Gastro Monkey // 美食家

Since it's Taco Tuesday, I thought I would throw a quick blog up today celebrating. One of the great things about living in California is the Mexican cuisine. Everyone has their favorite taco shop, and it's always interesting hearing where everyone else likes to go. If I haven't been there before, chances are I would love to give it a try! One of my new favorites is Tacos La Piedad. They are known mostly for their citrus barbeque chicken which tastes pretty amazing. Eat it there or to-go: they'll send you off with some tortillas and fixins so you can enjoy it in the comfort of your own home. As for the tacos, I always debate between getting the carnitas, al pastor, and lengua. They didn't have any al pastor that day, so I went with the carnitas and lengua. The lengua was a little dry, but still flavorful. Thinking about it is making me hungry though. Where do you like to get your Taco Tuesday on at? Tacos La Piedad 2700 Northgate Blvd Sacramento, CA 9...

One of my favorite low key places to eat at is French Po-Boys One. Located in Tahoe Park where 65th meets Broadway; the parking is a bit crappy (it has a lot but the spots are tight and it's hard to get back on the road). But, I tell ya, it's worth it. Imagine a poboy in Sacramento that is on par with the poboys in New Orleans. One with freshly made bread. Daily. One that is made to order. And there you have it. French Po-Boys One.  This small mom and pop shop makes a fantastic poboy and fries to go with it. They used to have combo meals, but now it's all ala carte. If you haven't been yet, do yourself a favor and come by. If shrimp isn't your thing, they have a ton of other options like catfish, soft shelled crab, oysters, and non-seafood fillings. If you aren't into poboys, they also have fried food plates (fried chicken, etc). They even have tornado potatoes (which incidentally were created in Korea!), those long potato curls you normally get at the fair...

When I heard that Sacramento was finally getting a real izakaya, I was intrigued. Who doesn't love grilled meat on a stick (yes, vegetarians and vegans, I know... but grilled mushrooms are just as delicious!)? Newly opened after some delays, we finally made it out to give it a try. Located in the former Doughbot location, it's a bit small but cozy. By the time we left, there was a wait. If you get there earlier, you can pretty much have your choice of where to sit. Their menu is available online, but they also have daily specials. I wanted to try everything, but kept myself in check as I ordered the following:  * Negima (tender chicken leg and sweet green onion) * Nankotsu (cartilage) * Strip loin * Kurobuta jowl *  Tanuki (shiitake stuffed with tsukune, Binchoyaki sauce) * Duck breast with wasabi * Heart * Liver All of the items were grilled to order. Great place to go for a conversation while enjoying some yakitori. Most of the beers are Coedo, whi...

I have been eating at Golden Dragon for a few years (since 2009 ish?) and like its authentic Szechuanese fare. I like hearing the employees speak Szechuanese to each other because it takes me back to when my mom, her siblings, and her parents would all speak Szechuanese to each other. It only happened when they were all together. Around others, they would immediately switch to Mandarin. To this day, I can still hear and smell it all. Garlic, veggies, meat, shallots, being sauteed, the sound of the wok, the big chopper hacking away on the big wooden cutting board, and the sound of her and her immediate family, happily catching up after our time abroad. Those are the happy sounds of my childhood in Taiwan. So, Golden Dragon holds a place in my heart.  It is also why I was shocked to see that it changed ownership. The question came up - do we still eat here? I really wanted some Szechuanese food. Honestly though, couldn't hurt to check, right? It sounds really stupid, but we look...