You expect nothing less than sheer perfection in food from Rick Mahan, the owner and chef of Waterboy Restaurant in Midtown Sacramento, and his new restaurant, OneSpeed Pizza in East Sacramento, does not disappoint.
This is truly a neighborhood experience. For one thing, it's difficult to find parking at 48th and Folsom, so you're better off walking or arriving on your bike. As the imprint on the glass window says: OneSpeed Pizza. Bikes. Love. There is a chalkboard at the entrance displaying a message. Yesterday afternoon it advertised a Monte Cristo, probably one of the most fattening yet mouthwatering treats a human being can enjoy.
Since I've lost a lot of weight and want to keep it off, I passed on the Monte Cristo. But just the thought of salty ham and melting cheese continues to linger in my mind.
The heart of the menu is pizza. Not just any pizza, but a variety of choices, each prepared with fresh, local ingredients such as spinach and roasted peppers or arugula and caramelized onions. You can see the pizza oven in the center of the photo, which produces a slightly charred but tasty crust on the pizza.
I started off with an Old Soul latte, from a coffee business co-owned by one of my clients, Jason Griest. My husband stuck with water, served from what appeared to be a refillable bottle. He knew what he wanted: pizza with OneSpeed's housemade sausage. I had a more difficult time deciding what I wanted because it wasn't pizza. The choices are basically big plates or small plates, many of which are salads.
I chose the Bitter Greens salad, prepared with arugula, endive, Asian pears, blue cheese, walnuts and balsamico. You know, I like pronouncing the word: arugula. The accent is on the second syllable, and it makes me feel like a cartoon character to let it roll off my lips. I get a mental image of a bike horn blowing up in my face.
But I also wanted to try the daily soup. It was black bean. I imagine the beans were smashed and simmered before adding more beans because the integrity of the beans were intact. The soup was topped by a dollop of sour cream. A bit salty but delightful. When the waiter spotted my empty bowl, he asked if he could take it away -- like, what was I going to do with an empty bowl? Pick it up and lick it? The thought did occur to me. It was that good.
Overall, the food was exceptional, but the service was very slow. We arrived about 12:30 and didn't leave until 2:15. It took forever to get our table cleared and the check. However, I devoured every morsel that was placed in front of me, including part of my husband's most delicious sausage pizza. He was a bit annoyed that I continued to check my BlackBerry as it buzzed through lunch, sending emails that said I was at lunch and would get back to the callers later. I thought I was being considerate by not answering my cell. Ah, such is the life of a Sacramento short sale agent.
OneSpeed Pizza. Bikes. Love.
4818 Folsom Boulevard
Sacramento, CA
Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner
Home delivery by bicycle available Tuesday through Sunday nights.
Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
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One hour and 45 minutes?
What, did that include a one-hour massage or something?
Hi Elizabeth, The food looks marvelous! Sorry you did not have good service. Mabe it will be better next time.. thanks for sharing!
I have thought about writing about local businesses. I guess I should stop thinking about it and do it.
Enjoyed your post and the photos.
Elizabeth,
I thonk I already told you that you can do food critique for living. For me, who is on a vegan diet for the last 6 months, it is more about memories (LOL)
There was (is?) a place in Dallas called Goff's. Their service is unique - like the soup nazi.
I would probably cme back if the food was good enough. The cervice can improve quckly with the right management.
Elizabeth: Now you've made me hungry for pizza. How come a post about a salad never makes me hungry for salad?
Hi Elizabeth... being a bit of a foodie myself, I loved your review! I also loved Ralph's comment about the massage!
@Heath... Goff's is still around but it moved from its original location on Lovers Lane to one on Hillcrest across from SMU. Harvey sold it a few years ago though, so the "legendary" service has changed, but the food is still good.
I like the looks of that pizza Elizabeth! It looks a little rustic artesan! There has been a history of neat little restaurants and cafes down in the Fabulous 40s area of Folsom Boulevard and "J" Street. Have you been to the Pasty Shack yet?
I do like Pizza any reason to try a new place and I'll drive a ways too bad it's 3000 miles away.
Aaaaarrruuugula. Crap, now you've got me saying it. :)
The food does look great, but and hour and 45 minutes is a long wait.
Hi Myrl, you should check it out. I can't imagine what they sell at the Pasty Shack, LOL, but if it's pastries, that's not something I generally eat.
Ha, ha, Jesse. It's aarrrrrrROOOOOOOgula. See, kinda hard to get that out of your head now.
Elizabeth,
Love the Localism! Sounds like a fun and delicious place to eat. Although, nearly two hours seems a bit long for lunch. Thanks for all the info!