Welcome to Eating Through Roseville (and more)!

What’s next on my list? (in no particular order)

RESTAURANT	WHERE	WHAT
AhiPoki	Douglas & Sierra College	Poke
Anatolian Table	Lonetree Blvd (RC Willey shopping center)	Turkish
BF Miyabi	Douglas (across from Target)	Sushi
BarnBurner	Granite Drive (Rocklin, across from Safeway)	Breakfast/Brunch
Bawarchi Indian Cuisine	Pleasant Grove & Fairway (Nugget Center)	Indian
Bennett’s Kitchen Bar Market	Eureka & Lead Hill	Modern American
Bounty Hunters Grind & Grill	Vernon St.	Breakfast, Sandwiches, BBQ
Chicha Peruvian Kitchen & Cafe	Sunrise & Cirby	Peruvian
Crepe n Waffles	Pleasant Grove & Foothills	Crepes
Crumbl Cookies	Fairway & Stanford Ranch	Cookies
Dog Haus Biergarten	Blue Oaks & Woodcreek Oaks	Sausages & Pub Food
Flour Dust Pizza CO	Foothills & Junction	Pizza
Galpão Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse	Eureka & N. Sunrise	Brazilian Steakhouse
Greenhouse Cafe & Catering	Auburn Blvd (just south of 80)	Cafe/Coffee/Beer
Himalaya-Hub	Sunrise & Cirby	Himalayan
Huckleberry’s Breakfast & Lunch	Fairway & Five Star	Breakfast/Brunch
Indo-Chinese Food, Nepalese Food (COMING SOON)	Harding Blvd (next door to Almond Tree)	Nepalese
Its Sushi	Foothills & Junction	Sushi
Kabab Hut	Stanford Ranch & Five Star	Mediterranean
Kitchen 747	Pleasant Grove (West of Fiddyment)	Modern American
La Popular Roseville	Roseville Parkway (by Lazy Dog & Eureka!)	Modern Mexican
Lazi Cow	Ice Cream	Ice Cream
Lola’s Tequila Bar & Cocina	Eureka & Lead Hill	Mexican
Maneki Sushi By Bay Boys Brewing	E. Roseville Parkway & Taylor Rd	Sushi
Marios Early Toast	Douglas & Rocky Ridge	Breakfast/Brunch
Mendocino Farms	Galleria & Roseville Pkwy	Sandwiches & Salads
Mexico Lindo	E. Roseville Pkwy & N. Sunrise	Mexican
Mi Tierra Taqueria	Baseline & Foothills	Mexican
Nick The Greek	Pleasant Grove & Fairway	Pitas/Gyros
Pan Pizza & Wings	Blue Oaks & Foothills	Pizza & Wings
Porottas South Indian Cuisine	Fairway & Five Star	Indian
Pushkin’s Bakery & Cafe Roseville	Roseville Pkway & Galleria	Bakery/Cafe
Skewers Kabob & Gyro Grill	Junction & Foothills	Kabobs/Gyros
Soho Sushi and Teppanyaki	Douglas & Santa Clara	Sushi/Teppanyaki
STALLIONZ PIZZA	Cirby & Sunrise	Pizza
Taco Twist	Foothills & Pleasant Grove	Indian
Taqueria Garibaldi Roseville	Fairway & Five Star	Mexican
Teriyaki Town	Pleasant Grove & Roseville Pkwy	Teriyaki
Thai Peppers	Sunrise & Cirby	Thai
The Chef’s Table	Lonetree & Blue Oaks	Modern American
The Curry Leaves North and South Indian, Indo-Chinese	Lonetree & Adams Dr	Indian
The Glass Turtle	Sunrise (Just north of Safeway)	Pub
The Grand Indian Cuisine	Fairway & Five Star	Indian
Tomatina	Fairway (South of Blue Oaks)	Italian
Tasty Pot (COMING SOON)	Pleasant Grove & Roseville Pkwy	Hot Pot
KTown Korean BBQ (COMING SOON)	Roseville Square (Harding & Douglas)	Korean BBQ, Hot Pot, Sushi
West Coast Sourdough	Galleria (Best Buy Center)	Sandwiches
Naruto Show me the Sushi	Pleasant Grove & Highland Pointe	Sushi
Kultura Cafe	Sunset Blvd & Park Dr.	Filipino

Know about a restaurant I’ve missed or is coming soon? Let me know in the comments here or on the Submit a New Restaurant page!

