#287: Range Kitchen & Tap

420pm, 2/3/2023

https://www.rangeroseville.com/

Yesterday I finally checked out this spot on E. Roseville Parkway at N. Sunrise that I’ve been eyeing for about a year. Its Range Kitchen & Tap, snuggled right in between Bad Bakers and Tandoori Night (both excellent spots BTW). I had this thought in my head about having read about a patio here, and I was imagining it on the back side, looking over Miner’s Ravine, with its bike trail and creek. Once I had arrived and sent my drone up I realized that would be impossible, as there’s an immediate steep drop off into the ravine just past the building. The patio in question was a small one in front, not quite as picturesque as I had been thinking. (Now that I’m about to post this, I see that they have utilized the space in between Starbucks and Bad Bakers as an extended patio, per their website. This must have been what I was remembering)

But not to get off the rails here before we get started, I headed in for a very early dinner around half past four. I stepped inside and was greeted right away from behind the bar. Just inside is a nice little waiting area and a host’s podium. The space is split down the middle with the left side dominated by the front end of the kitchen and the bar. The right side is all dining room, with some high top tables up front by the windows and a room that could probably be reserved for a large group at the back.

There were just a few tables seated and the staff vastly outnumbered the customers at this early hour. Most were getting ready for the impending Friday night dinner rush. The bartender, Marjory(sp?), laid out the beer and dinner menus in front of me. Having already had a few stouts today I decided to get something much lighter, and figured it would go better with the dish I had expected to order. I picked out Hobo Pils (Pilsner, Dust Bowl Brewing Co., Turlock, CA; 5.3%)[$8, -$1 Happy Hour]. It was crisp and clean and just what I was looking for.

With that in hand, Marjory told me about the fresh fish and the wild game options on the menu. The fish was a sea bass that sort of piqued my interest. I can’t recall what the game was, obviously I was focused on the fish vs my other choice, which was the scallops. I asked her recommendation and ultimately decided on the Pan Seared Scallops (wild mushroom risotto with a champagne cream sauce)[$34]. I rarely order scallops outside of sushi but they just called to me this time.

The scallops took just under fifteen minutes to come out. Arranged on a long dish, three good sized (maybe 2in in diameter) scallops were perched atop the fluffy risotto. The risotto had chunks of tasty, earthy mushrooms throughout it. I sliced through the first scallop, using a butter knife, with ease. It was delicate, almost creamy smooth and had a lovely flavor that was complimented nicely with the champagne sauce. The risotto was very nice, especially with the mushrooms, and was great to get a little scallop and mushroom in the same bite. I was very pleased with this dish.

Feeling full I talked myself in and out of asking about dessert a few times before Marjory had presented the little square paper menu, sealing the deal. There were, I think, five options on it. I neglected to snap a picture of it, but some of them were Cheese Cake, Apple Fruit Crisp, and what I ordered, the Chocolate Pot de Crème (all $10). This came out in a little glass jar and was maybe 6-8oz of some of the most dense, rich, decadent chocolate I’ve ever had. I’ve been struggling to come up with an adequate comparison of some substance to describe its substantial texture. The best I’ve come up with is a very cold caramel sauce, yet this was much silkier, somewhere between fudge and mousse. If you like chocolate then you should check this out. Coarse salt sprinkled on top gave the first few bites something extra, an almost peanut buttery flavor. Hell maybe there was peanut butter in it, I don’t know, but it was great.

This is a great little hidden gem of a dinner spot. You won’t see the sign until you’re well into the parking lot, coming from N. Sunrise, as it’s blocked by a tree. I definitely would recommend it.

#263: Q1227 Restaurant

5:30PM / 11/6/2021

https://www.q1227restaurant.com

Saturday evening I was joined by a friend and we headed over to Q1227, located in the Stone Point center on Eureka, for dinner. This newish restaurant opened just under 2 years ago on December 27th, which is the chef/owner’s birthday and where it gets it’s “1227” from. The Q comes from his name. We arrived at 5:30 with hopes for a walk-in, as reservations were booked out through Tuesday when I had looked a couple days previously. While I snapped a picture outside my friend whent in to get our name on the list. The wait time would be 45 min, so we walked next door to Brickyard for a drink to kill some time.

