Appetizers

Turns out, Sara Arbabian did not succumb to foul play, is not pinned beneath a giant cheese wheel, does not have a cat that nested on her keyboard and, best of all, is not intentionally ducking the press.

After a bit of nudging, I finally caught up with a very affable Arbabian to hear about her plans for The Rind, a cheese bar featuring wine and beer pairings. To this observer, it's a great fit on a great block and her timing is excellent.

In fact, I think it's going to be such a big hit that Chris Hansen is going to buy it and try to move it to Seattle! (Then Mayor KJ will step in at the 11th hour, make a speech to the Cheese Board and all will be OK).

While wine and cheese pairings are well accepted, the whole idea of finding the right cheese with the right beer is an exciting and relatively unexplored concept for many folks, foodies included. Beyond that, craft beer is taking off locally and throughout many parts of the country, as more and more people are taking beer seriously and enjoying small-batch, quality-driven beer. There's certainly plenty to choose from. Watch for a future "The Beer Run" column in which Arbabian and I discuss how to enjoy cheese with beer.

Arbabian is opening Thursday at 11 a.m. For now, The Rind will be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight and Sunday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. It will be closed for staff training Mondays and Tuesdays, at least for the time being.

How will it work when you walk into The Rind? For one thing, the atmosphere will be relaxed. Visitors can select one of the designated cheese samplers, featuring three cheeses, or select their own cheeses to enjoy. The Rind is also going to feature artisan grilled cheese sandwiches and mac & cheese, all with top-quality cheeses and breads. At every step of the way, the staff will be on hand to provide details about the cheeses, answer questions and give suggestions for pairings. There will be 15-20 wines at first, some available by the glass, along with six beers on tap and 10 in bottles

This is a small operation. Arbabian's husband, Stephen Tatterson, will be helping out after he gets off from his day job. There will also be a couple of other employees starting out.

If you're interested in the fascinating world of cheese and are looking for a different kind of food and beverage experience, The Rind just might become a destination for you.

We'll have more on this new venture soon after it opens. Stay tuned.

The Rind is at 1801 L St., Sacramento.

(Photos courtesy of The Rind).

Blair Anthony Robertson is The Bee's restaurant critic. Follow him on Twitter, @blarob.

There is a new new cheese shop (with wine and beer) all set to open on one of the best blocks in midtown.

It's called The Rind.

It's at 1801 L Street.

It will have lots of cheese

And wine.

And beer.

And that's all we really know.

We've left voicemails. We've sent emails. We've done walk-bys. We've done everything but go all Dustin Hoffman from "The Graduate" when strolled past and spotted the owner and two others casually sipping wine while seated at the bar. Instead of banging on the glass, "Mrs. Cheese Person, why won't you return our emails and phone calls?" we decided better of it, dignity-wise, and opted to go to Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates for yet another amazing ice cream sandwich (with lemon ice cream).

Still, we wonder about The Rind. We'd like to know more about the concept, the cheeses, the grilled cheeses, the whole dream of opening a new business and forgoing silly things like phones and internets. We want to share these things with our readers.

I contemplated the possibilities: They're ignoring us. Yes, this is a clever counter-intuitive marketing strategy to absolutely perplex everyone and generate some kind of viral reaction that winds up on CNN, sells lots and lots of cheese and leads to a book deal: "Telling People About Your New Business is Stupid.".

We contemplated foul play. Did a giant wheel of cave-aged Gruyere tumble off a shelf and pin the owner to the floor? Does the owner have a cat? A cat sat that likes to sit on computer keyboards and freeze up computers? And the owner has no idea someone is emailing her to ask this potentially exciting new venture?

And wish her luck?

And ask when we can stop by and taste some cheese (and beer and wine)?

We hear it's Thursday.

But that's all we really know.

Blair Anthony Robertson is The Bee's restaurant critic. Follow him on Twitter, @blarob.

RELATED: Which restaurants do the best at marketing and promoting?

In this nationwide Food Fight, the Sacramento River Cats will try to swing for the fences with a bat-shaped burger.

The River Cats' Dan Dog - named for chief financial officer and executive vice president Dan Vistica - is the club's official entry in Minor League Baseball's 64-team "Food Fight."

Iconic concession items from each team's ballpark menu vie in a bracket-style format for the nation's best ballpark food.

In the "Scrumptious Sandwiches" regional, the Dan Dog competes against such heavy hitters as Fang's Venom Burger (from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers), pitcher Phil Niekro's Knucksie pulled pork sandwich (from the Gwinnett, Ga., Braves) and Fried Bologna on a Kaiser roll (from the Buffalo, N.Y., Bisons).

The Dan Dog is actually a long burger, hand-molded to look like a hot dog. According to the River Cats' official entry, "Start with fresh-ground, locally sourced ground beef, and blend with sautéed onions, garlic and a unique combination of seasonings. ... Add cheddar cheese, grill to perfection, nestle into a sweet French roll and top with a spicy red relish."

Other categories in the bracket include Gut Busters, Hogs N Dogs (devoted to pork products and hot dogs) and Local Legends.

Voters also will automatically be entered into an online sweepstakes. Grand prize: Trip for four to the winning team's ballpark - and a chance to sample its signature dish.

The first round of voting started Wednesday and continues through May 29. The finals are May 30 through June 6.

Patrons can vote as often as they like. Tweets (and re-tweets) count, too. Follow @MiLB, tweet the hashtag #foodfight and include the name of the team or food item that gets your vote.

See all the entries at http://atmilb.com/12ASqLQ or www.milb.com/foodfight.

The well-used meat smoker is still on the fenced-end back patio, but the signs on the windows and the locked front door of the Mighty Kong Cafe on Stockton Boulevard tell the story: "After three years of good food and service, it has come to an end." The official closing date was May 2, but we dropped by this morning anyway and knocked on the door. No answer.

Though the cafe is history, the bakery part of the operation is still turning out organic bran muffins in 23 flavors (including pineapple-coconut, ginger root, and banana-walnut). Order at (916) 231-3631 or www.mightykongmuffins.com.

The Mighty Kong Cafe was owned by King W. Smith, who turned a grass-roots idea into a business.

"Closing was a hard decision, but we weren't making any money," Smith said on the phone. "It turned into a breakfast place and we were down to being open only Thursday through Sunday. So now we'll stick with what we know best - the muffin business."

Will there ever be another cafe?

Last month, the Cupertino-based food tour company Dishcrawl led an evening mini-tour of four restaurants in Davis. If you don't already know, the town has one of the most diverse restaurant scenes around.

In a typical Dishcrawl scenario, each restaurant offered samples of three house-specialty dishes, from bites to small plates.

Eighteen curious foodies attended the tour, said Dishcrawl "ambassador" Julia Simpson. "It really was a social dining experience, with a lot of talking and laughing, and people exchanging phone numbers," she said.

The group visited Seasons, Cafe Mediterranee, Monticello and Village Pizza & Grill. Tastes included cauliflower au gratin; chicken shawarma over rice with hummus and spicy adjika sauce; roasted seasonal-vegetables soup with asparagus-cheese flatbread; kebabs; and fried calamari rolled in blue cornmeal.

Now there's a second Davis Dishcrawl planned, this one focused on breakfast-brunch. The identities of the host restaurants are a secret until just before the tour launches. Participants who sign up at www.dishcrawl.com/davis will be emailed the name and address of the first restaurant on the tour, 48 hours in advance; that will be the meet-up spot.

Get going at 10 a.m. May 25. Tickets are $45, but use the promotional code word for a 15 percent discount - it's "davis25."

By now, many of the regulars at the Market Club have begun to make peace with and mourn the bad news, that their beloved little out-of-the-way eatery was closed for good after decades of good food and service that made it seem like a second home.

Owner Jim Sakata suffered a heart attack in early April, shut the Market Club on an emergency basis and then never reopened. There was no farewell. No send-off. No party. No time to say goodbye and thanks for the memories.

Reached at his home, Sakata, 62, told me he suffered a heart attack within days of a health inspection report that forced the temporary closure of the restaurant. The inspector found rats droppings in a storage area. Sakata said he hired a crew to clean it up and take care of the problem, hoping to reopen soon.

"The next day, I just felt really lousy," he said. "I was home and got up to go to the bathroom and I just collapsed. I felt weak. There was a slight tightening in my chest. I'm fine now, but I don't think I can keep going the way I was going. I was working pretty much seven days a week. It was just me and my wife."

Started by Roy Tomita, the Market Club was beloved by many for the hearty cooking and the homey ambience. To a younger generation of foodies, the Market Club was the coolest little eating joint in town, with honest food and an impossibly cool location - tucked into a weathered old loading dock off 5th Street and Broadway. It served only breakfast and lunch, and it closed at 1 p.m.

Tomita sold the restaurant to Sakata about 18 years ago on the condition that everything stay the way it was - the same style, the same recipes, the same vibe, friendly and unassuming.

Sakata ran the place with his wife Mona, but really, they were married to the Market Club. It was their life. In bed by 8:30 p.m., up at 4 a.m. and open by 5:30 a.m. Customers had their favorite dishes, but the braised short ribs were the most famous, followed by the "broasted" chicken - chicken deep-fried under pressure so the skin was crispy and the meat tender and juicy. For breakfast, one of the late Tomita's old recipes - hamburger royal - was the most popular: ground beef, onions, oyster sauce and eggs over rice.

"After 18 years, we were getting a little tired," he said.

After the heart attack, Sakata and his wife, Mona, realized the restaurant was getting the best of them and it was time to move on. The Market Club never reopened. Sakata says the entire structure will eventually be torn down and new condominiums will be built at the site. The Market Club shared the complex with Produce Express, which sells to many of the area's best restaurants.

Asked if he had considered selling the restaurant, Sakata said, "I thought about it, but I think it would be cruel to sell it to some kid who dreamed of having his own restaurant. He would have to spend thousands of dollars to bring it up to code and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance. We never had any problems serving handicapped people, but were just flying under the radar as far as ADA compliance."

For now, Sakata is continuing to recover, resting at home. An 18 handicap golfer, he says he plans to spend more time on his game "and just enjoy life a little."

He also stressed that he wished he could have said so long to all of the regulars who made the Market Club such a beloved gem.

"I just want to thanks to all of our regular customers. Over the years, they've become friends. I know them by their names and what they order. It was just a very friendly place," he said.

Blair Anthony Robertson is The Bee's restaurant critic. Follow him on Twitter, @blarob.

Our town hungers for smokey barbecue, but there just don't seem to be enough joints to go around. Now 'cue lovers can add one more option.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit will open at 11 a.m. Thursday in the Park Place shopping center, 4630 Natomas Blvd., Sacramento (916-378-4122, www.dickeys.com). The first 100 customers through the door will get a free pulled pork sandwich. Another store is at 110 Laguna Blvd., Elk Grove (916-546-4400); it opened in March 2012. Children eat for free on Sundays at both sites.

Dickey's started about 70 years ago in Dallas; now there are nearly 300 franchise stores in 43 states.

"We've stayed true to our Texas roots," the website says. "All meats are seasoned and slow smoked on-site at each restaurant."

Though we've not eaten there, the menu looks good: brisket, ribs (maybe like the ones pictured here?) , pulled pork, Virginia ham and Polish sausage, with a dozen sides that include jalepeno beans, fried okra and potato casserole.

We'll be knocking down a spread of 'cue at the new store for an upcoming "Counter Culture" restaurant review column. Soon.

For centuries, one of the most sought-after kings of the oceans has been the swordfish. Predictably, in recent decades the demand for its firm, flavorful flesh led to gross overfishing.

Thanks to 1998's national "Give Swordfish a Break" promotion and the subsequent conservation efforts led by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, the swordfish stocks in the North Atlantic and the Pacific oceans reportedly are now stable.

Stocks continue to be stringently overseen to protect the resource, meaning that diners can eat swordfish from those fisheries without a lot of guilt. Still, swordfish overkill is a concern in the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.

That said, one of the best seafood dishes we've found is the seared swordfish skewers with tzatziki sauce at Bistro 33 in Eldorado Hills (sourced from the North Atlanic and the Pacific).

Slightly charred on the outside, moist and succulent inside, the chunks of fish are made even better with dips into the garlicky yogurt-based sauce ($9.95). Get it at 4364 Town Center Blvd., Eldorado Hills; (916) 358-3733, www.edh.bistro33.com.

In January, we told you about a new brick and mortar café in Folsom for Andrew Blaskovich, the food truck impresario behind Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen. Blaskovich also runs the kitchen at Republic, the popular bar on 15th Street.

