Best of the Burbs: Folsom writers’ picks

Best ‘I can’t believe it’s delivery’

El Pueblo Cocina Mexicana

It’s not that El Pueblo isn’t a tidy establishment in which to chow down on generous portions of Mexican grub. Their umbrella-shaded patio is even tolerable during summer. But say, on a fat Sunday when all you want to do is Hulu-binge and eat your way out of this hangover, what if restaurant-level Mexican could come to you? Stop crying. We live in that world. For an extra five-spot, you can now mosey no farther than your front door for anything on El Pueblo’s menu, including the chorizo-stuffed Queso Fundido Burger. As long as you live within five miles. Hey, we didn’t say it was a perfect world. 6608 Auburn Folsom Boulevard, No. 1; (916) 987-5797; www.elpueblofolsom.net. RFH

Best gender-specific haircut/
gambling/bowling experience

Lucky’s Barbershop and Men’s Club

Looking for a decent men’s haircut, but find most barbershops to be lacking in bowling, gambling and bar services? No worries—Lucky’s has all of your ol’ timey gendered needs covered. Situated as a side room in the rather impressive FLB Entertainment Center in Folsom, the perpetually busy shop offers clean haircuts for $20, along with your standard gamut of shaves and washes. Bring cash or your checkbook, and call ahead. Expect to wait if you’re just walking in, but then again, maybe that’s just a good excuse to get a lane and a brew. 511 East Bidwell Street, (916) 983-4411, ext. 26; www.luckysmensclub.com. A.S.

Best demographic demolition

Summer Concert Series at Palladio

Ain’t no party like your grandma’s dance party. Apologies to Flight of the Conchords for biting that line, but that’s what sprang to mind when I heard about the three-month summer concert series at the Palladio at Broadstone. Then I checked the lineup and immediately whipped out my day-planner. The May 30 kickoff was headlined by Huey Lewis and the News nostalgists Super Huey, which hits that Venn diagram sweet-spot where dad rockers, Back to the Future cinephiles and Patrick Bateman overlap. With nearly a dozen acts scheduled each Wednesday until the finale on Saturday, September 12, there are plenty of excuses to rock around the clock (or to a reasonable hour). http://gopalladio.com. RFH

Best quiz biz

The Canyon Grill and Alehouse

It’s a Monday night and my friends and I have crashed a table of a co-worker’s at The Canyon Grill for four rounds of beer and pub quizzardry. It’s a weekly after-work tradition for this crew, all of whom work(ed) a hundred paces away at Starbucks, located in the same yellow-tiled suburban strip mall. They swear by the quiz master, an attentive referee who doesn’t turn the bouts of trivia into a comedic showcase. No hackneyed jokes or shrill impressions, just straight pop-quizzing. 9580 Oak Avenue Parkway, (916) 987-8700, www.canyonalehouse.com. RFH

Best answer to the question, ‘Where have all the cowboys gone?’

Folsom Rodeo

Paula Cole fans don’t have to wait any longer to answer their existential questions: In its 55th year, the Folsom Rodeo brings cowboys in droves. From July 2 through July 4, the rodeo features testosterone-loving men riding bulls and horses, singing country music and roping animals. Plus, there’s a rodeo queen, motocross, a guy skydiving into the arena with an American flag and a mutton busting event (kids riding sheep). A special cattle drive down Sutter Street in Folsom will be held a day before the Rodeo event, at 6 p.m. on July 1. 403 Stafford Street, (916) 985-2698, www.folsom rodeo.com. J.M.

Best stogie hangout

Jazzi Phillips Town Cigar Lounge & Bistro

In a nondescript corner suite of the Folsom Pavilions, a relatively new smoke shop is kicking it old school. That’s the vibe inside of Jazzi Phillips, where proprietor Ronnie Parker has cultivated a sweet-smelling space for his budding membership. In five months, he’s already up to 56 card-carrying cigar enthusiasts, who spend $35 a month to play in this Rat Pack playground, with its comfy leather loungers, poker table and personal lockers to store pairing spirits. For $7, non-members can score a day pass, which is probably what Peter Lawford would have done. 6606 Folsom Auburn Road, Suite 1; (916) 294-7624; http://jazziphillipstown.com. RFH

Best seat to watch the big game

Q’bole! Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

The 75-inch Aquos Sharp hangs like a hi-def mural above the bottle-strewn bar of Q’bole!, streaming million-dollar acts of athletic grace straight into my corneas. A week ago, the Splash Brothers hit more nets than a trapeze artist. On this hump day afternoon, I can literally count every clay-red flake exploding from the cleat of a sliding Nori Aoki from this high-backed wicker barstool. After several replays, the ump rules the San Francisco Giant outfielder out at third. I, on the other hand, am safely advancing to my second round. 718 Sutter Street, Suite 201; (916) 357-5242; http://www.qbolefolsom.com. RFH

Best patriotic pisser

second floor of historic Folsom’s Gaslight Buildings Establishments

It’s a public restroom, so by its very definition it’s nothing special. The men’s features your standard urinal-and-toilet-stall combo; there’s soap by the sink, usually; and the best-case smell you’ll encounter is cleaning product-chemical. But in a dystopia where restrooms are restricted to paying customers, the shared potty area on the second floor of historic Folsom’s Gaslight Buildings Establishments stands in valiant defense of our bladder freedom. Sure, it’s intended for use by the patrons of Gaslight’s upstairs business tenants, but we’re sure the busker who jams downstairs for whatever you can spare understands its true merit: providing relief—both figurative and biological—to capitalism’s assault on the right to tinkle. RFH