Nov 07

India Plate – West Sacramento

3025 W Capitol Ave
West Sacramento, CA 95691

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Today, we decided to try some place new, so we ventured to West Sacramento to try India Plate’s $8.99 weekend Lunch Buffet. It was pretty hard to locate this restaurant in the middle of a recessed strip mall. Upon entering the restaurant, we only found one other customer in a huge restaurant with high ceilings. The food was located in buffet trays in the rear of the restaurant. The typical Indian dishes were there, but there was not too much to choose from. When we were checking out the food, the other customer mentioned about how good the food was. With his suggestion, we decided to try out the buffet.

We tried out many of the meat dishes including the Tandori Chicken, Curry Chicken, Masala Chicken, Lamb Curry, Naan, Vegetable Rice, and sweet dessert balls. All of the food tasted great. The temperature of the food was just about right. The Tandori Chicken had a spiced flavor and was cooked well but was still juicy. The Curry Chicken was my favorite chicken dish because it came with just the right amount of curry spice and went well with the rice and naan. The Masala Chicken was pretty good too, but the Curry Chicken tasted better. The Lamb Curry was good, but there were a lot of bony parts. The meat tasted gamey but went well with the curry. The naan was good, but there was not much at all in the tray. The naan never got refilled either. The vegetable rice tasted good and had a variety of fresh vegetables inside. The sweet dessert tasted great and were soaked with a sweet condensed milk flavor. The dessert was a good ending to all of the meat eaten.

Overall, India Plate serves up a variety of buffet dishes at a good price. I strongly recommend all of the meat dishes. I did not really try the vegetarian dishes at all because I wanted to focus on the meat. The location and ambience sucks, but the food and service was great. If you are craving an Indian buffet, India Plate will fill the need

Nov 06

Burgers and Brew – Part 2

1409 R St

Sacramento, CA 95811

Rating: ★★★★★ 

On this follow-up visit to Burger’s and Brew, I decided to try something really different. I ordered the real Buffalo Burger with curly fries. Lunch service is different from dinner service because you need to go up to the register to order your food first to be delivered to you instead of having a server come take your order during dinner service. Even though you have to order up front, service was actually pretty good. Since I did not order a drink, I was able to help myself to a variety of flavored water near the bar as well as have a pitcher of water at the table. I opted for the orange flavored water.

The food was delivered to the table after some time. The burger looked delicious and the fries were fresh. The burger was minimally dressed, so I had to add some ketchup and mustard. The burger tasted very fresh and was cooked to medium like I requested. The buffalo meat was definitely leaner and tasted more gamey. Other than that, it’s hard to tell the difference between the buffalo and beef. The bun was fresh and toasted. The fries tasted really good and went well with the burger.

Overall, Burgers and Brew continues to serve up delicious burgers at good prices. I strongly suggest visiting if you haven’t already because you’re missing out. Go now!

Nov 02

Sandra Dee’s BBQ

601 15th St

Sacramento, CA 95814

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

With Groupon in hand, we decided to try out Sandra Dee’s BBQ located in Downtown Sacramento. The restaurant was actually fairly busy for a Saturday afternoon. You can see many photos and memorabilia posted all around the brick restaurant. A bar sits to the left while the remaining space is occupied by tables. We were seated promptly near the rear of the restaurant. The server was energetic and quick to his feet.

Today, we decided to order the Pork Ribs Half-Slab with a side of mac and cheese and sweet & spicy corn along with the BBQ Tri-Tip Sandwich with french fries. We opted for the spicy BBQ sauce for the ribs instead of the mild. The food did take a bit of time to come out, but that is expected for being so busy. The ribs themselves were juicy and came off the bone easily. The sauce was surprisingly spicy so unless you are really good with spicy foods, just go for the mild. Cutting through the spiciness, you can taste a developed flavor in the sauce. The ribs went well with the two sides. The mac and cheese was flavorful and had pinch of savoriness. The sweet and spicy corn had a bit of kick in it and came with a bunch of vegetables in it. The liquid in the corn tasted very flavorful like its been simmering for a long time. The BBQ Tri-Tip Sandwich had many slices of smokey tri-tip inside smothered with BBQ sauce. The bread was toasted and crispy at the edges. The meat itself was plentiful and flavorful, but I wished it was more tender. The fries were very fresh and was quite crispy.

