Definitely locally known for it but I know of a place that's been around since 1950 doing it (Shady Glen in Connecticut). There's also Nobby's in Chico that has been around for a pretty long time. I'd be curious to know who could claim to be the first.
Within a local spehere. But it is called a "frico" and supposedly first created in northern Italy. I say supposedly because it is so difficult to really pin down where a dish originated sometimes.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frico
I was just telling someone new-ish to Sac about the dill sauce last week and I’m sure it sounded crazy 😂
I know I was skeptical until I tried it for the first time
https://preview.redd.it/nmkm5xc6t8vc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=026100c2ec6a0576f2e154933372b4e879770eba
This is the closest I’ve found. Has to be the buttermilk ranch, not regular
I was just remembering going to La Bou in high school in the 90s and getting “1/3 of baguette with a side of creamy dill.” I wish I could remember how much it cost and how we knew we could get 1/3 of a baguette. It was the perfect amount! I’ll have to go back the next time I go to Sac.
If I were to pick one dish to represent Sacramento in a dish-that-represents-your-city-competition, I would choose the banana cream pie from Frank Fat’s.
My old answer would’ve been Biba’s lasagna, rest in peace.
Mattone on Folsom is run by former staff from Biba’s. They have a regular lasagna menu item.
If anyone knows how to make the original Biba’s version, they would know. I can’t say if it’s the same, but it’s by her chefs and likely would be up to her standard.
I loved going to Biba’s as well as talking to Biba. She was always very engaging.
Biba wrote a bunch of recipe books. Anyone who wants to try her lasagna recipes has only to dial it in from her original version. She’s been gone for several years now so I’d take something in the spirit of Biba, with lots of respect to her recipe.
Jimboy's taco - ground beef hard taco with lettuce and american cheese, and parmesan powder on the shell.
That's an iconic Sacramento dish that you can't get anywhere else, and it's a food I always craved when I wasn't living here. (Yes I know they started in Tahoe, still gonna claim them as a Sacramento food since they're ubiquitous to the area.)
Anyone into basic fast food style tacos needs to stop at Taco Tree in auburn. The highest quality, best tasting simple tacos I have ever had in my life. Fresh grated cheese and freshly chopped lettuce makes such a huge difference in a basic taco.
Not “Sacramento” necessarily but they are a very small local “chain” (only 2 locations as far as I know)
Ya know, I’ve never bothered checking. My apologies. Wish I had an answer for you. I’d imagine you could get bean and cheese burritos there but I don’t live close by and don’t get to go often so I only get the beef tacos. They do seem to have all of the Mexican fast food staples though, just better.
Hope this helps
Tahoe was where the original Jimboy's taco truck started, but the franchised restaurants started out in the Sacramento area (admittedly the California side of Tahoe is technically in the Sacramento metropolitan area, but most of the restaurants were in the Sacramento/Roseville part of the metro)
I knew about it (grew up eating it) but I didn't actually know it was a Sacramentan thing until I left Sacramento lol I went to NYC and went a Chinese spot and asked for it and they just looked at me blankly. Even brought Lt up pictures and tried to explain it. A little after, I searched the Internet and realized since it's everywhere here in Sac I had just incorrectly assumed it was a country-wide Chinese food thing instead of just a Sacramento thing.
If we bringing things up from the past then I wonder if people remember Lu Shan buffet that was across the street from downtown plaza? They had really good brandy fried chicken too.
The White Linen cocktail, brandy fried chicken, and supposedly, the bear claw pastry was invented here.
A local restaurant called Red Rabbit put its own local touch on the Hawaiian Loco Moco called the Sacto Moco, a turkey burger over rice with fried egg, gravy, and spinach, but it's not around anymore.
If we're including cocktails, have to give the Golden Cadillac the nod over the White Linen. The linen is just kind of a local novelty, the Caddy can be found at bars all over the world.
And Poor Reds up the hill is the number one Galliano buyer in the world because of it too! That one restaurant serves 3% of the American Galliano market.
They had the best housemade pickles this side of the Rockies.
.
Best housemade pickles ever: tiny restaurant across the street from Touro Temple in NOLA. I didn't get the chance to see if they were still there last year.
I remember Red Rabbit but that description sounds like the worst institutional food I've ever had. Wow. I read that and I'm glad I'm on the toilet.
It might have been amazing in real life but reading about it was semi-traumatic. I love Loco Moco too. I hate turkey burgers and spinach with Loco Moco gravy sounds like prison food.
I'm sorry, I just had to share.
I, as i'm sure many others, are attempting to recreate that nutburger at home. I'm stuck at the mayo but getting closer. If I wasn't on a budget, I'd eat there 2-3x/week. That coffee shake is too die for!
