Finding Food in Sacto

I've been spending a lot of time in Sacramento lately, so I've had a chance to taste around a little bit. If you're ever in the area, here are my suggestions.

La Bou Bakery and Cafe: This place is open for the breakfast and lunch crowd, and serves sandwiches, salads and soups. The sandwich bread is nice and soft, very fresh. I had a combo of half a tuna sandwich and Chinese Chicken Salad, which was delicious. There are a few other items I'd like to try there, so I plan on going back. They have several restaurants around the Sacramento area, with quite a few just in Downtown alone.

The Blue Gecko at 1379 Garden Hwy (no website): The first time I went there we were able to sit outside, which is very nice, as the restaurant is located on the bank of the Sacramento River. One of my dining partners had the spicy fries, and I was so envious of them that I returned with other people the next month, and hyped up the fries so much that almost everyone in our 6-member party ordered them. They were not disappointed at all. The restaurant describes itself in an article as American cuisine, with a hint of Caribbean flavor. They have Karaoke one night of the week, in case you're interested in that.

Pyramid Alehouse (menu not included on website): I don't enjoy beer, and I needed to go back to work, so I didn't drink anything here at lunch, but I enjoyed my meal, and my dining partners enjoyed their meals, too. As expected, they offer sandwiches, burgers, and the like. I had a turkey burger which came with swiss cheese, and I added on carmelized onions and mushrooms. My friend predicted that they'd have good onion rings there, and she was pleased that she was correct. The service is a bit slow for lunch, though.

Texas Mexican Restaurant at 1114 8th Street: The service is prompt here, and the food is tasty, with the portions just the right size for lunch. I've heard good things about the Charro Beans, so I'll need to order those the next time I'm there.

Megami Bento-Ya Restaurant at 1010 10th Street: Japanese food with good prices and very generous portions. I had their chicken teriyaki, and it was quite good. I might try their sushi one of these days, because I've seen good reviews about it. It's a little place, and difficult to find due to street construction, but I'm glad that one of our friends had already been there and knew the general area that it was in so that we could find it.

Gino's Java Juice at 1500 7th St: I had coffee here about 3 times a week for the 2 weeks that we were having training across the street, not only because of its convenience, but because I really enjoyed their Black & White Mocha. Absolutely sinful blend of white and dark chocolate with espresso. No, I didn't have that every time. Their Chai was also very good, as was the Mexican Mocha. Their baked items were blechy, though, so I recommend getting your breakfast elsewhere. I don't normally have coffee this often, but when you're sitting in a training session all day, caffeine really helps get you through the day.

Hmmm...I'm now actually looking forward to going back to Sacto, but really just to try other menu items in these places.