La Bou, Truxel and Arena Blvd, North Natomas

For the two people who ever went there, the Arena Grill and Waffle House has closed and reopened as a La Bou. It's a comical story actually... the Inderkum family used to be affiliated with the La Bou on West El Camino in Natomas. They left to open the Inderkum Cafe which they sold. The new owners turned it into the Arena Grill and Waffle House which is now a La Bou. What goes around comes around.

The new La Bou location has been open just a few days and it shows. We've been twice now and they seem to be struggling to work out the pastry kinks. All of La Bou's normal delicious pastries are on the menu but the North Natomas location is lacking in volume. On our last trip we found the pastry case with less than 10 items at 8am on a weekday. Time to up the order friends!

In our group we had a turkey and cheese croissant, a ham and cheese croissant and a chocolate chip muffin. Both croissants were served warm, light and flakey and delicious. The muffin was overpowered by some serious almond extract. There was no hint that it was a chocolate almond muffin on the tag or when we ordered it. We wondered if someone has messed up the recipe. It was so decidedly bad that the five year old with us wouldn't touch it.

The coffee was La Bou's typical fare, steamed well and served at a delightfully drinkable temperature. On our first trip, the barista poured my latte into a for-here mug and topped it with an inch of perfectly frothy foam. On the second trip, my drink was served in a to-go cup, despite me specifically asking "for here." The coffee was still done very well but the barista obviously had recently transferred from a different coffee house. While steaming milk, she asked a coworker "Do you put one or two shots in your americano here?" and "Do you put whipped cream on your mochas automatically." I think the for-here mug was a completely new concept for her.

The standard La Bou lunch menu has been slightly pared down at this location. According to the menu board, you can get a few sandwiches and salads but not the larger selection. We hope they choose to expand to the full menu when the location has been open longer.

This La Bou location is only open during the day and closes up shop at 3pm. If you're looking for a casual business meeting, a nice and quick weekend breakfast or grab and go on the way to work, this is a decent option. The building has windows on 3 sides, making for a perky location to read the Sunday paper. Parking is plentiful and as in the past three rotations of the place, it's not crowded.

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Buckthorns, Rush River Drive, in the Pocket

I've been by Buckthorns several times on my way to one of my favorite places for a lazy mom, Super Suppers (which by the way, is a great place to grab dinner and pretend you cooked). Yesterday I had some free time so I stuck my head in to see what Buckthorns has to offer.

Buckthorns could use a little remodeling inside. It had a slightly old, dingy feeling and looked like a fresh coat of paint would serve it well. I obviously bothered the barista by coming in to order a drink. She paused her conversation with friends just briefly for an abrupt "Yes". I ordered an iced tea and checked out the rest of the shop.

Buckthorns serves Java City coffee and appears to also have Bella Bru bakery goods. They also had some individual slices of cakes in clamshell packaging. The desserts looked fine, but nothing really jumped out of the case and enticed me. The bakery case was nearly empty with a few sad muffins and scones left from the morning. If you're hunting down some Gunther's fruit freezes or ice cream, and don't want to drive to Franklin, here's an option.

My iced tea arrived un-iced. I'm not sure if they made hot tea and dumped it in the cup and melted the ice or not. It had one small piece of ice floating on the top. I turned to ask the barista for more ice but she had already gone in the back again to finish chatting with friends. I decided to go ahead and take my warm iced tea instead of bothering her again. The fixins bar was dirty and had sugar spilled all around. I quickly grabbed a straw and hit the road.

Buckthorns offers free wi-fi and had many empty chairs inside and out. Overall, it seemed that you could go in and use the wi-fi and order or not. Nobody seemed to care about much of anything inside.

Unless you're at Super Suppers and need a drink or you're desperate for free wi-fi somewhere, I'd skip a return trip to Buckthorns.

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Java City 18th and Capitol, revisited

I've been slacking, I know. Most every day since November has been consumed with toy shopping for Not Made in China. Now that the holidays are over, I'm back out and about again reviewing coffee for the greater good of Sacramento.

Per a loyal reader's request, I visited the Java City at 18th and Capitol again to check out the remodel. Our previous review of this Java City was lukewarm at best but we discovered shortly after that the store was about to undergo a full remodel. So to be fair, here we are again.

The new look has a very modern, crisp feel inside. It is updated and no longer reflects the banana republic sort of cargo coffee feel. There are high bar tables near the windows as well as several couches and comfy chairs. The free wifi is a huge bonus, as are the plugs scattered around the walls for plugging in your laptop. The new espresso machine is sleek and clean and the layout by the registers is much easier to navigate than before. The bakery and chilled case are nearly identical to the Java City Natomas and have a decent selection of premade sandwiches and salads. Assuming they follow the same protocol as Natomas, they are all premade early in the same day so you can grab and go for work.

