Jimboy's Tacos

1420 29th Street
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 452-6451
Website

I was visiting friends recently in Sacramento, and was told there was a "down and dirty" local fast food fix I needed to try. They serve the "tacoburger," and these friends were absolutely correct.

First of all, this local chain is called Jimboy's Tacos. Swoon. It was love at first sight. Speaking of sights, check out the "scenic drive" sign marking the drive through. Delicious AND a sense of humor? How could this go wrong?

From their website listing of Tacoburger: "A unique Jimboy’s product.   A savory all-beef patty blanketed with melted American cheese, lettuce, fresh tomatoes, pickles & our special tacoburger sauce. Grilled in a corn tortilla and topped with our trademark parmesan cheese. Have it without the sauce for a full gluten-free meal!"

Not sure why the tacoburger sauce has all the gluten, but who cares! See below.

A fried corn tortilla with all the trimmings. This was way better than you would think. That tacoburger sauce does something magical to tie the whole thing together, so gluten-free warriors beware. Cheesy, mustardy (and apparently full of wheaty goodness), it tranformed this into a complete meal. The ingredients were put together correctly, and the sprinkle of parm somehow just worked. Not to mention the pickle slices. A perfect mashup.

Check out the patty tucked into its corn tortilla carapace. I am already craving another one of these. Well done, Jimboy.

Zoe's Kitchen - Giveaway CLOSE! Elle, you are the winner!

761 W Lancaster Avenue
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
(610) 520-1389
Website

The folks at Zoe's Kitchen have offered one lucky Philly Phoodie reader a $25 gift card to any of their locations. To be entered to win, leave a comment on this post about your healthy food that still tastes good (even though it's not smothered in butter) and be sure to send me your contact information (phillyphoodie.com@gmail.com) so we know how to get in touch with the winner. Contest closes 3/24/15 at 12 PM EST. Winner to be drawn at random.

I had never even heard of Zoe's Kitchen, but when I was also offered a gift card to try some food, of course I was into it. Although they specialize in fresh, healthy food, I was still willing to give them a shot.

The inside is like a mash-up of Chipotle and Jamba juice. You order at the counter and make your way to a table with one of those little numbers on a standing stick things. This place is CLEAN. Also, the people working there were extremely friendly. It makes sense for a Mediterranean/Southern place.

Two of my favorite things here were their Greek dressing and spice blend, both available on every table.

You will be happy to have the salty spices and red wine vinegar tinged dressing to pep up the fresh healthy food they serve. It is all lacking a bit of salt, but I think that's what makes it healthy? But that's also why they let you season your own food. For a starter, I went with the hummus trio. Served with fresh raw veggies, pita wedges, and toasted pita chips, the red pepper, basil, and plain hummus's were pretty filling. I think my body is not used to raw vegetables, and so I felt artificially full. After a weekend of binge eating (including burritos at 2AM at Frankford and Girard, and two racks of ribs on the new Big Green Egg) this healthy food fit the bill. The hummus was very light and nicely textured. It did need a bit of salt, which I took care of by hitting it with the spice blend on my table.

My favorite was probably the roasted red pepper, but they were all good. I can't remember when I ate this healthy in the recent past. I mean, I DO get lettuce on my Chiptole, so I guess that's close?

The shrimp skewer platter was legitimately delicious. The shrimp were coated in a fantastic spice blend that had garlic and hints of paprika. They were surprisingly well executed, lightly charred and crispy without being overcooked; served over a bed of rice pilaf that had really nice flavor. The cucumber raita was a decent dip, and the salad had a load of feta, which is always a treat. Again, I was addicted to the dressing and spices, so I loaded it up. I was really surprised with how fresh and crisp all the vegetables were. I am pretty sure mine aren't that fresh within three minutes of leaving the grocery store.

Look at the beautiful crust and char on these things – the meat was delicately sweet. I actually even liked the zucchini.

The Greek chicken pita didn't fare so well. The problem was that it really wasn't a sandwich. Just a salad served in half a pita. When I tried to pick it up, all was lost.

Loaded with feta again.

Side of slaw had feta and was dressed with an oil and vinegar dressing. Pretty light and refreshing.

The aftermath of the first pita bite. A breech of the bottom and an outpouring of caramelized onions.

The bread tore in short order, so I doused the whole thing in more dressing/spice blend and ate it like a salad. Formal structure aside, it was quite tasty.

Even though this isn't my usual type of food, it was pretty damn good for a healthy alternative. I hope whoever wins is able to nurse their hangover with some fresh fare like I did.

Krystal

3502 U.S. 80
Jackson, MS 39208
(601) 939-8520
Website

I have always wanted to try the "White Castle of the South," but circumstances had never enabled it. Mostly because I live in Philadelphia. On a recent business trip, I had a chance to check it out. Keeping in mind I was dead sober, and in order to fully compare this place to White Castle as it is usually enjoyed, I would have to had been drinking for a substantial period of time. Needless to say, I gave it a go anyhow.