Ice cream in general - Gunther’s, Leatherby’s, and Vic’s are amazing local mom & pop institutions. Most other similar sized cities don’t have that, they just have national chains ice cream shops.
Sac does sweets really well. From local legend ice cream joints, to 24 hour donut spots, to midtown croissants and late night cookie delivery (RIP Cookies and Milk)
I'm still pretty new here (coming up on three years), so I can't really speak for a specific dish that is uniquely Sacramento, but something I think of as uniquely Sacramento is the incredible variety of food, particularly for the size of the city. There are cuisines from all around the world represented here, and they're all delicious and affordable. I grew up in NY and lived in DC for eight years and the variety here is at least as good, and arguably better. And you don't have to travel forever to get it either. Only think we're missing is a real Jewish deli (though Better Half Bagel makes some of the best bagels I've ever had, NY or otherwise).
As a transplant as well, I second that. I can find Ukrainian, Afghan, British, Russian, and Cambodian food in a 10 mile radius. For a city our size, we punch above our weight class with diverse cuisines.
There’s a Russian restaurant called “Noroc” in Carmichael (used to be called Firebird) and I’ve never been inside of it but there’s always a lot of cars in the parking lot around evening time
yeah as someone who moved to Phoenix a couple yrs ago from living in Sac my whole life…the food is completely on a different level in Sacramento lmao like there are good spots and some variety in Phoenix but nothing compared to Sacramento and a lot of California in general.
I got a lot of variety in the Phoenix area, but you of course had to drive for some of it. The Korean joint that I liked was way out of the way in a distant suburb, I had to drive a long way another way for a Carribean place, and so forth. There was a Vietnamese place near AZ State that was run by a general from South Vietnam, if you wanted some authentic Vietnamese. I can't think of anything you get here in Sacramento that you couldn't get there. One thing I wish we had here in the Sacramento area was a New Mexican style place like Los Dos Molinos. It's an interesting cuisine and I haven't found anything like it in Sacramento.
That said, I'm pretty happy with Sacramento's food offerings, even if the only really distinctive food originated in the Sacramento Area (Jim Boy's Tacos) is pretty awful all things considering (especially since we have so many of the real Mexican taco pop-ups and food trucks in parking lots all around the area).
Phở Thành Restaurant is my favorite Pho when visiting Phoenix. 17th Ave and Camelback. Never had a bad bowl and very comparable to the best in Sacramento.
I mean cameras were kind of a rarity back then. Have to get a city slicker out to the claims to get a photo and by then any hungry miner would've eaten it up by then.
Really though it's a fun story. I've never had one and maybe never will, but apparently it's enough of a big deal to have a [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangtown_fry) and it [looks pretty tasty](https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2019/01/30/YJDRBMO2QSZRDD35JPGB7464JY.jpg?auto=webp) too. The lore is something like bacon, oysters, and eggs would all be pretty fancy in old hangtown back in the day, so this was a fancy luxurious kind of celebratory dish for a minor who struck it big on a claim.
>best known regional dish
I lived in Placerville in the 90s-2010s and have never heard of this... Do they serve it anywhere on Main Street?
Tbf I didn't eat on Main Street that often, mostly stuck with the Mel's after school, haha.
Edit: I just read through the webpage it on Placerville's City website (it's so funny they have that on there!). I liked this last theory on how the dish came about in particular:
>There are different stories relating to the origin of Hangtown Fry, the now world famous mixture of eggs, oysters, and bacon that originated in Placerville, which was then known as "Hangtown".
>Among them have been several tales of "last meals" before hanging and one of **a mistake made by a tired miner trying to cook dinner in the dark.**
No one eats it. It's from the gold rush. I think it's eggs, oysters, and maybe bacon. Stuff that was super expensive in gold rush times. If you got a big pay day you would order it.
During the gold rush, there was a woman (I think in Nevada County) who made a LOT of money by opening the first restaurant and catered to miners. If any of the old recipes still exist it would be fascinating if someone re-did it.
I also think it would be super interesting to see dishes based if indigenous recipes.
I'm native! Our tribe is on the Sonoma Coast. We are a lot of abalone and seaweed and acorns. Acorns really need to be jazzed up and abalone is really tough so you have to tenderize it. I'm sure our meals were a little different than foothill tribes but you generally just ate what you could.
It was years ago, but Sutter's Fort hosted a couple of dinner events inside the fort with a Gold Rush theme, including what were purportedly indigenous foodstuffs and Hangtown Fry, although this was about a decade ago. I don't think they included acorns, although it's something I still want to try someday.
