Sacramento invented the bear claw pastry? The internet says so. Here’s what we know

While Sacramento’s surrounding fields export food across the world, only one kitchen creation has really made its way from the 916 out to the United States at large. That is, if you believe the stories.

Conventional wisdom says the bear claw pastry was invented in downtown Sacramento more than a century ago. The five-fingered flaky treats filled with almond paste, fixtures in doughnut shops and hotels across the United States today, are believed to have be adapted from a Danish pastry called a kam in the early 20th century.

Cooking blogs, food media outlets and bear claws’ official Wikipedia page attribute the pastry’s origin to The German Bakery, once owned by John Ludwig Geibel at 915 K St. On March 13, 1914, The German Bakery ran an advertisement in the now-defunct Sacramento Star newspaper advertising coffee cake, cream puffs and – among other items – bear claws, at the rate of two for a nickel.

No prior reference to bear claws has been made public; thus, The German Bakery and Sacramento have assumed credit for the Danish derivative. Yet local historian and Preservation Sacramento president William Burg cautioned against definitively crowning Sacramento as ground zero for bear claws, noting that evidence of earlier references tied to other locations could be uncovered.

“It’s always dangerous to say, ‘oh, this was for certain the place where this or that started,’ because someone’s always going to come along with an earlier reference,” Burg said. “But at the very least, this restaurant claims to be the bakery where it started.”

The Sacramento Star’s archives show no other references to bear claws in the early 20th century. Same goes for The Sacramento Bee and the Sacramento Union, its chief competitors at that time. The Bee’s archives do show The German Bakery’s equipment being sold off in a post-bankruptcy auction eight months after the bear claw ad, thus marking the end of Geibel’s business.

A few other dishes and drinks were more decisively invented in the Sacramento area, yet none have had bear claws’ widespread appeal outside of the region.

The Hangtown Fry, an omelet with bacon and oysters, is a Placerville relic dating back to the Gold Rush, though only Buttercup Pantry regularly serves the divisive dish today.

White Linen cocktails have been popular summer refreshments since Rene Dominguez came up with the recipe during Sacramento Cocktail Week in 2009, but the gin-elderflower-cucumber drink hasn’t really spread far beyond the region.

Same goes for brandy-fried chicken, created at Frank Fat’s in the mid-1900s before Luau Garden, Simon’s Bar & Cafe and MAC Hospitality Group ran with their own recipes.

Should the bear claw join – heck, lead – this pantheon of Sacramento’s most influential foods? Maybe, but this food reporter would like to see a bit more evidence first.

What I’m Eating

Red Lobster faces potential bankruptcy after an “endless shrimp” promotion. Las Islitas, on the other hand, seems to be doing just fine, with bustling locations in Meadowview, Galt and Lodi.

The sister restaurant to Netillo’s Takos in midtown Sacramento and Elk Grove, Las Islitas has a litany of shrimp options so deep it would make Bubba Gump blush. Meals start with complementary shrimp ceviche and tostadas instead of chips and salsa at the Nayarit-inspired concept; Ernesto Rodriguez owns the original Meadowview location, while children Alma Vicenty and Armando Rodriguez own the others along with Alma’s husband Carlos.

A seaward dive continues with empanadas de camaron (three for $11, six for $17 or 12 for $26), the lone hand pie option at Las Islitas. Fried golden and filled with steaming, spillable liquid, they do well with a dollop of salsa verde or dab of Nayarit’s beloved hot sauce Salsa Huichol.

Juguito mendigo ($10) translates directly to “beggar juice,” a simplistic name for a sneaky-interesting soup. Chopped serrano peppers, cilantro and onions floated on the surface above shrimp in an umami-rich broth made from their siblings’ shells.

“You and your molcajetes,” my friend replied when I messaged him a photo of my meal. In this case, it was the molcajete con patas de jaiva ($38/$50), a towering mound of crab legs, imitation abalone, squid and (yes) shrimp begging to swim in smoky, rich tomato broth beneath the surface.

Las Islitas

Address: 7240 24th St., Sacramento; 908 C St., Suite C, Galt.

Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. seven days a week; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday.

Phone: (916) 421-6271; (209) 816-5088

Website: https://www.facebook.com/IslitasSac/; https://www.lasislitasgalt.com/

Drinks: Fairly standard, with options for micheladas, mojitos and margaritas.

Vegetarian options: Rice and beans, quesadillas, fries and ... yep, that’s it.

Noise level: Very loud – music blared so noisily that a two-person conversation necessitated shouting.

Outdoor seating: None.

Openings & Closings

▪ Poke House opened its first Sacramento-area poke shop on April 18 at 8211 Bruceville Road, Suite 103 near the city’s Elk Grove border. Originally founded in San Jose, it’s beginning to expand as far as Florida.

▪ Express Sushi & Teriyaki opened its second location on April 19 at 10113 Folsom Blvd. in Rancho Cordova. The Smbatyan family first debuted their Japanese concept in Carmichael after years of operating local I Love Teriyaki restaurants.

▪ Hidden Sichuan has closed in Elk Grove, its lip-tingling peppercorns replaced by Licious Chinese Cuisine. Dishes at the new restaurant come from a wider array of provinces and territories than those at Hidden Sichuan – say, Hong Kong-style barbecued noodles or Hainanese chicken rice.