Mar 22

Raleys

4850 Freeport Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95822

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Left with a certain hunger for good teriyaki chicken, I ventured to Raley’s to get some quick good tasting food. This review focuses on this specific location for the food, but generally the food quality can be applied to every Raley’s and Bel Air in the Sacramento area. Prepared and all ready to go in a hot case, Chinese food at Raley’s is definitely considered fast food. With that being said, this is really good fast food.
I ordered a simple teriyaki chicken rice bowl for $4.99 which included a heaping topping of fresh teriyaki chicken over a bed of white rice. Technically, you can choose any other available entree over rice for $4.99. I find the price very acceptable and quite worth it. The chicken was cooked just right and smothered in a delicious teriyaki sauce. Due to my hunger, I couldn’t help but start eating after smelling the aroma of the food even before I took the picture.
Overall, I find Raleys and Bel Air to have a great Chinese food area for those in quick need to get some lunch or dinner to go. If you can’t find yourself going into a Chinese restaurant to order takeout, or if you just want some good simple Chinese food, just head to Raleys and Bel Air. You will find that the food tastes a whole lot better than Panda Express.

Mar 22

Bee Bee Asian Grill

6004 Freeport Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95822

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Opened just a few months ago, Bee Bee’s really came out of left field in terms of their cuisine. They serve Thai, Japanese, and Vietnamese dishes. From the two times I been here, I have noticed good attentive service by the staff who have a great grasp of the menu items.

This time, I ordered a teriyaki chicken bento box. Other orders on the table included Papaya Salad and Chicken Larb. I can only comment about the bento box since that was all I ate. The bento box came with teriyaki chicken, a side salad, rice, 3 pieces of California roll, 3 pieces of gyoza, and some vegetable tempura. The teriyaki chicken was good, but not spectacular. Appearance of the dish was really appealing. The sushi tasted a little plain and had too many sesame seeds, but the salad tasted really good with the mustard based dressing. The gyoza and vegetable tempura were also very tasty.

Overall, I find Bee Bee Asian Grill to be an excellent option for people who really cannot decide between Thai, Japanese, and Vietnamese food. Now with that being said, because the restaurant does not focus on any one cuisine, you are bound to find food tastes better at the respective cuisine restaurants. However, with the convenience of having so many different food options available to you at one location, Bee Bee is hard to pass up. My only other concern would be the price, which is a little high, but still sits well in relation to other Thai and Japanese restaurants. I would come back again just to see what else I wanted to try off the menu. They only thing I probably would not order would be sushi since I would rather go to Arigato’s instead.

Mar 22

Apologies

Hi everyone!

Sorry about the delay in new articles. I have 4 drafts pending at the moment. I will have them coming up shortly after I finish my finals.

Thanks again!

-Jeff

Mar 13

YD Restaurant

8979 Folsom Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95826

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Sacramento sure does have its fair share of Korean restaurants between the Watt and Bradshaw exits of highway 50. When it comes to Korean food, I always need to try the bulgogi. For those who do not know what bulgogi is, bulgogi is basically a barbequed meat dish marinated in Korean BBQ sauce. Today we ordered beef bulgogi and spicy pork bulgogi. At YD, the menu is basically your place mat. Unfortunately, the menu is only one sided and did not have as many options like Mo Do Rang or Oz.

When you eat at a Korean restaurant, it is customary for the restaurant to start you off with a set of side dishes, quickly filling up the table. Dishes include cabbage kimchi, pickled bean sprouts, cucumber kimchi, and more. Generally, I am not really a fan of many of these dishes. If you are more adventurous, then this part of the meal will be quite enjoyable for you. As for the side dishes that I actually tried, they were quite fresh and delicious.

Brought to you on a sizzling hot plate, the aroma of barbequed meat really fills the table. Both meat dishes came with a side of rice. The beef was tender and the taste was delicious. The spicy pork was a bit spicy, and the meat was equally delicious. Portion size was a bit small, but it made sense since we ordered the lunch portion size.

Overall, YD provided a tasty meal at a decent price. Generally, I find Korean food to be overpriced in comparison to other Asian cuisine, but I figure that the extra cost covers the side dish overhead costs. Service was a bit slow at the end while waiting for the check and boxes. The one server was busy talking to the couple at the next table, clearly seeing that we were already done eating and just waiting, but never walked over to say anything to us. It took a wave for her to reluctantly come over to check on us and provide the check. In general, if you want some good tasting Korean food that is easily accessible from the freeway, YD can fulfill the need. If you want more menu options or friendlier service, go check out Mo Do Rang or Oz.

Mar 10

Panera Bread

2731 Del Paso Rd
Sacramento, CA 95835

Rating: ★★★★½ 

For a chain sandwich shop, Panera Bread brings the big guns when it comes to delicious sandwiches. In addition to sandwiches and paninis, Panera Bread also sells bread and other baked goods. Currently, Panera Bread is offering a promotion where if you order a sandwich and a soda, you can add a baked product for only 99 cents more.

In this trip, orders were made for the Chipotle Chicken Panini, Sierra Turkey Cafe Sandwich, and a Cinnamon Bun. Starting with the Chipotle Chicken Panini, delicious chicken smothered in chipotle sauce with smoked bacon and cheddar all melted in my mouth. This panini is meant to be savored. The Sierra Turkey sandwich was also delicious, and the fresh greens and asiago cheese went well together. The cinnamon bun was OK because it was a bit hard from sitting around. I guess I could have heated it up though. The cinnamon bun did taste good though.

Overall, Panera Bread never fails in their presentation of sandwiches that include chips. Also, I like how their soda machines carry Tropicana Fruit Punch which goes well with the food. The people are friendly, and the restaurant offers lots of seating areas and wifi. The only downside is the price, just a bit steep for small sandwiches. If you have never tried Panera Bread, then you definitely need to give them a shot. There are two locations in Natomas, both of which I have tried and would rate the same. There is one on Del Paso and the other is in the Target shopping center.

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