{"id":325902,"date":"2026-05-21T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T08:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/325902\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T08:00:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T08:00:26","slug":"davis-wine-burgers-and-a-south-sacramento-soul-food-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/325902\/","title":{"rendered":"Davis wine, burgers and a South Sacramento soul food restaurant"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is from City of Treats, a food and drink newsletter by Abridged Senior Food Editor Benjy Egel. Want it sent directly to your inbox?\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fifty years ago next Sunday, the Judgment of Paris cemented California wines as world-class. Chardonnays and cabernet sauvignons from the outlying Bay Area went up against counterparts from France in a blind tasting, and the panel of entirely French judges picked those from California, to the astonishment of many.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Monday, UC Davis hosted a rematch \u2014 sort of. The university\u2019s Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science welcomed 16 judges (ranging from Corti Brothers<\/a> owner Darrell Corti to modern celebrity sommelier Andr\u00e9 Mack) for the Judgment of Davis<\/a>, blind tasting chardonnay- and cabernet-based wines as in 1976.<\/p>\n

An initial pool of roughly 270 had been whittled down to 12 whites and 13 reds. But this time, the wines came not just from California and France but Argentina, Chile and Pennsylvania. While no clear-cut No. 1s were identified, the judges\u2019 top choices included Meadowbrook Winery\u2019s<\/a> 2023 reserve chardonnay (New Jersey), Oldenburg Vineyards\u2019<\/a> 2024 Rondekop Una V (South Africa) and Roblar Winery\u2019s<\/a> 2021 Grace & Grit cabernet (Santa Ynez Valley).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe opened it up to the whole world (because) we\u2019re very interested in celebrating this, but not just focusing on the countries that are already well-known for wine,\u201d UC Davis viticulture and enology department chair Ben Montpetit said. \u201cWhy not give the opportunity \u2014 kind of the same opportunity the judgment of Paris gave to California \u2014 for some exposure? We\u2019re hoping that the same thing happens here, that we might shed some light on a family winery or a business in another country that\u2019s doing something amazing and should be known.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rest of today\u2019s City of Treats is decidedly more lowbrow. I crunched fried fish at a South Sacramento soul food den, chomped burgers at a South Natomas food festival and licked my lips at the thought of Ululani\u2019s Shave Ice, a favorite of mine from Hawaii, making its area debut next weekend.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s chow down!<\/p>\n

\t\tSign Up for the City of Treats Newsletter<\/p>\n

Get the latest Sacramento food news from Benjy Egel in City of Treats \u2014 delivered every Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Benjy\u2019s Bites<\/p>\n

Louisiana Heaven<\/a> | 6623 Valley Hi Drive, Suite A, Sacramento | 916-689-4800<\/p>\n

\"snapper\"Louisiana Heaven\u2019s Cajun red snapper. (Benjy Egel)<\/p>\n

Most of Louisiana Heaven\u2019s weekday customers eschew the dining room\u2019s Mardi Gras masks and multicolored beads in favor of takeout orders. It\u2019s understandable but not recommended, since many of the South Sacramento soul food spot\u2019s fried dishes are best eaten fresh out of the checkered paper lining their plastic baskets. Plus, you can\u2019t add more of the house Cajun seasoning to taste when eating on the go, unless you\u2019ve picked up a purple shaker at Frank\u2019s Quality Meats (South Land Park), Taylor\u2019s Market<\/a> (Land Park) or Grocery Outlet<\/a> (Arden Arcade).<\/p>\n

Lashunda \u201cShaun\u201d Cormier, the daughter of Pelican State natives, opened Louisiana Heaven at its current location in 2019 after nearly a decade of festivals and a short-lived preceding restaurant in Elk Grove. Now managed by her daughter Jakayla, it\u2019s one of Sacramento\u2019s few restaurants to serve boudin balls (two for $10), steaming bayou arancini stuffed with rice and sausage and fried to a dark brown. For a heartier option, select one-, two- or three-item dinner combo plates, each of which comes with two sides. The Cajun red snapper ($25) fried in a cornmeal batter is my top pick, though it could use a little extra of that seasoning.<\/p>\n