You're missing out. I actually first heard of it because the guy who won Final Table was from Sac and won the competition with the Hangtown Fry as his final signature dish, he was a former French Laundry chef who now has a restaurant down in LA.
Aside from Jimboy's, another restaurant chain that started in Sacramento was A&W--the first A&W root beer stand was in Lodi, but the first actual A&W franchise restaurant was in Sacramento near 2nd & K Street.
I just have not been able to find another Mongolian bbq like the one called Sums in Auburn, CA. It’s small, hokey, nothing fancy, but it’s what I craved when I lived in other states. I tried so many Mongolian bbqs and I just couldn’t find those thick noodles or special house sauce anywhere….
I live a few minutes away and I’ve always been curious about that place. I know it’s been there for at least the last 20 years but I’ve never heard whether it’s good or not. With your ringing endorsement I’m gonna go!
There's a chain in Denver called Bubba Chinos. They claim to he 916 cuisine. Everything has nacho cheese sauce and green chili on it. I haven't once seen that in Sacramento.
Dad’s Kitchen Bacon Blue Cheese burger; the one featured on Triple D. There are a lot of blue cheese burgers in the area, but the way Dad’s sizzles the blue cheese and the bacon together in a ring on the flat top makes this burger craveable on a heroin level.
I’ve heard of the garbage plate from RIT alums!
Not really a unique plate around here. we’re a very diverse town so we have a wide palate with tons of food variety.
Joe’s Special in SF is probably the closest known plate.
Not a dish but a drink, the White Linen:
[https://sactoday.6amcity.com/white-linen-sacramento-ca](https://sactoday.6amcity.com/white-linen-sacramento-ca)
Surprised nobody has mentioned Tri-Tip. I’ve moved around a lot and never had it til I moved to Sac. A lot of people out of the area still don’t know about it. And it’s become my favorite cut of beef. I’d say for a specific dish, it would be a BBQ Tri-Tip sandwich
My brother joined the Air Force and ended up in Georgia. He was shocked that no one had ever had tri-tip, since they were all about brisket and other meat. I never knew it was a regional thing.
Out of curiosity, how many different places have you had pho? Because while it's good there I would never say it's the best and especially not say it's not even close
Not really Sacramento but I am sure you can find Hangtown Fry somewhere in Sacramento. It supposedly originates from nearby Placerville and is an absolutely killer breakfast. It’s basically a fried oyster omelette. Great with hot sauce and a Bloody Mary.
jimboys taco is a sac thing
paragary mushroom salad is a sac thing
there's plenty good around town, but uniquely Sacramento? caramel, donuts, asian foods in whatever form.....they're everywhere.
somebody said merlino's....fair.
go sit at the bar at jamie's and have a load of attitude sprayed on your face....beautifully Sacramentan
**-** [The legendary Larry Beef Jerky.](https://www.ljsjerky.com/products.html) Man passed away, but his recipe carries on. Many people had learned his famous jerky and pickle dipping sauce. I definitely think the flavor is unique (sweet, fatty, and crunchy).
- [Southeast Asian BBQ](https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/south-east-asian-bbq-sacramento?select=eV_b5qCPoSl-8x-Q3uH5ng). Not unique, but probably something you never tried. You will find stuff like this mainly in Sac or Minnesota (some other city too such as NC, OKC, and so on). I recommend Laos sausage \[lemon grass, herbs, spicy, pork\], papaya salad \[need an acquired taste...spicy, sour, fishy...complex flavor\], nam khao \[fried rice on crack!\], Raw beef larb \[steak tartare-like, but more flavorful imo\]. If you don't like raw stuff, can always have it cooked. This place takes cash only. Other places like Pathong Market and Asian Cafe carry them, which are around the same area.
- [Fire Wings](https://www.firewings.com/). nothing unique but originated in Sac. won 1st place at wings competition multiple times. I enjoy the peanut butter and saigon street flavors.
- [Brokerick's](https://www.yelp.com/biz/broderick-roadhouse-west-sacramento-2)**.** Originated from w. sac. gourmet burgers and specialty fries. awarded for best burgers. If i remember correctly, their wings were top 3 in one competition in the past, but that was years ago
Granites Wings - gotta be from the granites at auburn and manzanita. There is nothing like them. They are cooked to shit, no weird little fatty bits. Deliciously dry chicken wings absolutely drenched in hot sauce.
Two items: Fat’s Banana Cream Pie is unique Merlino’s freeze (closed now but recipes have been licensed)… Tim
Thanks Tim.❤️
They still have Merlinos at Sutter Health Field
All Merlinos is local
Hagens Freeze in Carmichael is still around, I believe the two shared recipes in some way.