---

Ever find yourself in Rancho Cordova?  Check out my side mission from 2015 — Rancho Salads: A salad at a new restaurant every day in Rancho Cordova.

#294: Amy’s Drive Thru

11:45AM, 6/3/2023

Not long after the last post I decided I wanted to check out Amy’s Drive Thru. This is a vegetarian/vegan/organic focused fast food joint located in the Galleria mall’s parking lot. There don’t seem to be many of these, less than 10 or so. At first I didn’t know this place had anything to do with Amy’s frozen foods, mostly because I wasn’t even aware of the frozen foods! A friend told me about them when I brought up the Drive Thru. So to really make this a complete visit I made a point to check out the selection at the grocery store (Safeway) and picked out the Broccoli and Cheddar Bake to try out. I’ll get into this after the main part of this post.

I headed over to the Drive Thru on an empty stomach, and I was extremely hungry after being surrounded by the delicious aroma of warm buttered popcorn while I watched an early showing of Across the Spider-Verse in the Century right there at Galleria (loved the movie, btw). The movie let out just after 11:30 and I was at Amy’s by 11:45. As I pulled in I was checking the building out closely. I had never seen it close up from this side before and wasn’t sure if this was, as the name maybe implies, strictly a drive thru. There was certainly an outside patio, both covered and uncovered. It was difficult to see through the windows but it appeared to also have inside dining. I grabbed some drone shots, then headed in, pausing to grab a photo of the green car, both painted with flowers and home to real flowers, having been converted to a fancy planter.

Once inside I was pleased by the large, clean, brightly lit dining room with high ceilings. A woman working the counter greeted me as I approached and asked if this was my first time (definitely picking up on me taking in the whole menu at once). With my affirmative response she happily gave me a rundown of the concept (everything is vegetarian as a base, everything can be made vegan and/or gluten-free) and pointed out a handful of popular items. I heard parts of this towards other customer throughout my visit. She was great, and may as well be the actual Amy as far as I’m concerned!

I picked out their flagship burger, The Amy (double veggie patty, double cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, Fred Sr.’s secret Sauce)[$7.99], the Chili Cheese Fries [$5.79] and a regular fountain drink [$3.29]. A little under $20 struck me simultaneously as a bit pricey and also a lot less than I had expected from a place like this. Once I had paid I headed over to fill up at the fountains. They don’t have any branded sodas here. I assume it’s a house-brand as they just say Cola, Lo-Cal Cola, Lemon Lime, Orange, Root Beer, etc. I picked out the Lo-Cal Cola, which was so foamy that it took a while to get my cup filled up with more soda than foam. This tasted pretty decent. I would pick a Coke or Pepsi over it but it did the job. It had a light cola flavor with an unexpected hint of apple at the end. I found this curious through every sip, and it didn’t turn me off or anything. It was just interesting.

The pager I was provided with went off about eight minutes after ordering, and I picked up my tray at the counter. The same woman paused an interaction with another customer briefly to offer me some sauces and give me one of each to try out. My first impression was being slightly disappointed with the portion size of the chili cheese fries. I didn’t get a good look at the burger until I had pulled it out of the first wrapper. It was In’N’Out sized, as she had described earlier, so no surprises there. I started with the fries, worried they would cool off or get soggy if I waited on them.