My cashier was very friendly and in a great mood for the morning. She was polite and friendly without slowing down the line. I ordered my usual nonfat latte and a raspberry scone. When I mentioned I was staying, she put the scone on a plate, a nice touch over the paper bag. I was disappointed however, when my coffee still came in a paper cup. If my scone is for here, can I have a for-here cup too please?

My latte was traditional Java City fair. I do like the thick foam with tiny bubbles that the baristas painstakingly produce for each drink. But consistently across the brand, the espresso leaves me feeling like it was not nearly as carefully crafted. The shots tend to be bitter and heavy, overshadowing the richness of the milk.

I loved my scone. I don't know who the new baker is but the scone was delectably delicious. I finished it and wanted more just to pop the crusty sugared top in my mouth. It was completely worth the extra hours of yoga I'll have to put in this week.

Overall, the new remodel was worth the money and effort- bringing Java City into the newer, upscale midtown feel. It'll be a great place to finish up a date night or hang out after a show. Enjoy dinner at one of the many restaurants in the area and wrap up the night with a coffee and your date will thank you. If you're in the area in the mornings or looking for a place to work, the atmosphere during the day was very conducive to plopping down your laptop and getting busy.

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Ettore's, Fair Oaks Blvd.

Ettore's is a long time favorite of many locals who are in search of delicious pie, baked goods and wedding cakes. Inside you'll find a very local atmosphere with lots of people who hang out every weekend or have reoccurring work meetings there. I happened to be one of the people having a meeting at Ettore's. I was stunned at how busy it was at 8:45 in the morning on a Thursday. The parking lot is small and it was really difficult to find a place, but it was totally worth every trip around of the lot.

The pastry selection alone is enough to send you into a happy breakfast coma. You can choose hot breakfast like eggs or omelets or stick with the pastry case chock full of cinnamon rolls, turnovers, muffins, danishes, coffee cakes and more. Much more. I opted for my standard blueberry scone and I was not disappointed. It was full of fresh blueberries; no frozen little drops here. The texture was a perfect doughy but not too crumbly consistency.

The one place I think Ettore's could have done a little better was with directions inside. I wanted a pastry and a latte but I honestly couldn't figure out how to order it. One counter with a register said "Bakery", the other with a separate register appeared to only be "Express". I tried to order a latte, clearly confused the woman behind the register and quickly switched to regular coffee. She handed me a cup to fill myself but was still very obviously confused. I stayed for my meeting and still didn't see anyone order espresso. Yet there was a very lonely espresso machine behind the counter.

The coffee was fresh brewed, hot and in a thermos, not a warming pot, which is good. It was passable but nothing really exciting- just a cup of coffee. It would have been a fine accompaniment to any of the scrumptious desserts in the case.

I have to recommend Ettore's for the desserts and pastries, despite not actually trying their espresso. The lunch and dinner menu was surprisingly varied and they have wine by the glass or bottle as well. It would be perfect for families on the weekend, a take out pie to pretend you made yourself, or the perfect finish to a great date.

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Coffeeworks, Folsom Blvd.

I've been to Coffeeworks before but it's been a long, long time. In fact, it was probably in early 2000 when it had just opened the new building. Now that we don't live in East Sac anymore, I don't get down to the neighborhood much. I thought I'd pop my head in and see what had changed and what was still the same.

My first impression of Coffeeworks was that it reminded me exactly of the coffeehouses I spent many hours studying in college. Going to school in Portland, OR, had distinct caffeine advantages. Coffeeworks looks like a warm, friendly place to study that won't bother you if you hang out for hours if you're drinking coffee. There wasn't anything overtly fancy or special, just a feeling. This month they were featuring an artist from Afghanistan and had beautiful woven rugs all over the walls. It really felt like home.

The bakery case was very inviting and had lots of options but I didn't have time to really study since I was the only one in line. I settled on a chocolate chip scone that was about the size of a small dinner plate. It looked delicious and fresh and it was on top so I went for it. I was not disappointed. The scone followed a more traditional English scone fashion- dry and crumbly and not very sweet. Only the chocolate brought a hint of sweetness to it and the drizzle on top was almost, but not quite, too much. It was perfect for a Sacramento fall day.