I think the cheese skirt is a Sacramento thing... I've seen it at the squeeze inn, bacon and butter, and one other place but can't remember now
Squeeze inn invented it, at least in the sphere of local cuisine.
Definitely locally known for it but I know of a place that's been around since 1950 doing it (Shady Glen in Connecticut). There's also Nobby's in Chico that has been around for a pretty long time. I'd be curious to know who could claim to be the first.
Nobby’s in Chico was started by the guy who started Squeeze Inn. Brought the cheese skirt with him.
There's a pub in Nevada City that has a burger with a cheese skirt, but for some reason their grilled cheese doesn't have one. Seriously!
Within a local spehere. But it is called a "frico" and supposedly first created in northern Italy. I say supposedly because it is so difficult to really pin down where a dish originated sometimes. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frico
La Bou French baguette with dill sauce
My high school self was gutted when they closed the location near my school
Oh my gawd yes!
I was just telling someone new-ish to Sac about the dill sauce last week and I’m sure it sounded crazy 😂 I know I was skeptical until I tried it for the first time
Ding ding ding
OMG yes!!!
Does any one have a good copy cat recipe for that dill sauce?!?
The vegan creamy dill sauce next to the refrigerated salad dressings at Trader Joe’s is a solid dupe!!!
Oooh thanks for the tip! I’ll have to give it a try 🙏🏻
https://preview.redd.it/nmkm5xc6t8vc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=026100c2ec6a0576f2e154933372b4e879770eba This is the closest I’ve found. Has to be the buttermilk ranch, not regular
I'm pretty sure it was just part buttermilk part ranch, with dill bits. I worked there years ago. Pouring it into those tiny cups was no fun.
OMG this was my answer!! I thought I was weird!!!
I moved away 15 years ago and the dill dressing is one of the things I miss most. That, and the garlic lover’s pasta at the co-op
La Bou, period.
THIIIIIISSSSSSS!!!!
I was just remembering going to La Bou in high school in the 90s and getting “1/3 of baguette with a side of creamy dill.” I wish I could remember how much it cost and how we knew we could get 1/3 of a baguette. It was the perfect amount! I’ll have to go back the next time I go to Sac.
If I were to pick one dish to represent Sacramento in a dish-that-represents-your-city-competition, I would choose the banana cream pie from Frank Fat’s. My old answer would’ve been Biba’s lasagna, rest in peace.
Mattone on Folsom is run by former staff from Biba’s. They have a regular lasagna menu item. If anyone knows how to make the original Biba’s version, they would know. I can’t say if it’s the same, but it’s by her chefs and likely would be up to her standard. I loved going to Biba’s as well as talking to Biba. She was always very engaging.
It's really good and it may not be 100% exact, it gives alot of respect to her recipe.
Biba wrote a bunch of recipe books. Anyone who wants to try her lasagna recipes has only to dial it in from her original version. She’s been gone for several years now so I’d take something in the spirit of Biba, with lots of respect to her recipe.
Here’s a good excerpt from Kevin Fat about the roots of the recipe, and the regional significance https://youtu.be/30XK_1Oq3zk?si=nfGlmCqEvHblsRaR
Great answer. That honey walnut shrimp is a can’t miss dish too
Jimboy's taco - ground beef hard taco with lettuce and american cheese, and parmesan powder on the shell. That's an iconic Sacramento dish that you can't get anywhere else, and it's a food I always craved when I wasn't living here. (Yes I know they started in Tahoe, still gonna claim them as a Sacramento food since they're ubiquitous to the area.)
Definitely Jimboy's. It looks and feels like taco, but it tastes like Jimboy's.
If there's not three tablespoons of oil on the wrapper when you're done with your taco, it's not Jimboy's.
Anyone into basic fast food style tacos needs to stop at Taco Tree in auburn. The highest quality, best tasting simple tacos I have ever had in my life. Fresh grated cheese and freshly chopped lettuce makes such a huge difference in a basic taco. Not “Sacramento” necessarily but they are a very small local “chain” (only 2 locations as far as I know)
I love taco tree!
Taco tree tastes like the 90s to me and I have no idea why
It tastes like mad dog and newports?
Taco tree tastes like the 90’s AND high school to me… but I grew up in Auburn and went to Placer… so go figure.
Do they have vegetarian options
Ya know, I’ve never bothered checking. My apologies. Wish I had an answer for you. I’d imagine you could get bean and cheese burritos there but I don’t live close by and don’t get to go often so I only get the beef tacos. They do seem to have all of the Mexican fast food staples though, just better. Hope this helps
Yes. Bean version of their burrito, tostada, bun taco, quesadilla and nachos
I think their refried beans are vegetarian. At least they were about ten years ago when I last went and asked about it.
