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I dare you to show me anybody who resides in Roseville, Sacramento, the state of California, or for that matter, anywhere in the U.S. who doesn't savor the taste of great barbecue? Finding great barbecue isn't as easy as you might think, as not all barbecue joints are created equal. When you find the perfect barbecue joint, you've instantly achieved nirvana, and in the case of Casey's wedding, held in our back yard, Sandra Dee's Bar-B-Que and Sea Food served as our barbecue nirvana.
Left: One of Sandra Dee's employees helps herself to a glass of punch. We told the caterers, the disk jockey and the photographer to help themselves to the food and drink. Right: Carol Silva puts a cornbread muffin on her plate. I have to admit that neither Sharlene, Casey, nor I have had the pleasure to dine at Sandra Dee's restaurant, located at the corner of 15th and "F" Streets, in midtown Sacramento, but we'd heard "rave" reviews about their catered events, which is a big part of their business, and Casey had previously enjoyed a delicious Sandra Dee's lunch, catered to her work, during a work/social function, and she was impressed with the quality of the food, the Casey didn't even to talk to a human, not even on the phone, to make the arrangements, as this is 2007, not 1987, as all she had to do was access Sandra Dee's web site, go to the catering section, tell them how many meals were required, and the main dishes, salad and side dishes that she wanted, and that was about it. For an extra fee, we requested the caterers to set up tables, and serve the food to our guests, and to perform post-event clean up chores. Casey took care of everything over Sandra Dee's web site, and she presented the bill to us, so naturally we had the pleasure for paying for the catered lunch. Thanks, Casey, but the catering was part of the deal for her wedding...
Left: The "chow line" started with a nice helping of tossed green salad. Note the attractive presentation. Right: My plate of delicious Sandra Dee's barbecue. We had sent out about 65 wedding invitations, so if everybody showed up, including the wedding party, we'd have about 75 people present, including "hired hands" like the minister, and the disc jockey, and we wanted everybody to leave with a full stomach, so we ordered food for 80 people. As it turned out, I counted 68 folks total, including wedding party, guests, "us" and "hired hands," so we had some leftovers, which is always a good thing. Sandra Dee's arrived promptly in a company van, and immediately began setting up their operation under the canopies, at the south side of the house, where we'd already pre-set tables for them. They brought out large stainless steel trays of their delicious food, skillfully arranged it on the tables, and heated the meat with portable propane burners. All of this was accomplished by two men and a woman, all very friendly, helpful, enthusiastic, and true professionals, and seem to enjoy what they are doing for a living. Casey had requested the following menu: Barbecued chicken, tri-tip beef, green beans, macaroni and cheese, tossed green salad, with a cornbread muffin on the side. After the wedding, the guests were directed to a serving line, where you first picked up your pre-wrapped plastic "silverware," grabbed a plate, and then your plate was loaded with tossed-green salad by the friendly salad girl. You had your choice of Ranch, Honey Dijon mustard, or Bleu Cheese dressing to apply to your salad, plus red pepper flakes or croutons, and then, if it was in your interest, you were give a healthy spoonful of Sandra Dee's green beans. OK, Sandra's green beans are not that stuff that you get from a can, as Sandra has added onions and spices to make these green beans taste... delicious.
Left: The Rench family enjoy their meal, in the shade, under the big top tent. Right: Matt, Jacquie, Dave, Casey's grandmother Annette, and family friend Mikayla enjoy their meal. By the time the meal was served, the patio was shaded by the house, so all diners were able to eat in the shade. Continuing through the chow line, you got served delicious macaroni and cheese, and then it was off the to meat guy, where you received a generous portion of Sandra Dee's barbecued chicken and tri-tip beef, thinly sliced. Oh boy! The meat is barbecued, and you can taste the delicious, smoky taste of the meat, yet, unlike lots of other barbecue joints, the smoky taste doesn't overpower the flavor of the meat. The meat is seasoned with Sandra Dee's special barbecue sauce, which is a smoky as it gets, but it's not overpowering, and its some of the best barbecue sauce that I've ever tasted. I'm not a big fan of barbecue sauce, but Sandra Dee's sauce blew me away! I asked the leading man, who was serving the meat, what genre of American barbecue does Sandra Dee's subscribe to, as I guessed the cuisine as Memphis-style barbecue, due to the abundance of Sandra Dee's delicious smoky barbecue sauce, applied to the meat. He laughed, shrugged his shoulders, and replied, "This is Sandra Dee's barbecue!" Well said! Sandra Dee's Bar-B-Que & Sea Food
Copyright(c) 2007 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., web site design, custom photography, and more...
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