Walid Matar, owner of Wallys Cafe in Rocklin, holds one of his favorite meals to try, Chicken and Beef Shawarma, on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. Also, featured on the table are a veggie sampler and chicken and lab kabobs. All his meals include complimentary homemade lentil soup and baklava for desert. His authentic Lebanese & Mediterranean cuisine is all homemade.
Renée C. Byer
rbyer@sacbee.com
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What’s the role of food in times of crisis? Some people forget to eat when their world caves in, while others instinctively reach for comfort foods.
In a past life (read: four years ago) before becoming The Sacramento Bee’s food and beverage reporter, I covered breaking news for the paper. I’m still called into action for the occasional major story, such as the shooting early Sunday morning that left six people dead and 12 injured.
The loss of lives makes food feel comparatively unimportant.
And yet, food and drink are love languages. They are how people show they care about one another. Think of the casseroles made for sick friends, the look on a child’s face as their birthday cake approaches, the bottles clinked at a celebration of life.
After two long days spent at crime scenes and hospitals chronicling the stories of victims and bystanders, I went to Wally’s Cafe in Rocklin. I wanted to get far away from downtown, yes, but also knew how homey Walid Matar’s Lebanese restaurant can be.
At Wally’s (2110 Sunset Blvd., Suite 600 and 4800 Granite Dr., Suite B-11), every meal begins with complimentary lentil-carrot soup and ends with a free baklava, both delivered by Matar on Monday night. The interior is humble and the food delicious: sumac-speckled salads, chicken in pomegranate molasses, bright labne mixed with a garlic spread called toum and served with thin pita.
I went to Wally’s seeking a good meal, sure, but comfort above all. Part of the dine-in experience is a reprieve from the outside world, a place to sit with friends and literally be waited on. The label of “health food” can apply to physical or mental health, and I needed a salve for the latter.
A tray of homemade baklava is ready to be served at Wallys Cafe in Rocklin. Everyone who orders a meal is given a complimentary piece for dessert. Renée C. Byer rbyer@sacbee.com
Food helps me take care of myself emotionally, and I hope that it does the same for others. For those looking to help take care of others, GoFundMe pages have been established for the victims’ families.
What I’m Eating 
Bamiyan Afghan Restaurant’s kalebi palow with charbroiled chicken. Benjy Egel
Driving back from Lake Tahoe on Highway 50? Consider a stop at Bamiyan Afghan Restaurant, Mousa, Najla and Kareem Amiri’s sit-down spot near the El Dorado Hills Town Center at 1121 White Rock Rd. — but note that it’s only open from 5-9 p.m., Thursday through Saturday. A second location once in Citrus Heights has been closed since 2016.
The Amiris’ extended family runs an organic saffron farm in Afghanistan. The red seasoning is a notable ingredient in several Bamiyan dishes. It’s also sold to-go at the restaurant. You can see and taste it in a yellow lentil soup, chicken shish kebabs, housemade baklava, even a glass of pinot grigio infused with the world’s most expensive spice.
I tasted it in the saffron pea soup ($6.50) and saffron shrimp dinner ($23). The yellow lentil soup was pleasant and punctuated by bits of ginger throughout, while the shrimp were a little meager but rescued by a delicious pumpkin purée side.
The kalebi pallow ($21) was the star, a cardamom-spiced rice dish mixed with slivered almonds, raisins, carrot strips and a choice of meat and side. I chose two terrific charbroiled chicken breasts and tomato-stuffed eggplant, pudding-like inside a crispy skin.
Openings & ClosingsTasty Pot, a popular individual-serving hot pot chain with locations in south Sacramento and Elk Grove, opened at 2731 Del Paso Rd., Suite 110 in Natomas last week.Florida-based Paris Banh Mi opened its first California location at 8403 Elk Grove Blvd. in Elk Grove over the weekend. Founded by Paris-raised Hien Tran and Vietnamese cafe owner Doan Nguyen, Paris Banh Mi is known for its eponymous baguette sandwiches as well as French pastries.Nopalitos owners Dave and Rose Hanke are celebrating 30 years in business this month by … retiring! The Hankes have sold their beloved Southwestern cafe in East Sacramento to longtime sous chef Roberto Timoteo, who’ll keep serving items such as the Sonoran salad.
Benjy Egel
The Sacramento Bee
Benjy Egel is a former reporter for The Sacramento Bee.
Dining and Cooking