Aug 13

No.1 Buffet

7090 Stockton Blvd

Sacramento, CA 95823

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

The No.1 Buffet has been in Sacramento for many years now, and I have not been back to the establishment for a few years already. I hesitated to come back because I got food poisoning last time. There is a huge selection of food at this buffet. I would say this buffet has one of the largest selections of food out of many buffets. In addition to the ready to serve food that includes Chinese food, sushi, and dessert, there is a noodle station and Korean BBQ station where people prepare food for you.

Today, I just grabbed a variety of different types of food. The skewered chicken was very dry. The sui mai tasted OK. Overall, the food tasted mediocre. The good news is that I did not get sick this time. With that said, if you wanted to eat a large variety of different types of food, then No.1 Buffet would be a good choice, but I would not come here for great tasting food. I probably won’t come back unless I had a really good reason.

Aug 06

McCormick & Schmick’s – Part 2

1194 Roseville Pkwy
Roseville, CA 95678

Rating: ★★★★★ 

We decided to go to McCormick & Schmick’s for lunch since I had a reward on my Landry’s restaurant card. On this lunch visit, the restaurant was not that busy, and there were plenty of tables available. The server was very nice and explained the specials before asking if we had any questions.

Today, we ordered the shrimp pasta, kobe burger, and the chef’s special chicken orzo.  The shrimp pasta had a nice creamy sauce with a bit of kick. The shrimp were huge and delicious! The pasta was cooked al dente and tasted great. The kobe burger came on a nice sized plate with a side of freshly fried potato chips. The beef was juicy and delicious, which also tasted very fresh. The chips were still hot from the fryer and tasted delicious. The chef’s special also tasted delicious with many pieces of sliced tender chicken breast over a bed of perfectly cooked orzo pasta. There was a buttery flavor to the pasta which went well with the chicken.

Overall, the food tasted delicious on this visit to McCormick and Schmick’s and the service was impeccable even with an infant at our table. I strongly recommend this restaurant due to the variety of high quality menu items at acceptable prices. If you wanted to dine out at a classy place with great tasting food, then you should visit McCormick and Schmick’s.

Overall, the food tasted delicious and the service was amazing. This experience definitely pulls me towards coming back here again. If you want to try some great tasting food on a rotating menu, then McCormick & Schmick’s would be a great choice.

Excellent lunch service, great tasting food all around, fresh chips, tasty food.

Jul 30

Ramen & Rice

807 Howe Ave

Sacramento, CA 95825

Rating: ★★★★½ 

In search of other Korean restaurants, we ended up at Ramen & Rice serving up Korean and Japanese cuisine. Located in a small strip mall off of Howe, Ramen & Rice provides a cozy environment to enjoy your meal. There are a good amount of ramen options with Korean options available.

Today, we ordered the Ramen & Rice combo with Miso Ramen and Bulgogi Rice Bowl, a side of kimchi, and the bibimbap. The miso broth was very light and flavorful. The ingredients tasted fresh and felt healthy. There was not a lot of meat inside the ramen, but that was expected since the menu states you only get two pieces of chashu. The kimchi tasted OK and did not taste like it came from a jar. The bibimbap looked great and also had a lot of fresh ingredients. Once mixed together and some red sauce put in, the bowl was delicious.

Overall, Ramen & Rice serves up some great tasting ramen with some nice Korean accents. The restaurant is still more of a ramen restaurant instead of a rice restaurant. We received great, fast service and quick food delivery. If you wanted to try something different and get some Korean and Japanese food, then Ramen & Rice will serve you well.

Jul 23

Vampire Penguin

6821 Stockton Blvd Ste 110

Sacramento, CA 95828

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Located among a bunch of Asian stores and restaurants, Vampire Penguin does not scream out shaved ice, but they do serve up the fluffy concoction. You won’t find sno cones here as Vampire Penguin takes blocks of flavored ice and puts them through a shaving machine that generates fluffy flavored ice. The store had a great design with lots of art posted on the walls and music playing with plenty of seating available.

Today, we ordered the strawberry cheesecake that consisted of layers of strawberry and cheesecake shaved ice with condensed milk, strawberries, strawberry syrup, and graham cracker crumbs. The towering dessert looks and tastes delicious and the ice was very fluffy and flavorful. The dessert tasted light and was not heavy. However, this shaved ice was not as fluffy as the place I tried in Los Angeles.

Overall, Vampire Penguin brings good tasting shaved ice to Sacramento. The prices are a bit high, but the fluffiness is well worth it. They did miscalculate the tax rate to be 8.5% when I was there and paid with Square, but they say that they have since fixed the problem to 8%. If you are looking to try something different and want to cool off, then head to Vampire Penguin.

Jul 16

Sawasdee Thai Cuisine

1830 J St

Sacramento, CA 95811

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Today, we decided to try Sawasdee Thai Cuisine because we scored a nice Groupon deal. Located in midtown, you are forced to park on the street around this corner restaurant. There was plenty of seating available when we arrived in the evening, but the restaurant soon filled up quickly. I really liked how the water cups were practically mason jars with handles on them. There are plenty of choices on the menu, but we quickly decided on what we felt like eating.

Today, we ordered the Pad Thai, Thai Fried Rice, and Green Curry with pork. The pad Thai arrived presented nicely. There noodles were not greasy and had just the right amount of spice at the medium level. The noodles were cooked well and had a slight crunch. I liked how they did not over-sauce the noodles. The Thai fried rice tasted good and tasted really fresh. The rice had a good amount of beef inside. The green curry with pork was delicious. The spice level at medium tasted just right and the curry went very well smothered all over the white rice. There was a good balance of pork and fresh vegetables in the bowl.

Overall, Sawasdee serves up fresh, delicious Thai food. The portion sizes are a bit small compared to other Thai restaurants, but the service is definitely above average. If you are looking for a good Thai restaurant in midtown, then Sawasdee will be a great choice. However, their hours aren’t that great.

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