Uneasy Rhetoric

Downtown Déjeuner:

Sticks: The New Cantonese *** 1/2

1200 K St Ste 4

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 growing boy two whole lunches.

Despite its subtitle - “The New Cantonese” - Sticks provides 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. In the middle are two ice-cream scoop sized dollops of steamed rice. The final third contains a seasonal vegetable like broccoli or squash and zucchini; the vegetable also has a light sauce.

The menu is spartan, mostly variations on a theme. The Cantonese sauce is sweet and slightly smoky. The sweet and sour or lemon chicken is deep fried in a heavy batter (but don’t worry, there’s plenty of meat there). Sticks also has a variety of soup specials that seem quite popular. They offer a salad or two, an occasional sandwich, and a few dishes with shrimp if you’re in a seafood mood.

This is simple but very tasty food that doesn’t try to be the over-sauced, too sweet, multi-ingredient stir-frys that most Americans associate with Chinese food.

The dining room is clean and small. Service is fairly swift and handled strictly at the counter. Sticks gets very busy and the wait can be a while. On occasion the line has been just about out the door. You can call in your order, but if there is a long line, you may still have to wait.

I didn’t give Sticks a stellar review after the first time I visited, but I found myself going back two or three times a week. Three and a half stars because they’re damned close to knowing my name. Good food, inexpensive, but maybe a tad understaffed.

And on a nice day you can sit outside and watch California’s powerful walk by on their way to the Esquire Grill.

This is an updated review. View the original.