Best restaurant meals I ate around Sacramento in August | Food reporter’s notebook
My favorite August meals around the Sacramento region came at all price points, from Styrofoam containers of barbecue to surf-and-turf platters near the mouth of the Sierra Nevada foothills.
There were raw oysters in Natomas and Laotian bamboo stew in south Sacramento, lobster dinners in Rancho Cordova as well as Hawaiian smoothies from a casual joint north of downtown Sacramento.
Each meal had its own charms, and was first written about in The Sacramento Bee’s free weekly food and drink newsletter. Visit https://bit.ly/bee_food_drink_newsletter to sign up.
South Area Market
Past aisles of shrimp chips and rice flour sits South Area Market’s hot food counter, a cornucopia of Laotian dishes prepared without pretense near the intersection of Stockton Boulevard and Fruitridge Road. Founded by Laos natives Sisouk and La Soukasene in 1994, the market has been owned by their daughter Nancy since 2012.
The market’s dining room has been closed since the pandemic began, and masks are still requested. My group took our lunch to the surprisingly delightful Lawrence Park less than a half-mile away, where the city has installed cornhole boards, a ping-pong table and a shade structure covering several tables.
Greater Sacramento has roughly 11,000 Laotian residents, more than any other metropolitan region in the U.S., according to a 2019 Pew Research Center study. The Soukasene family prioritizes the flavors of that community with little bowing to broader American palates, though recognizable dishes such as pad see ew ($12-$13 depending on protein) and steamed catfish with peppers ($8).
Take thom keuang nai ($13), an intestine stew where customers specify how much beef bile they’d like ladled over the top. Or gaeng nor mai ($8/small, $15/large), a dark green bamboo stew from the rotating hot bar with pumpkin, straw mushrooms and a cut of heat throughout its earthy broth.
Try the rad nha ($12-$13 depending on protein) for a more straightforward dish with less spice; the flat rice noodles mixed with scrambled eggs, peanuts and Chinese broccoli in a pleasant gravy. And don’t forget to grab a lemongrassy Lao sausage ($3 apiece), which can be cut into slices or served whole.
Address: 5220 Fruitridge Road, Sacramento.
Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Phone number: (916) 427-9327.
Website: https://www.instagram.com/southareamarket
Drinks: Sodas, Thai teas and beer.
Animal-free options: Not many – ask about the hot bar, though.
Noise level: Quiet.
Rudy’s Hideaway Lobsterhouse
After years of driving by without stopping in, I celebrated a friend’s engagement at Rudy’s Hideaway Lobsterhouse last week. Founded in 1972 by Rupert “Rudy” Rudis and now owned by Steve Ryan, Rudy’s sits along Highway 50 near the Rancho Cordova-Folsom border.
Rudy’s shack-like exterior gives way to a high-dollar nautical theme inside, with several metallic, sea life-themed pieces by Fresno artist Tomas Castaño selling for north of $5,000 apiece. The plexiglass over our table showed shells, sand and ropes beneath.
Surf-and-turf dinners are among the most extravagant items, such as the prime rib and king crab ($73) dinner with clam chowder, a baked potato and vegetables. While the steak needed its accompanying jus or horseradish cream sauce to take on much flavor, the clam chowder topped with bacon bits was excellently balanced and rich without being overly heavy.
If you’re scared off by those surf-and-turf prices, the Thursday night Lobsterfest ($28) is a terrific value for a one-pound live Maine lobster, corn on the cob and a small basket of fries. The food truck offshoot, Rudy’s on the Roll, sells items such as fish and chips ($18 for three pieces of beer-battered cod) or lobster rolls ($29) around the region.
Handmade lobster ravioli ($30) was similarly delicious. The hexagonal pastas still had some welcome firmness after being filled with crustacean meat and Parmesan cheese, then doused in a cream sauce with shrimp and peppers.
Address: 12303 Folsom Blvd., Rancho Cordova.
Hours: 4-8:30 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4-8:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. Friday, 4-9 p.m. Saturday.
Phone number: (916) 351-0606.
Website: https://www.rudyshideaway.net/
Drinks: Full bar.
Vegetarian options: No mains. Appetizers include garlic cheese bread and grilled artichokes served with housemade aioli.
Noise level: Medium-loud.
Tasty Hawaiian BBQ
Tasty Hawaiian BBQ is a no-frills plate lunch joint for when you’re hungry — and I mean really hungry. Portions are enormous but extremely affordable, a benefit of the surrounding River Gardens neighborhood’s low rents.
Huli-huli chicken, or Hawaiian BBQ chicken ($9.60) as it’s listed on Tasty’s menu, was nicely marinated in its sweet teriyaki-like sauce and cooked long enough to take on a beautiful brown hue while remaining juicy. Take it as your main item with a little additional huli-huli sauce, or as part of the Hawaiian BBQ mix ($11) alongside short ribs and thin beef strips.
Tasty’s lau lau ($10) is another plate lunch option, all of which come with rice and macaroni salad over steamed cabbage (and can be ordered any time of day). Wrapped in banana leaves, the inner filling of stewed taro leaves and ruby-red pork has an earthy taste.
Don’t leave without trying one of the eight tropical smoothies ($4.49). I went for the Hawaiian chi chi (pina colada mix, strawberry and banana; no alcohol in this variation), while my dining companion opted for the Hawaiian sunrise (passion fruit and mango).
Address: 2309 Northgate Blvd., Sacramento.
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. all days but Wednesday, when the restaurant is closed.
Phone number: (916) 339-6615.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/TastyHawaiianBBQ/
Drinks: Soft drinks, including a range of dairy-free smoothies.
Vegetarian options: Nothing besides sides such as steamed vegetables, macaroni salad and rice.
Noise level: Quiet.
Oyster Bar
Duy Pan built a following for May May Catering, his Asian seafood provider in south Sacramento’s Little Saigon neighborhood, then opened Oyster Bar on the other side of town in September.
The bright North Natomas seafood bar is full of splurge items, from caviar service ($15-$30 for a half-ounce) to market-price crab, lobster and shrimp to seafood towers ($70-$182). Yet Oyster Bar equally leans into lighthearted gimmicks, including nautical decor, lots of specials and a button customers can attempt to stop right at 10 seconds for a $20 gift card and their picture on the wall.
An employee was shucking 10 varieties of raw oysters at his crustacean station on my visit, with source names like Rock Hole (Chesapeake Bay) and Steamboat (Puget Sound).
My recommendation: Get a mixed half-dozen ($22) or dozen ($38) and taste the differences in brininess and creaminess between the types, with the help of Oyster Bar’s questionably-named but refreshing “yellow fever” sauce (chilis, tomatoes, shallots, cilantro, lemon and fish sauce).
The crab shrimp balls ($15 for five) were a hit of an appetizer. A fluffy mix of chopped shrimp and snow crab hid inside crispy fried exteriors, with a hint of spice and a spoonful of aioli over the top.
Seafood pastas and stews comprise much of the prepared kitchen dishes. While both were hearty, I found myself wishing the diablo penne ($22) had loaned some of its seasoning to the étouffée ($32).
Address: 4261 Truxel Road, Suite A7, Sacramento.
Hours: 3-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 12-10 p.m. Friday-Sunday.
Phone number: (916) 468-6989.
Website: https://www.oysterbarsacramento.com/
Drinks: Beer, wine and sake, with an emphasis on King Cong Brewing Co. (on Del Paso Boulevard in south Hagginwood).
Animal-free options: No mains. Sides include cheese curds, shoestring fries, a mixed greens salad and Hatch chili macaroni and cheese.
Noise level: Relatively loud.