These were pretty great. In fact, they were the best thing I had (the cashier had told me she’s never tried them specifically because so many people say they love them). The chili was super flavorful, the fries crispy (at first) and after testing all of the different sauces (ranch, secret sauce and spicy secret sauce) I decided the only thing that enhanced them was a drizzle of sour cream, which was provided even before the other sauces were offered. I would say that you need to devour these quickly, and I cannot imagine they would travel well at all. While the chili is flavorful, hot and delicious, it’s a bit on the thin side. The fries started soaking it up immediately and before I had finished the small portion it was bordering on a soupy mess.

Moving on the the burger -I did not think very highly of the appearance of the veggie patties. They looked like very generic veggie patties you might get in, oh my god, the frozen section at the grocery store! After writing the last sentence I went to the Amy’s Kitchen website to take a look at their frozen burger offerings to see if they were the same patty. Actually, of the three burger options I found on the site, this Drive Thru version looks the least appetizing by far. It’s so…flat and puck-like. OK enough ragging on what the patty looks like. The rest of the burger looked pretty good. Fresh lettuce, a juicy slice pf tomato (maybe it could have been a little more ripe), plenty of fresh onions and a nicely toasted bun. I really wanted to like this thing. It was just sort of bland overall. The produce did the heavy lifting for flavor. This definitely needed something extra. After first trying the ranch and secret sauces I found the spicy secret sauce to be it. Unfortunately for me I discovered this improvement in only my last couple bites.

Overall I found Amy’s to be OK. It is doubtful I’ll come back to be honest, but I’m not really searching out vegetarian/vegan options like, ever. Places like this need to impress quite a bit to get me to return (I’m thinking Vegan Plate or Sunflower Drive In as examples). I dig the natural aesthetic of the roof, so they’ve got that going for them!

So for my little tangent here let’s get back to that frozen Broccoli and Cheddar Bake. First off this baby was a whopping $8, which strikes me as an unusually expensive frozen dinner. It was essentially pasta, cheese and broccoli. I opted for the microwave method since I was hangry and it would be over a half hour longer to do it in the oven (which would, without question, have yielded better results). I nuked it for five minutes and gave it a minute to rest. Some crumbly bits that would have crisped up using the oven had already fallen out of the bowl into the plastic wrap. I wasn’t about to try and get them back in the bowl, à la cup and ball game, with it still in the bag so I wrote them off as a loss.

The amount of broccoli was super disappointing. I had to really search through the bowl to find the largest piece to photograph on the fork. It’s kinda sad right? All this said though, the flavor was actually pretty great. If this was maybe half the price I’d consider stocking up the freezer with a few at all times. At $8 for this meager serving however, I’m more likely to find a recipe and just make my own.

#293: Tandoori Flame

10:30AM 5/17/2023
https://www.rosevilletandooriflame.com/

For an early lunch on Wednesday I headed over to Tandoori Flame, located near the Starbucks drive thru on Pleasant Grove, in-between Foothills and Washington. This is an Indian restaurant located right next door to ZS Indian Market. Last time I was here was in 2014. At that time it was a little cafe type area within the market. Now it’s walled off, has it’s own front door and is distinctly its own thing. I asked one of the employees if this restaurant was in any way related still to ZS, but he wasn’t sure as he was new here himself.

The space is fairly small, with less than 10 tables. I think they set up a little outdoor patio area between the two buildings, though it was not yet put together when I arrived. Indian music, a few TVs and one piece of artwork make up the dining rooms ambiance.

I had a look over the menu the night before and had picked out a couple things. They don’t seem to have any dedicated lunch selections, like a smaller dish with two or three items, so I went in knowing I’d have leftovers to take home for dinner. Rolling in right when they opened at 10:30AM, I was the only customer throughout my stay. As soon as I walked through the door I was greeted by two workers ready to take my order, one of them handing me a paper menu as I got up to the counter. I had initially looked up expecting to see the menu up on the two TVs on the wall behind the counter, but they were playing video instead. This menu was identical to the one on the website and I quickly found the two items I wanted to try.

