Best Sacramento-area restaurant dishes in July | Food and drink notebook

From grilled eel over omurice in midtown, torched burrata and brisket tacos in Elk Grove, vegetarian sushi rolls in Newton booth and sisig in Curtis Park, these were the best restaurant meals that I ate as a Sacramento Bee food and drink reporter this summer.

Sunny Side Breakfast

Brunch classics meet Korean and Japanese flavors at Sunny Side Breakfast, offering maple syrup with gochujang, hollandaise with yuzu and most importantly, rice.

The family-run, breakfast and Asian fusion restaurant soft opened last October, replacing Devine Gelateria & Cafe in midtown. Co-owner Angela Kanjanasiri, who has lived in Sacramento for eight years, opened the business with her family after years of working in restaurants. Though her family is Thai, the menu at Sunny Side reflects an appreciation for Korean and Japanese cuisine.

Her brother, Sakrapee Meeisara, who previously worked at a Korean restaurant, helped develop much of the menu. He is responsible for the restaurant’s most popular dish, the Unagi Tornado Omurice ($24). A thick slab of grilled eel dripping with sauce sits over a large mound of ginger fried rice enveloped in a soft “tornado” omelet, referring to a technique where the scrambled egg is twisted in the pan using chopsticks. The dish is finished with tobiko and unagi sauce, made from soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake. As someone who enjoys a little extra unagi sauce on my rice bowls at home, I appreciated the pooling overflow of sauce in this dish.

While the unagi omurice continues to be the most ordered item on the menu, Kanjanasiri’s favorite is the Hilo Moco ($23) for its medley of vegetables and mushrooms, smothered in brown gravy. The crunchy cabbage and carrot offer a nice contrast in texture to the soft Wagyu beef patty and rice. Although Sunny Side’s addition of vegetables and cheddar cheese sets itself apart from a traditional loco moco, it’s named after Hilo, Hawaii, where the dish originates from.

Additional breakfast offerings include the Sunrise Poutine ($13), an indulgent appetizer of tater tots, smoked bacon, gravy and Parmesan cheese. Though the poutine leaned slightly salty, it came steaming hot topped with a lacy, golden fried egg with a perfectly jammy yolk.

If you’re hankering for something sweeter, the Lemon Ricotta Pancake ($15) is fluffy on the inside and crispy on the bottom, which I believe is how all pancakes should be made, and with a gentle citrus note that doesn’t overwhelm.

Address: 1221 19th St., Sacramento

Hours: 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily

Phone: 916-594-9384

Website: sunnysidebreakfastgo.site

Drinks: Brunch cocktails, soju, wine, beer, hard kombucha, bottomless mimosas, coffee, tea, sodas and juices

Vegetarian options: Some options, such as avocado toast, pancakes, french toast, salad and the Impossible Burger; all menu items have the ingredients listed

Noise level: Moderate, louder during peak hours

Ever After Wine

Elk Grove residents no longer have to leave town for a wine tasting experience.

“Having a wine bar central in the city was something that I saw in South Africa, Portugal, Spain and other places that I had visited,” said Nadia Mincey, Ever After Wine co-founder and wine curator. “They were almost this hub or entryway to that region.”

Last December, Mincey and business partner Kelly Rhodes opened Ever After Wine Bar in Elk Grove. The two have known each other since their days at Joseph Kerr Middle School and Elk Grove High School, staying in touch through social media.

For those interested in a little bit of everything, the prelude flight ($22) includes the choice of four draft wines, sourced from California. While not all wines are keg-friendly, Mincey said white wines and those with lower tannins tend to store best on tap.

In addition to its wine offerings, the bar serves European-inspired small plates. One standout is the torched burrata ($23), served with prosciutto shaped into roses, sweet jelly tomatoes, fresh basil and crispy toasted bread. Mincey recommended pairing the burrata with the Two Shepherds pinot gris Ramato 2024 from Sonoma Valley, part of the wine flight. The savory orange wine complemented the tomatoes’ acidity, balancing the dish.

A favorite from the kitchen is the tartine ($13), the preferred dish of chef Christopher Escalante. Toasted bread is topped with house-made ricotta and finished with honey and rosemary salt, offering a well-balanced mix of sweet and savory.

For dessert, the raspberry pannacotta ($12) is decorated with raspberry and strawberry salt, adding a contrasting texture to the gelatinous custard. If you’re wondering why there are so many salts, it’s because they are made in-house by dehydrating fresh fruits and herbs.

Address: 9639 E. Stockton Blvd., Elk Grove

Hours: 3 p.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday; noon-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; noon-6 p.m. Sunday

Phone: 279-246-8888

Website: everafterwine.com

Drinks: Rotating menu of seasonal, natural wines, local beer, cider and nonalcoholic canned wines, beer and cocktail

Vegetarian options: Salads, olives, hummus, tartine and grilled cheese

Noise level: Moderate, louder during peak hours

Village of Om

The restaurateur behind Buddha Belly Burger, Andy Nguyen, has opened a sushi restaurant built entirely from vegetables, tofu and mushrooms.

Village of Om Plant Kitchen opened in December as Sacramento’s first fully vegan sushi restaurant offering rolls, nigiri and pan-Asian cuisine, just steps away from Buddha Belly in the Newton Booth neighborhood of midtown.

Luckily a lack of animal protein does not correspond to a lack of flavor.

The Village Oyster mushroom (half order $15) comes out crisp and golden on a triangular plate, with each chunk of blue oyster mushroom tempura-battered and drizzled with a sweet gochujang-based sauce. The mushrooms were easy to bite through, but I did wish they were cut into smaller pieces for easier sharing.