We made our way back over 35 minutes later. From this direction the warmly lit patio, closed off by red curtains from the front, was visible through the archway at the top of the stairs. It feels cozy and warm with the gas heaters. We popped inside to check on the wait. Unfortunately there had been a bit of a miscommunication earlier. From what I could tell the host thought we didn’t want to wait and left, and my friend thought they took our name and we were good to go. Anyway, long story short here they ended up getting us in right away to a 2-top just inside the patio doors, so it worked out well.

Looking back at my photos from the previous restaurant to reside here, Cibo7, the overall layout and feel to the dining room is pretty similar. Q1227 has brightened up the lighting a bit and changed some of the seating which makes it feels much less cramped than I recall in Cibo7. Like Cibo7, the menu is a really nice bound book. The covers on this one are wooden with the restaurants logo engraved into the front.

• 

• 

• 

Menu as of 11/7/21

We settled in an our server came by to take drink orders and tell us about a couple specials. I ordered the What’s Up Bro Pale Ale from Loomis Basin (5.8%)[$8] and my friend ordered a glass of the Hanna Chardonnay [$13]. We also placed an order for the Chilled Oyster Platter (Fresh shucked oysters [6ea] / house cocktail sauce / mignonette / pickled shallots / lemon)[$20]

The drinks arrived quickly and the oysters followed in just under ten minutes. Served over ice and a bed of seaweed, these came with a few things to jazz up your oyster. The sauce 3rd from the left was not mentioned in the description but I believe it was just a straight up hot sauce. I thought the mignonette and cocktail sauces went together really nicely on these and it was a tasty appetizer to get us started.

We had ordered our entrees with everything else and they were delivered about ten minutes after the oysters. While I didn’t feel rushed, this was a quicker pacing than I expected.

My friend ordered the Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon (House Spices / Forbidden Black Rice / Garnet Yam Puree)[$32]. She loved this and specifically complimented the yam puree. I had a bite of the salmon which was nicely done with a thin, delicate crust to it and tender flesh.

I had a tough time deciding what to get, there were a bunch of inviting options. After bouncing around between the Branzini, Ribeye Cap and Jambalaya I ultimately went with my friend’s suggestion of the Berkshire “Kurobuta” Tomahawk Pork Chop (House Spices / Maple Glaze / Baked Apple / Sauteed Spinach)[$40].

This was a bone-in chop placed atop the spinach with the rib perched up on top of the baked apple. It was a sizeable chunk of meat. I was served a steak knife with this dish. The pork chop was tender enough that a butter knife might have done the job just fine. I was glad to have the steak knife, however, because this plate was incredibly slippery on the table for some reason. It was a bit of a challenge to keep it from sliding all over the place.

The apple was cored and the inside had a bit of cinnamon dusted on it. The maple glaze was the star here, just behind the pork itself. I drizzled/dipped some with almost every bite and had just enough to last through the whole chop. With the apple and maple glaze along side the juicy pork this plate was a nice balance of sweet and savory. The spinach had a heavy amount of garlic cooked with it, which was delicious. I cleaned this plate up, including the flower out of sheer curiosity. The flower didn’t really taste like anything but it was an interesting texture.

We decided we had room for dessert and our server was on the ball, pulling the menu out form behind her back as soon as we asked about it. She also told us about a dessert not on the menu, which after looking over everything we decided to get. We received a pair of copper colored spoons in advance. This was Q’s Peanut Butter Cups (Chocolate Cookie Crust / Peanut Butter Mousse / Chocolate Ganache / Chopped Nuts)[$12]. It consisted of three cups, each about 50% larger in diameter than a Reese’s peanut butter cup across and about 2-3x thicker, but oh so much more decadent. They were incredible, a must-have if you love peanut butter & chocolate.

