. I like to go in and scour the fitness section (wishful thinking), home section (more wishes) and local publications. This time I picked up Sacramento Magazine (where I read about Burgers & Brew), and Sactown Magazine.

Magazines in hand and sugar-free-nonfat-extra-hot-mocha in my belly, I opted to head back home rather than wait around for a table to open. So I walked back, fully satisfied with what I had accomplished already that day. After all, it's was a holiday. The fact that I even got dressed was a miracle in itself. Little did I know I would nearly die that night (see below).

Starting From the Bottom

So let me tell you (all two of you, three if I count myself) about my last great adventure of the three day weekend. Don't worry... you won't miss anything. I'll work my way backwards. I know you were worried.

Anyways, on Sunday I had promised myself I wasn't going to eat crap and wasn't going to spend money on crap. Lord knows I had done that enough already. So when I read about a new restaurant JUST down the street from me-- owned by the same people that run Crepeville (you'll def hear more about that)-- I knew I couldn't resist. The place is called Burgers & Brew, and served just that. It just opened about a month ago, next to stand-by's R15 and Cafe Bernardo. Also, its located right underneath some awesome condos that just opened, and are practically all sold (think exposed brick walls, ducting, plumbing, huge windows, roof-top deck, floor to ceiling kitchen cabs). Back to the food...

So I stopped by and ordered at the counter. I later found out they have table service in the evenings. And by later I mean a coupe of hours later when I went back for more (More on that sad story tomorrow. It has something to do with spiders). I ordered a Bacon-Jalepeno Cheeseburger. It came with regular fries, so I of course upgraded to garlic fries. Let me tell you about these garlic fries. They were the best. Ever. They weren't like fries you get at other places, with the garlic chunks so big they burn your mouth. I want to say they were made with crushed garlic (or at least it was the best mincing job I've ever seen), and fried up extra crispy. The garlic flavor didn't overwhelm when I bit into it, but instead the garlic taste lingered a little longer(sexy!). Oh and word to the wise: If you like ranch dressing with your fries, I hope you like Hidden Valley. Straight out of the bottle.

The best part of the fries were that I saved them until I was done with my burger. That meant that all of the grease and juice from the burger (there was A LOT), got all over the fries so they tasted like garlic-burger-fries. The burger itself was impressive. Not going to say it's the best I've ever had (that goes to The Squeeze-Inn), but it might now be Top 3. It was extra juicy and greasy and cooked to order (medium for me). The burger was garnished by bacon (hard to go wrong), marinated jalepenos (tasted more like regular), and a jalepeno mayonnaise (masked by the flavor of the regular jalapenos). Despite the marinated jalapenos not being marinated, the burger was still really good.

As for the "Brews" in "Burgers & Brews," I stuck with a diet coke. But they DID have a large selection on tap and an even larger in bottles. And wine too! This is def a place my dad and brother are going to LOVE. Good food. Good drinks. Good location. Good patio. Sold.

AND, the best part of the whole thing: The food wasn't crap and the prices weren't either ($11 total). So I didn't break my promise :)