Feb 12

Bruchi’s

565 Howe Ave #3

Sacramento, CA 95825

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Located right off of Howe Avenue near Fair Oaks Boulevard, Bruchi’s serves up fantastic cheesesteak  sandwiches. Upon arriving in the restaurant and reaching the ordering counter, we were greeted by multiple people. Plenty of seating was available inside the restaurant. A large menu is situated above the cash registers. After a quick scan of the menu, we were ready to order.

Today, we decided to order the steak meat lover and pepper steak cheesesteak sandwiches with fries. We were surprised to find a 7-Up fountain dispenser at this restaurant. While waiting for the food, I went and gathered ketchup, but I also got some “Fry Sauce” as well. Both sandwiches and fries were brought to our table in a reasonable amount of time. All of the food was hot and freshly prepared. The steak meat lover cheesesteak was loaded with various meats and cheese. The steak was extremely tender and flavorful. Each bite was filled with flavor and delight, which went perfectly with the fresh soft toasted bread. The pepper steak cheesesteak came with a nice spicy kick along with the same tender steak and cheese. All of the crinkle fries were fried properly and went well with the “fry sauce”, which resembled a combination of vinegar, mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise.

Overall, the cheesesteak sandwiches at Bruchi’s are amazing and delicious. Service was great and the food is fresh and tasty. Pricing is very reasonable for the quantity of food received. If you love sandwiches and especially cheesesteaks, then you must give Bruchi’s a try.

Feb 05

Twin Peaks

535 Howe Ave

Sacramento, CA 95825

Rating: ★½☆☆☆ 

Located right off Howe Avenue near Fair Oaks, Twin Peaks serves up typical American bar food in large quantities with a multitude of televisions broadcasting an array of sports all around you. When we arrived for dinner, there was a 15-20 minute wait, so we put my phone number down and took a seat while watching the Kings game. 18 minutes or so later, the hostess brought us to an available booth. A short while later, our server came by to take our drink orders, and we placed our food orders as well.

Today, we decided to order the Peaks Sampler, Chicken Fried Steak, and Beer Battered Fish & Chips. It took an excessive amount of time for us to receive our drinks after placing our order. The server eventually came by several minutes later and apologized about the drinks as she said she asked another coworker to bring drinks for us. Our server brought our drinks as we continued to wait for the food. A significant amount of time passed again before our two entrees arrived, and the appetizer didn’t arrive until some time after that. The Peaks Sampler came with juicy spicy buffalo tenders, which went well with the bleu cheese. The mozzarella bites tasted OK with the marinara, but the marinara was a bit watery. The fried pickles had a batter that was quite salty, and the ranch didn’t help. The chicken fried steak was fairly tough and the meat was not seasoned at all. Like the fried pickles, the batter on the chicken fried steak was also quite salty. The mashed potatoes were very chunky and did not have enough gravy at all. When I ordered the chicken fried steak, I requested to substitute the green beans for smoked mac & cheese, but they ended up doubling the mashed potato order instead. I had to let the server know about their mishap and wait even longer to receive the smoked mac & cheese. The smoked mac & cheese tasted extremely smokey and was not very cheesy, but I liked the style of pasta used. The beer battered fish and chips came in large chunks with plenty of fries. The batter was quite light and the fish went well with the tartar sauce. Unfortunately, one of the pieces had some bones in it. The fries tasted fairly fresh.

Overall, Twin Peaks serves up mediocre food with a few worthwhile mentions, but service is sub-par. Out of the entire meal, the highlight would have to be the buffalo tenders, but the rest of the meal was disappointing. You either need a lot of patience or just want to watch TV because there is plenty of room for improvement for service and food. Prices are decent, but the wait is sure not worth it. The ambience is also quite loud, so it is hard to carry a conversation. I do not recommend coming here.

Jan 29

Akebono

4960 Freeport Blvd

Sacramento, CA 95822

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

Located in strip mall anchored by Rite-Aid and Dollar Tree, Akebono serves up a long list of Japanese dishes at reasonable prices. Plenty of tables line the restaurant with their largest tables in the back of the restaurant. When we arrived, servers were able to quickly accommodate and prepare a large table for our large group. We were seated in the back and were provided menus. Drink orders were taken as we reviewed the menu. When we were ready to order, it took several minutes for our server to reappear to take the order. During this time, the restaurant did fill up to capacity. Eventually, the server did appear and we were able to place our order.