But before he could even open that second location, Blaskovich has worked out plans for a third - he's getting the keys Saturday and will be ready to start building out a full-service restaurant at McClellan Office Park (formerly McClellan Air Force Base). This Drewski's will begin serving lunch only but could expand its hours if demand warrants. Both this place and the one in Folsom are slated to open sometime in June, Blaskovich said Thursday.

The restaurant at McClellan will be up to 5,000 square feet and will have a large patio. Blaskovich plans to have a beer and wine license.

While some might consider McClellan off the beaten path, Blaskovich says 15,000 people work on the sprawling property, which converted to mostly non-military use after the air force base closed in 2001 (the U.S. Coast Guard continues to use the airport there). The restaurant will be at 5504 Dudley Ave. Unlike the Republic, which is a partnership, these two other brick-and-mortar eateries are by Blaskovich as a solo businessman.

Blaskovich is also set to launch a second food truck - decked out with a state-of-the-art $80,000 kitchen.

Since he the debut of his first food truck two years ago, cashing out his 401K from a corporate job to get started, Blaskovich has built a large following and enjoyed plenty of success with a variety of creative grilled sandwiches. Some days, he says, he is triple-booked for catering jobs. The McClellan restaurant, which has a large walk-in refrigerator, will also serve as a staging area for the trucks and catering businesses. Parking the trucks on site, he said, will save $1,100 a month.

"In terms of growth, when all of the entities are running on full steam, we're going to have 50 to 60 employees. I'd eventually like to have 100 employees," Blaskovich said.

The Folsom café, located in an office complex, will serve mostly employees who work on the property.

Blaskovich, who turns 40 this month and has a daughter, Hailey, at UC Santa Barbara, will mark the 2-year anniversary of his food truck at a Second Saturday event outside Spanish Fly Hair Garage on J Street near 17th.

Tex Wasabi's, which featured a bold menu created by celebrity chef Guy Fieri, closed its doors Sunday after six years in Sacramento. But fret not Fieri fans. The location is about to open as a Johnny Garlic's (there's already one in Roseville).

What's the difference, you ask? We wondered the same thing.

"It's totally different. It's going from barbecue sushi fusion to pizzas and pastas. It's a completely different menu," said Michael Daugherty, the general manger.

Daugherty actually answered the phone "Hello, Johnny Garlic's," which pretty much took care of the reason we were calling. A reader alerted me via Twitter that this transformation might be about to happen. It is slated as Johnny Garlic's on Thursday. The restaurant is at 2234 Arden Way, Sacramento.

As fans of the personable Fieri know, the TV host has plenty of love for Sacramento. He has highlighted several local eateries on his hit show "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives." And he took culinary classes at American River College.

In 2009, my colleague Allen Pierleoni, who writes "Counter Culture," discovered he liked quite a lot about the recently opened Johnny Garlic's in Roseville.

He wrote:

"The menu is long and creative, encompassing appetizers, soups and salads, sandwiches, grilled and specialty items (Cuban pork chop, mojito chicken), pasta and six pizzas. Prices range from $3.50 to $18.95.

"This was a fine spread, with bold flavors, interesting textures and fresh ingredients. The sliders were startlingly spicy, the sauced ground beef (on buttered potato rolls) topped with onion straws and accompanied by crisp, house-made garlic potato chips with rich onion dip on the side."

Let us know what you think about the transformation.

Blair Anthony Robertson is The Bee's restaurant critic. Follow him on Twitter, @blarob.

My morning started with a pleasant surprise by reading an email from a reader about an experience at Seasons 52. Usually, these kinds of emails are inspired by a major faux pas or outright mistreatment by someone at a restaurant. But this one is different. I asked the emailer, Pamela Peacock, for permission to share her story with readers of Appetizers. Let us know what you think in the comments section (unless, of course, you're going to blame Obama for the steak being overcooked). Happy anniversary, Pamela, to you and "Hubby."

She writes:

Hubby and I enjoyed an exceptional dinner at Seasons52 on April 8, 2013---our 41st wedding anniversary.

We had reservations (and did NOT mention it was our anniversary). As we were being seated Hubby realized there was food/substance on the seat and didn't sit; asked to have it cleaned. Hostess was EXTREMELY apologetic and immediately moved us to another table. We were fine---did not complain to anyone.

Appetizer (flatbread) suggested by server, Bryan was scrumptious. Shortly he introduced us to Tierra who then took over as server. Both she and Bryan were most attentive---explaining everything, told us about Seasons52, the menu. At the same time Tierra was "out of site" appropriately. I ordered the Piedmontese strip steak medium rare, explaining I like it PINK---Tierra agreed with me.

Our Greek and Spinach salads were delish. Entrees arrived. As I cut into my steak, I thought to myself it wasn't QUITE as pink as I prefer, but "fine." Tierra arrived back at our table to check on things. She looked at my steak---then at me and said "hmmm---is that steak too done?" I replied it would be "okay." She offered to return it and order another steak; I refused that offer, saying my steak would be "okay."

Over here we have the croissant and the scone. Over there are cornbread, soda bread and shortcake. Meandering around close by is the good 'ol Southern biscuit, a cultural icon.

Think of it: dark and crusty on the outside, tender and flaky and steaming in the middle. Add butter, honey and/or fruit preserves, or spice-heavy country sausage and skillet gravy. There are as many variations as there are home cooks, and we would gladly line up to sample all of them.

Unfortunately, we can't join the other 20,000 biscuit-lovers who will do something close to that at the International Biscuit Festival, May 16-18 in Knoxville, Tenn. But the Food Network and the Cooking Channel will be there - along with celebrity chef Alton Brown - strolling along Biscuit Boulevard, filming the action and tasting the goods.

This year's biscuit-partner is 47-year-old Southern Living magazine of Birmingham, Ala., a regional lifestyle publication devoted to food, travel, home and garden as represented in the culture of the South.

Its test kitchen will set up temporary shop at the fest, and its editors and cooks will help judge the biscuit bake-off. Bonus: The magazine curates a kitchenful of biscuit recipes at www.southernliving.com, along with recipes for other authentic Southern dishes.

Listen to Southern Living's editor, Lindsay Bierman: "We will never give up on our quest to discover or formulate the world's most perfect biscuit. It's one of our culture's simplest, most satisfying soul foods."

For more on the biscuit festival, visit www.biscuitfest.com. It was named the nation's No. 1 food festival by Livability.com, the arbiter of "America's best places to live and visit."

Meanwhile, we have some baking to do...

A cuppa joe is so much more than just a drink. Preparing and sipping coffee is a comforting ritual that is either good for you or bad for you, depending on the science of the moment. But is there actually a coffee-lover who has given up the habit based on shaky data from sources that are suspect to begin with?

Now those arbiters of all things food at drink at www.thedailymeal.com have conferred with coffee roasters, coffeehouse owners, baristas (including U.S. barista champ Katie Carguilo) and coffee bloggers around the country to finalize their list of America's Best Coffee Shops.

The criteria for singling out the 33 winners included "quality of coffee, quality of food, customer service, atmosphere and the 'unique' factor."

The top choice is Ultimo Coffee in Philadelphia because "what you won't find there is an attitude," the Daily Meal editors write. "That's exactly what our panelists noted Ultimo so highly for in the customer service and atmosphere categories."

California showed three winners in the list - Lamill Coffee Boutique in Los Angeles (No. 6), Ritual Coffee Roasters in San Francisco (No. 8) and Verve Coffee Roasters in Santa Cruz (No. 22).

For the complete list, go to www.thedailymeal.com/americas-best-coffee-shops-slideshow.

BTW: What's your go-to coffee joint? Let us know in "Comments" below.

As mall food courts go, the one at the Galleria in Roseville is a cut above. The spacious (and always crowded) second-floor dining area offers a wide range of ethnic-oriented choices - American, Japanese, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese.

We dropped by the Galleria the other day and serendipitously grabbed a bite at the Gordon Biersch Tavern, under an umbrella at a little table for two.

The server was efficient and courteous, and twice the manager stopped by to check on our well-being. Nice touches for a food-court restaurant, where a top priority is turning tables - though we never felt rushed.

The brief menu offers fish tacos, wings, roasted turkey sandwich, a cheeseburger, sliders and "signature garlic fries" ($2.50 to $10).

This being a brewery restaurant, there's plenty of German-style beer on tap. GB started in Palo Alto in 1988 and now has 36 fast-casual taverns across the nation, including Hawaii.

We found a winner with the fish taco (pictured). Blackened mahi joins pepper jack cheese, lettuce, mildly spicy remoulade (think aioli) and salsa in a crunchy blue-corn tortilla nestled inside a soft flour tortilla ($4.95); we added avocado for $1 more.

We hit the tacos with shots of Cholula hot sauce and took big bites. Wow! Were we on the Baja peninsula?

Get it 1151 Galleria Blvd., Roseville; (916) 772-2739, www.gordonbiersch.com.

Fabian Forte was in town for a few days, visiting with his son and daughter-in-law, Christian and Mercedes Forte, and with his two grandchildren. I joined Fabian and Christian for lunch at the estimable Waterboy, chef Rick Mahan's restaurant at 20th Street and Capitol Avenue in downtown.

You remember Fabian, right? He was one of the groomed-and-packaged teen idols of the late 1950s and 1960s to come out of Philadelphia, a star on "American Bandstand," the guy who rocked the worlds of hysterical teen girls.

"The singing sensation of the nation" had his share of hits ("Turn Me Loose," "Tiger") before signing a movie contract and moving to Los Angeles. His filmography is impressive - 30-plus movies, including "High Times" with Bing Crosby, "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" with Jimmy Stewart, "The Longest Day" with Henry Fonda, "North to Alaska" with John Wayne.

For the past 28 years, he and longtime pals and fellow teen idols Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell have toured their show, "Golden Boys," around the nation. Last summer they were in Reno for "Hot August Nights," but not this year.

"We used to do 90 shows a year," said Fabian, 70, digging into a gorgeous salmon fillet (pictured). "Now we play cemeteries - we don't have to worry about the sound system. No, really, we do 25 shows a year. It gets me out of the house."

"The house" is on 40 rural acres outside Philadelphia, shared with his wife, Andrea Patrick-Forte, 52, a former Miss Pennsylvania-USA.

"I've never been happier," Fabian said. "I ride my ATV and tractor and cut the grass. Where I grew up, there wasn't any grass.

"I'm looking forward to spring, when I can plant my garden - tomatoes, corn, you name it," he added. "I don't even water it and it grows. I just got a (gas-fueled) Weber grill and I'm waiting to get the searing thing going - lamb, fish, vegetables."

Christian and Mercedes Forte own Fabian's Italian Bistro in Fair Oaks. On one wall is an iconic black-and-white photo of Fabian at 15, looking 25, in a suit and well-oiled hair, taken by famed portrait photographer Richard Avedon.

"We named the restaurant after my dad as (an homage) to our family and heritage," Christian Forte said, finishing a bowl of seafood-filled squid-ink pasta (also pictured).

Last summer, Fabian was among the guests of honor at the San Francisco Bohemian Club's exclusive retreat in the luxurious Bohemian Grove campground in Monte Rio. Its membership consists of megastars in the arts, politics, business and media.

"For years they asked me to go, but I told them I don't camp," Fabian said with a laugh, then went on for 15 minutes to say how incredible the experience was.

We declined dessert, but I had one last question. Who is Fabian's favorite singer?

"Bob Seeger," he said without hesitation. "He's a rocker whose songwriting speaks to me. When you see him perform live, you want to shoot yourself because you know you'll never do anything like that."

Fabian paid the bill and we left. Rock on.

Last night we visited a pretty decent neighborhood restaurant and bar. It's more casual than upscale, but it's a serious enough place that you would expect good behavior and manners from the customers.

That's pretty much what we found, though we spotted one family of four behaving in a way I just found bewildering. The parents were in their mid to late-40s. The kids were about 9 (a girl) and 6 or 7 (a boy). The parents ordered a couple of beers. Dad looked at his phone several times, reading something while mom sat there. But the kids, they both had full headphones on and had their own iPads. They were immersed in their own little worlds.

I couldn't tell what the girl was watching, but the boy was on Netflix and was watching a movie. The parents never looked at them and never said anything. The two kids never looked at the parents and never exchanged words.

While the behavior troubled me, it wasn't disruptive, and it certainly wasn't any of my business. But I wanted to bring it up here and get some feedback.

Is this normal? OK family time? Unacceptable? Have these parents simply given up and have come to rely on iPads to babysit so they can go out and enjoy a plate of pasta and a beer?

Families like this, right or wrong, are missing out on crucial experiences that can shape memories and strengthen relationships for all concerned. A night out at a restaurant is about sharing and connecting -- not only with one another but with the restaurant staff and maybe other customers. It's a public space, and we're supposed to behave differently in such settings.