For sushi, the Smokey Vale ($18) is a play on the classic Philadelphia roll, replacing smoked salmon with smoked carrot, and cream cheese with a convincingly dairy-free vegan version. The roll is topped with lemon, chipotle aioli and dill resulting in a refreshing roll that balances acidity with creaminess.

My favorite roll was the Oshi Salmon roll ($23.50) which subbed salmon with Oshi salmon. Oshi’s fillet is made from soy protein, fungi protein, and a blend of vegetable and algae oils, similar to tofu. The salmon substitute is fermented and infused with kelp and nori, creating a fishy umami and smooth texture similar to thin-cut fillet. The roll was dressed with spicy mayo, light soy sauce and microgreens.

The Korean bulgogi ($29) came out sizzling and fragrant on an iron skillet. Usually made with thinly sliced beef, this version had a mix of king trumpet and shiitake mushrooms. Grilled until tender and drenched in a sticky, garlicky sauce, the mushrooms were sweet and spicy, with caramelized edges and a satisfying bite. Served with kimchi, daikon and rice, the plate is balanced and filling.

Address: 1915 S St., Sacramento

Hours: 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday

Phone: 279-222-4819

Website: villageofom.com

Drinks: Large selection of specialty cocktails, teas and bubbly fruit drinks

Vegetarian options: Every item is vegetarian

Noise level: Quiet

Spoon and Fork

One couple found a gap in Sacramento’s food scene and filled it with lechon, halo-halo and flavors from their home kitchen.

Longtime operators of the Lumpia Truck, Joanne and Ray Suavillo, soft-opened their first brick-and-mortar Filipino Restaurant, Spoon and Fork, on the Broadway corridor. Since May, the Suavillos have served up traditional Filipino dishes like tapsilog and lechon kawali, and new inventions like the sinigang-flavored chicken wing.

At the heart of Spoon and Fork’s menu are silog plates, a classic Filipino breakfast dish consisting of sinangag, garlic-fried rice, and itlog, or egg, paired with various proteins. The tapsilog ($15) features tapa, marinated sliced beef, served with tomatoes and vinegar. Other silog combinations include tocino, a sweet and savory red pork, Spam and longanisa, Filipino sausage.

The lechon kawali ($16), a deep-fried marinated pork belly dish, is served with rice and atchara, pickled carrots and bell peppers that offer a bright, acidic contrast.

Something you wouldn’t find in other Filipino restaurants are the sinigang chicken wings ($13), which deliver the tangy, tamarind flavor of sinigang, a sour soup, in a crispy, shareable appetizer. The wings are seasoned with a house-made spice blend featuring tamarind, onions and tomatoes.

Joanne Suavillo said that, though some customers think the wings are made with a store-bought sinigang mix, a pantry staple in many Filipino homes, she typically crafts her recipes from scratch.

Grilled peppery pork tossed with onions, jalapenos, chicharon and calamansi juice makes the sisig rice plate ($16). Topped with a runny egg yolk, the dish is spicy, citrusy and filling.

Joanne Suavillo said while traditional sisig is made with the head, snout and ears of the pig, Spoon and Fork’s version uses marinated pork chop instead. For dessert, customers can try halo-halo ($9), a shaved ice dessert layered with jellies, fruit, beans and Magnolia ice cream.

Address: 2022 Broadway, Sacramento

Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday

Phone: 916-758-6161

Website: instagram.com/spoonandfork916

Drinks: Calamansi juice, mango juice, soda, water

Vegetarian options: Vegetable lumpia, halo halo and turon

Noise level: Moderate

StreetZlan

After years in high-end kitchens and corporate catering, one chef has returned to his roots, serving street-style dishes like salmon sashimi tostadas and brisket tacos at a “smokehouse taqueria” in Elk Grove.

Co-owners Erick and Jessica Silva opened their second StreetZlan location in November 2023, offering a diverse menu of street food including tacos, sandwiches and barbecue, reflecting a variety of cultural influences Erick Silva has picked up over the course of his culinary career.

The Avocado Slayer ($12.50) is a refreshing appetizer of contrasting textures from fatty avocado, soft green apples and chilled black bean puree layered on a crispy tostada. The vegetarian option is garnished with dill and thinly sliced lemons.

The Salmon Sashimi Tostada ($14.50) coats buttery cured salmon and heirloom tomatoes over guacamole, with lemon, salsa macha and fried togarashi, or Japanese pepper. While there is a spicy kick, the variety of bold textures and flavors makes the perfect combination of fat, acidity and spice.

The C Street fish taco honors the original Galt restaurant, featuring a large piece of rock cod fried in an airy, crispy batter with cabbage and avocado. The fish held up in crispiness over the course of the meal despite being smothered in togarashi sauce.

Other taco options include chicharron, made from pork belly fried until crispy and its fat rendered, and brisket, which was juicy, tender and smoky. Both were paired with guacamole, pico de gallo and salsa roja, offering a fresh contrast to the rich meats. The tacos came in a 3 for $17 deal with an additional $4.50 charge for brisket.

Address: 9080 Laguna Main St STE 2, Elk Grove

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday, Wednesday-Saturday; 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday

Phone: 916-829-2471

Website: streetzlan.net

Drinks: Beer, sangrias, micheladas, agua frescas and soft drinks

Vegetarian options: Chips, salsa and guacamole, Avocado slayer and fries

Noise level: Moderate