Sacramento’s Sweet Nothings Dessert Tour
So you say you have a sweet tooth but don’t know how to appease the cravings you have for delectable desserts? Local Roots Food tours is going to take you on a virtual dessert tour through some of Sacramento’s hot dessert spots….maybe even a little hidden gem or two. Kick up your feet with your cup of Joe and let’s get salivating, shall we? By Bethany Heckman – Tour Guide of Local Roots Food Tours
Our walking food tours take ticket holders through a food adventure 5 days a week. We are treated to some amazing food along our tour route. Our motto on our tours is simple: Eat, Walk and Talk. But how about INDULGE? We love it when our food tour pastry chefs sugar us up! We have found some amazing dessert stops that kick up our toes and hit our sweet tooth in just the right way. Shall I go on? Here’s a sneak peak of what is behind the sweet nothing curtain in Sacramento’s dessert dining scene:
Centro Cocina Mexicana Restaurant
2730 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95816
916-442-2552
Lunch Hours:
Monday thru Friday 11:30am-4:00pm
Saturday 12:00 pm-4:00pm
Dinner Hours:
Monday & Tuesday 4:00pm-9:00pm
Wednesday & Thursday 4:00pm-10:00pm
Friday & Saturday 4:00pm-11:00pm
Sunday 4:00pm-9:00pm
Not only does this restaurant serve up some amazing regional Mexican food (their carnitas are the best I’ve ever had!) don’t forget to look over the dessert menu! Chef Leo’s creation “Plantans Flameados con Ron” consists of flambé plantains, vanilla ice cream, Myers’s Rum sauce, toasted almonds and freshly grated and toasted coconut… Um, is your mouth watering yet? And the creations don’t stop there. Everyone has tasted the floppy and somewhat disappointing flan at Mexican restaurants before but this is a spin on the traditional dessert. Centro’s “Flan de Chocolate” is chocolate caramel custard mixed with Kahlua and a chocolate meringue cookie. Delicious. Traditional yet updated. And why not throw another delicious dessert out there for you to choose from… The “Nieve con Cajeta e Chocolate.” Scoops of vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, goat milk caramel sauce topped with toasted almonds. Are you kidding? Sold. A perfect pairing would be with a locally roasted drip coffee or one of the many ports and sherries on Centro’s dessert menu. Stop in for an unforgettable meal and an even more unforgettable dessert.
La Trattoria Bohemia
3649 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95816
916-455-7803
Hours: Mondays Closed
Tuesdays thru Thursdays 11:30am-9:00pm
Fridays & Saturday 11:30am-10:00pm
Sunday 11:30am-9:00pm
This little hidden gem restaurant in Sacramento showcases Czechoslovakian and Italian cuisine in a cozy and fantastic way. Anyone who has ever walked through the doors knows the immediate rush to your senses the smells, the sounds and especially the taste of the many ethnic delicacies. This restaurant offers Italian pizzas and salads as well as many Czech specialties like goulash, schnitzel and picate. Owner Mark Lastuvka presents his prized recipes to the public with large portions. (thank you Mark!) When you have finished your goulash and have washed it down with a Primátor Premium Dark Lager, you better have saved room for dessert! Let me recommend the “Ricotta Cheesecake” a light cheesecake made of sweetened ricotta cheese with zest of lemon and orange and fresh lemon juice on a homemade crust. Yum. And just in case you don’t think one piece is enough, Mark offers a whole cheesecake for sale so you can eat the scrumptious dessert throughout the week at home! (shame on you Mark!) In the mood for something al little different? Try the “Apple Strudel” a puff pastry stuffed with a mixture of fresh apples, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, sweetened with vanilla sugar. Oh yeah it’s served warm with vanilla ice cream. Come on. Don’t worry Mark sells a whole apple strudel to take home as well. Just in case you were wondering. Can’t decide on dessert? Just to let you know they also serve ice cream, gelato and sorbetto. To wash your tasty treats down, mochas, cappuccinos and espressos are made in house.
