Now open

Illustration by Mark Stivers

Check it: Everyone has their eyes on hot openings like Saddle Rock and OBO’ Italian Table & Bar, but there are lots of brand new restaurants with little-to-no press that also might be worth checking out.

Consider Yue Huang (3860 Truxel Road), now offering the only traditional dim sum experience in Natomas, as well as elaborate Chinese banquet-style dining. Think bird’s nest soup, abalone and sea cucumber. The ornately decorated space is beautiful, with dark wood panels and floral accents—a complete transformation from its days as Johnny Carino’s.

You also no longer have to drive out toward Rancho Cordova or Elk Grove for all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue. Blue House Korean BBQ (1030 Howe Avenue) brings the lively, grill-at-your-table sort of dining to the Arden area. Here, the all-you-can-eat price ranges from $22-$29, depending on if you require pricier proteins like shrimp or rib eye steak. You can also order many other Korean dishes &#;agrave; la carte.

Folks who live in Woodlake have a new neighborhood eatery, Haveli Restaurant & Banquet (1910 Canterbury Road). The Pakistani-Indian restaurant, located inside Canterbury Village Hotel & Suites, offers plenty of vegan options and a dinner buffet, though it’s unclear whether that will remain a nightly offering.

Arena anticipation: What’s the deal with modern taco joint El Rey and Irish pub Malt & Mash, two restaurants in the three-part concept taking over the old Three Monkeys space (715 K Street) right by the Golden 1 Center? They were scheduled to open several times by now, but we all know how that game goes.

Bryce Palmer, currently the executive chef at Crawdads on the River, will also be overseeing the food programs at El Ray, Malt & Mash and the third unnamed restaurant. He says El Rey and Malt & Mash are about five weeks away from opening. If his housemade chorizo at Crawdad’s is any indication, his tacos sound promising.

All of the aforementioned businesses are owned by Trevor Shults, who also runs Barwest. Related: Palmer hopes to shake up Barwest’s menu in the near future, making it a little more farm-to-fork.

Beer bummer: Revision Brewing Co.’s planned West Sacramento launch didn’t pan out, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. Now, the new project by Knee Deep Brewing Co. founder Jeremy Warren will move to Nevada.