DINNER: Frank Fat's

Frank Fat's Web site

Update - As of 5/29/09, Frank Fat's has a "recession" help-the-economy set menu for two for $38. We enjoyed every morsel, especially the potsickers and honey-walnut shrimp. Call ahead, though, in case they get rid of this deal soon!

COCKTAILING: Morton's

Morton's Web site

I never went to the Morton's at its old location, but a lot of my coworkers like their happy hour and a lot of the bar fare appetizers. We decided to give it a try before Concert in the Park, since a bunch of us were headed over to watch a coworker's boyfriend's band play. I was quite impressed. They have a great patio, but also a nice lounge area. They list their happy hour specials, so if you are looking for the cheaper drinks go with that. I recall my Finlandia vodka being $7 and Wray's Stella being about $6.50. So, the drinks aren't super cheap, BUT the apps were $5 a piece. Yes, let me repeat that! $5! The table had sliders and roast beef sandwiches, but I did see crab cakes and an endive leave "type" app for the pescatarians. I think the waitress may have been annoyed at us for moving the tables, but she got over it and was friendly afterwards when more people showed up. Going to the ladies room I checked out the dining room and know I'll be back. They had the entrees laid out very tastefully by the chef's area, and it wasn't creepy the way it is at Chops (the meat being in the locker areas). You could tell the quality of meat was high, and I can't wait to hit the dining room next time! Ray- bring your checkbook!

COCKTAILING: Tre

Tre's Web site

My curiosity got the best of me. I don't like to patronize businesses that don't appreciate their customers and after reading many atrocious reviews on Yelp I decided I should not go to Tre. However, I am always on the hunt for new happy hours to go to and Tre has one that goes from 5 until 7. I caved and decided to check it out. It is in an odd location. It is in the old El Torito in the shopping center on Howe Ave. that has the Old Navy, Marshalls, Ross and several other stores. How can a restaurant/club in a large strip mall be snooty I wondered? Luckily I did not get any attitude. From what I read they save that for the people trying to get into their nightclub that has apparently become popular. My happy hour server was very friendly and helpful. I arrived around 5:30 and the place was totally dead. For happy hour they serve well drinks as well as select wine and draught beers for $3.33. The happy hour wine was Bogle Chardonnay or Syrah. The happy hour beers were Blue Moon, Coors Light, Fat Tire and Rubicon IPA. They have a short menu of small plates for $3.33. On the menu were Kobe sliders, Asian guacamole, hummus, French fries, tacos and a milkshake. I tried the Asian guac. It wasn't good. It tasted like a pre-made guacamole mix. I don't eat most meat or poultry so I didn't try the Kobe sliders. I hear they are amazing though. The interior is mostly nice although I could still see remnants of the El Torito. The dance floor was a totally unimpressive white rectangular room with a wooden floor. The scotch bar was done in dark wood with red accents. The VIP areas were nice and loungey. The wine room was nicely done too. The patios however were totally bare and horrendous. One has a view of the traffic on Howe and the other has a view of the strip mall parking lot. They could at least put up screens, curtains or put some nice plants out there. I might be back to try their Tuesday night seafood happy hour.

LUNCH: Il Fornaio Cucina Italiana

Il Fornaio's Web site

A couple of us at work held a small private retirement lunch for a group of 12 at Il Fornaio the other day, and I would highly recommend for such functions. I've been to a rehearsal dinner there (my own), a wedding reception, and a bachelorette preparty-dinner, and every time they've done really well at accomodating our needs. Also a plus: they do not charge extra for the smaller private rooms, unlike Ella, which we had looked into first. We all, I think, had respectable lunches, although it sounded like most would try something different the next time. Lots of panini and salad orders (tonno and salmon); canneloni; risotto; turtei (lobster ravioli); and one special, the piatto smera, which had the rave review out of all the entrees (scallops, prawns, and calamari, over a toasted piece of french bread and a canneloni type bean). The favored dessert: tiramisu. I recommend for large groups, and their happy hour (free apps).