Indeed, I can still remember dinners with the family -- the great ones, fun ones, botched ones, the ones where I had to get dressed up. They all mean plenty these days, and none of them happened while I was wearing headphones.

Trips to restaurants are also a learning experience for kids -- how to talk to strangers, how to order food, how to use good manners. These lessons sink in. They shape behavior and build character. When these kids are out on their own, will they even understand what it means to be in a public space and behave accordingly?

Let us know what you think.

When I heard that Chando's Tacos had launched a new iPhone app, it made me think of my favorite line from Lisandro "Chando" Madrigal when I reviewed his humble little place in February of 2011 - "We're high-tech Mexicans."

In fact, Madrigal was a successful employee in sales at Apple at the time he said that.

Since then, he left Apple to focus on Chando's, which has grown to two locations and a new custom-equipped 2013 model food truck (soon to hit the streets).

St. Patrick's Day came and went, but we're still dreaming about that corned Wagyu beef brisket and tender cabbage we feasted on for three days.

Which led us to Sam's Hof Brau on Saturday, looking for a hand-carved corned beef sandwich with a bowl of fragrant jus on the side for dipping.

Standing in the cafeteria-style order line, the thought struck: How about a combo corned beef-pastrami "heavyweight" instead? The counterman thought that was a good idea, too.

We admired his artistry with a carving knife as he sliced pieces off the two seasoned briskets in a blur of metal and meat and stacked them on rye bread. Also tempting: Polish sausage, chicken pot pie, veal cutlet and stuffed bell peppers.

Tableside, horseradish and hot mustard became involved with the delicious brisket duo, and the dipping jus was just the right touch.

Get it for $6.69 at Sam's, 2500 El Camino Ave.; (916) 482-2175, www.thehofbrau.com.

How about some Sam's history:

Thursday was a big day for Pushkin's Bakery, the fledgling gluten-free/dairy-free bakery that opened on Valentine's Day. We featured the bakery in The Bee, complete with several photos and a story about the very likable young couple that opened the business, and an online photo slideshow.

Needless to say, the media exposure brought in plenty of new customers. Gluten-free eating is a growing business, not only for those with serious food allergies but for countless others looking for alternatives to wheat flour.

Co-owner Danny Turner said the article brought in many new customers - many with gluten-free needs.

"Most of our customers are young, but this was an older demographic and an established demographic, so it was great to see," he said.

Turner and his wife Olga, the baker, had heard that such an article would mean a busy day, so they baked twice as many items - and sold out by 5:30 p.m. They close at 7 p.m.

On the bakery's Facebook page, they wrote: "If you'd like to come by and just chit chat, come by. Otherwise, we're completely sold out of everything."

All of our customers were really happy for us," Danny Turner said.

If you missed the story, you can't miss it when you visit the bakery. The Turners offered a 15-percent discount to customers who brought in a copy of the paper - and they hung them on a wall in the shop.

Pushkin's Bakery is at 1820 29th St. (near S Street) in Sacramento.

Blair Anthony Robertson is The Bee's restaurant critic. Follow him on Twitter, @blarob.

We've sorely missed our go-to wurst since Capitol Dawg shut its doors at Capitol Avenue and 20th Street last November. Our favorite was the "hot Italian" - a juicy Italian sausage on a seeded roll topped with a heap of hot giardineria, the Italian relish of spicy pickled vegetables.

There are other wurst options, one of which serves our substitute go-to dog. Ruffhaus lists five wursts on its recently expanded menu. We've tasted them all, but keep going back to the crisp, complexly flavored bratwurst that we dress semi-Chicago-style. We get it on a seeded bun topped with sport peppers and neon-green relish, with house-made potato chips (about $7.50 for the package; pictured).

Now, about neon relish, which looks like it might glow in the dark: In the 1930s, a certain preservative was commonly put into pickle relish that made it neon-green. The chemical hasn't been used for decades, but because neon relish is a part of Chicago's food lore, many companies there use a mix of mint and artificial food coloring to replicate the bright-green hue. Call it tradition.

Ruffhaus sources neon relish, giardineria and sport peppers from the Puckered Pickle in Chicago (www.puckeredpickle.com). Ruffhaus is at 4366 Town Center Blvd., El Dorado Hills; (916) 941-3647, www.ruffhaushotdogco.com.

Other dog-centric options include:
Wienery, 715 56th St., Sacramento; (916) 455-0497, www.thewienerysacramento.com.
Wiener Works, 5207 Madison Ave., Sacramento; (916) 334-8711, www.weinerworksmadison.com.
Parker's, 1605 Douglas Blvd., Roseville; (916) 786-2202, www.parkershotdogs.com.
Hotdogger, 29 E St., Davis; (530) 753-6291, www.thehotdogger.com.
Burney's, 886 Lincoln Way, Auburn; (530) 887-1262.

Though it sounds like a mundane dessert to the uninitiated, bread pudding can be a delight.

It's found in various world cusines and in seemingly every restaurant throughout the South. In its simplest form, it's stale bread softed with milk, bound with egg, spiced with mace or cinnamon, and sweetened with rum- or caramel-based sauce.

We discovered a chocolate-rich incarnation at Fabaian's Italian Bistro the other night. Resistance was futile.

Chef Tom Patterson combines Acme-brand challah (egg bread), heavy cream, eggs, sugar and cinnamon and bakes the base for 40 minutes at 450 degrees. Then he whips up cocolate sauce from Guittard chocolate - the brand used for See's candies - adds Guittard chocolate chips to it and pours it over the pudding. It's served warm with orange gelato from the Italian Ice Cream Co. in Folsom.

Get it while it lasts ($6.95) at 1755 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks; (916) 536-9891, www.fabiansitalianbistro.

Adam Pechal, chef and co-owner of Tuli Bistro and Restaurant Thir13en, had a good run on the ABC-TV cooking competition "The Taste" before he was shown the door on Feb. 26. His appearances were chronicled at www.sacbee.com/appetizers by my colleague, wine and food writer Chris Macias.

With that in mind, lunch pal Gloria Glyer and I walked over to Tuli to say hello. Gloria writes the weekly "Fundraisers" calendar for The Bee and is a former Dining Diva for Sacramento magazine.

Pechal wasn't in evidence, but we grabbed a patio table anyway and shared a "pollo caliente" sandwich and a Molinari salumi pizza (pictured).

The huge sandwich was tops - tender chicken breast, white cheddar, crispy onion, cabbage slaw and chipotle BBQ sauce on focaccia ($12). The accompanying skinny fries were smothered in terrific chili, chunky with succulent pork and al-dente beans, and gooey with melted cheese.

We think Tuli assembles one of the most well-balanced pizzas around, cooked in a wood-fired pizza oven that blisters the edges of the thin, chewy crust.
Ours was topped with Molinari-brand pepperoni, salami and hot coppa, rich sauce from fire-roasted tomatoes and just the right amount of mozzarella ($15).

Too bad Pechal couldn't have made those winners on "The Taste."
Tuli Bistro, 2031 S St., Sacramento; (916) 451-8854, www.tulibistro.com

By Mark Glover
mglover@sacbee.com

Two of three J.R.'s Texas Bar-B-Que restaurants in Sacramento closed for good over the weekend.

According to a Facebook posting, the restaurants at 3445 El Camino Ave. and 232 Jibboom St. closed Saturday.

Another J.R.'s Texas Bar-B-Que restaurant at 180 Otto Circle in south Sacramento remains open.

On Saturday, the restaurant's Facebook page posted a message that said "it's a sad, sad day for us at JR's Bar-B-Que. We hope you will come see us at 180 Otto Circle. Thank you all for the great run."

A Feb. 28 post cited "the economy and the (rising cost) of doing business."

J.R.'s has been marking its 25th year in business.

Outstanding burgers are where you find 'em, in this case at Cascada Mexican restaurant in Placerville.

The thick, juicy half-pound patty is made from prime-rib meat and sits on a lightly toasted ciabatta roll that can handle the heft.

Ours was topped with avocado, bacon, pepper-jack cheese and sauteed mushrooms, with a mound of crisp, well-seasoned fries ($11.95). Best strategy: Cut the monster into halves.

Get it at 384 Main St.; (530) 344-7757, www.cascadaonmainstreet.com.

Tip: Sit at the bar for this meal; it's the best seat for people-watching and to overhear the inside chatter between the bartenders and the serviers.

The doughnut can be a work of art, as proven by a few doughnut shops around town - like Doughbot, whose motto is, "Resistance is futile." Its pastry expertise is on display from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Get there early for such exotic flavors as chocolate-caramel-stout (for Sacrmento Beer Week) and peanut butter-jelly-blood orange.

Meanwhile, Sacramento-area doughnut cognoscenti aren't the only ones who think highly of Doughbot's pastries, created by husband-wife co-owners Bryan and Dannah Widener.

Late last year, the couple traveled far north and crossed the border to compete on a new half-hour show created by Food Network Canada. "Doughnut Masters" will star doughnut-makers from 30 American and 12 Canadian doughnut shops.

Each episode will feature three contestants who must make doughnuts from three "secret ingredients." Judges choose a winner, who walks away with $10,000. That's right - they're handing out 10 grand a week.

Though the taping is a done deal and the show is scheduled to premiere at 10 p.m. April 2 on Food Network Canada, the Wideners can't talk about how they fared or who the winners and losers were.

"Our contract states we can't talk to anybody about it, and (the producers) are really serious about that," Bryan Widener said on the phone today.

Fair enough - but let's hope Food Network USA picks up the show so we can see for ourselves. Meanwhile, check out some of the "Doughnut Masters" audition videos on YouTube. Sorry, but Doughbot's isn't among them.

Doughbot is at 2226 10th St., Sacramento; (916) 444-5157, www.doughbotdonuts.com.

Among the 35 dining options at the century-old Grand Central Terminal in New York City is the iconic Oyster Bar & Restaurant, serving 30 kinds of oysters and 25 kinds of fish.

Also on its menu is an original dish so sublime that restaurants around the nation have adapted it as their own. That would be the pan roast, a highly prized meal in a bowl.

Typically, a pan roast is a bisque built around cream or half and half, butter, clam juice, white wine, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, Tabasco sauce and spices such as celery salt and paprika; sherry is sometimes added, as is garlic and sweet chili sauce. The broth is scalded and mixed with seafood, typically oysters, shrimp, clams, scallops, crab or lobster, or any combination.

For your next road trip, you should know that a great version is served at John's Oyster Bar at John Ascuaga's Nugget in Sparks; another is at the nearby Oyster Bar at the Atlantis in Reno.

Closer to home, we stopped at Powell's Steamer Co. & Pub in Placerville for a bowl of its oyster-shrimp pan roast (pictured). One delicious spoonful led to the next, one pack of oyster crackers was replaced with a second. Soon, lunch was history. We plan to do it again soon.

The combination pan roast is $18; shrimp-only and oysters-only roasts are $16 each. Powell's is at 25 Main St.; (530) 626-1091, www.powellssteamer.com.

We scoff at Danish, laugh at Napoleons and don't waste a glance on doughnuts. For us, pastry doesn't get any better than the croissant, a shining star in the family of baked goods known as "viennoiseries." The word references the city of Vienna, Austria, where many such goodies originated.

The flaky, crescent-shaped puff of fleeting delight is a combination of layered yeast dough and butter, rolled, layered and folded - a baking technique called "laminating."

The croissant is not French in origin, but evolved from a Viennese pastry called "kipferl." In the 1830s, the Boulangerie Viennoise in Paris specialized in Austrian pastries, including kipferl, and it wasn't long before the French "borrowed" the template and gave it a twist -- literally and figuratively. And a darn fine job they did.

Inevitably, the art of croissant-making was sullied by the fast-food mindset when frozen, premade croissants went on the wholesale market in the 1970s, making it possible for any store with an oven to sell dumbed-down, insulting versions of the baker's pride.

Good thing for us the Bouchon Bakery exists in Yountville in the Napa Valley. The bakers there make croissants from scratch. It's a process that requires 48 hours of loving care from the bakery's pastry team and bread team, from the time the dough is mixed till the croissants are sold at the counter. That's according to assistant head baker Erik Bursteiner.

We dropped by the bakery last Tuesday and were shocked to find no line outside the door, as there is usually. We walked inside to a blast of wonderful aromas from fresh-baked pastries and breads, and freshly brewed coffee. We were tempted to tell the counter person, "Two of everything, please!" but settled for a box of croissants and a large dark-roast.

We returned to the parking lot, used the trunk of the car as a table, and ate half the stash. You can, too. In fact, you should.

