This is a test post from 
, a fancy photo sharing thing.
Willie's Burgers
Sacramento isn't renown for being a hot spot, so imagine my surprise when a few weeks ago the New York Times had a whole piece on Sac in their Sunday travel section. Featured prominently in the NYT article is the downtown burger joint Willie's, whose owner cashed in the corporate life to run the restaurant.
Folsom Rodeo
Although independent ranching has been on the decline in California for years, the rodeo lives on. Every year around Fourth of July, the city of Folsom, California hosts its annual Pro Rodeo. Folsom, like so many of the outline towns around Sacramento, used to be surrounded by farm and ranchland. These days its acreage is covered with upscale housing developments, primarily bought by escapees from LA and the Bay Area who can get twice the house for half the price. Still the Folsom Rodeo draws locals and people from all over who love to watch the excitement of cowboys riding bucking broncos and bulls.
Biba's Restaurant
Biba Caggiano is the proprietress and head chef of Biba Restaurant in Sacramento, California. Sacramento is more known these days as the workplace of Governor Ahhnold than as a culinary center. Actually, Sacramento is not exactly known as a destination spot for dining. What you usually get here is your standard string o'chains - the Olive Gardens and the Buffalo Bars of the world. And Sacramentans are for the most part quite happy with the state of dining here thank you. Fortunately, there is at least one exquisitely good restaurant in Sacramento. Everyone here knows it because Biba is rather famous. She's written seven cookbooks and starred in her own TV show. She's even won a James Beard award.
It is well deserved. I ate there for lunch one day this week. The restaurant was half empty at 12:30 (where the heck was everybody? the food is excellent!). I had the special - halibut and scallops with fresh diced tomatoes poached in parchment. It was delcious and so was their basic green salad, one of the best basic greens salads I have ever eaten anywhere.
