Conan! What is good in Sacramento?
November 21, 2015 7:22 PM Subscribe
After I have crushed my enemies, seen them driven before me, and all that kind of thing... I'm going to want some food. I am a special snowflake traveler.
I'm going to Sacramento this week for work, including shortly before the holiday. I'm looking for food, tea, and any weird or awesome museums, bookstores, or other nerdy pleasures.
Food: I'm vegetarian, with soy and gluten intolerances. I love Mexican, Ethiopian, Indian, and anywhere I can ask a lot of questions.
Tea: I love tea. Mostly hot tea, but bubble tea is good too.
Fun stuff: I love museums, zines, weird landmarks or historical stuff. I'm fairly open-minded.
I will have a car.
I'm going to Sacramento this week for work, including shortly before the holiday. I'm looking for food, tea, and any weird or awesome museums, bookstores, or other nerdy pleasures.
Food: I'm vegetarian, with soy and gluten intolerances. I love Mexican, Ethiopian, Indian, and anywhere I can ask a lot of questions.
Tea: I love tea. Mostly hot tea, but bubble tea is good too.
Fun stuff: I love museums, zines, weird landmarks or historical stuff. I'm fairly open-minded.
I will have a car.
Oh! Also: Koreana Plaza is good fun for certain types of people. Half Korean grocery store, half international grocery store--good Russian bread, Japanese sweets, all sorts of stuff. I haven't been out that way recently, but last time we were there, the food court was also really fun. Russian burrito? OK. Yes. (It was not vegetarian, but of course other things in the grocery store are.)
There are a bunch of different bookstores; of the two we went to last time, I liked Dimple the best. The Book Collector and Time Tested Books are also on our list, but we haven't gotten to them yet.
Mahoroba is a Japanese bakery that I've never gotten to try because we're always delayed by book-shopping or something. But it looks good.
posted by wintersweet at 8:30 PM on November 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
There are a bunch of different bookstores; of the two we went to last time, I liked Dimple the best. The Book Collector and Time Tested Books are also on our list, but we haven't gotten to them yet.
Mahoroba is a Japanese bakery that I've never gotten to try because we're always delayed by book-shopping or something. But it looks good.
posted by wintersweet at 8:30 PM on November 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
Beers Books is the best used bookstore in the area, so there's that. The Crocker Art Museum is pretty amazing as well. Old Sacramento is an interesting lookaround near the Railroad Museum while you're over there.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:42 PM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:42 PM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Queen of Sheba, on Broadway, has very good Ethiopian food, and they serve gluten-free injera. (I ate there for lunch today, and just had leftovers for dinner. Yum.) Bodhi Bowl is a 15-20 minute drive from downtown, and has excellent vegan Vietnamese food. Andy Ngyuen's is closer (and also vegan), but I think Bodhi Bowl is much better. Lots of gluten free options, too.
I do NOT recommend the "Gold Rush Experience" walking tour in Old Sac. The tour guides play a character from the early 1850s, and if you ask them a question about anything that happened in 1855 or onward, they'll express bewilderment because their characters weren't alive then. I *think*, but am not positive, that the Old Sacramento underground tours are also character-led.
Tea Cozy is a great tea shop on R street. They don't serve hot tea, but they have an incredible variety of loose leaf teas. (I was also there today.) It's near Beers Books, which jenfullmoon recommended.
The Railroad Museum is very good and very interesting, but is often full of noisy children.
If you're totally nerdy and don't mind getting your history lesson without a docent, the Sacramento History Room in the downtown public library is really cool. Lots of neat stuff to pore over.
And if you're up for a bit of a longer drive, check out the town of Locke, which is maybe a 30 minute drive down the river. It's a history lesson in and of itself.
posted by mudpuppie at 8:59 PM on November 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
I do NOT recommend the "Gold Rush Experience" walking tour in Old Sac. The tour guides play a character from the early 1850s, and if you ask them a question about anything that happened in 1855 or onward, they'll express bewilderment because their characters weren't alive then. I *think*, but am not positive, that the Old Sacramento underground tours are also character-led.