Bouchon Bakery is at 6528 Washington St., Yountville; (707) 944-2253, www.bouchonbakery.com.

The Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau has launched a "farm-to-fork" food- and dining-centric website, www.farmtoforkcapital.com, which will include agricultural news and information on upcoming festivals.

"It's a work-in-progress, a shell that we will be filling in," said bureau spokesman Mike Testa.

The bureau has hired former Bee staff writer Ed Murrieta to write restaurant reviews for the site, reports today's edition of the media blog www.jimromenesko.com.

"'Culinary Concierge' is closer to what I'll actually do," Murrieta says on Romenesko. "My job is to find and showcase the best (restaurant) food and beverages in the Sacramento region. I'm interested in whether the food is good ... and (in finding) good value for the money."

To read a question-and-answer interview with Murrieta, visit the Romenesko site.

For visitors to Carmel-by-the-Sea, it's always a case of "so much food, so little time." Well and good, but take a break from winetasting and expensive bistro dinners to enjoy some casual treats at the always-crowded Cottage of Sweets.

The 300-square-foot cottage sells 600 types of candies, from Turkish delight to peanut butter cups. The big draws, though, are the licorice and the homemade fudge.

The most popular fudge flavor is sea salt-caramel, said manger Karen Bateham on the phone today. "It outsells the other fudges three to one."

Dozens of kinds of licorice are on offer, 10 of which are salted - a common touch in European countries. Many of the licorices are domestic, but most are imported from Australia, England, Finland, Germany, Holland, Italy, Switzerland and Sweden.

What's the most unusual type? "Dutch licorice ship ropes," Bateham said. "They look like little pieces of rope and are dusted with an extreme salt coating."

The cottage was built in 1922 and became the Cottage of Sweets in 1959. Its current owners, Lanny and Linda Rose, took over in 1980.

The cottage was fashioned after the 20 or so "fairytale" cottages built by architect and Carmel resident Hugh Comstock in the 1920s. The style is characterized by crooked lines, swooping roofs, turrets, alcoves and stone chimneys that appear to be on the brink of tumbling down. They help epitomize the town.

If you can't get to Carmel any time soon, you can order candies online at www.cottageofsweets.com. The store is on Ocean Avenue between Lincoln and Monte Verde; (831) 624-517.

One last thing: Why can't people resist candy? I asked Bateham.

"Why would they want to?" she replied.

Good point.

In time for Valentine's Day sweethearts, President's Day get-togethers or Oscar night parties (think Life of Pie), Marie Callender's offers its Whole Pie To Go Sale.

Through Feb. 28, more than 30 varieties of pie are priced at $7.99 plus tin deposit. Cherry pie - a natural for President's Day - is available along with apple, banana cream, berry, blueberry, cherry, coconut cream, French apple, lemon meringue, peach, pumpkin and many other favorites.

For a full list, visit www.mariecallenders.com. Excluded are cheesecakes, seasonal fresh fruit and promotional pies.

Seems like more Sacramentans are dialing in to the growing winetasting scene in the foothills of Amador County. When it comes to tasting reds, our go-to wineries are Borjon, Cooper and Deaver. For more wineries to visit, go to the Amador Vintners Associations home page, www.amadorwine.com.

How about some goodies to go along on that winery tour? The homespun Amador Vintage Market in Plymouth is a smart stop for picnic supplies, sandwiches and salads (the curried chicken is tops). Specially prepared box lunches, basket lunches and platters are available.

"We get a lot of tourists on weekends," said market-deli owner Beth Sogaard. "Weekend winetasters are the key to our success. Ninety-nine percent of what (we sell) is made in-house, and we use a lot of local produce."

One don't-miss dish is the pairing of flour tortilla chips ($4.95 a bag) and hummus ($2.95 a container), both made in-house.

The well-seasoned Parmesan-tomato-basil-garlic chips (pictured ) are so popular they're shipped around the country. They're light, crisp and loaded with flavor. We used them to scoop up globs of hummus, a tangy paste of garbanzo beans, tahini (ground sesame seed paste), cumin, cayenne, parsley and olive oil. Somebody stop us!

The Amador Vintage Market is at 9393 Main St.; (209) 245-3663, www.amadorvintagemarket.com.

Lunch pal Neal Hagen was back in town after a business trip to Tennessee, and was talking about some of the meals he'd had there. "Fried chicken, fried catfish, fried okra - fried everything," he said.

The chat turned to the subject of meatloaf. "I don't know anybody who doesn't love meatloaf," he said. "But you never find consistent meatloaf at restaurants. Even the meatloaf at the same restaurant will vary from visit to visit, so I have to question their contents. The trick is to find a restaurant that intentionally makes the same meatloaf day after day."

I know of such a place, I told him, and they serve meatloaf every day. Well, then, he said...

That's how we found ourselves standing in line at Roxie Deli at 11:15 this morning, while the countermen assembled our sandwiches: house-smoked meatloaf on chewy ciabatta rolls with melted cheddar and provolone cheeses, horseradish, mayonnaise, tomato, onion and crisp jalepeno coins. They're built in three sizes (big, bigger and biggest) for three prices - $7.56, $9.52 and $15.06, after tax.

Here's how Roxie co-owner Chris Tannous (with wife Amy) makes the meatloaf: "I mix 80-20 ground chuck with eggs and my secret rub, then form (the loaves) in pans and put them in the smoker. It's not your mother's meatloaf."

What's in the secret spice mix? I was joking, right?

Neal and I sat in the sunshine at a small table next to the massive smoker, which burns oak and fruitwood. Wisps of fragrant smoke wafted by now and then.

We unwrapped the sandwiches, admired their artistry and began demolishing them. The melange of tastes and textures is a template for all other meatloaf sandwiches to follow.

"Gee, whiz!" Neal exclaimed. "You can smell the flavors before you even take a bite. Most meatloaves are dry, but this is moist and delicious."

Chris Tannous came outside and opened the smoker to rearrange fragrant, mahogany-dark briskets, which are smoked for 16 hours. Then he opened a top compartment and showed us the pans of meatloaf.

"I put these in at 5:30 this morning, and I'll take them out at about 5 this afternoon," he said.

Any specials coming up? "We'll smoke brisket, ribs, tri-tip and Buffalo wings for Superbowl Sunday," he said. "Get here early."

We chewed the last bites of the sandwiches and wadded up the last of the napkins.

"Sitting outside of a little grocery store, next to a smoker in a parking lot, eating a meal like this..." Neal said. "Only in America."

Neal should know - he's traveled the world. Ironically, the best meatloaf sandwich he's ever had has been right here all along.

Roxie Deli, 3340 C St., Sacramento; (916) 443-5402, www.roxiedeli.com

Who's counting calories? The Snackadium scores!

Pillsbury's creative staff came up with this striking 7- by 10-foot centerpiece for its display at Saturday's Taste of the NFL "Party with a Purpose" in New Orleans as part of Super Bowl weekend.

The crowd-size Snackadium uses eight dozen Italian super sub sandwiches (made with Pillsbury's refrigerated crusty French loaf bread dough) for the walls. The cookie sheet field is coated with a layer of guacamole, striped with sour cream yardlines. The red and gold end zones are chunky salsa and cheese dip.

Created out of disposable aluminum pans cut to size, the stands are filled with an assortment of Pillsbury favorites: Mini Crescent Dogs, Pepperoni Pizza Slices, Bacon-Cheeseburger Calzones, Bacon-Cheddar Pinwheels, Crescent Pizza Pockets, Totino's Pizza Rolls Snacks, Bugles, Green Giant Veggie Chips, Pillsbury Baguette Chips and Chex Mix.

It's the extra touches that make this foodie project stand out. Cherry tomatoes and black olives became players' helmets. Atop breadstick posts, the "pennants" are cone-shaped Bugle snacks and sliced fruit roll-up snacks.

Pillsbury has detailed instructions for how to build your own Snackadium, down-sized for smaller gatherings. Some of the variations include a "retractable" bacon dome with beer-can blimp and a veggie version with broccoli and baby carrots in the stands.

See for yourself at www.pillsbury.com/snackadium.

Here's a deal to flip over: Free pancakes!

Next Tuesday, International House of Pancakes will celebrate National Pancake Day by offering a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes to all customers. The free pancakes will be available at all participating IHOPs from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Feb. 5.

In return, patrons may make voluntary donations to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, the event's official charity, and its program at UC Davis Children's Hospital.

Last year, IHOP hosted a similar National Pancake Day party and served about 4 million free pancakes. If added together, all those "short stacks" would be nearly 16 miles tall. During the 2012 event, customers donated more than $3 million to children's charities.

IHOP hopes to reach that goal again next Tuesday. Local participating IHOPs are located at 2941 Advantage Lane in Sacramento, 2525 Iron Point Road in Folsom, and 2035 Arden Way in Sacramento

To find a participating IHOP near you or to learn more, click on www.ihoppancakeday.com.

Nader Shirakh phoned to say he and wife Fariba have sold their Amore Cafe, Bakery and Espresso Bar in Gold River, one of our favorite go-to's.

The new owners are husband-wife Abhishek and Nina Paul, who took over Jan. 21 after the Shirakhs trained them in the restaurant's operation.

"We will have exactly the same menu, but will add some Indian cuisine in a month or so," Abhishek Paul said. "Nina is the chef, and comes from a family of chefs. She has many family recipes for Indian food."

The Pauls relocated from India to Canada, where they ran a restaurant for eight years, and then moved to Sacramento two months ago.

The cuisine at Amore will remain primarily a fusion of Mediterranean, Italian, French and Persian, prepared from scratch. To ensure that continuation, Fariba Shirakh schooled the new owners on her cooking techniques and handed over the recipes.

Nader and Fariba Shirakh once ran the fine-dining house Amadeus on Fair Oaks Boulevard, then segued to Amore Cafe about eight years ago.

"It was time to get out," Nader Shirakh said. "We want to travel around the country and we might go to Europe. After that, I'm going to get tired of sitting at home, I'm so used to doing something."

Could that include returning to the restaurant business? "You never know," he said. "We need to see where we are in a few months. I'm always open to opportunity. I never close my eyes on it."

The Shirakhs were gracious hosts who built a loyal clientele. "(Some of) our customers cried when we told them the news," Nader Shirakh said. "We've had such a wonderful relationship with the community. It has been the most beautiful experience in our lives."

Amore Cafe is at 220 Gold Springs Court, Gold River; (916) 463-0011.

Here's an All-American foodie holiday: Happy National Pie Day! Today celebrates all things pie, the favorite dessert of millions.

Specifically, apple pie is the pick of an estimated 36 million Americans, according to the American Pie Council. The board offers a wealth of recipes, pie-making tips and ways to celebrate via its website, www.piecouncil.org.

Marie Callender's, a restaurant chain synonymous with pie, marks National Pie Day with specials. Its Perfect Pie Trio features chicken pot pie ($9.99) or Shepherd's pie ($11.99), accompanied by Caesar salad and a slice of (what else?) pie for dessert. (Cheesecakes, seasonal fresh fruit pies and promotional pies not included.)

If you miss Pie Day, don't worry. The offer is good through March 28.

Marie Callender's also has a new pie: Red Velvet Dream Pie. It's vanilla cream with layers of red velvet cake, topped by cream cheese icing. It's a good match for two holidays: National Pie Day and Valentine's Day.

The Red Velvet Dream Pie is $13.99 plus tin, available through Feb. 28. For locations, click on www.mariecallenders.com.

Let's spike this rumor before it spreads: No, the venerable old-school Espanol restaurant in east Sacramento has not closed its doors.

"This is our 90th year in business and things are going well," said Perry Luigi this morning. He co-owns the restaurant with family members. "We've held our menu prices for at least years and still serve family-style dinners."

The cause of the confusion: El Dorado Savings vacated the space next door to the Espanol to move across the street, into the Sav-Mart shopping center. Temporarily occupying the empty building is Liberty Tax, which will camp there through tax season. For those driving by on Folsom Boulevard, it may look like the Espanol has closed.

The Espanol opened in the 1920s and calls itself "the Italian restaurant with a Spanish name." It began life as a Basque restaurant created to accommodate the Spanish sheepherders who lodged in boardinghouse quarters above it, at 11th and J streets. Today, the minestrone soup is brought to the table in a blue tureen with a ladle, a remnant of the Espanol's heritage of serving meals "Basque-style" or "family-style."

The Espanol changed hands and relocated in 1952 to Third and I streets in the Commercial Hotel, then to Folsom Boulevard in 1965, its present site.

Certainly, the Espanol is out of the hip farm-to-fork mainstream. It's more of a relic of a bygone era, but its clientele is famously loyal.

