Archive for the 'Food & Drink' Category

Sleepy Bee Cafe

Sleepy Bee Cafe  is  a new breakfast and lunch spot that opened in Oakley just before Christmas. My wife and I finally made the five-minute drive from our house for breakfast a couple of Fridays ago. They are  committed to serving local, pesticide-free, non genetically modified foods when possible.   The menu will be dynamic and evolve with the seasons.

Bottomless Coffee

Bottomless Coffee

I started with a bottomless cup of coffee ($3) while my wife ordered a chai latte from the coffee bar. We enjoyed the drinks very much while looking over the menu. The inside of the restaurant is fairly spacious and is filled with many two and four top tables. It wasn’t busy during our visit but I’m told that wait times can be expected on the weekends.

Inside

Inside

For breakfast I went with the apple cakes, three buttermilk pancakes topped with sautéed caramelized apples, whipped cream and house-made granola ($9.50). The pancakes themselves were rather average and not as fluffy as I was expecting. The fruit and granola topping was wonderful though and was easily the highlight of the dish, as expected.

Apple Cakes

Apple Cakes

My wife had the Avi omelet with avocado, spinach, mushrooms, tomato, onions, and white cheddar ($9.95). I didn’t hear any complains from her and she seemed to enjoy every last bite. She choose to have the oven-roasted potato “hive fries” on the side, which I shared with her. The item on her plate that stood out the most to me (I did not try the omelet) was the house-made ketchup with a slightly smoky flavor and very little sweetness to it. It was a good start but I would like to see even more spice added to the ketchup.

The Avi

The Avi

Overall the Sleepy Bee Cafe is off to a good start. We will definitely be back for more, though I would like to see the menu expand beyond the pancake and omelet offerings. The lunch menu looks really good, so I’m hoping that will be our next meal at the new café.

Sleepy Bee Cafe on Urbanspoon

Evening In Belmar – Lakewood, CO

Last week I spent a few days in Denver for work. I flew in on Sunday evening and immediately met a couple of friends for a few beers at the World of Beer in the Belmar development of Lakewood, CO. The bar has a pretty amazing selection of roughly 50 draft beers and a 14 page bottle list. I thoroughly enjoyed Renegade Brewing Company’s Elevation Triple IPA  as well as Dry Dock’s Double IPA, both from Denver area breweries.

World of Beer Bar

World of Beer Bar

While there is no food served at World of Beer, a variety of food menus are available from the bar for neighboring restaurants that will deliver food directly to your seat. One of my friends recommended The Rock Wood Fired Pizza  and grabbed one of their menus for me. They offer over 20 specialty pies, so choosing what I wanted was a little intimidating. Eventually I settled on the Founders Pie with sweet Italian Sausage, pepperoni, tomato sauce, mozzarella and ricotta cheese. ($10.99 for 9″).

The Founders Pie

The Founders Pie

After placing my order I was told it would take fifteen minutes for the delivery to be made. It seemed to be even shorter than the already really quick delivery time. The 9″ pie was cut into six slices, and is plenty of food for one, though I managed to eat it all. I really enjoyed the combination of toppings, though a little more ricotta would have been nice, though spreading it around on to each slice helped make sure that each bite had a little extra creaminess. Overall the pizza from The Rock was very good and went well with a couple of beers from World of Beers.

The Rock: Wood Fired Pizza & Spirits on Urbanspoon

Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse – El Dorado Hills, CA

Finally, my last restaurant review from our trip out to the Sacramento and Lake Tahoe areas a month ago. Before flying out the next morning, we enjoyed dinner on a Friday night at Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse in El Dorado Hills, California. Our friends who now live nearby had visited this restaurant before and thought that we would enjoy it. Our two-year-old was given a ball of fresh dough to play with and keep him entertained, so we were definitely off to a great start.

Pete's Famous Knots

Pete’s Famous Knots

We started with a couple orders of Pete’s famous knots ($6.99 per full dozen). Pete’s famous pizza dough is tied, baked and tossed in a garlic butter glaze, then topped with fresh Parmesan cheese. We had one order as just described and we had the other order with cinnamon sugar glaze. I preferred the cheese version, but both were pretty good. I realize that Parmesan cheese may not be the easiest cheese to melt, but it would have been nice if it melted on the knots.

Pizza

Pizza

Our group decided to split a large pizza with two different halves (signature pizzas starting at $24.49 for a large). We tried BBQ chicken on one half and pepperoni and sausage on the other. The crust was very good. The sauces were average. The toppings were overall pretty good, but I think an extra ingredient on the BBQ chicken would have been nice to accompany the red onion and cilantro, bacon is always a good choice.

Pete’s offers a pretty good selection of beers, but despite the name,  no beer is brewed on site. The pizza was good, though I think next time I would try a sandwich instead.

