As mall food courts go, the one at the Galleria in Roseville is a cut above.
The spacious (and always crowded) second-floor dining area offers a wide range of ethnic-oriented choices – American, Japanese, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese.
We dropped by the Galleria the other day and serendipitously grabbed a bite at the Gordon Biersch Tavern, under an umbrella at a little table for two.
The server was efficient and courteous, and twice the manager stopped by to check on our well-being. Nice touches for a food-court restaurant, where a top priority is turning tables – though we never felt rushed.
The brief menu offers fish tacos, wings, a roasted turkey sandwich, a cheeseburger, sliders and "signature garlic fries" ($2.50 to $10).
This being a brewery restaurant, there's plenty of German-style beer on tap.
GB started in Palo Alto in 1988 and has 36 fast-casual taverns across the nation, including Hawaii.
We found a winner with the fish taco. Blackened mahi joins pepper jack cheese, lettuce, mildly spicy rémoulade (think aioli) and salsa in a crunchy blue-corn tortilla nestled inside a soft flour tortilla ($4.95); we added avocado for $1 more.
We hit the tacos with shots of Cholula hot sauce and took big bites. Were we on the Baja peninsula?
Information: 1151 Galleria Blvd., Roseville; (916) 772-2739, www.gordonbiersch.com
Wine, cheese and thou
Would you like some cheeses with those wines, with emphasis on regional sourcing?
The second Sierra Foothills Artisan Cheese & Wine Festival will offer wine and cheese pairings, workshops, winemaking demonstrations, winery and vineyard tours, tastings of Rhône- and Bordeaux-style wines, a marketplace and more.
Tickets are limited, so plan ahead. The festival will be noon to 4 p.m. May 1 at Lavender Ridge Winery, 3030 Hunt Road, Copper- opolis.
Tickets are $40 ($30 for wine club members). A separate cheesemaking course will be 9 a.m. to noon for an additional $65.
Information: (209) 278-2441, http://www.lavenderridgevineyard.com
– Allen Pierleoni
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
• Read more articles by Allen Pierleoni
Order Reprint
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "Report Abuse" link below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.