Coffeeworks roasts their own beans and uses a traditional espresso machine. No cappuchinomatic for the baristas here. My latte was steamed to a perfect temperature with beautifully tiny little bubbles on top. They didn't go into fancy latte art but it was exactly the way foam should look. I was so impressed with the temperature and the foaming, that I was taken aback by the slightly alcoholic undertones of the coffee. I got used to it after a few sips but I was surprised. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad... just surprising and a little weird. I had a moment where I wasn't sure if I'd ordered an irish coffee.

Based on the number of open laptops, I assume Coffeeworks has free wi-fi but there wasn't any obvious signage. The only downside I could really find was that Coffeeworks closes at 6pm. My perfect place to reminisce college studying actually isn't open late enough to study. Which means that while it's a very relaxing and peaceful place to hang out, your date night will have to be a date morning instead.

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Cafe Milazzo, Folsom Blvd.

We used to live just a few blocks from Cafe Milazzo and spent many a Sunday morning reading the paper on their sidewalk and drinking coffee. I drove by today and decided to flip a very illegal u-turn on Folsom Blvd. to go back and check it out again.

The interior hasn't changed much in the past few years but the menu has changed pretty dramatically. When we had considered having our wedding rehearsal dinner there in 1999, the menu was fancier, more upscale Italian for lunch and dinner. They always had the most delicious pumpkin muffins and a wide selection of yummy baked goods for breakfast.

The chalkboard menu now makes me think more of Crepeville than upscale Italian. The board is dominated by sandwiches and salads with a few dinner selections thrown in. I was also disappointed to see that the pumpkin muffins are long gone and that the bakery selection had dwindled to nearly nothing. There were a few muffins and a few scones, but nothing looked really delicious. I opted for a blueberry scone that looked quite crusty on top but I figured I was here, might as well try it.

The scone was a more traditional English scone- dense, heavy and begging for Devonshire cream. The top had a nice sugared crust but there were only two blueberries in my entire scone. Just two sad lonely blueberries.

On to the good news- my latte was great! The barista foamed the milk perfectly and while it was slightly hot for my liking, it was well in the middle of a comfortable drinking range. I let it sit for just a few minutes and it was perfect. I was impressed that for a cafe with such a varied menu, the barista appeared to be well-trained in espresso.

Cafe Milazzo seemed to be a mid-level Italian restaurant that is family friendly and happens to coincidentally serve up a great latte. I wouldn't go back for the scone but I'd stop for the coffee if I were in the neighborhood. If we still lived in East Sac, I'd probably have to find somewhere else to walk for Sunday breakfast.

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Pacific Roasting Company, Fulton and Hurley

Pacific Roasting Company is tucked back in the corner of a small strip mall with a Goodwill, 24 Hour Fitness and a grocery store. It is really nondescript, with a small sign that is mostly obscured from the street. Unless you went looking for it, you probably won't know it's there. I've noticed the sign a few times but wasn't sure if they were a retail or wholesale outlet.

Pacific Roasting Company is small-batch roasting in store, which makes them relatively unique in the specialty coffee business. There are a few others who roast in store, but not many. They weren't roasting this morning but there was still a very nutty smell of roasting beans lingering in the air.

There were a few things that I enjoyed about Pacific Roasting- they have a nice fireplace (turned off right now) and a cozy area for reading, studying or just chatting. They have free wi-fi and seem to not mind if you actually use it. The one major downside to the decor was the large plasma TV over the fireplace playing Fox News very loudly. Their coffee and tea menu was vast, but slightly overshadowed by the huge neon smoothie menu.

I really wanted to like Pacific Roasting... I really did. Locally owned, controlled local roasting, interesting interior... but overall the coffee did them in. Their "about us" states that they use espresso within 10 seconds of pouring but I watched my shot sit for at least one minute while the barista made another drink for a regular customer. It was quite possibly one of the worst shots of espresso I've ever had. It was bitter and oily, leaving a very medicinal aftertaste. I left wondering if perhaps the shot had been reused or not a traditional espresso blend. Maybe I got the shot the other guy was supposed to get? Their only saving grace was the beautiful foam on my latte and the perfectly steamed milk.

The cold case was filled with some delicious looking sandwiches and salads that made me hungry for lunch. But look up in the bakery case and you're left with a weird selection of Costco muffins. Maybe the baker was sick today or delivery didn't come. But I know a Costco muffin when I see one. There were two other squashed looking cheese danishes. I generally cave to any pastry but nothing in the bakery case was even remotely tempting.

Overall, my review of Pacific Roasting is trying to do it right but they just didn't succeed this morning. Perhaps they are worthy of another visit another day.

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