News & Nosh: Join us for an evening with The Rind’s Sara Arbabian and The Bee’s Benjy Egel

Want to meet the The Rind’s “cheese goddess,” sip wine from El Dorado County’s choicest purveyors and talk with me about the Sacramento region’s food scene? Buy your tickets now for The Sacramento Bee’s second “News & Nosh” event on Tuesday, June 25.

I’ll be hosting a Q&A that evening with The Rind owner Sara Arbabian, who contributed her midtown Sacramento restaurant’s macaroni and cheese recipe to “Sacramento Eats: Recipes from the Capital Region’s Favorite Restaurants.” We’ll talk about the process of compiling recipes for that cookbook, what it’s like to run or review a Sacramento restaurant and where the area’s food scene might be headed in the future.

Arbabian will bring cheesy bites from The Rind for attendees to sample, while El Dorado 8 Winery Group will supply complimentary beverages. A collection of eight local wineries including Boeger, Lava Cap and Miraflores, El Dorado 8 wants to educate wine drinkers at large about the nuances of mountain wineries in the El Dorado AVA.

Arbabian was born in Portland, Oregon, moved frequently as a child and eventually graduated from high school in Stockton before a UC Davis education brought her to the Sacramento area. She worked in human resources for seven years before opening The Rind in 2013 at 1801 L St., Suite 40 in the Handle District.

Her love affair with cheese has been one constant, spurred by the first and second dishes her mother taught her to make — grilled cheese sandwiches, then macaroni and cheese. Beer and wine joined as frequent accompaniments in her early 20s, and now complement Mediterranean burrata platters or four-cheese lobster mac at The Rind.

“News & Nosh” tickets are available on Evite for $50 apiece, while cookbooks can be purchased (and signed!) at the event. Be sure to order in advance, as they’re likely to sell out.

Eagle-eyed readers may remember seeing (or even attending) a previous “News & Nosh” iteration with Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine chef/owner Billy Ngo in April. Among the sellout crowd at that event: Ruth Reichl, the legendary food writer and author who won six James Beard Awards prior to being honored with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award on April 3.

No promises on celebrity guests this time around, but who knows? Regardless, I’m excited to see you there.

What I’m Eating

Unimpressed with Sacramento’s Nepalese food offerings, Muna Khatiwada and Sajal Nepal opened Namaste Sacramandu in 2022 in Arden Arcade. Along with chef Yogya Raj Kharel, who went to South India to master Chicken 65 and emerged with a grasp of dosa and Manchurian dishes, the Nepal natives have established one of the Sacramento region’s better Nepalese and Indian restaurants.

The framed artwork of goddesses and countrysides adorning Namaste Sacramandu’s walls, coupled with the sounds of flutes and sitars emanating from the speakers, creates a soothing ambiance in the understated restaurant looking out on Fulton Avenue. It’ll lull you into tranquility — right up until the flavor-packed, reasonably-portioned dishes come out.

Take Newari choila ($10), tangy grilled lamb or chicken tossed with onions and red bell peppers. Coated in a reddish-brown marinade of Sichuan peppercorns, mustard oil and roasted garlic, it’s a vibrant representation of a lip-smacking appetizer traditionally made by Newar people, a group native to Khatiwada’s home in the Kathmandu Valley.

A dozen varieties of momo ($10-$14 for eight), Nepalese dumplings filled with chicken or a paneer/onion/cabbage mixture, come served on a charcoal board with a tomato chutney enlivened thanks to fenugreek and mustard seeds. I recommend the kothey momo, pan-fried to a buttery crisp on one side and left steamed and soft on the other.

Durbar fish curry ($18) is a house specialty, a favorite of Khatiwada’s mother that she learned from chefs in Hyderabad. The South Indian-inspired auburn dish became popular after being served in historic Indian and Nepalese rulers’ courts; today, it’s a delightfully bouncy, joyful rendition of slow-cooked tilapia served with saffron basmati rice.

Namaste Sacramandu

Address: 1148 Fulton Ave., Suite A, Sacramento.

Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 4:30-9 p.m. Wednesday-Monday, closed Tuesday.

Phone: (279) 345-2444

Website: https://www.namastesacramandu.com/

Drinks: Domestic and South Asian beer and soda, and a surprisingly well-rounded, affordable wine list.

Vegetarian options: Many.

Noise level: Medium-quiet.

Outdoor seating: None.

Openings & Closings

▪ Seeking Nepalese and Indian food closer to Sacramento’s city center? Check out Everest Curry, which began serving momos, chole bhature and tandoori salmon at 1728 Broadway in early May.

▪ Valenz Mexican Kitchen opened its first brick-and-mortar location last Friday at 3275 Coach Lane in Cameron Park, according to an announcement on Facebook. Antonio and Verenice Valenzuela started Valenz Tacos as a 2020 pop-up before expanding to two taco trucks and the restaurant serving burritos, mulitas, nachos and more.

▪ Wally’s Cafe has closed one Rocklin location at 4800 Granite Drive, Suite B-11. The award-winning Lebanese concept’s other Rocklin location remains open at 2110 Sunset Blvd., Suite 600, as does Walid Matar’s original Emeryville restaura