DINNER: Center Court

Center Court's Web site

Out of town people are fascinated by this place. I don't blame them! It's a great sports memorabilia bar, being that Chris Weber, former Kings' player, owns it. The food is always so-so, but if there's a game on, it's a great place. A friend from out of town and I went there, and had chicken fajitas and the grilled chicken sandwich. Both were respectable; they serve crazy cocktail mixed drinks with odd basketball names; V liked hers. I always order Blue Moon there. Note- If you are not wild about the club scene, the place turns a little hoochy after 9:00 PM on weekends. Apparently, cashmere sweaters are out on these babes.

LUNCH: De Vere's Irish Pub

de Vere's Web site

As compared to prices at Frank Fat's, see below, we went to lunch at De Vere's and for a 2:00 PM "lunner" ended up spending $50 for 4 beers, a bowl of soup, fish and chips, and a straight 15% tip. Not the best value for your buck nowadays (for all you value shoppers), but the ambience, I guess, is the reason to go. It's lively, loud, 2 bars, lots of draught options, and hot men playing soccer on the tube. The fish and chips were just so-so (2nd time I've heard that), but the soup was, again, the best thing tried. If you go -- order the soup.

COCKTAILING: Frank Fat's

Frank Fat's Web site

I've reviewed before, but to sum downtown Frank Fat's happy hour: 1/2 off martinis, $1.95 beers, and 1/2 off appetizers. 3-6. We had 4 drinks and 3 appetizers for $40, which included a fat tip, since I was shocked at the crazy low bill. The dim sum, lettuce wraps, and salt and pepper calamari were all cooked well, and was enough for 2 of us for dinner. Note- you must sit at bar for happy hour prices.

DINNER CLUB RECAP: Sandra's Moroccan Shrimp

This last Wednesday I decided on a Mediterranean theme. The menu was smoky eggplant dip with crackers, Moroccan shrimp with couscous, grilled halloumi cheese and dessert was homemade berry scones with lemon curd and crème fraiche. So the dessert wasn't quite consistent with the theme. Nobody complained. The appetizer was surprisingly easy. I took one large eggplant and poked holes in it with a fork. I broiled it for 20 minutes turning it every 5 minutes. I admit the "smoky" part was because I put it on parchment paper. My smoke detector went off and I learned that parchment paper does not mix well with the extreme heat of the broiler. None of my co workers will find this surprising. After it cooled down I peeled the skin off and blended it in a food processer. Then I mixed it with about 8 ounces of crème fraiche (sour cream would work too) and the juice of a lemon. I seasoned it with salt and put it in the fridge to cool. The couscous was simple to make. Just buy a box and follow the instructions. For the main course put a pound of peeled, deveined shrimp in a bowl and added 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp cinnamon, pepper and the juice of half a lemon. Set it aside. I chopped a yellow onion and cooked it in a large covered skillet over med/high heat with olive oil, salt and pepper until it was soft (5-7 minutes). I added a chopped red bell pepper and 3/4 cup golden raisins and cooked for 4 more minutes. Add one 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes drained and chopped and cook for 3 more minutes. Now drain the shrimp and add to the skillet stirring until the shrimp turn pink (about 3 minutes). I served the couscous and the shrimp with sliced halloumi cheese that I sprinkled with lemon and pepper and grilled in a skillet until one side was golden brown. This neat-o cheese does NOT melt. Crazy!! It was really salty but went well with the sweetness of the golden raisins and shrimp. The scones were just made from a simple recipe. They were a cinch.

