In William Land Park. 15th Ave off of Land Park Drive
I know I've been a bit MIA recently but I have a good excuse...really! My dad's in town visiting from out of state. We've been spending a lot of time eating out and cruisin' around town, so my kitchen activities have been pushed to the back burner temporarily. I can't help it- my dad's one of the coolest people to hang out with. He loves to try new food and since he used to live in Sac he'd rather go explore a farmers' market with me then hit up a museum. In fact today, we went and checked out the Thursday's farmers' market on Florin Road. I'd never been there and was actually quite impressed with the selection. Mind you, I'm not about to give up my Sunday W Street farmers' market buuuuuuuuuut Florin had a lot more selection then the weekday markets by the Capitol. It's also really handy if you want to get some fresh produce to cook up for a Friday or Saturday night dinner. I also dialed him in to my favorite banh mi joint (
Duc Huong) and we popped by there to grab some sandwiches for lunch and a few of their delicious garlic rolls.
Yesterday, we checked out the WPA Rock Garden in Land Park which I immediately fell in love with. Have you been there before? Nestled in the middle of the park, right next to Fairytale Town is this tranquil little garden. It's been there for over 70 years (built as part of the New Deal's Work Projects Administration). If you're curious- it's on 15th Avenue just off of Land Park Drive. Park on the side of Fairytale Town, just follow the foot path by the sign. It'll lead you through the lovingly groomed bushes, trees and paths. The garden was so peaceful! I could definitely see myself coming here often and settling in on the circular stone bench under a crepe myrtle with a book and some coffee for some quiet time.
Afterwards my dad and I went over to
Harry's Cafe for lunch. We filled up on big servings of chow fun and bun; when we left, we noticed someone was drying jujubes on a large tarp around the corner from the restaurant. Jujubes are a type of Chinese date. Raw they taste a crisp apple. But oftentimes, they're dried and used in teas, medicines or eaten as a snack. I thought it was pretty awesome that they were just drying them on the city street, but the worrywart part of me was thinking, "Gee, I hope a dog doesn't pee on them!"
We also stopped by McKinley Park on the way home for a stroll. In the garden, we happened upon some rose hips. These didn't look like they were ripe yet but it was still pretty cool to stumble across them. What
doesn't grow in our fab city?
All sorrows are less with bread. ” ~Miguel de
Cervantes, Don Quixote
6825 Stockton Blvd Ste 200, Sacramento,
CA 95823. (916) 428-1188.
Years ago, I got hooked on banh mi at New Paris Bakery on Stockton Blvd. It was cheap, tasty, fresh...and cheap...oh wait, did I already mention that? When New Paris closed, I was devastated. You see, they made the best baguettes in town. Their bread was the perfect amount of crunchy on the outside and was soft as a cloud inside. I gave up banh mi for awhile after they shuttered their doors. Eh, I didn't need all those carbs, right? Eventually though, I began to miss my sandwiches and got talked into going to Huong Lan. Turned out that they serve up a delicious banh mi and the bread there was good (though not great). It satiated my banh mi cravings...that is until recently. Awhile back, I noticed that their sandwiches had got slightly smaller and the bread wasn't quite as tasty (sometimes even stale). So I started looking around and came across Duc Huong across the street. The banh mi there are comparable (fresh veggies and tender meat), the shop is clean and the staff is super nice. There's been a few times that I wished that they could put in a little more meat and slap on a wee bit more mayo...but those thoughts are tossed aside once I bite into the bread. Oh, the bread! The bread is delish and has the most wonderful aroma! It's almost like the bread that I used to get at New Paris Bakery. Light and airy with a delicate glossy, crunchy exterior. Even better news, is that they sell their baguettes as well as these fantastic sandwich rolls. They have sesame and wheat usually up front in the cases but if you order at the counter, they have freshly baked garlic rolls.
Buy the garlic rolls! They're quite big (think roughly the size of a mini-Nerf football) and are only 4 for a $1. They're great for making sandwiches at home (which is what I do since I can stuff as much filling as I want in them) or for just noshing on with some soft cheese or pate. If you don't see them on the bread rack right behind the cashier, just ask; they'll bring out some fresh out of the oven ones from the back.
Currently: $1.75 small banh mi, $3.00 full-sized banh mi.
Baguettes $1.00, Rolls 4/$1.
Cash only.
