Dec 09

Sushi Hook

807 Howe Ave

Sacramento, CA 95825

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Located on Howe Avenue between Arden Way and Fair Oaks Boulevard, Sushi Hook serves up various Japanese dishes including bento boxes and maki rolls. Like many other sushi restaurants, Sushi Hook offers its rolls at 50% off. However, Sushi Hook sets their regular prices fairly high to the point where the 50% off is negated. When we arrived, there were a few tables available and our group was quickly seated. The server took drink orders while we decided on what to order.

Since the sushi prices still seemed a bit high, I decided to order the dinner bento with chicken teriyaki, beef teriyaki, and salmon teriyaki. The large bento box arrived with plenty of meat, a salad, an egg roll, and a small bowl of rice. The salmon teriyaki was delicious and cooked properly. The teriyaki glaze complimented the grilled salmon. The beef teriyaki was tender and sliced very thin. The chicken teriyaki has hints of charred flavor and stayed tender. The accompanying salad was fairly basic, but was a good contrast to all the meat ordered. The egg roll was simple and only had vegetables inside. The small bowl of rice did not last very long, and servers never noticed our table to offer a refill.

Overall, Sushi Hook does cook up some good tasting food, but their sushi prices are a little high. Having only ordered the bento, I can only comment on the taste of the bento and not the sushi. The price of the bento is $15.95, which is quite reasonable considering the amount of great tasting food I received. Drink refills had to be requested as the servers did not really come check up on the table at all. Next time, I would probably try the rolls instead of the bento, but I would still recommend Sushi Hook for their bento as of now.

Dec 06

Cafe Lasiab

563 Eleanor Ave

Sacramento, CA 95815

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

Located in a fairly ghetto part of North Sacramento, Cafe Lasiab serves up various types of Hmong food typically found at Hmong New Year as well as boba drinks. Limited parking is available next to the strip mall. As you enter the restaurant, you will find a few dusty tables and a TV showing Hmong movies. As we entered, we were greeted by the server who went back behind the register to take our order. Varies food items were posted with pictures and prices near the register and a board behind the register listed the boba drinks.

Today, we decided to order the papaya salad, grilled pork chop belly with sticky rice, and grilled Hmong sausage with sticky rice. The papaya salad tasted good and had a great flavorful sauce. There was just enough spice when ordered with 3 peppers. The pork chop belly came with an ample amount of sticky rice and tasted good, but the skin was not crispy at all. Most of the meat was quite chewy. The Hmong sausage tasted OK, and also came with an ample amount of sticky rice. The sausage really didn’t taste that special and didn’t taste very fresh. I felt like I could of taken some frozen Hmong sausage and grilled it to taste the same. The supplied pepper for both the pork and the sausage tasted good and had a good amount of pepper, but was a bit watery.

Overall, Cafe Lasiab does serve up decent food, but was fairly underwhelming. With fairly high prices for both dishes, I do not see much value in driving all the way up here for Hmong food. Unfortunately, our dining experience was tainted by various flies flying around, which was quite bothersome. If I had a choice, I would not come back here again, but if you are really craving Hmong food and don’t feel like cooking it, Cafe Lisaib is an option.

Dec 02

Maggiano’s Little Italy

1689 Arden Way #1148

Sacramento, CA 95815

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Having just opened months ago, we finally got a chance to try out Maggiano’s Little Italy right outside Arden Fair Mall. Upon arrival, we were able to choose between the lounge and dining room, so we decided to choose the dining room. After being seated and provided with menus, a server came by to introduce us to the restaurant and gave us a little history about the recipes used in the menu. After taking our drink orders, we were ready to order.