I didn’t really have any expectations going in here as I knew very little about the restaurant aside from what I could gather from the website. I have to say I was really impressed. I loved all the food and the service was on point. Chef Q stopped by during one of his rounds through the dining room to see how everything was tasting. We did some damage for two people with our bill nearing $150, yet I felt that the prices were fair for what we received. I look forward to returning to check out that whole fried fish and so many other tasty-sounding things.

https://www.q1227restaurant.com

#258: 105 Noshery

Date: 9/10-11/2021

Location: 105 Noshery

Website: https://105noshery.com/

Can I be hyperbolic to start this out? OK here goes. I think I just went to the best restaurant in Roseville. Alright, let’s pack it up.  My job here is done.  WOW. This is what this has been all about. Well, let me take a step back. Mostly what this blog was aiming for was to find those under-appreciated hole-in-the-wall joints that were doing something special amid a sea of chain restaurants and shine a light on them, at least as much as one guy with a free WordPress website and a camera could. Along the way as I’ve experienced more and more varied cuisine, levels of service, atmosphere and culinary display it’s subconsciously become a search for the type of place that could shine bright well beyond Roseville and be worthy of of a must-visit list for visitors. This weekend I’ve found a new entry for this list.

105 Noshery. Seems this place opened not long after I went on my semi-permeant break in 2016 (at least that’s when they created their Facebook page). Incredibly, this place is within walking distance of me and yet I’ve been completely oblivious of it’s existence. I knew after a quick scan of the menu a little while ago that this needed the double treatment – breakfast + lunch/dinner. Originally I was going to kick off the re-launch with this one but the timing didn’t quite work out. I made a point to drive by here to take a peek on my way to Goose Port last week and the place was jammin’, both inside and out. They have a built-in covered patio area in addition to another outdoor area off to the right, coined the Nosh Club, featuring live music and serving the full menu on a first-come basis.

For my introduction to the Noshery I stopped by for an early dinner on Friday, arriving at about 4. It was pretty quiet but there were a dozen or so parties seated inside and on the main patio. I didn’t take an in-person at the Nosh Club tonight but based on what my drone captured when I left it was jam-packed by 6.

I was greeted as soon as I stepped inside. Although I had made a reservation earlier in the day, just in case, it was clearly not needed at this time and I chose to sit at the end of the bar. From here I had a nice view of the smallish dining room, the bar area and into the open kitchen. My Bartender, Sara, hooked me up with their large menu and a draught beer list immediately.

This menu is kind of intense. It kind of gave me Cheesecake Factory vibes, minus the tacky advertisements, with it’s 12 pages. I had spent quite a bit of time looking at both the Tue-Fri and the Sat-Sun menus this week. As far as I can tell the main difference is a much reduced breakfast/brunch offering during the week. Some pages are in a different order as well, but otherwise they are the same.

Menu Links (Week of 9.6.2021):
* Tues-Fri Menu
* Sat-Sun Menu

The menu is relatively straightforward. It does have a couple little oddities that tripped me up as I first read it though, such as these two descriptions of what comes with the omelets vs 2 egg dishes. I had to read them back and forth a couple times. They basically say the exact same thing, just worded a bit differently. It’s just weird to see these right next to each other.

Another thing that tripped me up was the heading that read “YOU MIGHT LIKE THE ITEMS BELOW, WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES 4…”. I forgot to ask if this meant these items were only available after 4, or something like that. If this is an idiom I’m not familiar with it. Google wasn’t much of a help other than perhaps suggesting it was a reference to Tea Time (they do have a decent selection of teas but this was not that section). But enough of this palaver, let’s get to the food.

I started with a Monkey Knife Fight Pale Ale from Tower Brewing (Originally a Rubicon Brewery beer, Tower  purchased the recipe some time ago.  5.6%)($5 [happy hour pricing = -$1].  I also ordered the Cast Iron Skillet Maple Bourbon Pork Belly Brunt Ends with Toast Points ($13).  I relaxed and sipped my beer and watched as the bar and kitchen activity slowly ramped up for the night and more staff came on duty.  The dining room gradually filled up and Sara was busy making drinks and answering phone orders like a pro until she got some backup in a barback-in-training and the GM, Justine (who wrote the cocktail menu according to an overheard conversation).

My burnt ends skillet was out in a little over ten minutes.  It was about a 6-8″ skillet stuffed with with incredibly tender pork, with a nice gradient of charred to non-charred pieces.  These were super flavorful and went great on or off the toast points.  I’ve never met a pork belly dish I didn’t love and this is no exception.  I learned my lesson from Goose Port and called it at about 60% complete on this one to leave room for my entree.

