David K.'s Profile

The best shaved ice/snow cone I have ever had.  I would make a special trip just for a snow cone from this truck.  And the prices are reasonable too.  I had a regular size shaved ice ($3) with ice cream add on (another 50 cents).  I can't imagine what a large serving ($4) would look like because the regular size was plenty.  I had the Monkey Brain (banana and strawberry).  The syrups were very flavorful.  The special treat was the ice cream on the bottom.  The vanilla ice cream mixed with the shaved ice and the two syrups was heaven.  Kind of like eating the orange popsicle with vanilla ice cream in the middle except a hundred times better.

I am always on the look out for good soul food.  I found this place close to work.  On my first visit, I had the Chicken and Waffle special for $6.99.  This included one perfectly cooked waffle and 2 pieces of fried chicken (drumstick and thigh).  The chicken was well spiced and fried.  Very good.  I also ordered a side of mac & cheese.  The mac & cheese was very good and very cheesy.  I can't think of a place where I have had better mac & cheese.

On my 2nd visit, I ordered the smothered pork chop which included a piece of corn bread and two sides (I ordered collard greens and rice & gravy.  The smothered pork chop, collard greens, and corn bread were excellent.  The rice & gravy was nothing special.

On one of my visits, there was a special involving free banana pudding.  The banana pudding was substantial and definitely something I would paying for.  

Most of there entrees are fried.  But they will occasionally have one or two bbq items on their menu.  If you are in the mood for bbq, you may want to call them first to find out what bbq items they are offerring that day.

I finally decided to try the elite food trucks that exist in the Sacramento area.  First to be tried was Krush Burger.  My first impression as I approached the truck was this was not a roach couch. It is a very modern and clean food truck.  The mini burgers are sold in sets of 2 or 3 and you can mix and match.  I couldn't decide which mini burger(s) to order so I ordered a set of 3 different burgers.   I ordered the Philly, Cowbell, and Ninja.  These burgers may be the best burgers I have ever had, regardless of sit down restaurant or take out.  The Philly had grilled crimini & shitake mushrooms, grilled onions, roasted red pepper Aioli, and provolone cheese.  If you like mushrooms, this is the burger for you.  The cowbell had fried onion, bacon, Sweet BBQ Sauce, and smoked gouda cheese.  Among the burgers, this was my favorite. The Ninja has strips of marinated short ribs rather than hamburger meat.  Excellent!  I can easily see myself just ordering 2 or 3 Ninjas for lunch.  The Ninja definitely had an Asian flavor.

I also had a side of sweet potato tater tots and they were also impressive.  If you remotely like sweet potato, definitely get the tater tots.  Comes with an ancho-honey dipping sauce.  The other side option is french fries and I will give those a try at my next visit.

Since the truck comes to a parking lot about a quarter mile from work once a week, definitely will be a minimum once a month visit for me if not a once a week visit.

I had the daily special which was ribs.  The special came with three ribs.  The ribs were well made but didn't have a smoke flavor that I expect in a good bbq meat.  The ribs otherwise tasted fine.  I had as sides the potato salad and mac & cheese.  Once again, well made but they didn't particularly stand out.

I will give them a few more tries though when I am in the downtown area during a weekday lunch.  

You order like you would at a cafeteria/Chipotle.  You get in line, with the first person behind the counter you order your meat dish and the person prepares it for you (in my case, he cut three ribs and placed them on a plate. In other cases, he would make the bbq sandwich), then you go to the next person where you ask for your sides (which are already prepared in individual containers ready to go), and then the final person behind the counter is the cashier.  There are many tables in the restaurant but they got quite busy during the lunch hour.  Fortunately, there is an employee ready to clean tables as soon as one empties so the next customer can immediately use it.

Instead of the restaurant putting bbq sauce on the meat, you go to an area next to the self serve soda stand to pump out your choice of bbq sauce (mild, medium, or hot).  The pumps are like the ketchup and mustard pumps at a Costco food court.

Leaven & Earth is a great sandwich truck for those who are around City Hall and the County Courthouse during the lunch hour.  Located about a half block and across the street from the courthouse.  During a two week trial for jury duty, I went to lunch here 3 times.  Great sandwiches and very friendly staff.  They have a daily $6.50 deal which includes the sandwich of the day (usually a choice of one or two sandwiches or a wrap), a bag of your choice of chips, and a can of your choice of soda.  