DINNER: Pearl on the River

Pearl on the River's Web site

Our first impression was good. We had a small plate dinner consisting of the beet salad, sliders, clams with chorizo, and polenta-mushroom tart. Coffee and bread pudding for dessert. Overall this place is a HUGE improvement over prior establishment The Blue Gecko (aka the Denny's-like-place called The Blue Gecko). Physically, the location is nice, great views of the river and the establishment is clean and modern with a comfortable feel. The food was all prepared well and tasty, although there did seem to be a bit of sand? in the clams. Never a good texture to have with any seafood. The sliders were prepared perfect and very tasty and juicy. The polenta-mushroom tart was also good, but not stellar. And, except for the sliders, I was glad to be sharing each of these plates. Our second experience was with Sandy, and I'm sure her post will be up soon, but the food was not as good as our first experience. We shared the recommended "outstanding calamari appetizer." It is the traditional fried calamari but in a spicy tomato sauce. It is not crunchy, but I don't think it is supposed to be. I enjoyed it, but again was glad to be sharing with others. I also shared a butter lettuce, blue cheese vinaigrette, with blue cheese crumbles salad. There were no blue cheese crumbles, and the description was much better than the actual salad, although still tasty. My entree was the "Spicy Fettuccine and Prawns". The prawns were very tasty, the fettuccine was nice (not spicy), but it was not great, not something I would remember as worth ordering anytime soon, especially with other options on the menu that I thought sounded worthwhile, like the "Espresso & Cocoa Pork Chop" or the "Niman Ranch Kobe Sirloin". I did have a bite of a special lamb chop which I would say was very, very good. I shoulda got that one. They do have a good tangerine beer that is worth a try. Despite my criticisms, It is a new restaurant that is still working out its kinks, and given the other options (Chevy's, Crawdads, Virgin Sturgeon, or Bridges on the River) it is still a good pick for the area.

DINNER CLUB RECAP

Our recent Dinner Clubs have leaned toward the more healthy persuasion. I had to get us back on track with this Foccacia-Basa Sandwich, sweet potato fries, and chocolate brownie & port offering. There was a light broccoli salad with fresh walnuts and dried cherries to put something green on the table and throw off the veggie-lovers, but this dinner was all about the sandwich. Basa is a white, flakey, very mild flavored fish that, although called a "vietamese catfish", has a clean un-catfish-taste. It cooks easily and was served on a toasted foccacia bread with red onions, shreadded cabbage, pepper jack cheese, tarter sauce, capers, and a thin slice of tomato. The Broccoli salad had a mayonnaise, sugar, and white wine sauce with crushed fresh walnuts, dried cherries and crumbled bacon for the porkavours. The table shared a few bowls of sweet potato fries, pickle spears and several bottles of wine which helps out all my Dinner Clubs. The Nugget had fresh Basa and all other needed amenities for this DC.

DINNER: Dragonfly (take two)

Dragonfly's Web site

I sit up at night concerned about empty restaurants. Dragonfly is the source of my latest dose of insomnia. The restaurants around it (Zocalo, Paesano's) are always packed, but Dragonfly rarely has more than a smattering of occupied tables. If it weren't for Leslie's recent review, we probably wouldn't have tried it again. It was about 7pm on a Thursday, and -- sure enough -- Dragonfly was deserted except for two other tables: a family with three little kids sitting outside and a dour-looking couple sitting inside. We sat outside, next to Zocalo's packed patio, where the sounds of the busy restaurant next door wafted over to punctuate the utter stillness of our near-empty patio. I guess this would be great place to bring kids, or perhaps a very mean dog, since there are rarely any other patrons for them to disturb/maul. Right away after sitting down, a negative: I am (ahem) a touch under six foot, but the tables were too high for the chairs, so we felt like little kids. We ordered a couple of their delicious (and strong) mojitos. Mine was mango, which was a tad sweeter than Bernadette's classic mojito. For food, we liked the Dragonfly roll (very good), the bbq albacore tuna (tasty, but unexpectedly spicy) and the short ribs (highly recommended). I personally didn't care for the the Thai Chicken noodles -- it was basically salty chicken nestled in saltier, bland noodles. We had two bites of that and left the rest. On balance, the food is fine, and the service is good, but I still feel strange eating in an almost empty restaurant. Dragonfly needs to distinguish itself. Fast.