"The menu and the staff haven't changed much in years," Luigi said. "We're a straightforward, no-gimmick restaurant. We do what we do, and we do it well."

The Espanol is at 5723 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 457-1936.

The speculation is over. After sitting vacant since July 2011, the Market at Pavilions has a new tenant.

That would be Sacramento restaurateur Randy Paragary (pictured), who has signed a lease and plans to renovate the space and open a Cafe Bernardo in the 4,000 square-foot space by June.

The new Cafe Bernardo will be the fifth in the Paragary Restaurant Group, which also operates Paragary's Bar & Oven, Esquire Grill, Spataro and Centro, as well as three bars.

The Cafe Bernardo concept is described on the company's website, www.paragarys.com as "relaxed casual" and "inspired by the European tradition of cafe dining."

Calls to Paragary and his restaurant-group offices were not returned.

The specialty-foods Market at Pavilions closed its doors July 1, 2011, after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy from its creditors in April 2011.

Until 2008, the Market had been owned by food-and-wine expert David Berkley for 25 years and was called David Berkley Fine Wines & Specialty Foods.

In July 2008, Berkley sold his store to Greg Rhategan and investor Raymond Matteson. Rhategan was a specialty-foods and wine purveyor and restaurateur from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and was the face of the Market.

The Market's landlord - and now Paragary's - was the Costa Mesa-based retail-property company Donahue Schriber, which owns Pavilions.

At the time of the Market's closure, Donahue Schriber marketing director Audrey Yokota said the company was ready to move on. "We want to find a replacement (for the Market)," she said then. "Our leasing agents are talking with a number of players and prospects."

One well-known restaurateur whose name kept coming up as a possible new tenant was Randall Selland, whose Selland Group owns the Sacramento fine-dining restaurants Ella and The Kitchen.

Shortly before opening a second Selland's Market Cafe in Eldorado Hills Town Center in January 2012 (the original cafe is on H Street in east Sacramento), he said he was exploring additional expansion opportunities. One of them was the empty Market at Pavilions.

"There's a possibility we will open something there and still keep our (H Street) location," he said at the time. "We've been talking to Donahue Schriber about that space for a long time."

Obviously, that didn't happen.

Shortly after local TV stations reported Friday that J.R. Rothenberger's three iconic J.R.'s Texas Bar-B-Que restaurants would be closing their doors within five days "because of a slumping economy," crowds of loyal customers showed up to help save the day.

The new bottom line: "I'm still here and in the game," the outspoken 'cue master told me earlier today.

Rothenberger got a reprieve in the form of a $20,000 personal loan "from a friend" and will continue to deliver hard-to-find smoked brisket, deeply flavored pork and beef ribs, pork shoulder, chicken, turkey and hot links. "The Lord has worked this out," he said. "I'm cool."

Consider the hamburger, in concept a simple meal. The reality is something else.

We've made a national obsession out of a sandwich that originated as beef tartare in the Baltic province of Russia. In the 1800s, the story goes, German sailors brought back the strange dish to Hamburg, a seaport town, where somebody was inspired to roll up a handful, flatten it and cook it. The burger as we know it debuted at the St. Louis Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904.

Our town is blessed with hamburgers. Big burgers, little burgers (sliders), Wagyu beef burgers, hand-formed burgers, fully loaded burgers, half-pound burgers, steakhouse burgers (think Morton's, Land Ocean and Chops) and even a burger made from ground Niman Ranch shortrib meat. That one is at Maranello in Fair Oaks, and is topped with manchego cheese, Little Gem lettuce, tomato confit, onion straws and a "dijonnaise" of house-made mayonnaise and Dijon mustard, with a side of skinny twice-cooked fries (916-241-9365, www.maranellorestaurant.com).

Raley Field was packed with burger-lovers last September, when Elk Grove website designer Rodney Blackwell (www.burgerjunkies.com) organized the inaugural Sacramento Burger Battle. Fifteen restaurants flipped their best offerings in a sizzling judged throwdown. When the smoke cleared, the winner was the Chef's Table of Rocklin (916-771-5656, www.chefdavidstable.com).

For a great burger at a bargain price, our vote goes to the prime-beef burger with fries (pictured) served during Ruth's Chris steakhouse's happy hour, dubbed "Sizzle, Swizzle & Swirl." The thick, juicy burger normally goes for $13.50, but it's yours for $7 from 4 to 7 p.m. weekdays, in the bar area.

Where: In the Pavilions center on Fair Oaks Boulevard near Howe Avenue, (916) 286-2702; and in Roseville in the Galleria center on Galleria Boulevard, (916) 780-6910. Visit www.ruthschris.com.

So, what's your favorite burger and/or burger deal? Share your picks in "Comments" below.

Courtesy of Cowtown Eats, the local website that focuses on happy hour and dining-related news, we are able to glean some valuable information about the hottest places for grabbing a drink after work. The website compiled its list of the most popular happy hour destinations based on page views at www.cowtowneats.com

Who knows if copious page views translates into an enjoyable experience at a bar, but some of the joints on the list are certainly worthwhile. Of course, this is not intended to be a comprehensive list. For that, you can go to the website and zero in on the places that suit your style. Do you like watching cage fighters smash each other in the face while eating mouthwatering food by Drewski's? The Republic is your address. Do you want to pretend you can shoot pool while nursing a Michelob Light? Check out the Blue Cue. Quality food at bargain prices in a bustling midtown mainstay? Paesanos.

Says Darrel Ng, founder of Cowtown Eats: "New restaurants like Republic Bar & Grill and Firestone Public House have made a splash by offering a great happy hour, and people are noticing. "Cowtown Eats provides a service to these people who are looking for detailed happy hour information at restaurants and bars near where they live and work."

I keep up with Cowtown Eats and, if you're into the restaurant and bar scene, so should you. He'll also steer you (no pun intended) toward the latest and best happy hour deals. You'll find that no other site locally is as thorough and reliable on this topic. Check him out on Twitter, @Cowtowneats.

1.BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse (Last Year's Rank: 11)
2.Republic Bar & Grill (Last Year: Unranked)
3.Firestone Public House (Last Year: Unranked)
4.Lucca (Last Year's Rank: 7)
5.Burgers & Brew (Last Year's Rank: 1)
6.Chicago Fire (Last Year's Rank: 3)
7.Pizza Rock (Last Year's Rank: 13)
8.Blue Cue (Last Year: Unranked)
9.Blackbird Kitchen & Bar (Last Year: Unranked)
10. Paesanos (Last Year's Rank: 6)
11. McCormick and Schmick's (Last Year's Rank: 2)
12. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse - Roseville (Last Year: Unranked)
13. Dive Bar (Last Year's Rank: 14)
14. Chicago Fire - Folsom (Palladio)
15. Capitol Garage (Last Year's Rank: 4)

Blair Anthony Robertson is The Bee's restaurant critic. Follow him on Twitter, @blarob.

Three weeks ago, I wrote a piece extolling the many virtues of Casa Garden, the restaurant that serves as a fund-raiser for the Sacramento Children's Home. The servers and most of the kitchen help are volunteers, and the tips all go to the Children's Home. It's a feel-good lunch spot throughout the year, but especially during the holiday season.

After my review, I received a nice letter from Marlene Oehler, who serves as vice president-public relations for the Los Ninos Service League. Marlene was kind enough to share an anecdote.

She writes: "A Davis couple read the article; had never heard of the Sacramento Children's Home ; or Casa Garden Restaurant; booked lunch on Dec. 5, and shared nothing but compliments on the quality of food and service. They left a $50 tip on the table, plus 'We'll be back' as they departed. What more could we ask for?"

In the holiday-season rush, the significance of simple but satisfying family traditions too often is overlooked.

Such as: For the fifth year running, I was asked to judge the annual Holiday Cooking Throwdown in the Folsom home of a very active family.

The tradition began in 2008 with cookies, and over the years moved to appetizers, bruschetta and cupcakes. This year, the "contestants" brought their cooking skills to the dish at hand - pies.

The family members ranged in age from 6 to 66 and formed two-person teams. They took the contest seriously, but mixed good humor and lots of laughter with their competitive spirits. (Two neighbors were absent this year, having committed to a performance of "The Nutcracker").

When the flour had settled, the table was laden with a raspberry mini-tart, tamale pie with jalapeno, cheese pie with raspberry-blackberry sauce, cream-filled chocolate-mint mini-pies, and a fruit pie topped with a big chunk of chocolate (pictured).

Though I used a point-based system to rank the entries (one to five each for presentation, taste, texture and creativity), as the judge I reminded the competitors that every entry was a winner.

The contest was fun and the family bonded over the creation and cooking of their eclectic pies. The whole experience was just plain...well, nice for everyone.

The point: Take a moment to reflect on your own holiday-season family cooking traditions, and share them in "Comments" below.

Putting odd, awkward and uninformed information in print is not a new endeavor when it comes to the ownership at Kupros Bistro, though the midtown restaurant and pub has reached a new low in its latest effort. If building up a clientele has as much to do with goodwill as it does good cooking, this is an incredible blunder - foolish, unfair, offensive.

Chris Macias' earlier posting here about an oh-so-awkward missive on Facebook regarding a personnel issue, reminds me of an email I received from Kupros after my review in 2011. I had complained that the food was bland and that little on the menu showed any personality or daring. I also lamented that the opening chef, John Gurnee, who made a splash with his edgy menu choices and his excellent cooking skills, had been sent packing. I received an email from Kupros taking me to task for calling and speaking with the manager when he was busy, prior to the review. How unfair of me. Well, I called Temple Coffee today to chat with owner Sean Kohmescher, who, it turns out was busy. Know what he said? "Hey, can I call you back in 45 minutes?" How did he come up with that one?

Following up on yesterday's post about OneSpeed, its missing bread and a carb-crazed customer who was not amused, I received a nice email from owner/chef Rick Mahan, who made no excuses for the missing bread.

His email, which I will excerpt below, also reveals a few things about the business and about why OneSpeed is packed every day it is open. Whether this customer was right to complain -- and most of you think she needed to take a deep breath and shut up a little -- is not really the point from the restaurant's persepective. It wants to serve customers and make them happy. This kind of attitude is not for everyone. Successful people in the service industry, however, seem to have the gene hard-wired into their DNA. Me? You? Wouldn't it be more fun to tell her to take a hike?

Here's what Mahan told me:

"Just got home and saw your post. We blew it on that one for one reason -- nobody working the floor that day responded properly. I got to work that a.m. and discovered my Sunday batch of focaccia dough (Tuesday's bread) was not made -- hence, no focaccia for guests on Tuesday. Was not much to do but let customers know that we did not -- and would not -- have focaccia for that day. Obviously,we did not do a good job of getting the point across. I've spoken to the staff and hopefully they'll do it better should the situation present itself in the future. At the very least they should have been given something bread-like."

Mahan went on to explain that OneSpeed does not, in fact, offer free bread to diners. There is a small charge. Some people ask for bread with their soup or salad, and the servers serve some at no cost. Mahan also agreed with his manager's response to the unhappy customer, as did I.

Then Mahan added: "We should have handled it better. I'd have gone to T.J.s (Trader Joe's) no problem whatsoever if that would have made em' happy.Trying to impress that on my workers."

Again, it doesn't matter if the woman was right or wrong (and a little frantic about it all). If you don't have Mahan's solve-the-problem/serve-the-customer mindset, you probably shouldn't be in the restaurant business. If you agree with his approach, it might be an appropriate show of support to stop by OneSpeed and order some focaccia. That is, if you can get a table. They know what they're doing over there. OneSpeed is at 4818 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento.

Blair Anthony Robertson is The Bee's restaurant critic. Follow him on Twitter, @blarob.

RELATED:
Ask the expert: Was it cool of me to go nuts when OneSpeed ran out of bread?

I get all kinds of glamorous invitations sent to me, but never have I had the chance to become a board-certified Carl's Jr. biscuit baker. Too bad I can't make it. Going behind the scenes at a fast-food joint just doesn't do it for me, I'm afraid.

To be fair, I lived in the Deep South for several years and can attest to how good the biscuits were at Hardee's. In the days when I thought I could eat anything without putting on weight or jacking my heart, I used to order a bacon and cheese biscuit at Hardee's for breakfast. If you enjoy big, fluffy biscuits, Carl's Jr. is bringing them to CA in January.

Here's my invite from Carl's Jr. (which also owns Hardee's):

Hi Blair,

I wanted to get in touch on behalf of my client Carl's Jr. to see if you would be interested in joining us for a special behind-the-scenes opportunity at one of our Sacramento-area restaurants in the beginning of January.