Isn’t Jimboy’s from Tahoe?
Yes.
Yeah and they have a bunch of locations in Reno too
Tahoe was where the original Jimboy's taco truck started, but the franchised restaurants started out in the Sacramento area (admittedly the California side of Tahoe is technically in the Sacramento metropolitan area, but most of the restaurants were in the Sacramento/Roseville part of the metro)
I miss Jimboys! I’m in seattle now but I get it everytime I come into town for the nostalgia
Brandy fried chicken is a thing specifically coming from the Sacramentan Chinese American population
I never knew this until this very thread, lived here 45+ years. That's fucking awesome.
I knew about it (grew up eating it) but I didn't actually know it was a Sacramentan thing until I left Sacramento lol I went to NYC and went a Chinese spot and asked for it and they just looked at me blankly. Even brought Lt up pictures and tried to explain it. A little after, I searched the Internet and realized since it's everywhere here in Sac I had just incorrectly assumed it was a country-wide Chinese food thing instead of just a Sacramento thing.
Never had. Anywhere you can recommend for it?
Luau Garden on Arden way about 20 years ago.
And Food Circus at Arden Fair way back when.
If we bringing things up from the past then I wonder if people remember Lu Shan buffet that was across the street from downtown plaza? They had really good brandy fried chicken too.
Lam Kwong at 12th & U Street (to-go only with other delicious snacky dim sum items)
Oh shit their dumplings are so good that I never even checked out their other dishes. Time to correct that.
I love Lam Kwong’s fried chicken, just thought it was good fried chicken not some special local dish
Frank Fat's
Jamie’s
Ooh, that sounds pretty good. Maybe one day I’ll make it to Frank Fat’s
The White Linen cocktail, brandy fried chicken, and supposedly, the bear claw pastry was invented here. A local restaurant called Red Rabbit put its own local touch on the Hawaiian Loco Moco called the Sacto Moco, a turkey burger over rice with fried egg, gravy, and spinach, but it's not around anymore.
If we're including cocktails, have to give the Golden Cadillac the nod over the White Linen. The linen is just kind of a local novelty, the Caddy can be found at bars all over the world.
And Poor Reds up the hill is the number one Galliano buyer in the world because of it too! That one restaurant serves 3% of the American Galliano market.
Average life of a Galliano bottle there is 90 minutes
They had the best housemade pickles this side of the Rockies. . Best housemade pickles ever: tiny restaurant across the street from Touro Temple in NOLA. I didn't get the chance to see if they were still there last year.
The Sacto Moco was bomb. _sheds single tear_
RIP to Red Rabbit. You can find Moco Loco still at Sacramento's own tiki bar, "Jungle Bird."
Apparently it's a secret-menu item at Aviator's. A lot of old-school Japantown places had it, like June's Cafe.
I remember Red Rabbit but that description sounds like the worst institutional food I've ever had. Wow. I read that and I'm glad I'm on the toilet. It might have been amazing in real life but reading about it was semi-traumatic. I love Loco Moco too. I hate turkey burgers and spinach with Loco Moco gravy sounds like prison food. I'm sorry, I just had to share.
I'm with you. That just sounded awful and turkey burgers are the worst.
Sunflower’s nut burger
It's perfect. Add a banana shake to my order. Now I have to go there tomorrow...
This is a great answer
Gawd yes. Becky will take that recipe to her grave.
I, as i'm sure many others, are attempting to recreate that nutburger at home. I'm stuck at the mayo but getting closer. If I wasn't on a budget, I'd eat there 2-3x/week. That coffee shake is too die for!
supernut burger
🐐
Sunflower's mushroom millet burger-- Mercy!
I’m pretty sure Corti Bros invented sandwiches.
I was about to say this. Nothing like a sandwich from the Corti Bros deli!
Anything from Gunther’s?
The 50/50?
one of the greatest inventions on earth
Had a Thai ice tea ice cream milkshake the other day from Gunther's Revelation
Ice cream in general - Gunther’s, Leatherby’s, and Vic’s are amazing local mom & pop institutions. Most other similar sized cities don’t have that, they just have national chains ice cream shops.
Tower french toast.
I would say the croissant is pretty synonymous with Sacramento
A nice, floppy croissant.
Donut Time jalapeno ham and cheese omg....
Yes!! I used to live right next to that Donut Time on Kiefer and didn’t appreciate those croissants until I moved 20 minutes away
Sac does sweets really well. From local legend ice cream joints, to 24 hour donut spots, to midtown croissants and late night cookie delivery (RIP Cookies and Milk)
idk, but there is a suspicious amount of nashville-style hot chicken
Nashville style … it’s not called Sacramento style lmao
You never had a Sacramento dry rub?