We decided to order Marco’s Meal, which consists of an appetizer or flatbread, two classic pastas, and a dessert. What’s nice is that this meal also comes with two additional classic pastas to take home with you in addition to any leftovers. We decided to order the chicken sausage flatbread, Taylor Street baked ziti, baked eggplant Parmesan, and tiramisu. The flatbread had a crisp delicious crust with fresh toppings including mozzarella and basil. Each bite was savory and delicious. The ziti did not look like it had a lot of sauce at first, but after eating through its layers, it had  the perfect balance of sauce, meat, pasta, and cheese. The sauce was very flavorful and the dish included an ample amount of Italian sausage. The baked eggplant was a bit interesting as the baked eggplant looked like a block of lasagna except made with slices of eggplant and cheese instead. The pasta underneath the baked eggplant was a simple spaghetti with marinara sauce. Both pasta dishes tasted fresh and delicious. The tiramisu was extremely soft and delicious. Each bite tasted sweet but not overly sweet. The tiramisu was an excellent ending to a delicious meal.

Overall, Maggiano’s serves up delicious authentic Italian dishes that are priced reasonably and consists of flavorful, fresh ingredients. Compared to other chain Italian restaurants like Buca, Macaroni Grill, and Olive Garden, Maggiano’s definitely tastes the best. If you are in the mood for Italian and you are in the Arden area, you should definitely give Maggiano’s a try. If you plan on visiting, go on their website and sign up for their e-club for a $10 off coupon.

Nov 29

Elk Grove Tofu House

8821 Sheldon Rd

Elk Grove, CA 95624

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Located at the corner of Elk Grove Florin and Sheldon in Elk Grove, Elk Grove Tofu House serves up traditional Korean tofu dishes as well as some Korean BBQ dishes. When we entered the restaurant, there was only one other group in the restaurant in the late evening. The server was extremely nice and provided us with water after seating us at a table. The ambiance is very family friendly and the server was able to offer menu suggestions.

Today, we decided to order the spicy pork bulgogi, dol sot bibimbab, and kimchi soon tofu soup. The spicy pork bulgogi was extremely tender and sat on top a bed of cabbage instead of the usual onions. The marinate was very flavorful and had a little heat, but was not that spicy. There was not a lot of meat on the plate, which was disappointing for the price paid. The dol sot bibimbab was also a smaller than other restaurants but was presented well. When mixed with the red sauce, the complete dish tasted delicious and became one of the best bibimbap dishes I have ever tasted. The bowl continued to stay hot, which kept the entire dish both hot from heat and hot from spice. The kimchi soon tofu came in a small bubbling bowl and came extremely spicy, as we had ordered, but was harder to eat since it was extremely hot from heat. We had to wait until we finished most of the bibimbap before even trying the delicious spicy soup.

Overall, Elk Grove Tofu House serves up great tasting Korean food with great service. Prices are a bit higher than other Korean restaurants in Rancho Cordova and portion sizes are also much smaller. If you live in Elk Grove, you really don’t have any other options for Korean food except for OZ Korean BBQ, but Elk Grove Tofu House is much more traditional. If you love Korean food, then you should try out Elk Grove Tofu House.

Nov 25

Zelda’s Original Gourmet Pizza

1415 21st St

Sacramento, CA 95811

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ 

Located in the heart of midtown, Zelda’s Original Gourmet Pizza serves up Chicago style pizza. The dimly lit restaurant is decorated with various lights and old articles. If you decide to come here, you should consider ordering ahead as the pizza will take at least 30 minutes to cook.

On this group outing, I ordered their lunch special for $11, which included an individual pizza, soda, and salad. When our large group arrived, the server took our drink orders, but did mess up a couple of times with providing drinks. We were given a choice of a green salad with various dressing choices or minestrone soup. I opted for the green salad with ranch, which arrived later as a bed of lettuce, a slice of tomato, and some rings of onion. The salad was extremely basic and tasted plain with just ranch. I ordered the pizza with sausage and pepperoni. There looked to be a good amount of sauce and cheese and the size of the individual pizza sufficient. Unfortunately, the sauce was flavorless, and the crust tasted worse than cardboard. There were some pieces of meat in the pizza, but that did not help enhance the pizza taste much at all.

Overall, I was quite disappointed with the pizza at Zelda’s. Also, the server did not seem too friendly as she treated our group more like students and she a teacher. With a combination of bland food and odd service, I cannot recommend Zelda’s. Even though I was not too impressed with Chicago Fire in the past, I would have to steer you to them instead of here.

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