Exploring Sacramento

Celebrating National Pizza Day with my favorite pizzeria in Sacramento

February 9, 2020February 9, 2020 Posted in local businesses

Happy National Pizza Day! There are a lot of places where you can get a pizza in Sacramento, so it would be crazy to try to list them all. Instead, I’m going to share a little bit about my favorite pizzeria in Sacramento, so you can enjoy it next time you’re in town.

While it’s true that I generally try to avoid national pizza chains, I’ve found that my favorite pizza joint is actually part of the Chicago’s Pizza With A Twist empire. The reason? Indian pizza.

What the heck is Indian pizza? First of all, it’s delicious! But more importantly, you can get toppings like Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka, Tandoori Chicken, or Curry Chicken on a regular pizza OR you can get those same toppings on a naan bread crust!

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Are you with me so far?

If you’ve never thought about non-traditional, non-Italian toppings on a pizza before, please allow Chicago’s Pizza With A Twist to blow your mind in the very best of all possible ways. My favorite toppings are the Butter Chicken and the Chicken Tikka options, but I’m also very partial to their Butter Chicken penne pasta if you’re not feeling like pizza tonight. (Wait, who doesn’t feel like pizza tonight? Did you miss the part about it being NATIONAL PIZZA DAY?! It’s your national duty to eat pizza tonight, so order the pizza AND the pasta!)

Special bonus: If you order via their website, you can sign up to earn loyalty points towards free pizzas. SCORE!

So, where are you grabbing your pizza tonight, Sacramento?

Chicago’s Pizza With A Twist has two locations in Sacramento:

7431 W. Stockton Blvd., #170 (South Sac/Elk Grove): Order online here!
4391 Gateway Park Blvd. (Natomas): Order online here!

Celebrating National Kite Flying Day in Sacramento

February 7, 2020February 8, 2020 Posted in Annual Events, local businesses

February 8 is National Kite Flying Day, and guess what? Sacramento is a great place to go fly a kite!

As mentioned in my “K destinations that kick butt” post, during the A to Z Challenge, Old City Kites sells tons of high-flying kites in all shapes, sizes, and price ranges. You can find them at 1017 Front Street, Suite B in Old Sacramento, from 11 AM to 6 PM Mondays through Thursdays plus Sundays, and 11 AM to 6:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.

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If you’re in Rocklin, try Fast Track Hobbies (4420 Granite Drive, Suite 400) for all kinds of kites AND your pick of radio-controlled cars, trucks, boats, planes, helicopters, drones, and more! They also hold weekly slot car racing on their two tracks, so if you’re into going fast, check out their brochure for more info.

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In addition to kite-flying, you might also be interested in kiteboarding. As CapRadio reported in 2017, the kiteboarding scene in Sacramento has taken off, particularly near Sherman Island in the Sacramento Delta, where a good breeze is fairly constant. You can find several kiteboarding shops and schools in Rio Vista, if you want to learn how to get started in the sport or buy the necessary gear.

And now for some gratuitous kite images:

agnieszka-ziomek-uCyX_xn8Y1I-unsplash — Photo by Agnieszka Ziomek on Unsplash

ben-mater--p6vS3qwD50-unsplash — Photo by Ben Mater on Unsplash

klara-kulikova-Krb1mwPIUhg-unsplash — Photo by Klara Kulikova on Unsplash

Whatever you choose to do on February 8, I hope you’ll have fun getting outside and enjoying the breeze. Go fly a kite!

Celebrating National Croissant Day in Sacramento

January 30, 2020January 30, 2020 Posted in Annual Events, local businesses

Today (January 30) is National Croissant Day, and as a total francophile this is a holiday that must be celebrated.

I don’t make the rules. And I don’t make my own croissants, so let’s take a quick tour of all the French bakeries (aka patisseries) in Sacramento!

Estelle Bakery and Pâtisserie: At their Arden location (2530 Arden Way), this chic bakery offers tea service from 2-5 PM daily, with 24-hour advance booking for $32/person. You can also find them near the Golden 1 Center in their downtown location (615 David J. Stern Walk, #100), where a traditional butter croissant will set you back $3.25. Chocolate croissants are $3.75, almond are $4.25, and ham & cheese are $3.95. Pistachio and strawberry variations are available only on weekends, so you’ll need to make a return trip to sample them all, and don’t forget to try the croixnut – a croissant donut – for $4.75.

Screen Shot 2020-01-30 at 6.12.35 AM — Cappuccino and almond croissant from Estelle

Le Croissant Factory: As its name suggests, here you’ll find a croissant factory in a cute little café. Located at 6413 Riverside Boulevard in The Pocket/Greenhaven, this place is totally unpretentious, and at just $1.50 each the price is right for a standard butter croissant. Almond and chocolate croissants here are both $2 each. They even make a Veggie Croissant, filled with mozzarella cheese, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes, if you prefer a savory filling. Be sure to get here first thing in the morning (they open at 6 AM, 7 AM on Sundays) for the best selection, as they tend to sell out!

Screen Shot 2020-01-30 at 6.37.15 AM — Croissant varieties at Le Croissant Factory

Ettore’s Bakery: Located at 2376 Fair Oaks Blvd., Ettore’s is a European bakery and restaurant, and the chef-owner, Ettore Ravazzolo, is originally from Switzerland. Compare and contrast the French vs. Swiss take on the traditional croissant, which here come in a rather unique shape, dusted with poppy seeds. You can also sample mini versions of many of the store’s pastries, if you want to try them all! (P.S. Order online for quick check-out.)

Screen Shot 2020-01-30 at 6.38.34 AM — Unique croissant shape at Ettore’s

Paris Baguette: Although this is an international chain, originating in South Korea, the 1229 Howe Avenue location does indeed sell croissants, and therefore must be included on any completist’s list of croissanteries. For some reason there is no menu or online ordering available for the Sacramento location, but if you like to be able to grab your own pastries, then this is the place for you.