I had misunderstood the first item, the Saag Aloo Paneer (The comfort food of Punjab, Slow cooked spinach and green vegetables with ginger and garlic)[$13.99], thinking it was both aloo and paneer, but you actually choose one or the other. Looking closer at this item, there is a comma between them so I’ll give them that ;). I think a combo could be interesting though. Anyway I chose the paneer. For my 2nd item I went with the Lamb Biryani [$15.50], and then I got a Mango Lassi [$3.99] to finish off my order.

Between about five and ten minutes my mango lassi was brought out. It was served in a paper to-go cup with a lid and straw. Opening it up I saw four small ice cubes in it. I gave it a sip and yes, it could have been a little more chilled for my taste but it was fine. The major takeaway I had from this was that it was one of the most tart ones I’ve ever had. There was a bit of sweetness to it, though my focus on the tartness made me blind to it initially. At first it sort of turned me off. I only had about a quarter of it in the restaurant and took it with me, but it grew on me after that and it was finished completely not long after getting home.

About ten minutes after the lassi came my food. This was a slightly nicer presentation than I was expecting after the to-go cup. A plate with silverware and a napkin was brought out, followed by four dishes: (counter-clockwise from bottom of photo) Saag Paneer, basmati rice for the paneer, lamb biryani and a bowl of kheer, which I was not expecting. The saag came in a nice little metal bowl and the rest in ceramic white flatware. I had spaced that my saag would obviously come with rice and realized I was in for a rice-heavy meal. Naps would be sure follow later.

I dug in and made a little plate of the two main items. Both smelled great and were steaming hot. I started with the saag, which had a nice creamy texture and was rich in flavor. This was on the more spicy and bitter side of saag I’ve had before. The creaminess didn’t quite temper those elements here. The cheese was enjoyable – slightly firm bite-sized cubes that were fairly mild in flavor. I liked this dish but maybe not as much as I had hoped.

On to the lamb biryani, this one took me by surprise. This exceeded my expectations by a fair margin. The lamb bits were tasty, despite perhaps being a touch on the dry side. But the overall flavor of this dish has me still thinking about it days later. There was a lot going on here and this dish had a bit of heat to it as well. I ended up finishing off the saag in the restaurant and taking the rest of the biryani home for dinner later. I checked out the kheer with a few spoonfuls, but I’ve never really found one of these I was crazy about. This wasn’t any exception. Just like my first experience with it (back in 2011 for one of my very first posts on this blog at Swagat Indian Bistro), the sour note I picked up in this turned me off of it entirely.

Overall I thought this was pretty decent. Hard to say I would pick it over some of the very excellent other Indian spots in town though. The competition is pretty strong. If they had more lunch-friendly combos/portions, this would be something I could consider more.

#292 Firehouse Pizza

12:20PM 5/6/2023
https://firehousepizza.online/

It’s been a bit of a struggle this year to keep up a good pace here. I’ve been working on some behind the scenes maintenance lately when I find time (updating the “completed” pages that I neglected for over a year, making a sticky post with all the new places on my updated ToDo list, etc). This last weekend I decided it was time to get back to it, and having seen a number of new pizza joints added to my list lately it seemed like an easy way to jump back in. I looked at a few and ultimately settled on Firehouse Pizza.

Firehouse Pizza is located in the awkward little shopping center, at Rocky Ridge and Douglas, where you’ll find Mario’s Early Toast and Sunrise Natural Foods. I hate this parking lot so much. It’s waaaaay too busy and cramped, at least while Early Toast is open for breakfast/lunch. I lucked out with a parking spot after only a lap and a half around the lot. The last time I was here, just over ten years ago, this was Master Pizza. Looking back at my photos from that visit, the space hasn’t changed much at all in terms of layout. It has, however, received a welcome facelift to the small lobby area, including a couple of counter areas facing the windows and some stools with a very satisfying pneumatic cushion action when you sit. Upon entering at about 12:20pm I was greeted by a lone employee manning the counter.

