California Michelin Guide snubbed some Sacramento restaurants. Read about them
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Michelin stars in Sacramento
No new Sacramento-area restaurants earned Michelin stars in the 2023 guide, but the area had a strong showing in previous years.
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Localis’ chef/owner hit rock bottom. Two years later, his restaurant won a Michelin star.
How many Michelin-rated restaurants are in Sacramento? Here’s the latest 2023 guide
California Michelin Guide snubbed some Sacramento restaurants. Read about them
California’s 2023 Michelin stars were just released. Did they even come to Sacramento?
The 2023 California Michelin Guide was released Tuesday night with no Sacramento-area updates. That’s a shame — there are plenty of other restaurants worth noting.
As The Sacramento Bee food writer, I think a few more restaurants should contend for Michelin stars next year. Meanwhile, chef/co-owner Chris Barnum-Dann of Localis — one of the two Sacramento restaurants with a star, along with The Kitchen — knows a handful of spots that deserve Bib Gourmands, reserved for quality eats on a budget.
These restaurants are Sacramento’s top star snubs, I say:
▪ Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine (3135 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento): Maybe Kru didn’t win a Michelin star because it’s too many things at once: an à la carte spot for everything from sushi rolls to bone marrow butter, a rocking cocktail bar, a high-dollar omakase spot once per week. But Billy Ngo’s Japanese restaurant in East Sacramento is relentlessly creative, insanely flavorful and regularly aces kitchen dishes while also offering the choicest imported fish.
▪ Hikari Sushi & Omakase (110 F St., Suite A, Davis): You won’t find a more technically excellent Japanese restaurant in the Sacramento area than Zin Khine and Sithu Tun’s omakase-only Davis spot. Only open for four intimate seatings per week, Hikari’s 20-course meals in a converted ice cream parlor are a sensory delight as much as they are a sushi education.
▪ Allora (5215 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento): Deneb Williams and Elizabeth-Rose Mandalou’s Italian seafood restaurant in East Sacramento came out of the pandemic only offering prix-fixe menus, which change every week or two. It’s still listed under Michelin’s “Recommended” section (formerly known as “Plates”), but an excellent wine cellar and items such as grilled peach gazpacho or short ribs with wild ramp salsa verde make a compelling case for a star.
▪ Canon (1719 34th St., Sacramento): Canon has earned a Bib Gourmand each year the Michelin Guide has come to Sacramento, its small-plates orientation evidently qualifying for the less expensive category. Yet Brad Cecchi and Clay Nutting’s East Sacramento restaurant should be considered for a higher honor thanks to dazzling flavor combinations (urfa chili drumsticks, 60-ingredient mole negro, Kurobuta pork chop with cherry mostarda and pistachio dukkah) and hyper-seasonal sourcing.
Meanwhile, Barnum-Dann thinks these places should have won Bib Gourmands:
▪ Binchoyaki (2226 10th St, Sacramento): Craig Takehara and Toki Sawada’s Southside Park izakaya retained its “Recommended” nod, but Barnum-Dann thinks the James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef (California) deserves more.
“I have no idea why Binchoyaki doesn’t have a Bib Gourmand. That is mind-blowing to me,” Barnum-Dann said. “I think it’s the perfect spot to go and create your own idea of what you want. If you want to go and eat until you’re disgustingly full, you can do that. And if you want to go there and have a couple snacks and some beer, that’s also a great way to experience Binchoyaki.”
▪ Kasbah (2115 J St., Sacramento): You don’t need to smoke hookah on the patio to enjoy Kasbah’s Middle Eastern-inspired bites, drinks and belly dancers. Barnum-Dann frequented Tanya Azar’s spot when it was open for late-night service and loves the lamb tortellini in almond milk when it’s on Kasbah’s menu.
▪ Gio Cha Duc Huong Sandwiches (6825 Stockton Blvd., Suite 200, Sacramento): Duc Huong’s lone Sacramento sandwich shop and market (four others dot San Jose) makes some of Little Saigon’s best and least expensive banh mi, which can even be ordered on garlic bread. Barnum-Dann compared it to a Bangkok food stall, several of which have won Bib Gourmands.
▪ Kodaiko Ramen & Bar (718 K St., Sacramento): Takumi Abe and Billy Ngo’s basement ramen and cocktail bar near Golden 1 Center makes a mean mushroom paitan and three-day tonkotsu, and stands out for its creativity in the kitchen as well.
“You can get a big bowl of ramen, and that’s fine. But you can also get shrimp toast or nigiri or raw fish, and any of these are going to be super flavorful and well-executed,” Barnum-Dann said. “If I was looking at Sacramento for a food tour and spots I wanted to hit for lunch or a casual dinner, I’d definitely tell people about Kodaiko.”
This story was originally published July 19, 2023 at 1:24 PM.