Milkshakes and doughnuts

Last week, after talking about it for, I don’t know, six months at least, my boyfriend, Chuck, and I finally found ourselves at the counter ordering lunch at The Foodie Cafe. With its location all the way across town from us at the Chico Municipal Airport, it was well worth the wait—and the drive.

My burger and Chuck’s pastrami sandwich were both delicious, but what blew us away, truly, were the milkshakes. Chuck ordered a mixed berry and … wow. Presentation aside—with a doughnut on top!—it was so good I had to get my own, lest I drink half of his, which he declared “the best milkshake I’ve ever had.”

Since Paradise High moved into the old Facebook building nearby, they saw a need to expand their offerings. And, boy, did they. In addition to opening up a special area for the 11th- and 12th-graders (younger students cannot leave campus), the cafe hired separate staff to work out of a separate kitchen just for them.

Parents were grumbling this week on Facebook about PHS running out of food on the first day, but in addition to Foodie Cafe, ThirdLove, whose offices are also nearby, arranges for rotating food trucks available to students and there may be more mobile eateries taking up residence as well.

Eat up Explore Butte County, the region’s tourism outfit, has coordinated with a dozen-plus restaurants—in Chico, Durham and Oroville—to offer special menu items for Butte County Restaurant Week (Jan. 18-27). The offerings revolve around the theme of “perfect pairings,” which has been interpreted in a variety of ways.

In Chico, the participating restaurants are concentrated in the downtown area and include some fun menu options. Tres Hombres, for example, will be pairing a Spanish seafood paella with a traditional margarita, while La Salles’ pairing is a Donut Nook bread pudding and Chicoan Frank Riley’s Ambassador’s Irish Coffee. In Durham, Almendra Winery & Distillery will offer three different pairings, two of which are drink flights and the third a “perfect meal for two.” The lone participant in Oroville, The Exchange, will serve up tomato soup and grilled cheese.

The group’s website, explorebuttecounty.com, is difficult to navigate, but does provide more information, with the caveat that pairings are still being added—so check for updates before heading out.

At long last It’s been nine years since Hollywood Video closed and, finally, some action is happening in the old store on East Avenue. City Manager Mark Orme tells me it’s going to be a showroom for Courtesy Motors, whose BMW; Subaru; and Buick, Cadillac and GMC dealerships are located across Cohasset Road.

Dinner and a show I had a craving for shawarma recently and satisfied it with lunch at Cafe Petra. While he made my food, owner Mohammed Shabbar informed me that the Second Street eatery now has Eastern Star Bellydance performers in on Saturday evenings. Sounds fun!