1309 Florin Road, Suite F. Sacramento, CA 95831. (916) 421-4259.

Is there anything better than holding a piping hot bao on a cold day? It’s like a mini-hand heater and a tasty, toasty treat all wrapped up into one. I recently introduced the kidlets to bao. When I brought a box home for Sunday breakfast, the little scallywags gave me the stinkeye. “What is this blob of dough you’re handing me?” I’m sure their suspicious little minds were thinking, “Is it full of something disgusting? Anchovies? Natto? Liver?”  When I described it as being a Chinese Hot Pocket (work with me here, they’re kids) and stuffed full of BBQ pork, they let down their guard and took one. Kidlet #2, Mr. Picky Picky, even liked it!

If you’re unfamiliar with bao, they are steamed or baked buns stuffed with a variety of yummy fillings like – cha siu pork, Chinese sausage (lap cheong), coconut custard, egg and mung bean, black sesame paste or pickled, spicy veggies.  The steamed bao are a pillowy white and a bit chewy. The baked ones are breadier, with a shiny glaze.

Baked Bao

For the past year or so, my favorite place to buy bao in Sacramento is at a little hole in the wall shoppe called ABC Bakery in the Pocket/Greenhaven (although Lam Kwong Market downtown is a close second).  ABC Bakery is located off Florin Road in the “Old” Bel Air shopping center. (If you’re looking directly at Bel-Air, it’s along the right side, around the corner of the building.)  It’s a very small store and there’s almost always a line. Items  run out quick- so get there early if you want the best availability. On a recent Sunday, I got there around 9am and bought some of their baked cha siu pork bao, curry chicken bao and a few hot dog bao (slices of hot dog and green onions mixed in with the dough). I'll be honest, I do normally like a little more meat in my bao than what ABC does but I like the fact that everything there is freshly made.  On my last visit, I also picked up some shrimp dumplings which were quite delicious. The egg tarts here (I wish I knew their recipe for their wonderful flaky crust) and (seasonal) moon cakes have also been really good during past visits.

Shrimp Dumplings

Some people I know have bitched about the customer service at ABC citing that’s it’s very abrasive but everyone I've encountered there has always been polite. They aren't usually Chatty Kathys but then again they’re trying to keep the line moving. Here’s a tip, look at the menu and know what you want before you get to the front of the line. That'll keep you from catching flack from the staff as well as the patrons behind you. ☺

5090 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95819. (916) 739-1348
http://www.lesbauxbakery.com

Some restaurants seem to struggle with an identity crisis and in my opinion Les Baux is one of them. Is it a bakery? A coffee shop? A French-style bistro? I don't know and I don't think they really do either. Tucked away on a corner of a shopping strip near Trader Joe's in East Sac, it's easy to overlook it if you don't know it's there. The interior is quite cute- lots of natural wood, simple modern lines, large windows and loads of sunlight. There's even a lovely, small, sunny patio area outside for dining. My only suggestion? Spread the tables out a bit. They're so scrunched together that it makes it difficult for people to get to their table or make their way to the restroom. For patrons with a disability, the narrow maze of chairs would be a nightmare.

The first time I went was for brunch. Les Baux is owned by the owners of La Bou and when you walk in you're greeted by a glass case for breads and pastries. I was there early on a Sunday and there were only a smattering of breads, scones and cookies out. How odd. My friend and I decided to dine inside and were told to seat ourselves. The menu's pretty short but it has some nice variety and you can order breakfast or lunch items. I opted for the "3-day" french toast and my friend got a cup of the croissant pudding and a side of Applewood-smoked bacon. Her bacon looked great- thick slabs, cooked nice and crispy and she said the pudding was delicious. My french toast was quite good- nice, big slices of light bread and lots of fresh fruit, served with a side of maple syrup. What annoyed me though was the coffee situation- Les Baux doesn't give you refills. That's fine if you're running a coffee shop but if you're running a restaurant, refills should be free or at least cheap. My coffee was brought to me when we placed our order but by the time our food came, the coffee left in my mug was pretty cold...a warm up would have been nice. I kept waiting for our waitress to come back by but she never did until it was time to bring the check. My friend was the one who clued me in that the place doesn't refresh your coffee. What a crock! How am I supposed to get my morning caffeine hit? Their reasoning it turns out is that each cup is hand brewed...big whoop! I had some and though it may have been freshly made it tasted just mediocre. (Les Baux's coffee reminded me of Starbuck's coffee- slightly bitter...which I'm not a huge fan of. If you want excellent hand brewed coffee, try Broadacre or Temple. They know how to do drip coffee right.) Anyhow, if that's the coffee quality they're going to serve then they really should just ditch the individual coffeemaking process and just make a pot. And yes, I really think for customers who are dining in-house, coffee refills should be gratis. Oh and just a heads up to their staff, if you bring someone coffee and cream...give them a spoon, a stick or something to stir it with! (Reference Waiting Tables 101.)


