try to tell me...

... that this isn't the best thing you've ever seen.

Taco Taco Taco: Fish Tacos!

Someone suggested that instead of just “The Best Fish Taco” list in Sacramento, that I categorize them. Like: Best Corn Tortilla fish Taco. Best Flour. Best Grilled. Best Fried.  Best blah blah blah. No way will I take this communist suggestion.  The list is: BEST Fish Taco.  “The bet is $20… Right.  You have to have carnal knowledge…of a lady this time!?!?!  On the premises.”

I write these reviews as I go, not all in one day. 

 

Rankings to date:

(last updated 4/30/12)

#1) Alejandro’s

#2) River Rock Tap House

#3) Ernesto’s

  

Ernesto’s:

err, it's ok.

So if you’re a regular EricDanger reader you know that Ernesto’s is numero uno on my “Stay Away” list, but on someone’s recommendation I decided to throw caution to the wind and make my triumphant return.  I walked in half expected the staff to start whisper to each other, “it’s him. He’s back”. Sadly, it didn’t happen.  

But what did happen is that I ordered the fish taco plate and an ice cold Pacifico. True to form, Ernesto’s was out of Pacifico and asked if I would like a Corona instead. Woof. Don’t get me wrong, love Corona, but not when I have Pacifico on the mind.

The tacos came. They looked good, err, well, they looked okay.   Three little tacos, sitting on the bed, one fell off and broke his head!  Actually, one fell into my mouth.  It was tasty, but not like TASTY!  They are kind of a strange concept.  Rather than fried filets, they had fried fish nuggets, like the size of tater tots.  They were good, just strange.   The tacos were complete with the required trimmings: cabbage, white sauce and salsa. 

These tacos were the first I tried on my Fish Taco journey.  So for a brief moment, they were number one.  That is until I tried the second restaurant on my trek. 

nom nom

Alejandro’s:

This taco was a lot closer to your average fish taco.  Big pieces of perfectly fried fish, lots of cabbage and a big spread of the white sauce.  Weird enough, I always want tons of cabbage on my tacos, and then I routinely knock most of it off.   Sometimes I’ll eat it, but mostly not.  I just like the option. 

This won’t be the #1 fish taco in Sacramento, but it will rank up there.  For now though, it is number two.  That is until I move onto my third restaurant.  

River Rock Tap House:

Superior to Ernesto’s, River Rock takes the #2 spot.  However, being ranked second out of three isn’t that hot of a claim, but still, better than being third.

picture taken by Adam Rico

The pair of tacos that River Rock delivers are right in the middle of the field.  Not that great, but not that bad.  They come on grilled flour tortillas with a decent helping of pico de gallo, the cabbage is, well, cabbage.  The white sauce is pretty good, but not great… and the fish is fried, so they got that right.  But err, (I hate to over use this) it’s just good, not great.  Oh, and they also come with fries.   

I think if I were drinking, which most people do at River Rock, these tacos would have ranked a lot higher.   River Rock is known for their beer selection, which is awesome, and not known for their food greatness.  Over all, they’re good, not great.

Stay away!

Low ranking Sacramento spots

1. Ernesto's Mexican Food

1901 16th St, Sacramento, CA 95814

The location is awesome.  The patio is pretty killer. The specialty drinks are really good.  The sangria, flavored mojitos, margs, ect... all pretty tasty. However, the service needs some help.  We were seated outside and were there for about 10 minutes before we were brought menus and water. After about 5 minutes of debate, we decided on what we wanted to eat... then we sat. We sat. We sat. We sat and we sat. About 15 minutes later two other people were also seated on the patio. They immediately had menus and water. About two minutes later their waiter came out and took their order. I looked on in shock and jealousy of their attentive waiter. Now we were getting mad.  About 10 minutes later our laissez-faire waiter decided to come see us.  He reminded me of that lazy sheriff in the Disney version of Robin Hood.  He took our drink order then tried to run off. I had to call him back and he reluctantly took our food order. 

our doof waiter

What seemed like hours later our food and drinks were finally delivered. The food was, m'eh, at best. The carnitas was fatty and not crispy like they said it would be. The mojito was http://bomb.com though.  Obviously, as you can guess, it took forever to get our check. I don't think I'll be heading back here anytime soon. You may want to re-think your upcoming trip, too. Unless it's for some of those delicious cocktails.

2. The Home Depot

1461 Meadowview Rd, Sacramento, CA 95832

finished Product...

The Home Depot... they claim to be "California's do-it-yourself Store"... I think it's more like "California's do-it-yourself snore".

I recently installed new flooring in one of the rooms in my house. I've done it before so I knew what I was getting myself into. I dreaded the back-breaking install, so I waited until the last minute before my new roommate moved in.