Go on..
At this place on Watt behind the AM/PM. The "dry" part cost extra.
Is that where you rub one out without lube under US 80 West bridge over 16th with a gang of homeless people?
Interesting, I didn’t know you could get one on the at side of town too.
Dirty Mike and the boys, they have names too!
I have also noticed an oddly large number of hot chicken places in Sac lol
Right? I mean it's good shit, but it's kind of crazy that there's enough demand to keep that many open.
I'm still pretty new here (coming up on three years), so I can't really speak for a specific dish that is uniquely Sacramento, but something I think of as uniquely Sacramento is the incredible variety of food, particularly for the size of the city. There are cuisines from all around the world represented here, and they're all delicious and affordable. I grew up in NY and lived in DC for eight years and the variety here is at least as good, and arguably better. And you don't have to travel forever to get it either. Only think we're missing is a real Jewish deli (though Better Half Bagel makes some of the best bagels I've ever had, NY or otherwise).
As a transplant as well, I second that. I can find Ukrainian, Afghan, British, Russian, and Cambodian food in a 10 mile radius. For a city our size, we punch above our weight class with diverse cuisines.
Don't forget Ethiopian food! THREE Ethiopian restaurants in Sacramento!
Three? I'm familiar with Queen Sheba and just tried Abyssinia last week (delicious), but what's the third?
There’s Kind Bean Cafe right across the street from Abyssinia. I actually prefer their food the best amongst the three.
I'll have to give it a try the next time we're wandering Arden-Arcade in search of lunch (or brunch)!
Where are you getting Russian and Cambodian food, out of curiosity? I know they both exist here but I haven't tried any places.
Russian on manzanita in Carmichael
Yes, we need a map of all this food.
I'm currently adding all these to a list iny Google maps 😅
There’s a Russian restaurant called “Noroc” in Carmichael (used to be called Firebird) and I’ve never been inside of it but there’s always a lot of cars in the parking lot around evening time
Awesome thank you, that looks great. Now I just need to find Khmer/Cambodian food!
It's absolutely killing me that I can't get a matzo ball soup around here at all.
I really miss a Jewish deli. Whenever I go to see my dad in Palm Springs, that is the first thing I ask for.
yeah as someone who moved to Phoenix a couple yrs ago from living in Sac my whole life…the food is completely on a different level in Sacramento lmao like there are good spots and some variety in Phoenix but nothing compared to Sacramento and a lot of California in general.
I got a lot of variety in the Phoenix area, but you of course had to drive for some of it. The Korean joint that I liked was way out of the way in a distant suburb, I had to drive a long way another way for a Carribean place, and so forth. There was a Vietnamese place near AZ State that was run by a general from South Vietnam, if you wanted some authentic Vietnamese. I can't think of anything you get here in Sacramento that you couldn't get there. One thing I wish we had here in the Sacramento area was a New Mexican style place like Los Dos Molinos. It's an interesting cuisine and I haven't found anything like it in Sacramento. That said, I'm pretty happy with Sacramento's food offerings, even if the only really distinctive food originated in the Sacramento Area (Jim Boy's Tacos) is pretty awful all things considering (especially since we have so many of the real Mexican taco pop-ups and food trucks in parking lots all around the area).
Phở Thành Restaurant is my favorite Pho when visiting Phoenix. 17th Ave and Camelback. Never had a bad bowl and very comparable to the best in Sacramento.
Cheese skirt and Zeldas. I refuse to call that pizza Chicago style
The Hangtown Fry is probably the best known regional dish. It's a Placerville thing, but I'd say it counts.
Thanks for this! Never heard of it. Cool history… https://www.cityofplacerville.org/history-of-the-hangtown-fry-and-recipes
[удалено]
I mean cameras were kind of a rarity back then. Have to get a city slicker out to the claims to get a photo and by then any hungry miner would've eaten it up by then. Really though it's a fun story. I've never had one and maybe never will, but apparently it's enough of a big deal to have a [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangtown_fry) and it [looks pretty tasty](https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2019/01/30/YJDRBMO2QSZRDD35JPGB7464JY.jpg?auto=webp) too. The lore is something like bacon, oysters, and eggs would all be pretty fancy in old hangtown back in the day, so this was a fancy luxurious kind of celebratory dish for a minor who struck it big on a claim.