Pete's Restaurant & Brewhouse on Urbanspoon

The Ridge Club Deli – Stateline, NV

Dining options near our condo at the Ridge Pointe on the Nevada side of the Heavenly Resort were very slim during our vacation a few weeks back. After an exhausting day on the slopes we made our way over to the Ridge Club. Fortunately we were able to call the resort transportation number and ask for a complimentary ride to the club. The shuttle bus was at our door within minutes to take us to our destination.

The Ridge Club is not only home to a couple of dining options, it also houses the indoor/outdoor pool, a workout facility, and spa. On our Monday evening visit the Hungry Bear Restaurant was not open, but the Ridge Club Deli is open seven days a week. The menu is a short list of various sandwiches along with soup, chili, and take-n-bake pizza.

Veggie Sandwich

Veggie Sandwich

My wife ordered the veggie sandwich, which featured a naan style bread wrapped around a variety of fresh vegetables and hummus, topped with a delicious tahini like sauce.

Cranberry Turkey Sandwich

Cranberry Turkey Sandwich

I went with the cranberry turkey sandwich topped with  Swiss cheese, onions and cranberry mayo  on Grilled Sourdough ($8.50). All sandwiches are served with a garden salad or a bag of chips. I really enjoyed the garden salad and would definitely recommend it. The sandwich was piled tall with turkey and had a nice flavor from the cranberry mayo and onions.

I was very surprised and impressed by the quality of food from the Ridge Club Deli. It would serve as a great lunch option while on the slopes if it didn’t require a bus ride up to the building. Otherwise it is a great option for a quick and delicious dinner.

The Ridge Club Deli on Urbanspoon

Samuel Horne’s – Folsom, CA

Another meal that I really enjoyed while out in the Sacramento area a few weeks back was courtesy of Samuel Horne’s in the suburb of Folsom. This bar and restaurant is in the very neat Folsom Historic District, just around the corner from the public plaza and light rail station.

Bar

Bar

Samuel Horne’s is primarily a beer bar, but they also have some affordable meals for lunch and dinner. The roughly twenty taps offered a great selection of mostly local beer, some that I’ve heard of and other’s that I wasn’t as familiar with. I would say nearly 90% of the list was from California, and had everything from a few IPA choices to lagers and ciders.

Respect Beer

Respect Beer

Just as with  Burgers & Brew in Sacramento, all orders are placed at the bar. For lunch it is very hard to pass up their $5 lunch baskets. I went with the BLT and fries. Others in our group had the chicken apple sausage, 2 horne dogs, and the grilled cheese. My BLT was loaded with thick applewood bacon and fresh veggies.

BLT Lunch Basket

BLT Lunch Basket

Samuel Horne’s is definitely a “better beer” bar, but it is perfectly suitable for a nice family lunch on the cheap. Highly recommended!

Samuel Horne's Tavern on Urbanspoon

Burgers & Brew – Sacramento, CA

Our first stop after landing in Sacramento, California a couple of weeks back was for lunch. Our friends who had recently moved to the area offered to meet us at a burger and brew place. When we arrived at the address they had given us the sign above the door said Burgers & Brew, which is exactly what we found inside.

Inside

Inside

After entering the front door, menus can be found in a nearby bucket. All orders are placed at the bar and the food is brought to your table when ready. Drinks are poured right away and can be picked up at the opposite end of the bar. I started with a fresh pour of Pliny the Elder, one of the highest rated beers around. The draft beer selection definitely does not disappoint!

Turkey Avocado Melt

Turkey Avocado Melt

For lunch I went with the turkey avocado melt on sourdough ($7.25) and upgraded my side to onion rings ($.75 more). This sandwich was packed full of avocado goodness and I really enjoyed it. The beer battered onion rings were fresh and tasted great. My plates came with two different sauces on the side. I’m not sure which was for what, but I really liked the spicy mayonnaise with the onion rings.

Turkey Burger

Turkey Burger

My wife ordered the 1/2 pound turkey burger with sweet potato fries ($7.75). I didn’t sample any of her sandwich, but I didn’t hear any complaints from her. She did comment that the  roasted red pepper mayonnaise was tasty. I did sample the crinkle cut sweet potato fries, which were good, but I was really jealous of the garlic curly fries that I saw others order.

Burgers & Brew combines great food with an excellent selection of beer. It’s a win-win in my book!

Burgers and Brew on Urbanspoon

Ei8ht Ball Brewing

Ei8ht Ball Brewing is the newest brewery in town. They opened at the end of November and operate their brewing operations and tasting room from inside The Party Source in Bellevue. If you’ve never been to The Party Source, you are really missing out, as their selection of beer, alcohol, and wine is excellent. Now you have even more reasons to visit, 42 reasons actually.

Tasting Room

Tasting Room

The tasting room has 42 taps for on premise consumption or for growlers to go. The brewery itself is currently only producing three beers of their own, but I expect that number to continue to grow. That leaves plenty of room for other craft beer from across the globe.

