If people started eating a little more like cranes, nature and the economy might be a little better off for it.

This is what prompted the naming of Feeding Crane Farms, a small farming operation with a big vision that sits along a bird grove on the East Levee Corridor in Natomas.

“Cranes are a really wonderful example of what we’re doing with Feeding Crane Farms,” says general manager Shannin Stein. “Cranes eat locally, they eat seasonally.

“They will actually create habitats for small bugs where they live, they’ll tend to those areas and actually cultivate the bugs,” she adds.

Stein oversees Local Food Done Right, an umbrella company that owns both Feeding Crane Farms and Lulu’s Kitchen. The vision behind the two operations is to promote local, sustainable food production, from “farm to fork.”

She, alongside company owner and visionary Brian Shaad, farm manager Antonio Garza, and operations manager Dylan Keith, are part of a team of less than 10 keeping Lulu’s Kitchen and Feeding Crane Farms alive. Needless to say everyone wears a lot of hats, Stein says.

This is a very new operation. After prepping and plowing three-and-a-half acres, and adding all natural amendments like bloodmeal and oyster shell to the soil, the organic farm “broke ground” last September. They began selling crops to local restaurants and grocery stores early this year.

Beyond providing fresh produce for grocery stores, local restaurants and farmers’ markets in Oak Park, Natomas and Cesar Chavez Park, the small team has come up with some really innovative ideas along the way, like Farm to Fork dinners, where locals who already support farmers’ markets and buy organic can experience the talent of chefs in the community who are committed to using local, organic ingredients.

The company recently purchased Steel Magnolia, a commercial kitchen in Sacramento, which they are renaming Lulu’s Kitchen after Shaad’s grandmother, Mary Lou Cayocca. Lulu’s will be accessible to local producers who have recipes but don’t have access to a commercial kitchen or some of the logistics needed to get their products on grocery shelves, Stein says.

The team has its own products it is developing to sell, too. By the start of 2013, you can start looking out for things like arugula pasta, pepper pasta, handmade butternut squash ravioli, squash bread, arugula pesto, and roasted pepper chutney on store shelves. According to Stein, the recipes are being developed as you read.

They also plan to expand into two more properties along the East Levee Corridor, putting an additional 12 acres into production by January and quadrupling their production capacity.

And last but not least, if you’ve caught wind of the first annual Harvest Sunset Celebration, yes, they are planning that as well. But with all the events already happening this fall, they’ve decided to postpone it until the spring.

With so much going on, it’s hard to believe Stein has a moment to breathe, let alone talk through an interview. Yet Submerge somehow managed to catch up with her while she was on a drive through the Midwest.

You guys said you are along the East Levee in Natomas?
Yeah, we’re in North Natomas, and basically it’s called the East Levee Corridor. So it’s a levee bypass system that comes off the Sacramento River out in Yolo and Sutter counties.

Gotcha. There’s a fair bit of ag activity in that region, right?
Yes and no. A little bit further to the west of Sacramento, closer to I-5, there’s a lot of commercial rice production, there’s a lot of big ag. But along the East Levee Corridor, the majority of the land is fallow; it’s not in any form of production.

And so, you guys are trying to cultivate some of that land out there…
Our goal is to basically try and reinvigorate that entire East Levee Corridor, and to create a system and create farms that are duplicate-able. We want to be able to take what we’ve learned in starting our first small three-and-a-half-acre property and we want to be able to basically duplicate it on other properties along that corridor. Then we will create an actual, thriving agribusiness along that corridor to make that area two things: one, less susceptible to development, and two, to basically make Sacramento far more sustainable in regards to food production.

So what kind of stuff do you guys grow?
We have upward of about 30 different varieties of items in the ground at any given time. For this winter, we’ll have a full-crop harvest, we’re not going to take a break this winter. So we have salad mix, head lettuces, arugula. We did tomatoes this summer, eggplant, okra, lots of root vegetables, we grew beautiful beets and radishes, turnips. As Antonio, our farm manager, likes to refer to it, our main property right now is really kind of a salad bowl. There are carrots, onions. Amazingly for our harvest season, part of it has really been experimentation and learning what does well in the soil that we’re working with and getting a feel for crop rotation and our product demands by community.