Tea Cozy is a great tea shop on R street. They don't serve hot tea, but they have an incredible variety of loose leaf teas. (I was also there today.) It's near Beers Books, which jenfullmoon recommended.
The Railroad Museum is very good and very interesting, but is often full of noisy children.
If you're totally nerdy and don't mind getting your history lesson without a docent, the Sacramento History Room in the downtown public library is really cool. Lots of neat stuff to pore over.
And if you're up for a bit of a longer drive, check out the town of Locke, which is maybe a 30 minute drive down the river. It's a history lesson in and of itself.
posted by mudpuppie at 8:59 PM on November 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
For completeness'/future readers' sake, I'm going to embarrass myself by posting again: Sorry, I missed the gluten issues. Osaka-ya Wagashi makes mochi sweets, which are rice-based rather than flour-based; however, it might not be a good choice for anyone with a soy allergy. Some of the items are dusted in kinako (toasted soybeam powder), and I imagine it's in the air. If you have to chow down on hunks of tofu to have a problem, though, it might be worth a visit if you don't regularly have access to fresh mochi!
posted by wintersweet at 9:30 PM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by wintersweet at 9:30 PM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Cielito Lindo in East Sac is some pretty fab, inventive Mexican food. If you're downtown, Tequila Museo Mayahuel is also consistently good. (Disclaimer: I am not a vegetarian but I would be shocked if these places didn't have at least a handful of good options in that vein). Mother is a vegetarian place on K street that gets rave reviews and reportedly has a killer chile verde. (Personally, Tres Hermanas in midtown is my hands-down, no-question favorite Mexican place so I feel obligated to mention it, but it's more traditional so not sure how conducive it is to your parameters. The menu is online so you could always check it out.)
As far as Indian, I know a lot of people that like Kathmandu Kitchen on Broadway (Indian and Nepali).
Another popular vegetarian place: Andy Ngyuen on Broadway.
Sorry on phone so can't link, but Sac is a pretty small town and all are easily found on Google and Yelp!
posted by lovableiago at 9:33 PM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
As far as Indian, I know a lot of people that like Kathmandu Kitchen on Broadway (Indian and Nepali).
Another popular vegetarian place: Andy Ngyuen on Broadway.
Sorry on phone so can't link, but Sac is a pretty small town and all are easily found on Google and Yelp!
posted by lovableiago at 9:33 PM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Seconding Queen of Sheba. I was treated to dinner by Ethopian friends who vouched for quality and authenticity. Best Indian is Shaz at its rather hidden location on Airport road. The lunch buffet is a great bargain for excellent food. The owner told us the food was the same as they made at home. The Crocker is the museum to see.
posted by X4ster at 10:02 PM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by X4ster at 10:02 PM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Almost forgot - Do you have any interest in cycling? The bike museum in Davis, actually the bicycle hall of fame, has displays covering bikes from 1800 through to 2010.
posted by X4ster at 10:14 PM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by X4ster at 10:14 PM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Go to the restaurant 'Mother for veg food.
Then go to mid-town and walk around and around and around. Stop for local wine anywhere, everything is good, and look for citrus growing on street trees. Eat the citrus from the trees.
If you are there over the weekend go to the farmers market under the highway. Ignore the fact that is under the highway and get amazing, fresh, local and cheap citrus. It's citrus season - you've come at the right time.
Get coffee and Old Soul cafe. It will be amazing and so strong that you will see through space and time. They may have tea as well.
posted by Toddles at 7:56 PM on November 22, 2015
Then go to mid-town and walk around and around and around. Stop for local wine anywhere, everything is good, and look for citrus growing on street trees. Eat the citrus from the trees.
If you are there over the weekend go to the farmers market under the highway. Ignore the fact that is under the highway and get amazing, fresh, local and cheap citrus. It's citrus season - you've come at the right time.
Get coffee and Old Soul cafe. It will be amazing and so strong that you will see through space and time. They may have tea as well.
posted by Toddles at 7:56 PM on November 22, 2015
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posted by wintersweet at 8:21 PM on November 21, 2015 [1 favorite]