Food reporter’s notebook: The best restaurant food I ate around Sacramento in May

Eating out is just part of the job when you’re The Sacramento Bee’s food and beverage reporter. And every week or two, there’s a meal that really stands out.

It’s not the kind of thing The Bee would write up in an independent article. It’s just the kind of thing that makes me tell a friend “Hey, you know what you should try?”

I’ve been telling a broad network of friends about my favorite finds since late February, when I began writing The Bee’s free food and drink newsletter. You can sign up online for weekly recommendations, relevant articles and musings on the Sacramento restaurant scene.

These restaurants aren’t necessarily new, trendy or centrally located. They’re just stops I’ve come across on my neverending smorgasbord from Winters to El Dorado Hills, places that stand out for their ingenuity, taste and/or ambiance.

On a reader’s recommendation, I headed up to Citrus Heights to check out Extreme Hummus at 7820 Zenith Dr. in Summerhill Plaza shopping center. “Extreme” might be a stretch — we’re not really talking about spreads that punch you in the taste buds — but pleasant, unique, affordable – all those adjectives apply.

It’s surely the region’s only drive-thru hummus bar, and with at least six different varieties at a given time, ordering a triple sampler ($7 for three flavors and pita) seemed like the right move over the gyros, kebabs and bowls elsewhere on the menu.

I actually ordered two sampler platters to try ‘em all — cilantro jalapeno, roasted garlic and white bean, spicy chipotle, artichoke and pesto, Extreme signature and classic — and found the first two most to my liking.

God bless, Tori’s Place is a great time. Our hostess somehow guessed my Prius and I weren’t from the surrounding Del Paso Heights neighborhood, and kindly insisted my friend and I sample the house gumbo before ordering, in case it was too hot.

In fact, everything at Victoria Haggins’ no-frills soul food shack was just perfectly spiced, from the sticky, peppery riblets ($14) and their complimentary side of slow-cooked black eyed peas ($3.25 a la carte) to that chicken-andouille-shrimp gumbo ($13.50 or $25 for a double portion). Tori’s Place calls the house raspberry iced tea a comeback, as in you’ll be coming back to 1525 Grand Ave. real soon.

Sayed Haidari immigrated to California in 2012 as a former Afghan NATO translator with no restaurant experience. Yet Haidari’s home cooking translates (get it?) deliciously at Aria Afghan Restaurant in North Highlands.

Sandwiched between a pizzeria with Russian lettering and a Filipino video store (ain’t Sacramento great?) at 5601 Watt Ave., Suite 2, Aria’s home to mantoo ($13.50), wavy dumplings stuffed with ground beef or mushrooms and topped with garlic yogurt drizzle and orange split pea sauce.

The same condiments appear on dishes like borani badanjan ($9.50), baked eggplant over rice that’s one of many vegetarian-friendly items at the 4-year-old halal restaurant.

Hankook Tofu House gets slept on a bit compared to other Korean restaurants in the Rosemont-Rancho Cordova area (not having a website or social media presence probably doesn’t help). But I’ve yet to find a better spot than 9521 Folsom Blvd. for sundubu jjigae ($12-$13), the piping-hot stew served in a bubbling cauldron with soft, silky tofu plus vegetables and/or a meat of your choice.

My friend got the bulgogi dolsot bibimbap ($16), a mix of marinated beef, egg, carrots, onions and rice, with a crispy layer of the last ingredient lining the bottom of the stone bowl. Introduced with generous banchan — complimentary, often fermented little dishes served before the main course — it made for a memorable hot dinner on one of the last chilly nights before summer.