Uneasy Rhetoric

Downtown Déjeuner:

Sticks: The New Cantonese ** 1/2

1200 K St Ste 4 Based on one visit.

Under $8.

With the closure of Indochine, Downtown Sacramento lost the jewel in its Chinese/pan-Asian crown. I lament this closure even more because of Indochine’s supersized portions, which were enough to give even this growning boy two whole lunches.

Many other restaurants vie for this crown. Sticks doesn’t come close but it does provide, despite its subtitle, unpretentious fare that feels more like bento than like something you’d get in a Chinese restaurant.

Imagine your large plastic serving box divided into thirds. On one third is grilled chicken with a smoky but sweet “Cantonese” sause. In the middle are two ice-cream scoop sized dollops of steamed rice. The final third contains a mixture of yellow squash, zuchinni, and onions, steamed but not soggy.

Nothing about this meal is spectacular. The Cantonese sauce seems suspiciously like any bottled sauce at a supermarket, but it is good and there is plenty of it. The Chicken is cooked to just the right point but not quite as warm as I’d have wished. The vegetables are copious, and seem to be lightly seasoned; either that or the zuchinni/squash/onion combo is just right. The serving size is slightly on the large side for lunch. If you’re a fan of bento, you’ll enjoy this place.

The menu is spartan, mostly variations on a theme. They do have salads, one or two sandwhich offerings, and in addition to beef and chicken I do recall shrimp on the menu.

The dining room is clean and small. Service is fairly swift but handled strictly at the counter; even if you’re dining in you have to go up to get your meal, which is served on a tray. At 12:15pm they weren’t busy. I don’t think this is an indication of the quality but again, don’t expect your traditional Chinese food.

Two stars for decent, unimpressive, food in an adequate atmosphere. An extra half because even with tip my meal (with drink) was just under eight dollars, and, if Sticks had called itself a bento place, I might have rated it higher.