Egel\u2019s Nest<\/p>\n

I live, play and cook in this community just like you. This recurring section is a window into my life outside of restaurants and bars, always with a food and\/or drink angle.<\/p>\n

\"burger\"Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District\u2019s jalape\u00f1o inferno burger. (Benjy Egel)<\/p>\n

I pretty much swore off burgers after completing my list of the region\u2019s 13 best in February.<\/a> But I slipped out of greasy hibernation to judge the American River Burger Battle<\/a> last Sunday, which pitted seven area restaurants (plus Sacramento Fire Department and Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District representatives) against each other at Discovery Park in South Natomas.<\/p>\n

Some restaurants (Gami Burger<\/a>, Moksa Barrel House<\/a>) submitted the flagship burgers available on their daily menus. Others came up with new creations, like The Firehouse\u2019s<\/a> beef tenderloin\/ribeye\/flank steak patty with horseradish remoulade, blue cheese and pickled onions.<\/p>\n

Metro Fire\u2019s jalape\u00f1o inferno burger (two Oklahoma-style smash patties, housemade jalape\u00f1o salt and chipotle bacon onion jam on branded buns) was near the top of my book. But my No. 1 pick was the overall winner: Good Neighbor\u2019s<\/a> resuscitation of the Pangaea Bier Cafe burger<\/a> featuring dry-aged beef, housemade pickles and bacon on a Bella Bru<\/a> bun.<\/p>\n

In the news<\/p>\n

\"Man\"Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services executive director Blake Young with a box of Oregon apples. (Martin Christian)<\/p>\n

Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services<\/a> raised nearly $420,000 during the annual Big Day of Giving, more than any other local nonprofit. That money will fund 1.2 million meals at the food bank, which feeds 335,000 people per month throughout Sacramento County. Read more from Rob Stewart here.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"artichokes\"Steamed artichokes with pesto butter. (Zoe Barrie)<\/p>\n

Zoe Barrie\u2019s latest Cooking in Season recipe<\/a> centers around a familiar vegetable from her farm-to-table restaurant days: artichokes. Steam them, then serve them with melted pesto butter \u2014 both leaves and heart.<\/p>\n

\"Bar\"58 Degrees & Holding Co. in Midtown Sacramento. (Cameron Clark)<\/p>\n

58 Degrees & Holding Co.<\/a> will close May 31 after 20 years in Midtown Sacramento<\/a>. An early wine bar in the Handle District, it adapted to full steak dinners and \u201cChambongs\u201d as the neighborhood became more popular.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Happening this week<\/p>\n

The State Fair isn\u2019t until July, but you can whet your deep-fried appetite at the Sacramento County Fair<\/a> this weekend at Cal Expo. Dishes at some of the stands include chipotle chicken fries, footlong bacon-wrapped hot dogs and soft pretzels with Sriracha cream cheese icing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Sacramento Lebanese Festival<\/a> will take over 12th Street between R and S streets in Sacramento from Friday-Sunday. Expect live music and dancing, a hookah bar, a beer and wine garden and dishes such as knafeh (melted cheese covered in shredded phyllo and drenched in syrup).<\/p>\n

Ululani\u2019s Shave Ice<\/a> will open Saturday at 1013 2nd St. in Old Sacramento. Maui\u2019s most popular shave ice stand, founded in 2008, has begun a California expansion that also includes locations in Stockton and Livermore.<\/p>\n

Benjy Egel\u00a0is the senior food editor at Abridged. Born and raised in the Sacramento region, he has covered its local restaurants and bars since 2018. He also writes and edits Abridged\u2019s weekly\u00a0food and drink newsletter,\u00a0City of Treats.<\/a><\/p>\n