DESSERT: Yogurtagogo

Yogurtagogo's Web site

After we finished up at Dragonfly, we walked to Yogurtagogo for dessert. It's a cute, tidy, tiny spot on the corner of L and 18th. Nothing special, but a nice option on the block. It's one of those self-serve places that sell by weight whatever concoction you put in your bowl. After going through some free samples, we shared a bowl with chocolate and tarte yogurt flavors, topped with cookie crumbs and chocolate sprinkles. It was pretty good. Their signage and web site promotes Yogurtagogo as a healthy option, so I checked out their nutritional info online. While it's true that yogurt is good for you, most frozen yogurt places -- including Yogurtagogo -- offer yogurt with much more sugar than "regular" yogurt. So, if you're in the mood for a quick dessert and want an ice cream subsitute, give Yogurtagogo a try.

DINNER: 58 Degrees

58 Degree's Web site

I went to 58 Degrees for some wine and a bite to eat. After ordering a trio of tastings of wonderful red wines (Mc Crea Syrah, Macchia Zin and Peter Franus Zin) I got hungry. I was thinking I would indulge in their delicious mac and cheese but I decided to try their Daily 20 menu instead. It is a three course meal for you guessed it, $20. You choose from at least two options for each course. I settled on the trio of bruschetta to start, the mushroom lasagna for my main course and the Grand Marnier crème brulee for dessert. For my trio of bruschetta I chose the fig compote with blue cheese and pecans, the country artichoke pesto and the grilled eggplant with roasted garlic and goat cheese. I got two slices of each type of bruschetta. The fig compote was almost dessert like. The other two were good but the eggplant was a bit on the bland side. The lasagna was wonderful. It was a whimsical square creation of four types of mushrooms and miso cream sauce between layers of wavy won ton crisps resembling lasagna noodles. It was the perfect size, not to small and definitely not too large. It was very tasty. The crème brulee was crème brulee, delicious. You really can't screw it up. I was surprised by how large the dessert was. I love sweets and I didn't even finish it. For $20 this is a nice meal if you are ok with smaller portions and ok with eating in a wine bar.

DINNER CLUB RECAP: Zucchini, Tomatoes, Anchovies and more!

I was happy with the grilled zucchini I made for dinner club. And with the roasted tomatoes. The lentil salad with baked sweet potatoes wasn't great. But the white anchovy bruschetta app was a hit. ZUCCHINI SIDE DISH: I sliced the zucchini into thin planks, tossed with olive oil and grilled each side on medium heat -- to lightly sweat them out. Then I cranked up the heat to give each side some lovely grill marks. I tossed the slices in a tasty dressing: olive oil, red chili, red wine vinegar and lots of shredded mint leaves. SLOW-ROASTED TOMATO SALAD: I halved vine-ripened tomatoes, tossed in olive oil and roasted them in the oven for three hours on 275F. I served them with torn chunks of fresh mozzarella, olive oil and dash of balsamic on the plate. APPETIZER: I found white anchovy fillets at Whole Foods and threw those on some country bread that I grilled and rubbed with garlic. DESSERT: For dessert, I made individual lemon cakes with a lemon zest and sugar crust, and then dripped them with basil syrup -- found the recipe on Epicurious.com. NEWS: At this dinner club, we decided to hit up one unsuspecting restaurant all at once -- so, Sac DC is planning a group outing in June or July ... stay tuned!