My first sandwich was a Vermonter (oven roasted turkey, thinly sliced green apples and cheddar cheese on my choice of bread  - which was a roll).  Excellent.

Even better a few days later was the Reuben (pastrami, sauerkraut, pickles, swiss cheese, and thousand island dressing) on rye.  On my third trip, I had the Tony wrap (grilled chicken strips, shredded cheddar, roasted pepper strips, lettuce, and honey mustard in a wrap).  They were also excellent sandwiches.

I look forward to my next jury duty assignment because of Leaven & Earth.

For $7, I got a very tasty, filling bowl of beef pho.  Highly recommended.  Plenty of pieces of meat and loaded with noodles.

However, if you plan to eat at the restaurant, I would recommend arriving close to 11:30 AM, if not before.  When I arrived at 11:20, there was no line at the cash register and 25% of the tables were taken.  By 11:35, there was a line of at least 5 people and most of the tables were taken.

You order and pay at the cash register, get a piece of plastic with an order number to place on the edge of your table, and a man will bring the food to your table (assuming you get there early enough to find a table, or luck out and happen to be looking for a table at the same time someone is leaving).

Their menu consists of 11 items.  A couple of pho options, Vietnamese sandwiches, a few rice plates, and shrimp fried rice.

I have also had their Vietnamese sandwiches and for $3.75 they are a good deal.  But I still prefer the pho over their sandwiches.  I'll be back to try the rice plates.

Great soups and sandwiches!  The only issue for me was a soup ($4) and sandwich ($8) lunch is a bit pricey so I won't be able to eat here everyday.  

I've had the Crab Bisque and the French Onion Soup and I licked the bowl clean each time.

On my first visit, I arrived at 11:45 and was able to get one of their indoor tables.  They have six tables inside the restaurant.  Each table can seat 2 comfortably or a tight squeeze of 3.   By noon, all of the tables were taken and there was a line of 10 waiting to order.  Most of their business are to-go orders.

For sandwiches, I have had the braised pork sandwich and the Paris Hoagie and they were both excellent.  

I'll be back again to try their other soups and sandwiches.

It's a very short walk from the county courthouse for those on jury duty.

Ordered a squeeze with cheese, large fries, a chicken taco, and a diet coke.  I could have done without the chicken taco.  I ate the burger first and didn't have room for the taco.  I had a few bites of the taco though.  The chicken taco didn't seem to be as good as the one I had at the original Squeeze Inn location.

The squeeze with cheese was very good as always and is the reason why I continue to come back.

I need to try the many other sandwiches they serve at the Squeeze Inn.  But it seems like, if I go to the Squeeze Inn, I should order the squeeze with cheese.

The large fries were ordered to share among two adults but there was enough to serve a family of 4.

I like the West Sacramento location because its roomy and I always manage to find a table to eat at no matter the time of day.

Been going to Joy for my men's haircut for over a decade.  Started when I lived in Concord.  Now that I live in Sacramento, I still drive to Joy to get my haircut.  She works out of Charisma Salon.  Charisma is across the street from the Concord BART station and is in the same shopping complex as a CVS drug store.  She has also worked on my wife's long blond hair for cut and color.  Highly recommended.  Call the Shear Joy phone number listed on the Yelp website.  It is a direct line to her.

Our family had our first visit to the Black Bear Diner in Natomas off of I-80.

Black Bear is similar to Denny's and IHOP except with better quality food and a slightly bigger menu selection for lunch and dinner.  The surroundings are also nicer (kind of like a large wooden lodge in the mountains).

I was happy with my fried chicken dinner (4 pieces of half a chicken, mashed potatoes and brown gravy, and steamed veggies.  The chicken and potatoes/gravy were tasty.   The veggies just tasted like steamed veggies (unflavored) that were a bit oversteamed.  I also had a bowl of broccoli cheese soup and it was very good with fresh broccoli in it.  

My wife had fish and chips and liked it.  She had a side salad and it looked very fresh with a variety of veggies (not just green lettuce).

The serving size of the entrees was generous (you get your money's worth).

The kids had kids meals (mini corn dogs, grilled cheese sandwich) and they finished their meals.  If they don't like something, they won't eat it (like my cooking).  The kids meals come with a choice of fried, mashed potatoes, or fresh fruit.

Despite a full house for a Saturday late breakfast/early lunch, service was fine.

Overall, rating-wise, Black Bear Diner is more like a 3 1/2 but not quite a 4.  

We'll be back again.