I looked at the menu online to pick out my pizza and planned to order it there for take out. The offerings are pretty standard for a pizza place (pizza, wings, pastas, salads). Their specialty (or “gourmet”, I suppose specialty is a Round Table term) pizza offerings are mostly standard with some interesting Hawaiian variations such as Hawaiian Sweet Corn (Marinara, Mozzarella, Ham, Corn, Pineapple) and Hawaiian Extreme (Marinara, Mozzarella, Ham, Pineapple, Corn, Mushrooms, Black Olives, Red Onions, Green Onion). I opted for a large with half Classic Chicken Garlic (Mozzarella, Garlic Sauce, Chicken, Cheddar, Red Onions, Green Onion) and half Fire Meat (Marinara, Mozzarella, Pepperoni, Salami, Ham, Sausage, Bacon). Since I had been looking at three pizza places earlier, I couldn’t remember if this one had a thin crust and asked the person taking my order if they did, to which he replied “yes we have thin crust”. The only reason I bring up this particular interaction is that they also have a thin and crispy crust, which I almost certainly would have ordered instead. So up a the counter they had a little one page menu, but it didn’t show crust types. I wish he had clarified, but also If I had looked up at the full menu on the three LCD menus I would have seen it. So kind of a goof by both of us here. Anyway, I paid up ($25.85 including tax, and as an aside – if I had ordered this online they had a coupon on their website to discount a large gourmet pizza to $18) and then headed back out into the chaos of the tiny lot to grab my photos while he started working on my pizza. Back inside I took a seat on the nifty stools until my order was ready. In total it just a bit over ten minutes. I was offered the standard accompaniments – Parmesan, red pepper, plates, napkins, etc. I got some Parmesan and then forgot I put them in my pocket until later in the day, doh!.

On my short drive home I opted to set the box in my trunk, something I don’t think I’ve ever done with pizza, and I was amazed at how much pizza smell still made it’s way into the rest of the car even with all four windows down. I was so ready to eat by the time I got home. Opening the box up I was pleased to see a nice topping coverage, with only a few bare cheese sections showing through. The most jarring thing about this pie was the cheddar cheese on the Chicken Garlic half. It was melted great, but the splotches of yellow just looked out of place to me for some reason. On the plus side it acted like a glue to keep the toppings on this side in place. I had a little bit of trouble with runaway sausages on the meat side.

Picking up a slice from each side I was a bit disappointed with the crispness of the crust. Aside from the edges, which looked nice and browned, the underside ended up much less done than I like and needed a lot of additional support (this is where my runaway sausage issues mostly stemmed from). Digging in, I found the chicken garlic to be pretty tasty. The garlic sauce wasn’t particularly garlic-y, but the chicken was perfect. Good sized chunks of tender white meat, usually one in every bite. The cheddar cheese added a slight bright flavor and the green onions a tiny bit of crisp texture.

Even though the chicken side was good, I have to say I was surprised that I enjoyed the meat side a lot more. Something about their marinara sauce just grabbed me. It’s wasn’t really spicy – it may have been a little on the sweeter side – but man it just worked so well. I usually prefer almost all other sauce options vs a red sauce, but this was excellent. As for the meats, they also delivered. All five were delicious and worked great together. This was a pretty greasy pizza, but that’s to be expected from all meat. I ate almost half of this pie before calling it quits and putting the rest in the fridge for later.

Two days later I fired up the oven and reheated the remaining slices for dinner. In my experience, even bad pizza usually gets elevated to decent, at a minimum, upon a reheat (see BOSS Pizza+Wings). In this case the floppy crust got nice and crispy, just the way I like it. If you don’t expect to have leftovers and like a crispy crust, I would suggest asking for this to be a little well done, or trying out their thin and crispy version.

Overall I was pretty well satisfied by this pizza joint. We have a lot of options for pizza here but for a solid, non-gimmicky, local joint I’d recommend them.

Just as I got home today to get this post uploaded, in a fun coincidence I had a Firehouse Pizza door hanger waiting for me 🙂