Today, we decided to order the shrimp tempura dinner, spicy miso ramen, katsu curry, honey moon roll, and pink lady roll. The shrimp tempura was quite crunchy without having too much breading on the shrimp. Each piece was fresh and hot. The spicy miso ramen was mildly spicy yet steaming hot. Unfortunately, the ramen dish came overloaded with a lot of vegetables with only a few small strips of pork. The katsu curry actually arrived very late in the meal, and we almost wondered if they forgot. The curry itself was quite salty. The one large sliced piece of fried pork went well with the curry, but did not have much of any flavor on its own. The curry dish did come with some large pieces of potato and carrot, but it would have been nicer if the vegetables were cut into smaller chunks. The honey moon roll was quite large and included both shrimp tempura and asparagus. The roll tasted a bit bland even when dipped in some wasabi soy sauce. Since the roll was so large, it also became a challenge to eat a piece in one bite. The pink lady roll was interesting because it was wrapped in a soy wrapper instead of a seaweed wrapper. The roll consists of shrimp tempura and crab meat, so it was a fairly simple roll. I was not a fan of the type of masago used because it was so crunchy and shiny, which seemed different from the masago used at other sushi restaurants. The roll tasted OK, but it was a fairly simple roll.

Overall, Akebono serves up dishes that many people would like to eat. Unfortunately, service was inconsistent because there were many times where our table was left without any server checking on us with fairly empty cups of water. Also, most of the food for the table arrived together, but the remainder of the food kept trickling in at much later times. Prices are about average for a Japanese restaurant. Unfortunately, due to the inconsistent service and mediocre food taste, I will probably not return to Akebono.

Jan 25

Bonchon – Part 2

8246 Laguna Blvd

Elk Grove, CA 95758

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

On this return visit to Bonchon, we decided to try out a few more of their menu items that we were unable to try on prior visits. When we entered the restaurant, a server quickly sat is in the moderately busy restaurant. Their menu had been re-done already with what seems to be a reduction in menu choices. The server quickly took our drink order while we reviewed the menu.

Today, we decided to order the salmon avocado ball, pork buns, soy garlic lunch combo, and spicy lunch combo. The salmon avocado ball looked very interesting, so we decided to get it. Seared salmon topped the ball of avocado, cucumber, and crab meat. The internals of the ball were quite a bit colder than the seared salmon, so there was a bit of imbalance, but the sauces mixed with the contents of the ball did taste good together. The best part of the ball was the seared salmon. The pork buns each came with a thick slice of marinated pork belly atop a large slice of cucumber with some coleslaw as well. The pork belly was very meaty and not very fatty at all. The flavors and textures of the pork buns with the meat and coleslaw went together well and was a savory delight. The lunch combos came with four wings and two full-sized drumsticks. The soy garlic sauce was mildly savory and went well with the crispy skin fried chicken, but it lacked a depth of flavor. The spicy sauce was quite spicy just like before, and I found myself drinking copious amounts of water. Next time, I would probably just order the wings because they are easier to handle and have more sauce on every side.

Overall, Bonchon continues to prove that they can serve tasty prepared chicken in a Korean fusion environment. Wait times and restaurant hours are a lot better now compared to when they first opened. The fried chicken still takes a while to bring to the table since each order is prepared when ordered. Service continues to improve, and food quality is consistent. Prices are very reasonable considering this is still Korean cuisine. If you haven’t made it out to Bonchon yet, you should definitely drop by.

Jan 15

Raijin Ramen House

1901 S St

Sacramento, CA 95811

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

I apologize to all of my readers for not keeping up with my blog in the past few weeks. A lot has been going on with the holidays and new year. With that said, Happy New Year!

One of the best ways to warm up during a cold rainy day is to go out for ramen. Having not tried the ramen houses in midtown, we ventured out to Ryujin Ramen House. Unfortunately, due to bad parking, and a wait time, we decided to walk across the street to Raijin Ramen House instead. We still plan to try Ryujin in the future, just not today. As we entered Raijin Ramen House, multiple staff greeted us, and a server seated us at one of the many available tables. We were both provided with menus and an addendum to the menu consisting of two additional ramen dishes. There is quite a large variety of ramen and ramen toppings available on the menu. After a couple of minutes of skimming the menu, we were ready to order.

Today, we decided to order the miso tonkotsu ramen and the kara miso tonkotsu ramen. I decided to order my miso tonkotsu ramen with corn instead of seaweed, and they were able to accommodate and not change extra for the topping change. The broth was extremely bold, and you can really taste the pork base. After drinking the brother for a bit, I did find it to be a bit salty. There was plenty of corn, which went well with the broth. The meat was extremely tender, but could be better seasoned. I like the bits of minced pork that were also present in the bowl. The soft yolk egg was tasty and went well with the meal. The kara miso tonkotsu ramen was very similar in the bold pork base flavor and saltiness, but had hints of heat. Other than the heat, the two ramen dishes were pretty similar.

Overall, Raijin serves up tasty ramen at reasonable prices. Service was excellent and there is value in the amount of food received. Next time, I would like to try out other ramen with a different base to see if Raijin does better. If you like ramen, then Raijin is a great option.

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