Carl's Jr. is in the process of a significant new product rollout for the brand, amping up its breakfast offerings by bringing its sister chain Hardee's signature Made From Scratch Biscuits - which have for decades been a beloved item in the South and Midwest that Hardee's is known for - to our restaurants in the West. We're currently in the process of equipping 80 Sacramento-area restaurants to be able to make the biscuits from scratch each day, and will be celebrating the launch of biscuits in Sacramento on 1/9 with Free Biscuit Day. Guests will be able to receive a free Sausage Biscuit at Carl's Jr. during breakfast hours.

If you're not familiar with the fandom around these back east, the buttermilk biscuits have a reputation because they're made from scratch by Hardee's bakers who come into each restaurant early every single morning to measure and mix up the dough by hand, roll and cut them out by hand, and bake and test them to strict standards. They are never pre-made nor frozen.

If you are available to join us at one of our local restaurants the first/second week of January, we'd like to show you this process firsthand. And ask you to roll up your sleeves and work with our bakers to make the morning's biscuits. In fact, you'll be Hardee's Biscuit Certified by the end of the morning. When we introduced biscuits in Orange County, CA, OC Register writer Nancy Luna joined us for a biscuit training and created a video of the process - you can get a sense of what the training entails here: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/carl-323118-biscuits-fast.html

If you're interested in joining us and/or getting some content for your site, let me know and we can work out a date that suits your schedule.

Closer to Free Biscuit Day, we'll also have a release with all of the info and hi-res photos.

We hope you can join us!

Blair Anthony Robertson is The Bee's restaurant critic. Follow him on Twitter, @blarob.

Big changes are coming next week for Noradino Salas, operator of Oscar's Very Mexican Food at 3061 Freeport Blvd., in Sacramento.

The Freeport site will close after the last meal is served on Sunday. Two days later, the process of tearing down the building and starting on a new one begins.

Salas said he hopes to reopen the new building in four to six months, depending on how weather affects construction.

Next Wednesday, Salas will open a new Oscar's Very Mexican Food site at 1350 Harbor Blvd. in West Sacramento. Nearly a dozen employees who work at the Freeport site will simply move to the Harbor Boulevard restaurant.

By midyear 2013, Salas said he will be overseeing two eateries.

Sometimes when a restaurant is mentioned positively in The Bee, it can bring in plenty of new business -- and a good bit of chaos.

I spotted this on Masullo's Facebook page:

"Our apologies for not having enough dough. The Bee ran an article naming us best pizza in town and we sold more at lunch today than all dayTuesday a week ago. We have a three day ferment for our dough and we can not just make more at the drop of a hat. We are sorry for the trouble it may cause to customers, but believe us we would like to have it to sell to you."

As you can see, you cannot rush a great crust. If you want to try truly great pizza in the Neapolitan style, get there early today.

Masullo is at 2711 Riverside Blvd., Sacramento.

Update: I caught up with owner Robert Masullo when his restaurant opened for lunch and asked him about the surge in traffic. The servers are happy -- they're making good, honest money. The cooks are busy. And no, the dough cannot be rushed. Masullo has experienced a one-two punch of acclaim from The Bee this year. Prior to topping the best pizza list, it was featured in a full review, where I gave it four stars.

"We saw back in the summer a real huge bump for a couple of months," Masullo told me Wednesday. For the last four weeks, we've been quieter by a long shot. Monday, it picked right back up and it almost doubled from a typical Monday."

Some customers come in and wonder why they can't jump whip up a new batch of dough. It doesn't work that way.

"Part of the reason why what we're turning out is as good as it is, is we don't take a short cut," Masullo said. "I'd rather make it as good as we can, even if that means we have to tell people we're out of dough."

Blair Anthony Robertson is The Bee's restaurant critic. Follow him on Twitter, @blarob.

RELATED COVERAGE
Dining review: Masullo up with the best pizza -- anywhere
Pizza: Bee's critic lists his area favorites

It's been a madhouse at Capitol Avenue and 20th Street in Midtown since Friday. That's when word got out that Mike Brown is closing his popular Midtown restaurant, Capitol Dawg, after lunch today. It opened in March 2008.

"I've been trying everything, but we're just not bringing people through the door," Brown told me Friday. "We've never cut quality or service, but we can't seem to turn the corner economically."

On Saturday and again on Monday, a line of 500-plus hot-dog lovers and well-wishers crowded out of the restaurant, stretched along the sidewalk and snaked down an alley. The wait to place an order both days was 60 to 90 minutes, and that was in on-again, off-again rain between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

This morning, a line of expectant patrons waited patiently for the Capitol Dawg crew to start serving, and by 12:30 p.m. it looked like a safe bet that the Saturday and Monday scenarios would be repeated.

The ever-energetic Mike Brown phoned two hours ago to break the bad news: His popular Midtown restaurant Capitol Dawg will close its doors after lunch on Tuesday.

"I've been trying everything, but we're just not bringing people through the door. We've never cut quality or service, but we can't seem to turn the corner economically," Brown said.

"This hasn't come on suddenly, it's been brewing for a long time. It's been a struggle to keep the doors open and (make) a reasonable profit. (Blame it on) rising food costs combined with years of a struggling economy - including state worker furloughs - and our location."

Capitol Dawg is near the intersection of Capitol Avenue and 20th Street in Sacramento, where a concentration of restaurants compete for diners' dollars. Nearby are Jack's Urban Eats, Waterboy, Mulvaney's B&L, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Rubicon Brewing Company, Paesanos and Zocalo.

For those of us who grew up on Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos (and lived to tell about it), today's news that Hostess will liquidate its assets comes as a bittersweet blow. It's quite possibly the end of an era for these icons of mass-produced sweet treats.

Beyond that, there is the loss of most of the 18,500 jobs at plants around the country, including one in Sacramento.

Twinkies aren't dead yet - someone could buy the rights and rejuvenate the brand - but they're on the ropes.

For those looking for some consolation or simply want to have something chocolaty and sweet to stomach this jolt of grief, all is not lost. The highly regarded Karen's Bakery Café in Old Folsom has been making a gourmet version of the Ho Ho for years.

I called owner Karen Holmes this morning to ask about her high-end interpretation of this mass-market treat. Turns out, she, too, is mourning the demise of Hostess.

The Daily Meal, which reports on all things food and drink at www.thedailymeal.com, is toasting its list of "America's Best Sports Bars."

Coming in at No. 9 is the only entry from California - Pete's Tavern in San Francisco (128 King St.; 415-817-5040, www.petestavernsf.com).

I called Jake the bartender.
"It's kind of busy right now, so don't ask too many questions," he said.
How many TV sets are in the bar?
"One...two...three...14."
What are the most popular menu items?
"Chicken cutlet (served Tuesdays), it's like chicken picatta. And the buffalo chicken salad and bacon-wrapped hot dog are pretty popular, too."

Rounding out the list, in descending order:
Walk-On's, New Orleans
Red Star, Brooklyn
The Four's, Boston
State, Chicago
Duffy's, Fort Lauderdale
Chappell's, Kansas City, MO.
Stats, Atlanta
Chickie's and Pete's, Philadelphia
Nemo's, Detroit
Lagasse's Stadium, Las Vegas
Auto Battery, Seattle
Jerome Bettis' Grill 36, Pittsburgh
Phoenix Landing, Boston
Sam's, Nashville
Eskimo Joe's, Stillwater, Okla.
Frankie's, Dallas

When it opened in September 2011, diners lined up at Kinnee O'Reilly's Irish-themed restaurant-bar in the Montano center in El Dorado Hills (1000 White Rock Road).

With good reason. The place was spacious and expertly decorated, the fare was very good, and the bartenders knew the correct ritual of filling a pint glass with Guinness. I wrote in a review, "The illusion of being in a real Irish pub is startling."

But tastes are fickle and the restaurant business is brutal, and the place closed a few months ago.

Now news comes from veteran restaurateur Richard Righton that he will open a pub-restaurant in that space, his third venture. It will be called 36 Handles, with a target date of Dec. 1 ("Fingers crossed," he said). As the name implies, 36 beers (and a few wines) will be available on tap, along with a full bar specializing in classic cocktails such as the Manhattan and the Old Fashoned.

By Mark Glover
mglover@sacbee.com

Sacramento's Rubicon Brewing Co. will turn 25 on Friday, and the brewery is celebrating with special festivities all this week.

On Friday, Rubicon will release a special-edition, single-malt, single-hop India Pale Ale. Rubicon is at at 2004 Capitol Ave.

"We have planned this week of parties and fun to thank our loyal customers that have supported us during the last 25 years," said Rubicon owner Glynn Phillips.

See more details at www.rubiconbrewing.com.

Call The Bee's Mark Glover, (916) 321-1184.

If you're looking for a charming place for lunch on Fridays, take a look at what's going on at Sampino's Towne Foods at 16th and F Streets. It's a bit of a hideaway, tucked away in a strip mall that could use an upgrade, but it has emerged as something of a Mecca for foodies and admirers of Old World Italian casual cuisine.

On the small patio out front, lunch-goers are treated to the sounds of two longtime local jazz musicians, Darius Babazadeh on tenor saxophone and David O'Keefe on bass.

Sampino's has been featuring the music on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for the past few months. The duo clearly has a following in the city. I ate there with a friend last Friday and didn't want to leave.

"We started that and people started flooding through the doors on Friday," said proprietor Michael Sampino. "We're meeting new people. They come to listen and they try the food. Then we see them again."

If you just couldn't get your fill this summer of smokey, juicy, St. Louis-style pork ribs - the cut used by professional cookers at the huge annual Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off - come on down to east Sacramento.

The fourth annual Albie Ribbin' BBQ Cook-off to benefit the Albie Aware Breast Cancer Foundation is planned from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Hilltop Tavern, 4757 Folsom Blvd.; (916) 456-2843.

Twenty "Q teams" from area restaurants and sports bars will compete for trophies and braggin' rights. 'Cue judging will be handled by professionals from the Western States BBQ Association.

A $20 buy-in ($12 for children) gets lunch (noon to 3 p.m.), entry in a raffle, a silent auction and music from the Sacramento party band the Q-Balls (2 to 5 p.m.).

For more information: (916) 927-1592, www.albieaware.org.

Hundreds of people sipped wine and beer and tasted a variety of club sandwiches at Saturday's fifth annual Ultimate Clubhouse Sandwich Contest & Fall Food Faire, held at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento.

After munching their way through traditional and nontraditional versions of the classic sandwich, and discussing contents and techniques with the chefs representing their restaurants, five judges made their decisions. It went this way:

Yes, peanut butter sticks to the roof of your mouth and gives you "peanut breath," but it conjures childhood memories and is a staple in kitchen cupboards for most of us. It's so popular that more than half the peanuts harvested in the U.S. end up in jars as creamy or crunchy.

Trivia: It's generally agreed that the first commercial-brand peanut butter was Skippy, packaged in 1922 by a company in Alameda, Ca.

Now, adding a twist to the many peanut butters on supermarket shelves is the iconic snack-food conglomerate Planters, owned by Kraft Foods.

In an intriguing peanut-butter mini-makeover, its three NUT-rition ("nutrition," get it?) Energy Mix peanut butters are chocked with (mostly) good things ($3.49 to $3.99 per 12-ounce jar).

Our panel of expert food-tasters (read: always hungry) sampled the trio - Cinnamon Raisin Granola Nut, Berry Nut and Banana Granola Nut. Note that the "berries" in the Berry Nut flavor are cranberries, and the "nuts" in all three are crushed peanuts. Though the peanut butters are marketed to adults, we see no reason why children wouldn't like them.

Here's what our peanut butter-lovers had to say, starting with yours truly:

. The recent Lake Tahoe Food and Wine Festival at Harrah's and Harveys in Stateline at South Lake Tahoe was over the top in a good way. The three-day party featured food-and-wine pairings, multi-course dinners, cooking demonstrations and costumed showgirls moving to a Latin beat.

One feature was an eating competition, judged by the Food Network's "Chopped" champion, New Orleans firefighter Michael Gowland.

The two-man eating team from the Tahoe Douglas Fire Department in Nevada beat out the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department team, donating the $500 prize to the 52 Foundation to benefit the families of fallen firefighters. Meanwhile, Harrah's-Harveys donated $2,000 to the Carson Valley Food Closet.

But what were those Godzilla-size sandwiches the four burly firemen on stage were so valiantly trying to finish in the 30-minute time frame?

Turns out the contest fare was the Dominator, on the menu of Harrah's American River Cafe from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

We asked executive chef Brad Budd about its contents.

One of our dining go-to's is Thai Paradise in Folsom, especially for its succulent, garlicky lemongrass chicken, which appears on the daily-specials whiteboard.