LUNCH: The Counter - Custom Built Burgers

The Counter's Web site

Burgers ... everything a growing boy needs. My wife and I go to Whole Foods in Roseville every week because, oddly enough, the Whole Foods out there is a quicker trip for us (in Natomas) than the one on Arden. However, I don't mind going out to Roseville since right next to the Whole Foods is the newly minted The Counter (a.k.a. John's reward for chauffeuring his wife to Whole Foods). On the menu are burgers and...well, there may be other things on the menu, but who cares? The burgers are phenomenal, so why look at anything else? You can choose one of their tempting Signature Burgers, but why do that when you can exercise your creativity and adventurous streak and Build Your Own? The list of options is dizzying. You choose your meat, size and bread ... and then we get into the fun stuff. Want grilled pineapple, guacamole AND a fried egg on your burger? You got it (but that example sounds kinda gross, I only used it for emphasis). I've been to The Counter a few times and have settled on my favorite toppings: jalapenos, chilies, Dill pickles, fried onions and honey cured bacon. (Of course I don't put all of these on at the same time, it just depends on my mood.) Oh, and cheese, of course -- there are about 10 types from which to choose. Bernadette ordered the (boring) Counter Burger and wasn't crazy about the sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. Another time she ordered something with Gruyere cheese and carrots (weird) -- which she really enjoyed. Once, my sister Casey was on a diet and ordered a Chicken Burger -- which she ate but she was really drooling over our beef burgers. As for sides, I highly recommend the sweet potato fries. They have just the right amount of crunch to offset the juicy burger. And don't even think about dessert -- just order one of the shakes. They'll make them right there using a real milkshake machine. The only downside with The Counter is that it's always busy. (Even though there are several empty tables, they still tell us it'll be a 30-minute wait. Not sure why.) If there's only two of you, you can probably snag a seat at the counter -- which is the best place to sit. And, one more bit of advice: show up hungry.

DINNER: Cuvee Napa

Dinner at Cuvee in Napa was the close of a nice day of being shuttled around Napa in a limo and wine and tasting with my good friend Danielle, her mom and my new friends Maria and Lillian. Cuvee was dark and elegant but still casual. The front room is a cozy and plush lounge/bar area complete with a roaring fireplace. The lounge opens up into a large dining area that was buzzing and full of diners on a Saturday night. The service was ok and the food was pretty good. They started us with bread that was incredibly chewy. I don't know why nice restaurants often overlook the bread. I think a good bread basket is one sign of a truly good restaurant. Some of the girls ordered appetizers of light and buttery tempura asparagus with capers as well as squash ravioli. The ravioli was a slightly sweet, fluffy pillow stuffed with delicious butternut squash. It almost tasted like pastry to me. Next, the marinated beet and arugula salad was a generous heap of fresh baby arugula with minced beets, crumbled goat cheese, toasted hazelnuts and aged sherry vinaigrette. I really enjoyed it although minced beets do not make for the same presentation that sliced, brightly colored beets make. My main course was spring vegetable risotto with baby artichokes, leeks, spinach and pecorino. The rice was too tough and the dish was a touch oily. It was very cheesy though and I love cheese! For dessert I had churros and Mexican hot chocolate with a side of vanilla ice cream. The churros were good. You can't really screw up a churro. The hot chocolate however was not nearly as thick and sweet or spicy as a good Mexican hot chocolate should be. The ice cream was a dream. Although it was rock hard at first, it was dense, rich and creamy. I wish I knew where I could buy it! Overall the dinner was not a WOW experience but it was a pretty good one. The only reason I wouldn't return for dinner is that there are so many other great dining options in Napa to try.

LUNCH: de Vere's Pub

de Vere's Web site

My office has been so busy lately, so I decided to organize a unit lunch to boost morale. I wanted to try something new, so we went to De Vere's on L and 16th. As far as the food goes, we had a couple so-so's from my colleagues, and a big plus from me for the potato leek soup. Other meals tried were the chicken sandwich, cobb salad, fish and chips, and BLT with irish bacon. But, again- just average reviews. The soups are all made fresh, so I think my next trip may just be for soup, and of course, their own red ale. The place itself gets a plus- I can see myself going again, and describe it as a more polished Fox and Goose. I still love the goose, though, and Bonn Lair will forever be on the top of my list. Try De Vere's on St. Paddy's Day- the whole street will be closed off for them. Props to them for getting the city to sign off. Good addition, in general, to downtown. Food so-so. Beers- never bad.