I went to Home Depot and bought 7 boxes of this particular laminate flooring. I needed 8, but they only had 7. I had to be really careful, no mistakes (that's how I install flooring, ice-cold, no mistakes).

So I get home and start laying the floor boards.  Once I get about half of the way done I realize that the helpful employees at Home Depot had decided to mix and match different brands of floor boards into one box. Unfortunately different brands have different inter-locking methods and will not fit together. Grrrr.

What was I supposed to do? The closest Home Depot is sold out of what I need, and no there was no way I was driving to another location.  So I continue with the good flooring. Luckily I had enough to finish the main part of the room, and it looks so good.  Only the closet got the bad flooring. But unfortunately since the good and bad flooring wouldn't lock together, there is a seam where they meet.  That seam is making me crazy!  I suppose one day ill fix it. But I definitely won't be buying the flooring from Home Depot.  Or maybe I will.  Who knows.

3. Pangaea Two Brews Cafe

2743 Franklin Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95818

I was pretty excited to try Pangaea Café, it always seemed like a pretty hip, stylish place.  We went there for dinner one night and were really disappointed.  The food was...blah.  It was pretty much just straight from the shelves of Costco straight to my plate.  I got the sausage dinner, which was okay, nothing special.  It came with some pretty delicious bread, but only half of the bread was warm, the other half was cold in the middle (weird).  My plate also came with sauerkraut... cold sauerkraut. Bummer. Well, it wasn't all cold; oddly there were some parts of the kraut that was semi-warm.  I think they just prepared my plate, threw it in the microwave then served it.

But I suppose most people don't go there for the food.  Pangaea Café serves about 30 different kinds of top shelf beers.  It was so hard to choose which one to drink.  I was overwhelmed with the beer menu, but it was an awesome overwhelming. I ended up picking some pilsner. It was good! It was expensive! It was in a small glass!

The overall meal (sausage plate and 1 beer) ended up costing about $20.00, whoa! For the food I got, this was kind of a disappointment.  I should have gone to Oscar's or Los Jarritos or McDonalds.

The staff at Pangaea Café were awesome though, no complaints there. They were as nice as can be, plus this café has a lot of ambiance.

 

4. Subway

913 K St, Sacramento, CA 95814

CLOSED due to rodent droppings = nasty. That's gross.

 

5. Riverside Athletic Club

62 Valine Court, Sacramento, CA 95831

Riverside Athletic Club
no tennis courts :(

Let me start by saying RAC is a good club and my low rating in no way demonstrates that I don't like the place.  I just think it has several issues that could be addressed my management/ownership.

Like I said, this is a good place: the staff at the front desk are always friendly, they give you extra towels when asked for, they supply cups, water and ice, they have many flat screen TV's, a good selection of nautilus machines and free weights, tons of cardio machines and fans for anyone to use.

However, the racquetball courts have warped wood, chipped and chipping paint, the half-court basketball court is pretty much full with aerobics or other exercise classes during the peak-hours and they paved over the tennis courts for more parking (Reichmuth Park and Garcia Bend courts are always busy!)

Llastly, with these issues, the club is still terribly expensive.  $68 a month is in no means worth it; yes, yes, I know that if you take the 3 different classes you can drop your dues to $48 a month.  In my most recent 9 month membership at the club I never had time to even take a single one of the classes (not even the one offered on-site), not to mention the other two offered at a sister-club on the other side of town.  For $68 or even $48 a month, I expect more.  I know that some people out there probably think it is worth it, so for those of you... keep your memberships, enjoy the lackluster amenities.

I know that longtime members will probably disagree and say, "I go there for a club experience, not a discount gym membership"; but most of these members have probably been there since the 80's or 90's and remember when the club was new, exciting and had freshly painted courts.  

Go join 24 Hour Fitness and save yourself the cash, it's only a 5 minute drive... or if have the money, join Capitol Athletic Club, its more costly, and a little further of a drive than the 43rd Ave exit off I-5, but it is hands down the best gym/club in Sacramento. 

6. Tower Cafe

1518 Broadway, Sacramento, CA 95818

The last time I went to eat at Tower Café I was unpleasantly surprised.  While sitting at my table a cockroach crawled right down the wall next to my table and disappeared behind the condiments.

I used to eat at Tower pretty often and always (until that moment) really enjoyed going there.  The atmosphere is really pleasant and the staff is usually nice.  But after seeing a cockroach crawl on the wall, I vowed to never go back, and it's my duty to let all of you know too!  

That same day, I called the Sacramento County Health Department and let them know, and the rep on the phone told me that wasn't the first complaint they've received for Tower Café.  If you don't take my word for it, look up Tower on the County's health services website, all the health violations are online

The King is dead. Long live the King.

Congratulations, Matty!