Ettore's European Bakery & Restaurant

This is what perfection looks like.

Ettore's European Bakery & Restaurant

2376 Fair Oaks Boulevard

Sacramento, CA

Visits to Ettore’s always present me with culinary dilemmas: Special of the Day or Ettore’s Award-Winning Hamburger on their Cheddar Scallion Bun?  Single-serving dessert, or cake for eight?  Table seating, or a counter spot facing the kitchen that will make me crave every damn thing coming out of that kitchen?

No matter the choice, the result will be the same: full belly, guaranteed satisfaction, and pure guilt until my next stint on the treadmill.

One of the few authentic European-style bakeries in the area, Ettore’s is a go-to destination if you’re looking for decadent desserts made with the highest quality ingredients.  From eclairs to cookies to princess cakes and seasonal offerings, each is made with exceptional attention to detail.  Glossy fruit tarts behind the pastry case look magazine-ready.  Anything with chocolate is superbly rich and dark, but not overly sugary.

The same care is taken on the restaurant side.  Offering one of the better Caesar salads in Sacramento, Ettore’s version is a meal in itself if you consume the accompanying basket of fresh-baked bread (good enough not to share).  The aforementioned Award-Winning Hamburger is legendary, and cooked to rare perfection if requested.  That seasoned patty, juicy and dripping from a housemade bun will put others to shame.

Come for the gourmet restaurant fare, stay for the wildly unique dessert selections.  You can work it all off tomorrow.

Fresh Freeze

Follow the arrows to YUM!

Fresh Freeze
3023 F Street
Eureka, CA

I love, love, love a good diner when I’m travelling.  How can you go wrong with a burger and a malt?  You can’t.

I stuck to all-American cuisine during a recent visit to Humboldt County since the week leading up to my trip was full of Asian and Mexican food.  I love both, but needed a break; and when I happened upon an old-fashioned diner that could have been plucked right out of the 1950s, I knew I was in luck.

Clue #1: Big sign out front.  HUGE, in fact.  And lit with neon!  I treasured my parking spot right next to it.

Clue #2: Lots of locals in line, many of whom called in their orders.  These people could be trusted.

Clue #3: Both kids and adults with sky-high dipped cones.  The kind you stare at if only to catch a glimpse of that first bite which could easily turn into a disappointing battle against gravity.

I ordered my Cheeseburger, Onion Rings and Rocky Road Malt (WHAT!) and got comfy in a booth.  Stomach growling, the wait was a little painful, but surely rewarding.

“Cheeseburger” was a misnomer.  More appropriates names would be “Giant Cheeseburger”, “Colossal Cheeseburger”, “You Won’t Have Room for Onion Rings after Eating This Cheeseburger” or “No, Seriously… You Won’t Have Room for Onion Rings after Eating This Cheeseburger”.  Although full, I was shamed into finishing off those crunchy rings.

I always seem to have room for dessert, so that Rocky Road Malt?  No problemo.  Heavy on the malt powder, thick, sweet and crunchy from peanuts (an unexpected, delicious choice), it provided a tasty dip for my last onion ring.  Besides, you should never let a perfectly good vegetable go to waste…