Other diners like the restaurant, too, as evidenced by the out-the-door lines on Friday and Saturday nights. Its loyal clientele includes News10 news anchor Christina Mendonsa. There's even a corner table dedicated to her, complete with a publicity photo. It's known as Christina's Corner, partially pictured here.

"I walked in (when it was first set up) and was unbelievably flattered," Mendonsa said Monday. "That was so sweet of them!"

More about that in minute, but first the news:

By Mark Glover
mglover@sacbee.com

Jacksonville, Fla.-based restaurant chain Firehouse Subs says it plans to open 75 restaurants throughout Northern California over the next 10 years.

It will target the Sacramento area as well as the Bay Area and Central Valley, with a potential for 2,000 new jobs.

The company, founded by a pair of firefighter brothers, said it plans to open the region's first Firehouse Subs in Fremont early next year. The chain has 534 locations nationwide.

Firehouse restaurants feature authentic firefighter decor celebrating local firefighting history and the founding family's 200 years of firefighting service.

Call The Bee's Mark Glover, (916) 321-1184.

Sacramento-based Jack's Urban Eats, the "California-style cafeteria" chain, will open its new restaurant Monday in the Fountains at Roseville shopping complex.

The new Jack's, the eighth locally, has 2,800 square feet of space and will feature year-round patio dining.

Owners said the menu will be consistent with other Jack's locations, but there may be some local or seasonal variations.

Jack's has another Roseville restaurant on Sierra College Boulevard and also operates in Sacramento, Gold River and Folsom. It also has a restaurant at the Sacramento International Airport.

Fountains at Roseville is owned by Peter P. Bollinger Investment Co. and managed by its Inter-Cal Real Estate Corp. affiliate.

PHOTO: Cashier Katie McBrien works the lunch rush at Jack's Urban Eats on 20th Street in Sacramento. The Sacramento Bee 2005 file photo.

Chili's restaurant at 3199 Zinfandel Drive in Rancho Cordova is hosting events through Sept. 27 to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Memphis-based center for treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic childhood illnesses.

The events include: "Tip a Cop," with 10 Rancho Cordova law enforcement officers waiting tables and accepting donations from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday; a "Plant a Seed for St. Jude" donation program from 4 to 6 p.m. Sept. 22; and "Donate Profits Day" on Sept. 24, when 100 percent of restaurant net profits will be donated to the St. Jude hospital.

General donations also can be made by restaurant customers participating in the "color a pepper" campaign.

A few weeks back, "Appetizers" gave readers a sneak peek of Pour House. This spot at 19th and Q streets is the former location of Whiskey Wild, and features one of the area's more novel bar concepts. Some of the booths come with tap handles for beer and whiskey, so you can get a drink without leaving your seat. Meanwhile, the food program is being run by the folks behind Coast to Coast Sandwiches, the popular local food truck.

Pour House is now all ready to go, and its grand opening is set for 11 a.m. Friday. Along with its in-booth beer and whiskey taps, look for one of the area's more extensive bourbon and whiskey selections. The food will include an expanded version of Coast to Coast's menu, including smoked tri-tip and pulled pork.

For more information, visit Pour House's Facebook page.

During my many visits to restaurants, I occasionally run up against befuddling rules related to the establishment's liquor license. Sometimes, for instance you can have wine inside but not out, on the patio but not at the tables along the sidewalk. Liquor ads in the windows? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. What's the rule? Depends who's asking.

Perhaps the strangest "rule" I have seen so far is the one at Old Soul at the Weatherstone on 21st Street. I "discovered" it, to my chagrin, while out for a stroll through midtown with one of our three dogs. We were having a peaceful walk. We met other dogs. We had a staring contest with the cat in the window at Richard L Press Fine and Scholarly Books. We greeted children, frightened squirrels, sniffed things here and there. After awhile, I was craving a bite to eat and a glass of wine - and I wanted to hang out with Abbey, who loves coffee shops and just about everybody and everything except fireworks.

Turns out, you can visit Old Soul at the Weatherstone and enjoy a bite to eat or a coffee with your dog. You can certainly enjoy a glass of wine there. But you can't bring your dog AND enjoy a glass of wine. It's impossible, thanks to two government agencies and their restrictions, which may or may not make sense.

All I wanted to do was hang out, relax, taste a very nice petite syrah, try to catch up on my New Yorker subscription and watch the world go by as I clawed my way through a Zadie Smith short story.

Just the other day, I tasted one of the greatest ice creams I've ever had. The flavor? Lemon custard with Graham crackers and blueberry jam, $9 for a pint at Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates (1801 L St. #61, Sacramento).

In the past, I've praised many things about this small midtown business -- the macarons, the hand-crafted chocolates, and the incredible ice cream sandwiches. And I've told you about the proprietor, Ginger Elizabeth Hahn, who has been named one of the top 10 chocolatiers in the country by "Dessert Professional Magazine."

There's more. Ginger Elizabeth ice creams are extraordinary -- and this particular flavor exceeded my lofty expectations. I contacted Hahn to chat about this ice cream and get her thoughts on creating flavor.

Greg, a reader pining away for some especially good French fries, writes:

"Where in the Sacramento area can I buy good twice-cooked or double-fried French fries? These are sometimes called Belgian Fries or Flemish Fries. I can't find good examples anywhere in the area. I used to get them from A&W on Madison & Date sometime before they closed. Also, I may have got them unintentionally from the new Squeeze Inn in West Sac when they first opened. The line was out the door and I think they probably pre-cooked some fries in preparation for the large crowds. Then as the orders came in, they cooked the fries a second time to finish cooking them and presto - Belgian-style fries.

"If you would give me a few recommendations on where I might find good Belgian-style French fries in the Sacramento area, I'd really appreciate it."

As Sacramento swelters under a heat wave, things could be hotter. For instance, the heat in the hybrid "naga bhut jolokia" chile pepper - known as the ghost pepper - has been ranked at 855,000 "heat units" on the Scoville capsaicin-measuring scale. That's about 300 times hotter than a jalapeño.

So use caution next time you grab a burger at Red Robin. It recently became the first national restaurant chain to add ghost peppers to the menus of its 460 units, though the brutal heat level has been mellowed.

The Fiery Ghost burger (pictured) is topped with ghost pepper sauce, cut-and-fried jalapeños and pepper jack cheese. The Cry Baby burger is loaded with crisp onion straws tossed in Sriracha dry seasoning, onions sauteed in Cholula hot sauce, pepper jack cheese and ghost pepper catsup. They're $7.99 each, with limitless steak fries. The burgers will be available through August.

To locate Red Robin restaurants, go to www.redrobin.com.

The last time I talked with Alex Won and his business partner, Yoon Hee Cho, was in 2006. The occasion was a "Counter Culture" review of their Folsom Boulevard 'cue joint, Yunece 61 Smoked Barbecue & Grill.

On its menu, crispy spring rolls, taquitos and teriyaki salmon met hickory-smoked pork and beef ribs, tri-tip and hot links. An intriguing blend of cuisines, a curiosity at the time. The food was tops, and the restaurant had a good run before its not-so-good location finally did it in.

Now Won and Cho have re-teamed to create Tako Korean BBQ, opening Friday at the intersection of Alhambra Boulevard and T Street.

It will be housed in an architecturally stunning, long-abandoned Richfield gas station, an Art Deco-Moderne historic landmark that opened in 1936. The inside has been refurbished, of course, and a large patio has been added. The outside of the building has been cleaned up and - wisely - pretty much preserved. The restaurant's retro logo is a salute to the classic American gas stations of decades gone by, Won said.

The menu will show the type of fare that helped launch the red-hot food-truck movement that originated in Los Angeles and spread throughout California.

"The concept is Korean barbecue meets Mexican-style foods like tortillas and burritos," Won said on the phone today. "(The specialty) will be Korean beef short ribs served in tacos, burritos and rice bowls."

Beer and wine? "Our license is coming," Won said.

By Mark Glover
mglover@sacbee.com

Irvine-based The Habit Burger Grill will open its seventh Sacramento area outlet Wednesday at 1115 E. Bidwell St. in Folsom.

The Folsom restaurant is hosting pre-opening charity events on Sunday and Monday.

From noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, The Habit will be open and donate all proceeds to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Reopening from 5 to 7 p.m. that day, proceeds will go to the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's Pro-Start program.

Back in March, I noticed a new restaurant had opened on El Camino Avenue in the space occupied for years by the beloved Palomino Room (and later, a Chinese food buffet). What's more, this new place, The Farmer's Daughter, seemed like it might be one of those enlightened farm-to-table kind of places. It was farm-to-table all right - more, it turns out, than we could have imagined.

We lined up a visit with the intention of writing a "First Impressions" piece, but we were almost immediately taken aback. My girlfriend noticed the guy who greeted us had a roach clip thingy hanging from his cap. No big deal. Maybe this is what the kids call a fashion accessory these days.

We looked around the room. Weird décor, odd vibe. Then we got the news. There was a "snafu" in the kitchen and the food offerings would be limited. Was this a poor choice of words by the manager? Or was it a code word? I was oblivious.

I called the overall concept of the place "dazed and confused." I guess I could have asked, "What were these people smoking? Check out the story The Bee's Anita Creamer wrote yesterday. The Sheriff's Department just busted the joint and recovered 80 pounds of marijuana. Good thing I didn't order a brownie. According to a Sheriff's spokesman, desserts could be fortified with medical-grade cannabis.

The sandwiches and soup I sampled were decent. I haven't seen the entire report from the Sheriff, but I'm going to assume that these meager offerings weren't fortified with anything more than mustard or mayo.

Can we get enough hot dogs?

If the answer is "no" - and it is - then Good Dogs owners Michael Floyd and Tyrone Norman are in for the wurst ride of their lives.

About three weeks ago, the business partners transitioned from selling wurst at two hot dog carts in Midtown, to opening a brick-and-mortar Good Dogs store at 8166 14th Ave. in Sacramento.

The menu goes beyond hot dogs, hot links and Polish dogs to include nachos, five kinds of fries, and sandwiches. Call (916) 642-0126, or visit more socially at www.facebook.com/GoodDogsCatering.

Matt Crane has been a Chick-fil-A guy most of his life. Now he's about to become a franchise operator in Folsom, making his store the 50th in California.

"It feels amazing. The (company's signature) chicken sandwich is my favorite thing to eat," he said.

Crane's store will have its grand opening at 6:30 a.m. June 28, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. The first 100 adults in line at the new restaurant will win free Chick-fil-A sandwiches for a year. Queue up at 2679 E. Bidwell St., at the outer edge of the Home Depot parking lot.

Meanwhile, Crane wants to introduce Chick-fil-A to Folsom. Today, for instance, he and his team will distribute 2,000 chicken sandwiches to police departments, fire stations, city hall and area businesses.

The public is invited for samplings Friday, when 4,000 sandwiches will be give away from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of Orchard Supply Hardware, 905 E. Bidwell St.; (916) 984-7020.

On Saturday, another 4,000 chicken sandwiches will be handed out from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at iFit Golf, 2395 Iron Point Road, in the Folsom Gateway center, next to REI (916-983-3660).

Crane moved to El Dorado Hills three months ago from Atlanta, where he worked as a grand-opening supervisor at Chick-fil-A corporate headquarters.

"I've worked for Chick-fil-A since I was 15. The corporate job was an avenue to becoming an owner," he said.

The Folsom outlet joins sister Chick-fil-A stores in Sacramento, Roseville and Elk Grove. The chain has 1,635 units in 38 states and Washington, D.C., numbers that must make the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association very happy.

Information: www.chick-fil-a.com.

It seems that every town in Northern California has a "signature event." Lucky for us. Tahoe City's is the annual Wine Walk, the sixth one. It will run from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The Sierra town, on the west shore of Lake Tahoe, will welcome visitors with wine-tasting at 30 locations in downtown, accompanied by food samplings from area restaurants. Stroll, sip and sup while bands play their music at three venues.

Buy tickets at www.tahoecitywinewalk.com, $35 in advance, $45 the day of. The Wine Walk is part of Tahoe City's annual Solstice Festival, which concludes Sunday (www.visittahoecity.com).

Bonus: As you plan your summer trips to Lake Tahoe, keep the North Lake Tahoe Summerlong Music Series in mind. You can catch free outdoor concerts, and ticketed festivals and headliner events at sites around the lake. For a detailed schedule, go to www.tahoehighnotes.com.

Carissa Jones makes beautiful desserts - creative, delicious, little works of art. Whimsical, classical and everything in between. Cookies, tarts, cakes and more.