What’s the plan with Steel Magnolia [now Lulu’s Kitchen], and why did you guys decide to buy it?
Well, as I mentioned, our motto is basically the same thing as our parent company, “local food done right.” And we really believe that “local food done right” doesn’t just mean growing the food locally, it means producing food locally… We want Lulu’s Kitchen to be an incubator kitchen for local producers to come work on their recipes [and] work on their processes. We have fully trained chefs on our team who can help mentor them… At the same time we want to help those producers navigate the often confusing and sticky system of working with the County Health Department and working with the city and learning how to do labeling so it’s FDA approved and how to get your ingredients improved, you know, all of that process. We want help small producers so it’s easier for them to go from concept to the shelf.

I thought I read something about you guys developing your own products to sell in stores, is that right?
We will be, yeah. Absolutely. In fact, you can go to the GOOD market and you can try some of our value-added items. You’ll hear us talk a lot about [value-added items] with small farms in particular. Farming itself is not necessarily a lucrative business. It’s a cash-heavy investment business, there’s a lot of investments needed to really get a farm going and keep a farm operating. Small producers, small farmers really need to have the opportunity and the outlet for additional revenue streams, and so creating value-added products: jams, jellies, breads, sauces, pastas, things along those lines, where the primary ingredients are from your farm, is a great way to do that. So we have a ton of summer squash still out in the field, so one of the chefs on our team is making squash bread.

Now Farm to Fork Dinners, whose idea was that?
Well, actually, that was a joint discussion. It started out where once every two months or so, the farmers and myself, just kind of our core team, we were going to one of the restaurants for dinner and we provided food, because the farmers work their butts off, and they deserve the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their labor occasionally. But in doing that, we also built these really beautiful relationships with the chefs we work with. They have given us fantastic feedback. It started out, actually, with Mama Kim, of Mama Kim Eats, who said almost immediately, “I want to do a brunch.” So we started out with a brunch at Mama Kim Eats, and she said, “I want to do a brunch and I want to focus specific dishes around your produce and your products.” And I was like, “That’s fantastic.” And so Farm to Fork was born. And now we work to do at least one Farm to Fork event each month with our partner restaurants to help bring in business for them on an off-shift. Like at Michelangelo’s, it was on a Sunday night, and we basically helped them triple their sales on a Sunday night.

Do you have an estimate of about how much you produce per season?
You know, we’re putting those numbers together, to be honest [laughs]. But what I can say is we have been able to sustain upward of about 20 to 25 restaurants, the Natural Foods Co-Op, Corti Brothers and three farmers’ markets for this entire season, so since January basically, off of three-and-a-half-acres. And that’s pretty amazing, to begin with.

To learn more about what Feeding Crane Farms and Lulu’s Kitchen have in store, follow Feeding Crane on Twitter @FeedingCrane or like it on Facebook.

Spin Burger Bar
1020 16th Street – Sacramento
Words & Photos by Adam Saake

They say you are what you eat. Over the past year or so it has not gone unnoticed that Submerge’s “Refined Tastes” has dedicated much space to the almighty burger. It’s not that we favor burgers or establishments that serve them, it’s that Sacramento continues to turn out press-worthy product. And hell, we don’t mind eating them.

The newest addition comes from the closing of Bistro 33 that was located on the corner of 16th and K streets. The once-popular SRO-operated business wasn’t enjoying the success that the Haynes brothers originally envisioned, so they decided to close the doors and start from scratch. For months, white sheets of paper with black images of bicycles lined the windows and the logo read, “Spin Burger Bar.” The popularity of bicycle-themed restaurants is evident here in Sacramento and curiosity loomed as to what they would do differently.

For starters, Spin is a burger bar. Menus are glued to old 12-inch vinyl sleeves and the drinks menu slides out–very clever. Chalk paint covers most of the walls, and patrons are welcome to add their own artistic flair. Above the bar, bicycle wheels are mounted and strung together, and a crank at the opposite end keeps them spinning in perpetual motion. Venture to the back corner and you’ll find track bikes mounted on rollers for the purpose of Gold Sprints that they hold every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. for prizes, or daily if you just want to school your friends. Kudos for creativity–but how’s the burger?