Overall, Sandra Dee’s BBQ does serve up some delicious southern style BBQ. The prices are moderate, but not out of whack. The service was OK, but it trailed off near the end of the meal with a lack of refills until too late and having to flag down the waiter to get the check. Other than that, the food tasted great and was quite fulfilling. I would recommend trying this BBQ place out if you have not already.

Oct 30

Koto Grille – Placerville

1 Red Hawk Pkwy

Placerville, CA 95667

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Located on the bottom floor of Red Hawk Casino, Koto Grille serves up a variety of Mexican and American dishes. Although not 24 hours, Koto Grille does stay open pretty late, especially on weekends. Service was mediocre to good; settings were not provided until asked but the server was knowledgeable. Someone else brought chips and salsa to the table and pointed to the salsa bar in the back of the restaurant for refills.

Today, we ordered the chicken quesadilla, bacon cheeseburger, taco salad, half rack of ribs, and fried ice cream. The chicken quesadilla had good flavor, but was loaded with grease. I found myself using the sour cream to try to offset the grease. The bacon cheeseburger was juicy and came with a crisp bed of fries. The burger itself was pretty big, but needed some ketchup to make it taste better. I did not try the taco salad, but it did look nice in its shell. The ribs tasted sweet and flavorful, but was not really juicy. The meat did come off the bones clean, so the ribs must have been overcooked. The accompanying fries also tasted fresh just like with the burger. The fried ice cream looked very appealing, but tasted really greasy. The outside of the ice cream tasted like crispy grease, but the inside was tasty icy vanilla. The crispy piece next to the ice cream was OK, but hard.

Overall, Koto Grille serves up a variety of good tasting food, with some slip-ups. Given what restaurants are available at Red Hawk Casino, Koto Grille is still a suitable option. The Mexican-American restaurant will most likely have something you like to eat without having to indulge in the buffet. If you are tired of Red Hawk’s Waterfall Buffet, then go to Koto Grille across the hall.

Oct 18

Pine Tree House

9205-D Folsom Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95826

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Pine Tree House serves up a variety of Korean food inside a small shopping center along Folsom Blvd, Upon entering the restaurant, we were seated quickly into one of their booths. After careful examination of the menu, we were ready to order; however, the waitress did not show up for at least 5 minutes. You should not expect prompt service here, even when its half full. After ordering, do not expect the banchan (side dishes) to arrive after ordering. Pine Tree House likes to serves the banchan at the same time you receive your meal. The banchan tasted good, but I wished there would be more variety.

Today, we ordered the beef bulgogi, kimchi with pork soup, and pork bulgogi. The beef bulgogi arrived on a towering plate with clear noodle all around the dish. The beef was very tender, and the sauce flavorful. The sauce was a bit more liquid than other Korean restaurants. This was the first Korean restaurant that I have tried that included some clear noodle with the beef bulgogi. When the dish first arrived, I was dismayed at how the dish was so large, but upon finishing the dish, I realized the raised center portion of the plate made the dish seem bigger than it actually was. The kimchi with pork soup was flavorful and filled with tofu and vegetables, but there was only four pieces of side-pork in the soup. The soup went well with the banchan. The pork bulgogi was flavorful and spicy. I found this pork bulgogi spicier than most of the Korean restaurants in the area.

Overall, Pine Tree House does serve up good food, but the false sense of size for the beef bulgogi and the daunting slow service will prevent me from truly recommending this restaurant. The aroma and taste of the food was on point, but service was way off. If you already ate at all the other Korean restaurants in the Sacramento area, then come to Pine Tree House. Otherwise, just go eat somewhere else,

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