Logo Wall

Logo Wall

On my first visit to Ei8ht Ball Brewing I sampled their imperial stout, K-Hole, which is brewed with  coffee, cocoa and lactose. I really enjoyed this dark beauty and hope to have many more in the future. It was also great to be able to enjoy the beer while shopping throughout the store. Hopefully they will add some kind of cup holder to their shopping carts to make it even easier. I know that I will definitely stop at the tap-room first on all future trips to The Party Source.

Senate

A few weeks back, my wife and I were able to grab dinner without the kids before heading to Music Hall for her employers Christmas Party. I came up with a couple of restaurants that we had never tried and from the list she picked Senate.

Inside Senate

Inside Senate

We arrived just past 8 PM on a Tuesday and were seated right away. Most of the tables along the wall opposite of the long bar are too close together. I felt like we were having dinner with the other groups on either side of our table. The restaurant space is pretty small though, so perhaps this is the only way to arrange the seating.

Crispy Potstickers

Crispy Potstickers

We started with the pork-ginger potstickers served with sweet chili, miso cream cheese and sesame seeds ($10).  I really liked these fried potstickers and enjoyed the crispness when compared to the more common boiled or steamed versions. The sauce was also a really good mix of sweet and spicy flavors.

McBelly Pulled Pork

McBelly Pulled Pork

For dinner I went with the McBelly sandwich, BBQ  pork belly with coleslaw and fried onion. This sandwich was extremely messy but had a nice flavor combination. The BBQ sauce was a little too sweet for my tastes but the slaw and onion were a nice touch.

Truffle Fries

Truffle Fries

We split an order of truffle fries ($5). The thick cut slices of potato come served in a shaker pint glass and is plenty for sharing. Served on the side is an aioli sauce that is also pretty good, but the truffle oil fries are tasty enough on their own.

Panko Crusted Chile Relleno

Panko Crusted Chile Relleno

My wife ordered the chile relleno, a crispy poblano pepper, black beans, roasted squash, rice, queso fresco, raisins and pumpkin seed molé ($12). There is certainly a lot going on with this dish, but it worked really well. The molé  sauce was outstanding and the pepper itself was cooked well.

Senate is best known for their hot dogs. We did not try any of them after finding that they nearly all use beef hotdogs. It would be nice to have some red meat alternative options there. The food we did have was all really good, though a bit overpriced. I’m still not convinced that casual food deserves these kinds of prices.

Senate on Urbanspoon

Christmas Saengerfest 2013

We had plans to attend the second annual  Christmas Saengerfest  this past Friday night, but the winter weather caused the organizers to cancel the event. Fortunately it was a two-day event, and everyone with a ticket for Friday night was invited to attend Saturday instead.

May Festival Youth Chorus

May Festival Youth Chorus

We started off our night listening to the wonderful sounds provided by the May Festival Youth Chorus  at Memorial Hall.  The May Festival Youth Chorus, was organized in 1987 to give high school students the opportunity to rehearse and perform challenging choral music in a highly stimulating artistic environment.

Awaken the City Gospel Band

Awaken the City Gospel Band

From there we moved on to Awaken the City to hear their phenomenal Gospel Band. We saw the band perform last year  and had to take our family to see them this year. The band did not disappoint and once again by the end of their show the entire audience was up on their feet celebrating with them.

Moerlein Barrel Project

Moerlein Barrel Project

We got a late start on the evening and were not able to see any other performances aside from a few small choir performances from inside the relatively new Moerlein Tap Room. I’ve been in this location numerous times before, but had not seen the renovated bar and tasting room. I also spotted a row of barrels used for aging beer, which is very exciting for the continually expanding brewery. We had a couple of Moerlein pints to wind down a great night.

Holtman’s Donut Shop

Despite growing up in Loveland, just around the corner from the original Holtman’s Donut Shop that has been open since 1960, this year was my first time having any of their delicious treats. Their new shop in Over-the-Rhine has been open for about three months and was very convenient for a weekend visit after attending church.

Counter

Counter

The shop is on Vine Street in the Gateway Quarter, and aside from Taste of Belgium, is the only place to get a bite to eat in morning in this area. A large glass window displays the bakery kitchen as you walk your way back toward the counter and display cases filled with donuts.

Bakery

Bakery

Some friends of ours that live in the neighborhood joined us on this visit and made some great recommendations. The maple bacon donut is a specialty that is not served every day, but if it is be sure to grab one of these. The combination of sweet and salty is really great and you can’t complain with a little protein added to your otherwise fat-filled breakfast.

Donuts

Donuts

The other donut I tried on this visit is now my most favorite donut ever. The blueberry cake with vanilla icing donut is outstanding and I had no idea that donuts could have this much flavor. It obviously reminded me of a blueberry muffin but with a more concentrated blueberry taste in a much denser bite. The delicious icing came piled high on, but I think I would have enjoyed the donut even without the icing.

Committed to the old-fashioned way,  Holtman’s Donuts are  created from scratch using the  highest quality ingredients, and it really pays off in the end. I will absolutely be back for more soon.

Holtman's Donut Shop on Urbanspoon