The Spin Burger is an 8-ounce, “specially blended” patty that you can build your own way. There are a staggering number of choices, from the cheeses to the toppings to the sauces, and a few are real conversation starters. Want some mac ‘n’ cheese on your burger? How about brie cheese or pomegranate ketchup? All the basics are there too: bacon, avocado, grilled onions, etc. The possibilities for putting together a really amazing burger are all there, but there’s also the potential of creating something like a Captain Crunch sandwich, so choose carefully. I went with cheddar and pastrami and played it safe with Spin’s special sauce, a thousand island of course. Techniques vary for putting away a burger of this size, but I prefer the cut-in-half, which never seems to fail. Except this time. I got about halfway through and the bottom piece of my bun completely fell apart, leaving half of my burger almost inedible. I tried to blame my cutting skills, but the first bite told the whole story. Forgive me for using a cliché food writing term, but the bun was spongy. If you get only two things right with your burger, it’s got to be the patty and bun. One out of two ain’t bad, because the patty was delicious as was the pastrami that was generously piled on. Hopefully it’s just a kink that needs to be worked out.

Fries are extra but it was totally worth it when I saw the heap that accompanied my burger. They also have sweet potato fries, which are my personal favorites. I came back for a second visit almost for that fact alone, but also decided to attack another burger on the menu that I learned is served on a more “standard” bun. The fresh-tasting, perfectly toasted bun is what contributes to making burgers like that of Formoli’s Bistro or The Golden Bear some of the tastiest in town. Spin has the ingredients to compete, and I tasted it when I tried the “Double D,” which featured two patties, two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato and Spin sauce. In fact, I made quick work of it and almost ordered another.

The service was great. The bartender Kate was pleasant and informative, and my food came out quickly. The beer selection includes local brew Monkey Knife Fight from Rubicon and each day of the week has a clever name like Fat Tuesday and Widmer Wednesday. During their happy hour, 3:30 to 7:00 p.m., enjoy $2 pints of that theme beer. Look out for an additional happy hour being added during Gold Sprints on Wednesdays. A word of advice: heavy cycling and copious drinking might lead to…well, watch from a distance.

Michelangelo’s
1725 I Street, Sacramento

Often, I mention the excitement, importance and necessity of the “culinary adventure.” This is when food lovers, foodies, venture to the edge of comfort to try something new at the risk of a terrible tasting outcome for the sake of discovering a sweet, juicy, raspberry-red ruby of delicious enlightenment.

Always on the lookout for a worthy location to learn and try something new, I came across Michelangelo’s while walking around midtown several weeks back. The building appeared to be an art gallery, upon first impression. As I stood outside reading the small plates menu, a guy said, “Are you gonna come in? Or are you just gonna stand out here?”

That guy tried to convince me to go in and eat (even offered to buy me a drink) and told me about the local products and quality of atmosphere and eats found at Michelangelo’s. He turned out to be partial owner of Sampino’s Towne Foods and told me of the delicious sausage that his father made by hand that was served at Michelangelo’s, and how he enjoyed libations and sated his appetite most Thursdays at the restaurant, while being entertained by live music in the small, cozy restaurant.

I did turn down his invitation that Thursday, but I told him I’d come back a few weeks later, to see if I agreed with him firsthand.

I returned two weeks later, ready for food and music. But Michelangelo’s was abnormally closed for the day. Boo. But I wasn’t going to be swayed to change my food safari destination that easily, so I stopped in the next day for a late lunch.

I decided to kick off my Friday afternoon lunch right, choosing a glass of red wine with the help of the genuine, friendly, personable and knowledgeable waitress/bartender, Lisa. The tart, sweet and only a bit dry Boroli Quattro Fratelli Barbera d’Alba 2005 was $8 a glass and tasted of raspberries and cherries. I was so enthralled with my Italian wine that I almost forewent the food. But, I’d picked a unique dish that deserved my attention.

I ordered the $12 red wine gnocchi from the lunch menu, intrigued by the combination of red wine, anchovy, seasoned ricotta and lemon zest. I’m a big fan of anchovies (although I’m always careful when and where I eat them) and was curious how their pungent, salty oceanic flavor would meld with red wine.

I discovered upon arrival of my plate of potato spoon-rolled pasta in a muted mauve sauce that the blend was delish—at first anyway. The wine lent itself to a sour/tart flavor that offset the salty-fishy-ness of the anchovies. Of course, my wine helped my palate along, highlighting the robust and melding flavors. The ricotta was appropriately peppered and salted. I’ve sugared or salted ricotta before, but never peppered. Lovely.

Flavor complexity is generally a good measure of quality. That means the seasonings and spices of a dish are so well melanged that you can’t distinguish one from another and each bite is a ominous flavor surprise. My dish was such.

