Who would have thought a trip to Reno by way of Davis and back through Sacramento would bring about some of the yummier eats I've had lately? And yet, such a foodie weekend did happen recently. Rowdy MBA's just finished one of our last quarters (for some, but not for me) and we headed up to Reno for the annual Santa Crawl. This is about as funky as the time I went to the air guitar show.
On the way up, JLe and I stopped by our alma mater town, Davis for dinner. We chose Zindagi Indian Bistro. Downtown Davis sure has changed alot since we graduated. Zindagi, or Indian restaurants in general, would be one of these new changes.
Background: Chicken Tikka Masala
Foreground: Lamb Korma
Both of these dishes were good and portions were larger than I'm used to at Indian restaurants. Compared to some of the spicier dishes I've had at Indian restaurants in Sunnyvale, I felt like they generalized these dishes for the American pallette. They were less spicy, a bit sweet, and more creamy than usual. I still liked it though and maybe it was best not to eat super spicy food to sit in a car for a few hours in the snow.
If I have any Davis undergrad readers, I would suggest you try Zindagi at least once. The ambience is really nice if anything.
A 7 hour drive and a good night's rest later...
We were off in the snow for my first try at cross country skiing.
And the verdict? I love it! Let's go again. And this time, instead of driving 7 hours to get to snow, can we just somehow step outside the front door and suddenly start skiing? Oh snow...why are you so far when I want you? Is it because you know I only want you once a year? Nobody wants to feel unappreciated in this relationship...
Hee hee, Zuki's snow suit.
My previous experiences with Reno food have been really lackluster. Imagine my pleasant surprise to dine at this diamond in the rough, Wild River Grille.
Mojito with like zero alcohol content.
Seared scallops. Not my dish but it looks freakin fantastic doesn't it?
($23) Spicy Shrimp Pasta - has a really good kick in the sauce. How were these tiger prawns so good in a city up in the snow? My only issue is that I think the pasta should have been something stringy, linguini or parpardelle. I am so obsessed with parpardelle right now. The point is, texture-wise, this dish does not go with short pieces of pasta. Just my opinion.
($23.50) Wild Mushroom Truffle Ravioli - SO GOOD! I usually hate pockets of starch stuffed with cheese too but yet again I award rare conversion points for the ravioli that melted my heart and my taste buds. Go here, get this!
I've been really craving good Italian food lately which is why I put a pasta machine on my Christmas wish list. I don't know where this is coming from since I usually regard pasta as emergency - "I don't have anything to cook tonight and Phil stocked up on half a year's worth of pasta boxes and canned sauces so let's just eat pasta" - food. Finally, I have pinpointed the seed of this obsession, Mario Batali on The Chew. I eat lunch at home around the same time everyday. The only thing worth watching on TV at this time is The Chew. After several weeks of watching Mario Batali make simple Italian meals in 10 minutes or less, you too will want to get a pasta machine.
Photo goodies from Santa Crawl 2012, where people dress up like Santa and his posse, and frolic through the pubs of Reno. If you were dressed like a reindeer, this frolicking would be in the literal sense. At bar #2, we stood inside looking out the window as a guy who was just punched in the face was put on a stretcher and taken away by ambulance. Wowzas!!!
And then of course they close the street in front of the Reno The Biggest Little City sign so you can do crazy drunken poses like this one.
On the hangover ride home, we really wanted good brunch and stopped by Sacramento for Tower Cafe. We were really sold by the Yelp picture of the Eggs Tower but then none of us ordered it.
($5.50 half order) Instead we ordered delicious cornmeal pancakes. I am totally a fan of pancakes made from different types of flour now. Especially after Bill's Cafe's Hawaiian pancakes.
($9.95) My two eggs, sunnyside up with crispy potatoes and thick cut bacon. Crispy brunchy goodness. Brunch is seriously the best thing ever invented for old couples, farmer's markets patrons, and hungover people. I could belong in any of those three categories on any given weekend morning. Smiles.
Reno 2012 trip, a gastronomical success!
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