Café Bernardo- Midtown
2726 Capitol Ave, Sacramento
916-443-1180
Hours: Monday thru Thursday: 7:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday: 7:00am – 10:00pm
Saturday: 8:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday: 8:00am – 9:00pm
Breakfast Served:
Monday – Friday: 7:00 am – 11:00 am
Saturday: 8:00 am – 1:00 pm (Limited Lunch menu from 11 to 1)
Sunday: 8:00 am – 2:00 pm (Limited Lunch menu from 11 to 2)
With the many locations of Café Bernardo throughout the area, if you haven’t eaten at one cafe, you’ve been living under a rock (or you are in store for a wonderful new surprise) With the philosophy of fresh, local and organic (when possible) Café Bernardo showcases breakfast, lunch and dinner is a clean, simple but more importantly delicious way. Inspired by the European way of café dining, this restaurant is known for it’s fresh, delicious and affordable food. After you noshed on some of your Grilled Creekstone Natural Angus Tri-Tip (Red wine butter, garlic roasted broccoli, bleu cheese mashed potatoes) or your Prosciutto and Grilled Pineapple Pizzetta (caramelized onions, chili flakes,mozzarella) I can guarantee you will want to check out the restaurants lovely and ever changing dessert menu. One of Café Bernardo’s biggest seller is the carrot cake. You just have to try it for yourself. Moist. Filling. And most importantly, delicious. Or, try a black bottom cupcake, homemade cookies or double rainbow ice cream. The café has started featuring some season inspired sweets as well. The cranberry orange scone, the pumpkin spice cupcake, the orange shortbread and peanut and milk chocolate cookies. And last, but certainly not least the apple cranberry fruit crisp. The wonderful thing about these sweet treats is that you don’t have to choose just one. With affordable prices, treat yourself to several and enjoy them throughout the day! To wash your sweets down try one of their famous mochas with homemade ganache. Yum. Espresso. Café Au Lait, Americanos and Cappuccinos are available as well!
Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts
1201 F Street Sacramento
(916) 952-5253
Monday-Friday: 7:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am- 5:00pm
Sunday: Closed
Voted best new bakery in Sacramento is an exciting thing. Pasty chef and owner Carissa Jones, clearly has a knack for beautiful and scrumptious desserts. If you are in are in a serious need of sugar, look no further than Sugar and Spice. This shop is known for its French influence of baking but also for its hip and modern flair. One of the top sellers is the “Popular Tart.” No, these aren’t the ones you will see in foil wrapper in a box, these are prepared with delicious homemade pie dough rolled and filled. How about strawberry rhubarb and brown sugar cinnamon? These aren’t the kind of Pop Tarts you are used to. They’re better. Sugar and Spice has three types of cupcakes every day and each flavor is posted on Facebook every day. Flavors such as: chocolate raspberry, peanut butter caramel, raspberry lemonade, German chocolate and salted caramel. Come on? Tell me you don’t want to try each and every one of those? With the movement into Fall, the bakery is starting to add some familiar desserts too. Caramel apples, individual pumpkin pies, pumpkin maple whoopee pies and candy corn spice cupcakes. (my mouth is watering!) The bakery does sell milk which is always a great addition to a sugar overload but if you need some caffeine- head just two and half blocks (you may need the exercise!) to Shine Coffee. (14th and E) Sugar and Spice is the expert on all things sweet and anyone with a sweet tooth should hit it up quick!
Restaurant Thir13ten
1300 H Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-594-7669
Hours:
Monday – Friday
Lunch: 11:00 – 5:00pm
Dinner: 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Saturday: 5:00pm-9:00pm
Closed Sunday
The dessert menu at Restaurant Thir13en is downright fabulous. After exchanging hands with owners, restaurants and staff this eatery had really found its niche. With a cozy, relaxing and downright sexy vibe: the establishment had nothing but amazing dishes to offer. Let me point out one thing however… The dessert menu. Whether it be the classic apple pie (granny smith and Fuji apples with salty Carmel ice cream) or the chocolate souffle cake served with coconut, Carmel and pecan sauce (accompanied with vanilla ice cream), Restaurant Thir13een is where it’s at. Because of the constantly rotating and seasonal menu, the latest dessert had just unfolded: the pumpkin trifle. Mascarpone, spiced rum soaked lady fingers, pumpkin purée, sugared pecans topped with house made whipped cream. What could get better than that?! Oh yes, every dessert at the fabulous establishment is $8. Yes, you heard it. $8. At that price, why not try them all?!