DINNER CLUB RECAP: Asian Wraps and Noodles

After several weeks of gut wrenching illness in our household, we were finally ready to have the gang over for our dinner club. I started off with a shrimp cocktail and steamed edamame. Simple, but it seemed to be enjoyed. But shortly thereafter, the trouble began! I had planned on serving shrimp wrapped in rice paper along with a ramen noodle dish. Well, I had prepped the vermicelli noodles, sliced the cilantro, picked the mint, shredded the carrot and slivered the seedless cucumbers - all in preparation for the wraps. Just as I prepared the hot water to make the rice paper pliable, I made the cardinal mistake of putting ALL the wrappers into the hot water, rather than one by one! What was I thinking? Sigh. They could not be saved. So, I jumped in my car to pick up some more rice paper. None to be found at Raleys. OK, I thought, what could I use? I headed to the produce aisle and grabbed two heads of lettuce. 10 minutes later I was half way done with my lovely wraps! The ramen noodle dish consisted of noddles, bamboo shoots, baby corn, snow peas, water chestnuts and tofu. For the sauce, I chopped one chili pepper, ginger, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar and veggie broth in the food processor until smooth. I then tossed and served warm, along with a garish of fresh mint leaves, cilantro and dry roasted peanuts. Looking back, I think the lettuce wraps actually complimented the noodles more than the rice wraps would have. The lettuce gave some color and crunch to the plate, rather than the blandness that the rice paper would have given. I also included a small mango avocado salad on the side just for fun. Dessert was mint chocolate chip ice cream with whipped cream and these cigar chocolate cookies that were just delish! I think everyone had at least two, including little Claire who stayed up way past her bed time....

COCKTAILING: Frank Fat's

Frank Fat's Web site

Fantastic Honey Walnut Prawns, not such great other entrees. Happy hour - fantastic if you can get there from 3pm-6pm. Bartender - very sweet.

DINNER: Strings (Natomas)

String's Web site

OK. I promise to NOT go off, too much. Basically, we go to Strings occasionally, especially for the cheesy wine and the stuffed lasagna. Both of us were starving and tired tonight, so we decided to see what Strings had (natomas). We had a 2 for 1 coupon and thought, hey, let's use it. Why not? We got there and I specifically asked WHILE placing my coupon on the table, what entrees were not considered part of the 2 for 1 coupon. We ordered, getting one wrong order. Ray got some sort of lasagna but not the one we orderd. Anyhow, whatever. As our check was placed on the table 1/2 way through our meal, my hubby put the credit card down. The waiter was just as fast picking the card up and putting the bill down. So, after we questioned the full bill, he basically told us to "suck it" and that we didn't, in advance, tell them we were using the coupon (duh) and he could not reverse charges. Bull crap. What a loser. So, please, out of respect for me; do not patronize this place. We felt fully taken and disregarded. In this economy, can you really treat patrons this way? Guess you get what you pay for.

DINNER: Shanghai Garden

Shanghai Garden's Web site

For a low key take out dinner on a rainy Saturday night, we decided to order take out from our old fav in East Sacto, Shanghai Garden, located on Alhambra Blvd. Although we have enjoyed many, many meals from this joint, we have never eaten in, so I cannot comment on the staff or service (although they have never messed up our order or have been late in delivery). If you are looking for good Chinese food, you can't go wrong with Shanghai Garden. Every dish has been delish. This time, we ordered the hot and sour noodle soup that did not disappoint in the spicy department. We also had egg fried rice, which was fresh tasting and not overly oily. We rounded it off with Szechuan Spiced Shrimp that was wonderful. Little Claire even liked the shrimp with a kick! The dish was filled with shrimp, peanuts and fresh veggies. The one thing that was a little disappointing was that they did not give us an order of plain rice, which we usually got in the past. Not sure if they made their first mistake or if it was because we only ordered one main dish. In any event, they can expect to see us again when the mood for Chinese food strikes.