The only real flavor-texture problem was that the gnocchi was probably cooked a minute or two too long. It should be chewy, but more firm than chewy. The chewy-ness of the gnocchi and the sour fishy sauce did become difficult to stomach after the magical effects of the vino took hold of me (a bit too strongly) that fated Friday afternoon.

Recalling my conversation weeks back about the sausage, I couldn’t pass up ordering a side of it. The sausage was incredible, equally yummy hot or cold—not an easy or frequent accomplishment for sausage. A salty, smoke-y flavor popped at first, then a spicy herb flavor finished off the bite.

Honestly, portions were smaller than they should have been. The gnocchi probably $3 more than it should have. And for $5, I got maybe two or three ounces of sausage. That didn’t seem appropriate.

Michelangelo’s offers great Italian wines at what I thought to be a decent price. If you’re not in the mood for splurging on a complex flavor experience, you can get your cheaper thrills with glasses of vino. It’s certainly a shmancy place. You may or may not be disappointed, depending on the pretense of your visit to such a wine-derful place.

Thumbs up for romance or bromance. With close homies or with love interest.
Other circumstances don’t quite take hold of the enchanting quality of vino and vittles at Michelangelo’s.

By Josselin Basaldu

It’s so good to be here with you. Really, the pleasure is all mine. It’s hard to believe it’s been more than six months but not quite a year that I have been writing to you about local restaurants. I’m sure if you’ve followed throughout you could get a good idea where I live, because while I’m down to experiment and try new restaurants, I’m not as willing to explore the Sacramento’s outer regions. I feel I have tried almost every kind of food available in the six-mile region, and while it could be said I’m easy to please, I’m glad that for the most part I haven’t had to write a negative review. Congratulations to you, Sacramento restaurants. People don’t refer to this city as a dine-out town just because of the abundance of eating establishments.

This week, instead of spending money and then trying to convince you to try a spot out, I’m going to save a couple bucks and remind you of all the great restaurants I visited in the first volume of this column. Don’t worry; it’s not another “best of” list, but rather a refresher on what’s fresh—and, of course, what’s not.

In my time at the dinner table that is Sacramento, by far the one restaurant where I wish I could eat every day is Tamaya, located at 2131 J St. It is the best sushi in town, and they crush the competition across the board. One of my biggest peeves with sushi restaurants is that some places use the same sauce(s) on every roll to the point that everything starts to taste the same. That is not the case with Tamaya, which has an extensive menu and equally creative pairings of flavors. The prices match or beat any other sushi restaurant, and their quantities are ridiculous in the best way possible. I had a sushi spot I frequented regularly, but after one meal at Tamaya, I haven’t been back. Trust that.

From the uncooked to the slow-cooked, my most memorable review has to be my visit to Sandra Dee’s (601 15th St.). My Southern state experience doesn’t venture out of Austin, Texas, so you could say my BBQ palate is amateur at best, but Sandra Dee’s has turned me out. When friends come to town, it’s where I take them—and needless to say, they get turned out too. Their ribs literally fall off the bone, and their BBQ sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. Their Po’ Boy sandwiches are packed with flavor, their fried chicken is flawless and their seafood is everything I’ve mentioned and then some. I’ve been countless times since and have never had anything short of an incredible meal. Deciding what to eat is hard enough, but choosing a side order even more difficult when faced with options like mac and cheese, hush puppies, red beans and rice and more. As the saying goes, “It’s all good.”

I suppose from the slow-cooked, a good segue would be cooked on a spit? Opa! Opa! was the biggest surprise of all the spots I have reviewed. I’d driven by this place hundreds of times, but I couldn’t get past the decor from the outside. It looked like it could be a chain restaurant, but I couldn’t have been more off. There aren’t many affordable lunch/dinner spots that can boast a menu created by an in-house chef, but Opa! Opa! not only has an incredibly dense menu, it is also very unique from other Mediterranean restaurants. They definitely had fun with the menu: alongside Mediterranean mainstays like the beef and lamb or chicken gyro, they also offered up interesting dishes such as a Greek meatloaf (lamb) and pita pizzas. I still have flashbacks to my barbecued leg of lamb sandwich and the rich feta and goat cheese spread. Opa! Opa! is located at 5644 J St., don’t sleep!

With the good comes the bad. Coincidentally, the one bad review I gave is to a restaurant that is no longer open. My apologies to Fins. I didn’t know my words held so much weight in this town, but you honestly didn’t think that white linen tablecloths, high prices and red plastic baskets would be a winning formula, did you?