Sacramento’s mid-town is a great place to grab a bite to eat. A small colony of artists, students and professionals, mid-town serves up the most diverse food north of San Francisco-and every bit as good. From five star restaurants and swanky lounges; to sidewalk diners and sushi bars, the River City is cooking up something for everyone. And in a town that is rapidly growing, Sacramento is staying up late to cater to theater-goers, King’s season ticket holders and good old-fashioned night owls.
Tapa the World
Tapa the World’s purported mission is to “Bring a little Spain to your table.” Judging from the sounds of boisterous flamenco guitars and spontaneous bouts of impromptu clapping from lively patrons, it is a promise fulfilled. Tapas are small side dishes of affordable Spanish appetizers that range from cured ham to sautéed mushrooms. Mid-town Spanish rival Aioli Bodega draws the affluent crowd with fantastic food but a steep bill. The atmosphere at Tapa the World is Pedro Almodovar eccentric meets Ernest Hemingway cool and the menu offers affordable cuisine and a laid back policy towards sharing. The attractive wait staff corrals rowdy mid-town locals while making multiple trips to the bar. Tapa the World features nightly flamenco guitar, which is fantastic, but first-date road kill. It is so loud, be prepared to use sign language. Also, packed seating can be precarious and uncomfortable. But the mouth-watering menu, extensive wine list, and tavern-style atmosphere keeps Tapa the World at the top of the list. Open 7 days a week from
11am-midnight.
Pieces
After rocking out at the Distillery or Old Ironsides, the bar crowd heads over to Pieces for over-sized slices of greasy New York Style pizza good enough for the moment but not the next day. Pieces can only be described as hole in the wall-in a creepy, literal sense. (Astroturf, anyone?). The atmosphere lures a shady crowd; a curious hybrid of the artistically odd and the downright questionable. Filmmaker Larry Clark might consider Pieces when scouting for talent. The service is spotty (I can’t help but think the staff has spit in my food) and the pizza is better at neighboring Zelda’s. Still, Pieces is fast, cheap, and open late-good enough for the starving artist and debt-ridden student. Open to 2:30 am on weekends, it keeps mid-town’s night crawlers well-fed.
The Blue Cue
Now that Sex and the City is over, the show’s avid devotees have taken their Manolo Blahniks over to the Blue Cue where they celebrate single-hood over a few gin & tonics. This mid-town lounge blends nightclub atmosphere with a full bar that churns out fruity concoctions of all occasion. But, this ain’t your mama’s pool hall. Don’t expect to see Fast Eddie shooting a few rounds at the Blue Cue. The pool crowd here isn’t exactly intimidating. (When was the last time you saw shuffleboard at your local pool hall?) The appetizer-happy menu ranges from sandwiches, frou-frou pizzas, and standard bar food that cost more than it should. The Blue Cue boasts an “eclectic and sophisticated” atmosphere and that’s mostly true-there is no dirty pool at the Blue Cue. The ladies are lovely, the food is just shy of very good, and the drinks keep the party hopping. The Blue Cue can be reserved for private parties and is open until 2:00 am on weekends.
The Pancake Circus
Finally, a greasy spoon that lives up to the title! The Pancake Circus is a retro diner and a Sacramento institution, courting capital professionals and tattooed gear heads in equal measure. It is also the only place you are likely to find a plate of eggs, bacon, hash browns and a hefty stack of pancakes for under $5.00. The atmosphere is circus-tacky with scary looking clowns peering down from every possible nook and cranny in the joint. Forget about service. The waitresses are old-school with coffee-shop sass, high-school cafeteria hair nets, and fond of getting in the faces of the hard-working bus boys. They also wear a perpetual scowl-especially at the mention diet catch-phrases like low-carb. At night, the Pancake Circus keeps college students fed with low-priced plates of food covered in brown gravy or with all-day breakfasts; oftentimes heaped with a cardiac-arrest sized scoop of cool whip or another fruity topping. At the Pancake Circus, you get what you pay for-and you’re not paying much so better lose any expectations you might have and just enjoy. Open until 10:00.
Rick’s Dessert Diner
Remember watching Lucy and Ethel down all of those wayward truffles speeding down the conveyor belt and thinking they had the best job in the entire world? Well, you can have the same experience at Rick’s Dessert Diner, a mini-sized chocolate paradise that mixes soda fountain cool and 1950’s kitsch with the best deserts in Sacramento-bar none. On any given night you can spot Rick’s by the line filing out the door lining lonely K Street. There is something for everyone, from ultra sweet hot fudge to five alarm frosting. Any dessert is worth waiting for. And wait you will. The tiny diner is so packed that the staff moves about like packed sardines and as if they only had two people in line. There are a few tables but the later it gets, the more likely that to-go is the best (and only) option. A single piece of cake can easily last a week if you want it to-and considering a slice of cake costs as much as four lattes—that’s the best option. Rick’s is a calorie rich environment. There are no diet options so don’t embarrass yourself by asking. Rick specializes in mouth-watering delights: cakes, butter-cream frostings, ice cream sundaes, real whipped cream. It’s all here in this modern-day version of the classic diner. Open until 11pm on weekdays and 1am on Friday and Saturday.
Rubicon Brewing Company
It is in fact true that you can go somewhere where everyone still knows your name-and it is smack dab in the heart of mid-town. The Rubicon is the friendliest brewpub in Sacramento; a locals hangout where the Sacramento Kings games are always on. From the bartenders to the flirty (but busy) waitresses, nothing seems to ever change at the Rubicon. The food is nothing special with the exception of the fish and chips, which are great with a pint of apple cider. The horseradish is second to none and makes a great dipping sauce for their famous criss-cut fries. The hot wings live up to their name-and then some. But it is the beer, the unpretentious atmosphere and the generous sidewalk seating that lures out the locals, even on the hottest summer nights. Mid-town has been invaded by young San Francisco upstarts in recent years but has stayed clear of the Rubicon. The Rubicon one of the few places faithful to midtown’s old style charm; from the old guys at the bar to what’s on tap. The Rubicon is open until 11:30pm on weekdays and 12:30 on weekends. Breakfast is served on Saturdays and Sundays.
Cafe Marika
Can’t jet set to Europe? Luckily, there’s Café Marika’s; a European bistro that looks like the average family dining room, is about that big, and is run by two people that look an awful lot like your parents. But rest-assured they cook better then mom and dad. For the price of a round-trip ticket to Europe these days, you would be able to eat at Marika’s for the rest of your life. A traditional Hungarian bistro, Café Marika serves up weighty plates of goulash tastier than that macaroni concoction mom used to make. Each meal comes with a tangy side of purplish cabbage, a salad, and an apple turnover. It is the best comfort food in Sacramento. Do yourself a favor and splurge on a bottle of the Hungarian wine they call Bull’s Blood. The complete meal is reasonably priced. Five star restaurants charging $25.00 for a single, albeit, aestithetically pleasing ravioli should take a lesson from Marika’s. The food is twice as good and the service is friendly and personal. The atmosphere is nothing to be desired and if you want to talk, do so quietly. Marika’s is so tiny that everyone becomes an eavesdropper. With only three tables, call ahead. Open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday until 10:00pm. Lunch is served Monday-Friday.