It looked rather similar inside, with stainless steel and a variety of crappy choices.

I got a four 'Krystal burger with cheese' pack, with fries and an additional fried chicken sandwich for good measure. There were a couple of construction workers next to me, and one of them had at least a dozen burger sleeves littered around his tray, so I didn't feel too fat. God bless Mississippi.

These burgers are steamed in onions, with the buns on top, resulting in a flavorful patty, and a fluffy/moist bun. Obviously, they are slapped together hastily, but they aren't too bad.

Pickles, onions, cheese, and yellow mustard are all that you get. But it works well enough.

The fried chicken slider is basically a chicken finger on a bun, and was okay as well. It seemed like I was lucky to get mayo and a pickle, even though it's supposed to come standard.

Krystal burger is exactly what I expected it to be. The pickles are pretty key, but I wouldn't run back. Unless, of course, business takes me down south once again – but that time, there will definitely be booze in the equation.

In-N-Out Burger

2001 Alta Arden Expressway
Sacramento, CA
(800) 786-1000
Website

It's no secret that In-n-Out is amazing. What I wouldn't do for one in our area. Luckily Shake Shack does an okay job of scratching that itch. However, any chance I get, I am going for the elusive West coast chain, with their druid-like secret menu.

One of the reasons they always hit the mark: a lot of people are working there at all times. And every single person is always working. Obviously this would never happen in Philadelphia.

All of the employees are always somewhat happy too (again, never in Philadelphia).

The pink lemonade is one of the highlights, besides all of the really great other stuff.

Enter, fatso numero uno. Given my general aversion to sweets, I skipped the shake. But I more than made up for it with my order.

First, was a double double burger. Two meat, two cheese. I had it cooked "animal style" which means the patties are fried in mustard, and secret sauce is added in addition to fried chopped onions. I also asked for chopped chiles on it, lending a beautiful zing of vinegar and a hint of heat to this heavy, delicious, and oh so decadent meal. It was phenomenal.

Now for the fries. In order to squeeze every single drop of artery clogging deliciousness out of this once-in-a-great-while treat, I ordered the fries well done, and served "animal style" as well. Hell.

What it basically comes down to is that the burgers are amazing. The fries are also good, but given a "one or the other" scenario, however remote the chance of that would ever be, I would go double double for sure. Now just bring an In-n-Out to Philadelphia, and we can all die happy. And even more quickly.

Panda Express

(Comcast Center Market)
1701 John F Kennedy Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 567-1639
Website

When I was in college, Panda Express was eaten at least once a week. It was a giant plate of food that was relatively fresh, and definitely cheap. I still have very fond memories of the place, and when I realized there was one in our fair city, I knew I had to have it. I actually went for lunch on the day I found out. It's in the basement food court of the Comcast Center, where it has to compete with places such as Percy St. BBQ and Di Bruno Brothers – not an easy task.

How are those people so mesmerized by the chafing station in BOTH pictures? So anyway, the concept is that you order a plate and they give you two to three entrees, as well as fried rice or chow mein, or both. You go down the line picking what looks good, which is actually kind of tough, because most of it looks pretty good.

So $14 later, I had two, two-entree orders. There was an added surcharge because I got shrimp, which I guess is a "premium" topping.

The chili sauce is a can't-miss condiment. Mostly because the rice and noodles need some help in the flavor department.

Behind door number one was the walnut shrimp, Shanghai Angus steak, and a mix of the rice and chow mein.

The new honey walnut shrimp consists of tempura battered, fried shrimp in a honey sauce. The walnuts were not really there, but the shrimp were pretty tasty. They were slightly sweet, slightly crispy, and not bad at all.

The steak was also good, but seriously, why did they only include the most fibrous parts of the asparagus stems? It's supposed to be the other way around. Anyway, the beef was decent, served with "Asian steak sauce(?)" and was tender enough to make me not hate it.

The next pile up was the Beijing beef, orange chicken, and another mix of the two fillers. Don't get me wrong, they are both acceptable, just not very flavorful. At least they are not greasy.

The orange chicken is the "signature dish" and the one I am most accustomed to. It's good. At least the sweet and spicy orange sauce is a welcome change from the traditional brown sauce most cheap Chinese places serve. The crispy(ish) chicken is coated in the sweet sauce, and is pretty damn good.

 

The Beijing beef is comprised of crispy strips of marinated beef, red bell pepper, and onion in a "tangy sweet and spicy" sauce. This may be my favorite one out of all of them. The beef is crispy and tender, and the sauce has a little kick to it. I am a big fan.

So here's the deal, this is not the best Chinese food in city, by any stretch of the imagination. It's barely Chinese food. However, it is pretty good Americanized fast food Chinese. It's better than 90% of the Chinese places in the city (Chinatown excluded), because they all serve exactly the same greasy, underwhelming, salt laden, and flavorless menu. It is a cheap, filling fix, if you happen to be in the area, and want to get something that won't make you need a nap afterward.