Nov 14

Blue Moon Cafe

5000 Freeport Blvd
Ste A
Sacramento, CA 95822

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

You usually don’t expect a karaoke joint to serve good food, but apparently Blue Moon’s new menu offers a variety of tasty options. This review is strictly in regards to the food and not the karaoke. Parking is usually available in front, but more scarce during busier nights. In terms of Chinese food, quite a bit of competition is in the area. Younger generations tend to frequent this cafe.

Today, we ordered the basil chicken baked rice and the shrimp and egg chow fun. I also ordered a lychee slush. The basil chicken came with a bowl of tasty minestrone soup and a mediocre side salad. The chicken had some kick and was quite tasty with the rice. I did not like the abundance of onions in the dish. The shrimp and egg chow fun was delicious! The dish had an ample amount of shrimp and had great tasting flavor. I just didn’t eat the mushrooms. The lychee slush was a bit disappointing because it lacked flavor that other cafes usually have.

Overall, I was surprised at the quality of food coming out of the kitchen. I strongly urge you to try on their food offerings. I know that they serve crepes as well. If you are in the area, do try out Blue Moon Cafe, and while you’re there, might as well karaoke.

Nov 14

Mel’s Diner

3000 J St
Sacramento, CA 95816

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Mel’s Diner has opened a new location in midtown Sacramento off of J Street and the freeway. The restaurant has been completely remodeled. Parking is ample and available. Upon entering the restaurant, we were seated quickly and drinks were provided.

Today we ordered a strawberry milkshake, zesty chicken wings, and the bacon cheddar Melburger with additional patty. The strawberry milkshake was delicious and the extra even came in the classic metal cup! The wings were breaded well and had a nice kick, which went well with the ranch. The bacon cheddar Melburger was steaming hot and extremely juicy. The fries that came with the burger were OK, but was nothing special.

Overall, this Mel’s Diner provided a tasty dinner, especially in the strawberry milkshake. Since this location is open 24 hours, it definitely competes with Denny’s and IHOP. Compared to the competition, the food at Mel’s does tend to be pricier. From at least the dishes I tried, Mel’s Diner is definitely worth trying.

Nov 08

Dad’s Kitchen

2968 Freeport Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95818

Rating: ★★★★★ 

After watching the segment for Dad’s Kitchen on Food Network’s Diners Drive-ins and Dives, I knew I had to try out Dad’s Kitchen. Situated on Freeport Boulevard near C.K. McClatchy High School and the Light Rail Station, Dad’s Kitchen serves up fresh food with inspired ingredients. The staff is extremely courteous and always came by to see how we were doing and to refill drinks.

Today, we ordered the Hot Blonde Sandwich and Dad’s Burger. The Hot Blonde sandwich tasted really healthy. The sandwich consisted of organic chicken, avocado, swiss cheese, tomato, roasted red onion, spinach, cucumber, garlic spread, brown mustard, and pepper plant sauce on sourdough bread. All of the ingredients had a fresh taste with fresh ingredients. Dad’s Burger was delicious. The burger really differentiates itself because Dad’s kitchen uses a 12oz grass fed beef patty encrusted with bacon and bleu cheese, tomato, lettuce, red onion and allepo chili spread on an artisan bun (tomato & onion omitted from this order). This was the juiciest burger I have ever ate! The burger was served medium, so there was pink in the middle. The bacon was crispy, and the bleu cheese added saltiness. The fries included with both dishes were cut fresh in the morning. The fries remind me of In n Out fries, except much bigger. The fries were fresh and crispy.

Overall, Dad’s Kitchen is definitely a must go. The ingredients are fresh and menu creativity impressive. Pricing of the meals were reasonable, but a bit overpriced. Parking around the restaurants is a bit tight, but possible. In addition to the indoor seating, Dad’s Kitchen has a large outdoor patio area with even more seating. If you are in the area, you need to give Dad’s Kitchen a try!

Nov 08

Fortune House Restaurant

1211 Broadway
Sacramento, CA 95818

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

Located across from Target on Broadway, Fortune House serves up a variety of Chinese cuisine ranging from dim sum to seafood dinners. This was a morning trip, so dim sum was served. Parking can be a bit tough since limited parking is available on either side of the restaurant.

Today, I ordered the Har Gow, Sui Mai, Pork Ribs, BBQ Pork Cheung Fun, Shrimp Cheung Fun, and Chicken Sticky Rice. Fortune House really excelled in their Har Gow because the dumpling was filled with shrimp and tasted fresh. The Sui Mai was OK because it was hearty, but it had too much of a seafood flavor. The BBQ Pork Cheung Fun was delicious! Out of all of the dim sum restaurants I have been to, Fortune House has the best BBQ Pork Cheung fun because it is packed with tasty BBQ Pork. The Shrimp Cheung Fun was equally delicious, but was not as packed as the BBQ Pork. The Chicken Sticky Rice was interesting because it was wrapped in both wax paper and the leaf. I did not like the filling in the sticky rice as it was more traditional containing egg yolk and mushroom. Also, out of the 4 pieces ordered, a hair was inside one of them (found out in TO-GO).

Overall, Fortune House provides decent dim sum, but has inconsistent offerings. Compared to dim sum restaurants on Stockton Boulevard, Fortune House’s prices are higher by $0.25-0.75 per dish. Due to the lack of consistency, I would suggest getting your dim sum fix elsewhere. But, if you do come here, make sure you order the BBQ Pork Cheung Fun.

Oct 25

Futami Japanese Restaurant

5609 Freeport Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95822

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

In an effort to try out more food local to my home, I decided to finally try out Futami Japanese Restaurant. Walking i, you will notice that the decor and furniture definitely looks a bit dated. They did have on one new flat screen TV with sports playing. In the back of the restaurant, there were a few tables where you sit on the floor to eat. We opted for normal seating today. What bugged me the most (hence the lower star rating) was the fact that there were two flies flying around our table! It was so irritating! With that being said, let’s move onto the food.

Today, we ordered 3 sushi rolls that were a part of the $5 happy hour menu. The rolls included: Freeport Roll, American River Roll, and the Shrimp and Avocado Roll. We also ordered a dinner bento box that consisted of California Roll, Tempura, and Chicken Teriyaki. Overall, the rolls were a bit too warm. The tuna was not cold, and the California roll tasted a bit too saucy. The Freeport roll and the Shrimp and Avocado roll did taste fairly good, but the dark sauce on top was a bit too salty. The American River Roll was interesting since it included “popcorn shrimp” in the sushi, but the shrimp were small baby shrimp. The taste and presentation of all the sushi rolls were good though. The bento box was OK. The chicken teriyaki was lean and flavorful. I already wrote about the Californai roll. The tempura was very good and included a mix of shrimp and vegetables. The salad dressing on the salad was not that tasty. The miso soup had great flavor.

Overall, Futami is a decent restaurant with good service. I felt that the experience would have been a lot better if the flies were not there. With that being said, the rolls were a bit warmer than I would expect. At least now I know that if I was desperate for sushi, I can walk to go get some, otherwise, I could always drive to Arigato’s.

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