So it came as a tremendous jolt to many of her admirers when she placed a sign in the door last Tuesday with the unsavory news: the retail component of her bakery, Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts, was no more.

Yes, the charm of walking into this little storefront bakery, sizing up each and every delectable offering on display, chatting with the owner and then picking out something just right - that special experience has come to an end.

I finally caught up with Jones by telephone to find out what happened.

The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op is often innovative and always interesting. Let's see... cooking classes, stocks of hard-to-find food items, by-the-cup coffee that's better and cheaper than the joe sold at the chains. Plus, world-class produce, imported honeys and nut butters, and incredible cherry and apple turnovers.

Now it's preparing to host the family-style Sunday Supper, featuring a menu by chef-teacher Dionisio Esperas, owner of A Healthy Kitchen catering company.

Please pass the citrus- and herb-accented grilled chicken, frijoles de olla (stewed pinto beans), cilantro rice, calabacitas (squash sauteed with onion and spices), salad with avocado dressing, and Mexican chocolate brownies with strawberry-cinnamon compote.

Eat well for $30 at 5 p.m. June 24 at the co-op, 1900 Alhambra Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 868-6399, www.sacfoodcoop.com. The dinner will benefit the Soil Born Farms Urban Agriculture Project.

The day was warm, the cars were cool and the food was plentiful at Sunday's 18th annual Capitol Concours d'Elegance. More than 130 automobiles were displayed along a long stretch of Capitol Mall in an extravaganza of what essentially were metal sculptures on wheels.

As hundreds of car buffs and the simply curious inspected pristine cars at the juried event - from Ferraris and Corvettes to rarities such as as a 1940 Pontiac Woodie Wagon and a 1939 Graham Sharknose - the hungry and thirsty crowded around six Sacramento food trucks, whose fare also was judged.

Lined up beneath a row of shade trees were Coast to Coast, Wicked Wich, Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen, Heavenly Dog, Fuzion Eatz and Willie's. Each truck operator was asked to offer his/her signature dish for judging. Not their most popular dish, but the single item best representative of their cooking philosophy and skills.

The judges and winning food trucks were:

Bowls of steaming chili in June? Sure, why not. The versatile stew (with or without meat) is so popular year-round that 10,000 chili-lovers are expected to attend the Old Town Elk Grove Chili Festival, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.

Join the merry-makers along Elk Grove Boulevard, from Second Avenue to Derr Street. Line up for chili tastings, chili cook-off, food court, beer garden and wine bar, entertainment, children's activities, arts and crafts, and more. Information: www.oldtownelkgrovefoundation.org.

As for chili itself: Its origins are muddled, but many food historians agree that it did not originate in Mexico and is rarely seen there today. Chili as we know it now likely originated in 1800s San Antonio, Texas. Because of the heat from chili peppers as an ingredient, it was called "the devil's stew."

By Mark Glover
mglover@sacbee.com

A new In-N-Out Burger outlet opened today at 2001 Alta Arden Expressway in Sacramento.

The restaurant bordering Arden Fair mall is expected to employ about 50. The outlet is the site of the former Romano's Macaroni Grill.

Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Irvine-based In-N-Out Burger opened its first restaurant in Baldwin Park in 1948. It oversees more nearly 300 outlets today, most of those in California.

Yesterday we told you about the end of the 20-year relationship between two beloved local institutions that do things the old-fashioned way: Taylor's Market and Ford's Hamburgers. Because Ford's is closed Mondays, we didn't catch up with owner Peter Paul Vereschzagin until this morning to get his side of things.

Taylor's, which has supplied beef to Ford's for two decades, was not happy with the way the relationship ended and recently took to Facebook to wish the restaurant luck and say they "hope they are able maintain the same level of quality while using a corporate source for their beef." Some saw the comment as bitter or snide.

OK, maybe it came off as a bit of a dig when the much-admired and locally owned Taylor's Market posted a brief note on Facebook, informing its fans that it would no longer be the supplier to locally owned Ford's Hamburgers just up the street.

It went like this: "We are sad to announce that after 25 years our business relationship with Ford's Hamburgers has ended. We wish the owners well and hope they are able maintain the same level of quality while using a corporate source for their beef."

The last sentence was obviously provocative. Some saw it as snide. I didn't mind it a bit. I'm a big fan of Taylor's. For me and many others, it's pretty much the perfect grocery store, from the old-fashioned meat counter staffed by skilled butchers (including owner Danny Johnson), great cheese selection, excellent sandwiches and a small selection of wine and beer in which there are no subpar choices. I like the size, too - who wants to wander up and down vast aisles looking for stuff? I'm in and out of Taylor's in 10 minutes.

So I called Danny Johnson (he and wife Kathy own Taylor's) to ask about the Ford's dust-up, sensing there was more to the story (Ford's is closed on Mondays, so we'll follow up soon with that side).

Chando's Tacos is one of the great little success stories on the local food scene. The food is excellent, the people are friendly and Chando himself is one smart and charismatic restaurateur.

As reported in today's Bee, Chando's is about to grow. It already expanded from its tiny flagship location at 863 Arden Way to include a mobile food truck. Now Chando (AKA Lisandro Madrigal) has secured a second location at the corner of Fruitridge and Power Inn roads.

He has been looking for months, focusing on areas that would expand the brand without taking customers from the original and still wildly popular location.

Will Capitol Dawg owner Mike Brown sell the world's most expensive hot dog today at his Midtown eatery?

A Guinness World Records adjudicator will be at the restaurant this afternoon to determine whether a Capitol Dawg customer actually purchases Brown's California Capitol City Dawg for $145.49.

(A third of its sales will benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children.)

Give you and yours a break from your backyard grilling ritual and head out to the country for the Back to the Farm barbecue and celebration. It will be on a bucolic 200-acre walnut farm.

You'll find smokin' ribs, chicken, burgers and wurst, with side dishes - and you won't have to cook. Plus, live entertainment, a farmers market and a pie-eating contest. When was the last time you saw tractor and farm equipment exhibits and demonstrations?

Take Highway 99 north toward Yuba City, then scenic Highway 20 west to Meridian, finding Farmlan Road when you arrive.

The good times will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Information: (916) 355-4056, www.benalishrine.org. Back to the Farm will benefit Ben Ali Shriners.

Pizza aficionados can be a rather obsessive lot, searching out the best of the best pizzas and making lists of their favorites. That's all well and good, but it might mean even more when the man at the top of many of those lists comes up with a list of his own.

In this case, that man is Chris Bianco, owner of Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, Ariz., and his list includes Sacramento's own Masullo Pizza (2711 Riverside Blvd., Sacramento). On Eater.com, the nationally known and highly regarded food website, Bianco prefaces his list by noting he is in London, has just turned 50 and is "thinking about places I'd love to be eating at tonight if I were somewhere in the U.S."

Most restaurants have signature dishes. If Sacramento has a signature restaurateur, it's the pioneering Randy Paragary.

The "corporate menu" of the Paragary Restaurant Group includes Paragary's Bar & Oven, Esquire Grill, Centro Cocina Mexicana and Spataro. Add to the list four Cafe Bernardos, the newest one opening a couple of weeks ago downtown along the K Street mall. It's serving breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends. Its menus offer more choices than its three siblings' menus.

The new cafe is inside the converted former site of Paragary's Cosmo Cafe. It closed in December because it didn't "resonate" with the cabaret crowd that frequents the neighboring bars and nightclubs, Paragary said in December.

It's the season for Sunday brunch on outdoor patios, so we stopped by Fabian's Italian Bistro yesterday to cruise the new menu items.

Last year, the restaurant debuted its brunch with a menu devised by husband-wife owners Christian and Mercedes Forte, and chef Tom Patterson. The three consulted again this year and made some interesting tweaks.

New to the lineup are a farmers market omelet (fresh veggies and goat cheese), applewood-smoked salmon (cooked in a smoker in back of the restaurant), frittata Bolognese (scrambled eggs with meat sauce), and seared flatiron steak 'n' eggs (with tomato arugula butter).

Hmmm. Wait a minute, what's this? A "breakfast burger," described this way: "Hand-formed Angus patty, soft fried egg, applewood-smoked bacon, spicy aioli, tomato jam (on a) bun (with) sliced fries" ($8.95).

Ours soon arrived, looking great on the plate (pictured here). The sandwich was well-balanced, the beef juicy, the bacon smoky, the tomato jam and aioli adding nice dashes of sweet 'n' heat flavors. The hand-cut russet potatoes were creamy and addictive, thanks to the sweet 'n' salty seasoning.

For more brunch destinations, look for Blair Anthony Robertson's round-up of Mother's Day brunch destinations, coming Sunday in the Bee's A&E section.

Meanwhile, Fabian's Sunday brunch is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 11755 Fair Oaks Blvd. in the Almond Orchard center, Fair Oaks; (916) 536-9891, www.fabiansitalianbistro.com.

I'm sitting outside Old Soul in the alley. The sun is out. There's a breeze. It's not too hot or too cold - at least not yet. Spring is in the air and there's nothing more pleasant than the weather during this stretch before it really starts to heat up.

Which leads me to a recent email inquiry from a reader asking if I could suggest a good place for outdoor dining. I couldn't possibly narrow it down to one.

So what follows is my impromptu list of favorite outdoor spots for eating and/or enjoying a coffee, complete with my bias in favor of dog-friendly locales. If you don't like dogs, then I cannot help you. If you have a favorite that's not on my list, let us know about it.

There are two ways to look at outdoor seating. It can either be in a location that connects you with the energy on the street, or it can be a tucked away patio that gives you a respite from the hustle and bustle of the world. Shade is important, too, and it becomes more important the closer we get to July and those temperatures near 100F.

I don't know how they're going to do this, but it should be fun trying. The folks behind "Sacramento Burger Battle" are planning an event for September in which they will invite the many restaurants with excellent burgers to put forth their best entries.

Then a panel of judges will somehow pick the best one. It should be brutal. As we have pointed out many times, Sacramento has some great burgers -- and the list keeps growing. My recent contender for best burger is Restaurant Thir13en. Then I start thinking about all the others -- Hawks, Mulvaney's, Formoli's, Juno's, The Eatery, Willie's, Scott's Burger Shack -- and start to wonder: can anyone eat all of these at a competition and stay alive long enough to declare a winner?

One way or another, I suppose we'll have our answer in September. Sounds like a great idea, a fun event, a good cause (charity) and good publicity for the Sacramento food scene. To keep up with details as they become available, including a specific date and venue, go here.

Blair Anthony Robertson is The Bee's restaurant critic. Follow him on Twitter, @blarob.

The 62-unit Chevys Fresh Mex restaurant chain has made some changes to its operation, trying to return to its roots in search of the elusive ingredients that made it such a hit in bygone years.

Its pilot program of reinvention was announced in February - new menus, extended happy hours, updated music playlists, exhibition prep kitchens, even new uniforms for the staff.

We'll be having lunch at a Chevys soon, for a review in the "Counter Culture" column in an upcoming Friday Ticket section.

Meanwhile, with tax deadline looming, a few specials will be happening during "Taste of Tax Relief" weekend:

File this under, "I shouldn't be telling you this, but..."

Here's yet another piece worshiping at the altar that is In-N-Out Burger, perhaps the most beloved fast food chain going.

I'm in the minority on this one, meaning I just don't get it. But give credit where credit is due: In-N-Out does several things right. It pays its employees well. It uses fresh iceberg lettuce and tomatoes, both of which are practically tasteless. Best of all, it has this "secret menu" that no one knows about but you. At least that's the way it feels.

You stop in and let loose a blast about "animal style," 3x3, extra toasted, and the fries well-done (which will not make them less dreadful), you feel good about yourself, you wolf down the greatest burger in the world and you're on your way. That scenario is repeated tens of thousands of times daily at all 268 In-N-Out outlets. The 3x3, for those who aren't privy to such secrets, refers to the numbers of patties and cheese, i.e. three patties and three slices of cheese. Lo and behold, you can actually order a 4x4.

Huffington Post's correspondent in this case informs us there are even more secrets. Who leaks this kind of information to the masses? Hmm. Mustard grilled? Amazing. Why isn't this in the pages of "Larousse Gastronomique"? There's no mention of Kool-Aid on the secret menu, but plenty of people are drinking it.

Study up and impress your friends. Here's a secret tip: Try not to look at the photos, which make the food look less than appealing. Me? I shouldn't be telling you this, but... I'm going to keep eating great burgers from local restaurants that do things the right way: Juno's, Formoli's, The Eatery and, my most recent great-burger discovery, Thir13en.

Blair Anthony Robertson is The Bee's restaurant critic. Follow him on Twitter, @blarob.