Around this time one of the owners, Randy, popped by to see how everything was going.  Very nice guy.  He was around for the rest of the night and was regularly making his way around mingling with the patrons and keeping an eye on things.

Next up I got a Jetronic Haze by Red Bus Brewing out of Folsom (New England IPA, 6.1%)($6) and ordered some tacos.  One of the chefs (THE chef?  He was wearing a different shirt than the rest in the kitchen) stopped by with the nights special, a sea bass dish that looked delicious, to show the bar staff.

My tacos came in about 15 minutes.  These are the Blackened Catfish Tacos (Sour Cream, Guacamole, 105 Salsa and Birria De Res Broth)($21).  They come on doubled up corn tortillas with a light slaw.

These were outstanding.  The fish was nicely seasoned and charred just right while being almost melt-in-your-mouth tender.  I gave the Birria De Res Broth a sniff and a taste and got a bunch of cinnamon right off the bat.  I ended up using a bunch of this sauce, which also packed a bit of heat with it, and it went fantastically with the fish.

Nearing Totally-Stuffed territory, I couldn’t leave yet without trying one of their dessert cocktails.  They all sounded really good, but I settled on the SPCA Float (CAS 1854 Vodka, Kahlua, Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur, BJ’s Handcrafted Root Beer, Straus Chocolate Mousse [made with Straus Heavy Whipping Cream] Garnished Bittersweet Chocolate)($15).  They donate $1 to the Placer SPCA with each order of this float.  After a quick check on the ingredients I was told they needed to whip up the mousse.  I was happy to wait on this.  Not too much later Justine returned from the kitchen with a container and put this drink together, topping it with a few scoops of the mousse.

I’ve never ordered anything like this before.  It was a ridiculously tasty dessert that was like a rich, chocolatey root beer float with just a hint of alcohol to it.  Strange but amazing.  I appreciated how consistent it was from top to bottom.  Not like some drinks where all the alcohol is at the top or bottom and you can taste a clear difference sipping straight from the glass or through a straw.  This was a fine end to a great visit. 

But wait!  Saturday morning I had to come back to check out their breakfast options.  I was joined by a friend and we sat out on the patio, next to the water feature that wraps around the front.  Kevin served us and was on top of things throughout our stay with the occational help of another whose name I did not catch.

We got started with a tasty cup of coffee from Vaneli’s Roastery out of Rocklin.  I liked the oddly shaped saucers these came on.  Although I had pre-selected a starter and main dish for breakfast yesterday, I changed both at the last moment.  On a recommendation from Sara the night before, we got the shrimp & grits to start (Cajun Shrimp, Grits with Maple Bourbon Pork Belly Burnt Ends and a Poached Egg in Cast Iron Skillet with Toast Points)($15).

It was nice to get some bites of the delicious pork belly once more.  This was great.  The grits were flavorful on their own and needed nothing additional.  The egg was poached perfectly and the shrimp had a light Cajun spiced kick.  Although I really wanted to try the skillet cinnamon roll, I was very satisfied with this recommendation and don’t regret checking it out at all.

For our mains, my friend ordered an omelet, the Brie, Parmesan Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, Swiss Cheese, Mushrooms and Avocado ($16), which comes with a small salad, choice of home fries, hash browns, sliced tomatoes or fried green tomatoes. As well as choice of sourdough, whole wheat, rye toast, daily biscuit, or Texas toast.  I had a bite of this and it was cheesy and packed with mushrooms and avocado.

I ultimately went with the Belgium Waffle [We proudly pour warm pure Dark Amber Vermont Hills Grade A Maple syrup]($11) instead of the Biscuit Slider Flight I had originally picked out.  I have been seriously missing my favorite waffle from Four Sisters Cafe which remains closed due to… *gestures broadly at everything*.  (update: 4 Sisters appears to be getting ready to re-open, yay!)  This was probably my only misstep here.  Let me say this, it was a fine waffle and honestly up there with the best of them.  I just don’t think anything holds a candle to the Four Sister’s waffle, which is simply on another plane of existence.  The jam this came with was outstanding though!

I wanted to give this place six out of five but I got nervous about tearing a hole in the fabric of spacetime; A perfect five will have to suffice ;).  I’ll certainly be back.