My second visit there was to meet up with a friend for lunch. She was already there when I arrived so we sat indoors. Right off the bat, I noticed that the dining room was riddled with a ton of flies. Big black flies zooming around the customers and flitting around the food- it was extremely off putting. I ended up having to swat them away from our table throughout most of the meal. For lunch, my friend and I decided to share the calamari. For our entrees, she went with the moules frites (mussels and fries) and I went with the lunch special of duck confit salad. The grilled calamari wasn't bad, it was served with a garlic-infused olive oil, kaffir lime zest and capers. Although I could see a couple of garlic cloves thrown in the mix, I couldn't detect any garlic taste in the actual appetizer. It pretty much just tasted like baby squid pieces a top of a pool of olive oil. Eh. My major gripe I had with the dish though was that half the dish was shrimp. Nowhere on the menu did it mention shrimp being in this dish. Felt like a bit of bait and switch....


My duck confit salad was much better. It was well cooked and flavorful. The salad greens that accompanied it were fresh and crisp and I enjoyed the little green beans and large crunchy croutons that were interspersed throughout. My only complaint was that the dish was a bit dry; however, a little drizzle of vinaigrette on the salad would have rectified that. I'm not sure if the dish wasn't supposed to have a dressing or if they just forgot to put some on. My guess is the latter. For dessert, I thought for sure they'd blow us away in this category (after all, Les Baux is a bakery first and foremost) but the small apple pastry they brought out was quite unremarkable. Also, the service we received was spotty. Our waitress this time was friendly but seemed quite inexperienced and wasn't knowledgeable about the restaurant's menu or the lunch specials.


Overall, I wasn't wowed by Les Baux. I do love the space but both the food and service were unimpressive and the lack of coffee refills is a bit annoying. There's a multitude of better bistros and cafes in the Midtown/East Sac neighborhood and I just don't see myself frequenting this one.

Received the email below today and for those of you who used to order Kira's pies and picked them up at Corti's back in the day, you know how delicious her pies, galettes and quiches are.


Dear Valued Customers and Friends:
 
It is with immense happiness that I announce the rebirth of the Real Pie Company.
On Friday, August 30th, I will begin offering a limited menu of Real Pies two afternoons a week to my customers. The pies will be available on the 30th at East Sac Mercantile (http://eastsacmercantile.com) from 2:30pm to 5:30pm. The pies will then (after the 30th) be available every Thursday and Friday afternoon from 2:30pm to 5:30pm. The Mercantile is located at 3257 Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento, and has ample street parking. I plan to expand my baking days in October to include Saturdays.
 
(*Note: I will NOT be baking Thurs/Fri, September 19/20).
 
(* Note: I cannot take credit cards until the first week of September! Cash or checks only on the 30th. Sorry about that).

As always, our menu will change weekly depending on the produce we are able to source from our region's wonderful small family farms. Each week, I will send out the menu of available pies to subscribers of my email list. (Important: If you would like to be removed from our email list, please unsubscribe below).
 
In addition to our ever-changing seasonal pies, tarts and galettes, “staple” items that will (usually) be on the menu include our Jumbleberry pie (packed with blackberries, blueberries, cherries and raspberries) and some version of our rustic apple galette (or pie), simply because there’s always such a high demand for these items.
 
Unfortunately, I cannot take pie reservations at this time due to my limited production. Sorry about that.
 
I look forward – with much joy – to be baking for you again. If you have any questions or comments, please email me at kira@realpiecompany.com.
 
Warmest regards,
Kira O’Donnell
Real Pie Company
East Sac Mercantile
3257 Folsom Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95816

www.realpiecompany.com (website under construction at the moment!)

1820 29th Street, Sacramento, CA 95816.
(916) 376-7752
http://www.pushkinsbakery.com/

6127 Mack Road, Sacramento, CA 95823. (916) 427-8598.

Hope you're having a relaxing holiday week, readers and are all ready to welcome in the new year. I was doing some sorting on the laptop today and came across a forgotten photo I took a few weeks back when Mr. S. and I snuck off to South Sac for a quick a.m. coffee and a bagful of señorita bread from Starbread Bakery. Mmmm, señorita bread...my mouth's watering just thinking about that trip. For just $2, you get 5 pipin' hot sweet rolls drizzled with a hint of honey. It's just the perfect bit of sweetness to get you started in the early morning. What are you waiting for? Go get some....

Who says Sacramento has no late night eats? Got the post-bar crawl munchies? Suffering from a bout of insomnia? Or just looking to top off an awesome date? Head to Marie's Donuts. Yes, yes the Marie's on Freeport Blvd...that's the one! Mosey on over there and grab a bag of warm, straight-from-the-oven donut holes at 1am when they open. Nosh on those and you're sure to have sweet dreams.