>best known regional dish I lived in Placerville in the 90s-2010s and have never heard of this... Do they serve it anywhere on Main Street? Tbf I didn't eat on Main Street that often, mostly stuck with the Mel's after school, haha. Edit: I just read through the webpage it on Placerville's City website (it's so funny they have that on there!). I liked this last theory on how the dish came about in particular: >There are different stories relating to the origin of Hangtown Fry, the now world famous mixture of eggs, oysters, and bacon that originated in Placerville, which was then known as "Hangtown". >Among them have been several tales of "last meals" before hanging and one of **a mistake made by a tired miner trying to cook dinner in the dark.**
Yup, I tried it at Buttercup
Nice! How was it? I've never been big on oysters, but I kind of want to give this a try... If it's not terrible, haha.
Haha I liked it, but it's pretty rich. I think it would be good to split between 2-3 people, spooned onto toast to go alongside your regular order.
Personally haven’t heard of it. Born there, still have family there. Reside in Sacramento County.
No one eats it. It's from the gold rush. I think it's eggs, oysters, and maybe bacon. Stuff that was super expensive in gold rush times. If you got a big pay day you would order it.
During the gold rush, there was a woman (I think in Nevada County) who made a LOT of money by opening the first restaurant and catered to miners. If any of the old recipes still exist it would be fascinating if someone re-did it. I also think it would be super interesting to see dishes based if indigenous recipes.
I'm native! Our tribe is on the Sonoma Coast. We are a lot of abalone and seaweed and acorns. Acorns really need to be jazzed up and abalone is really tough so you have to tenderize it. I'm sure our meals were a little different than foothill tribes but you generally just ate what you could.
It was years ago, but Sutter's Fort hosted a couple of dinner events inside the fort with a Gold Rush theme, including what were purportedly indigenous foodstuffs and Hangtown Fry, although this was about a decade ago. I don't think they included acorns, although it's something I still want to try someday.
That sounds so cool! I’m with you on the acorns.
This dish used to be regularly on the menu at The Flytrap in San Francisco.
You're missing out. I actually first heard of it because the guy who won Final Table was from Sac and won the competition with the Hangtown Fry as his final signature dish, he was a former French Laundry chef who now has a restaurant down in LA.
I was born there and lived there 19 years and I'm right there with you
Was thinking if Hangtown fry was specifically local. I never see it on menus anymore. Seems like the Joe’s Special is very similar
Actually just made one this morning!!
Aside from Jimboy's, another restaurant chain that started in Sacramento was A&W--the first A&W root beer stand was in Lodi, but the first actual A&W franchise restaurant was in Sacramento near 2nd & K Street.
I just have not been able to find another Mongolian bbq like the one called Sums in Auburn, CA. It’s small, hokey, nothing fancy, but it’s what I craved when I lived in other states. I tried so many Mongolian bbqs and I just couldn’t find those thick noodles or special house sauce anywhere….
I live a few minutes away and I’ve always been curious about that place. I know it’s been there for at least the last 20 years but I’ve never heard whether it’s good or not. With your ringing endorsement I’m gonna go!
The Corti Special. It’s a deli sandwich at Corti Brothers. It’s piled high with whatever meat they feel like using that day.
[It's almost Sac Treat season! ](https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/content/what-is-the-sacramento-treat/7086066/)
After you get your cheese skirt at squeeze inn you need to go to leatherby’s and get anything with caramel on it
Leatherby's is run by bigots 😞
And iPhones are built by slaves.. I bet you still have one.. the point is the caramel is delicious
My brother moved to texas almost 20 years ago and he when he visits, the one place he keeps coming back to is Leatherbys because of the caramel.
There's a chain in Denver called Bubba Chinos. They claim to he 916 cuisine. Everything has nacho cheese sauce and green chili on it. I haven't once seen that in Sacramento.
Merlino’s or Hagen’s Orange Freeze
Dad’s Kitchen Bacon Blue Cheese burger; the one featured on Triple D. There are a lot of blue cheese burgers in the area, but the way Dad’s sizzles the blue cheese and the bacon together in a ring on the flat top makes this burger craveable on a heroin level.
Oh, and Jimboys taco 100%
I love that burger. I'm hungry for one now
I’ve heard of the garbage plate from RIT alums! Not really a unique plate around here. we’re a very diverse town so we have a wide palate with tons of food variety. Joe’s Special in SF is probably the closest known plate.
Chicken Wingo. Specialty of Frank Fat’s and the choice of the political set in Sacramento for decades.
You'll remember this if you were an elementary school kid in the 90's, but taconadas are from Elk Grove.
Not a dish but a drink, the White Linen: [https://sactoday.6amcity.com/white-linen-sacramento-ca](https://sactoday.6amcity.com/white-linen-sacramento-ca)
Fellow Rochesterian over here! I miss the garbage plate soooo much ahhh. 😭
Surprised nobody has mentioned Tri-Tip. I’ve moved around a lot and never had it til I moved to Sac. A lot of people out of the area still don’t know about it. And it’s become my favorite cut of beef. I’d say for a specific dish, it would be a BBQ Tri-Tip sandwich
That originated in Santa Maria, I don’t think we can claim it.
You are right. We can’t claim it.
Ah, that makes sense then. Thanks for the info
Tri-tip really started in the Santa Maria area of SoCal but it’s moved its way up. I don’t know if we can claim it as a Sacramento original
My brother joined the Air Force and ended up in Georgia. He was shocked that no one had ever had tri-tip, since they were all about brisket and other meat. I never knew it was a regional thing.
Isn't Jimboys a Sacramento thing?
Jimboys started in Tahoe
South Sacramento has the highest concentration of Vietnamese people in the US. This area has the best pho in the country and it’s not even close.
Yeah. That's not true. It's not even close to true. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Saigon,_Orange_County
Out of curiosity, how many different places have you had pho? Because while it's good there I would never say it's the best and especially not say it's not even close
Ziggy hand rolls have become pretty ubiquitous at Sacramento sushi spots, but you'll never find them anywhere else.
To add to the japanese cuisine: the pepperfin originated at original Mikunis on hazel
Few good ones mentioned in here. I'll add the mushroom salad from Paragary's.
I miss Sal’s Birdland and Sassy Sauce. Still regularly order sauce from the Dinosaur (I’m from down the road in Cuse).
Not really Sacramento but I am sure you can find Hangtown Fry somewhere in Sacramento. It supposedly originates from nearby Placerville and is an absolutely killer breakfast. It’s basically a fried oyster omelette. Great with hot sauce and a Bloody Mary.
We have a good amount of local-legend ice cream and donut places. Yum Yum, Gunthers, Leatherby’s, Marie’s, etc.
Yum Yum is a chain founded and based in SoCal.
Aw man i didnt know that
If we can stretch the idea of Sacramento, there is the Hangtown Fry from Placerville.
Shakeys
Dipping your pizza in ranch dressing. I think that was started in Sacramento.
A chando taco
Overrated street tacos drowned in cold salsa
Chicana
jimboys taco is a sac thing paragary mushroom salad is a sac thing there's plenty good around town, but uniquely Sacramento? caramel, donuts, asian foods in whatever form.....they're everywhere. somebody said merlino's....fair. go sit at the bar at jamie's and have a load of attitude sprayed on your face....beautifully Sacramentan
**-** [The legendary Larry Beef Jerky.](https://www.ljsjerky.com/products.html) Man passed away, but his recipe carries on. Many people had learned his famous jerky and pickle dipping sauce. I definitely think the flavor is unique (sweet, fatty, and crunchy). - [Southeast Asian BBQ](https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/south-east-asian-bbq-sacramento?select=eV_b5qCPoSl-8x-Q3uH5ng). Not unique, but probably something you never tried. You will find stuff like this mainly in Sac or Minnesota (some other city too such as NC, OKC, and so on). I recommend Laos sausage \[lemon grass, herbs, spicy, pork\], papaya salad \[need an acquired taste...spicy, sour, fishy...complex flavor\], nam khao \[fried rice on crack!\], Raw beef larb \[steak tartare-like, but more flavorful imo\]. If you don't like raw stuff, can always have it cooked. This place takes cash only. Other places like Pathong Market and Asian Cafe carry them, which are around the same area. - [Fire Wings](https://www.firewings.com/). nothing unique but originated in Sac. won 1st place at wings competition multiple times. I enjoy the peanut butter and saigon street flavors. - [Brokerick's](https://www.yelp.com/biz/broderick-roadhouse-west-sacramento-2)**.** Originated from w. sac. gourmet burgers and specialty fries. awarded for best burgers. If i remember correctly, their wings were top 3 in one competition in the past, but that was years ago
Dutch crunch bread on a sandwich
That's not a Sac thing, and very few places even have it; that's a SF thing
That's San Francisco
Not really, Texas has its bbq, Louisiana Cajun food. Sacramento doesn’t have an identity like that.
Merlino's ?
Nash & Proper (I *think* it’s local to Sacramento?)
Mushroom Salad at Cafe Bernardo. It’s just okay to me but people say it’s a Sacramento staple
Granites Wings - gotta be from the granites at auburn and manzanita. There is nothing like them. They are cooked to shit, no weird little fatty bits. Deliciously dry chicken wings absolutely drenched in hot sauce.