DINNER: Dragonfly

Dragonfly's Web site

After securing a babysitter for a long-waited and much-needed date night, we decided to wing it and make our final dinner choice selection once we hopped in the car on Sat night. We discussed tapas or Asian or sushi.... which led me to thinking about Dragon Fly on Capitol. It was second Saturday and we were already half way there, so we figured we check it out and if it was swamped we would try some place else. After the parking Gods smiled down on us with the perfect spot in front of Dragon Fly, we saw that there was still a table or two available on the patio. Why? Zocolo’s and Paesano’s were SWAMPED. Hmmm. Well, I had eaten there long before and recalled liking it and we were there, so why not check it out. We started with some mohito’s that hit the spot. Not mind-blowing delish, but not bad, either. Neither of us wanted full blown meals and Dragon Fly is a great spot to share dishes. We started with a tempura tofu dish that was topped with steamed spinach and mushrooms. It was light and cooked perfectly, not wet and soggy. We then got the ahi tuna blossom - very simple dish of Ahi tuna slices and avocado which tasted fresh and had non-fishy flavor. We rounded it out with two of their veggie sushi rolls – for some reason we are finding that we like veggie sushi rolls rather then the ones with the raw fish these days! Ah well. These were similar in taste with asparagus, cucumber, mushrooms and the like, but their unique sauces definitely made them different. We finished the evening off with a big piece of simple plain cheesecake. This was the perfect spot to people watch on Second Saturday. The down side to Dragon Fly, which is known to all, is that it was slow, just like the internet reviews had promised. There was only one person working outside, but since we weren’t in a hurry and it was a beautiful night we were fine with it. I hope that Dragon Fly stays around. After 7:30 there wasn’t an open table, but it still didn’t have the crazy lines like Zocolo’s and others around the area. Go check it out!

COCKTAILING: Mix Downtown

Mix Downtown's Web site

The last time I went to Mix, I had only positive things to say -- we sat at the bar, had decent wine and a great bartender. After my more recent visit, I doubt I'll go back again. John and I were craving margaritas, so we initially went to Zocalo. But it was packed and I really wanted to sit down (I was wearing killer heels). So we ended up at Mix. Their menu listed two margaritas. Being the purist that I am, I asked which was closer to a classic margarita since I didn't want any sugary flavorings. The server didn't really know (?!) so I ordered a standard margarita with Patron Tequila. About 30 minutes later, our appetizers came, but still no drinks. We finished most of our apps (those kobe sliders are yummy!) before our drinks finally came. I eagerly sipped my margarita ... it tasted terrible. I asked what the Patron was mixed with -- Grand Mariner? Cointreau? She said she wasn't sure but it was some sort of mix. Seriously. A wannabe hot spot in Sacramento used a mix in place of a real cocktail? With Patron? Even though I was surprised and highly disappointed, I didn't send it back for fear I'd have to wait another hour for a replacement. I slurped it down and certainly needed another drink. Nearly half an hour later, I sent John to the bar since we hadn't seen our server. He came back with some cocktails straight from their menu (figured that was safer than ordering off-menu again). Those drinks weren't very good. In fairness, we're not really into the flavored trendy drinks so it's not shocking we didn't like them. By this time, we were ready to leave. We asked for our bill. It didn't come. Twenty minutes later, we asked someone else to find our server because we really wanted to go. Ten minutes after that, John went to the bar to ask for our check. They ran his credit card and said they'd bring it to our table. They didn't. We were about to go back to the bar to ask for it when finally someone came over with what we thought was our bill -- yes! We could finally get out of there! Oops. It was actually some guy telling us our table was reserved for later in the evening and we couldn't stay much longer. I almost lost it, but decided to be polite since this guy hadn't been a party to the substandard service we had already received. I said, "Yes, we've been trying to leave for the past hour but they are having trouble with our bill. Could you help us get out of here by speeding up the process?" He said, "Oh, don't worry. We don't need your table for another hour." Bottom line: Mix has a fabulous, fun atmosphere but the drink menu caters to an unsophisticated palate. Wait staff is friendly, but easily confused. If you speak slowly and repeat yourself often, you might fare OK.

DINNER CLUB RECAP: Pasta and stuffed artichokes

Last week I decided to make healthy pesto pasta. I used whole wheat rotelle pasta. I made the pesto differently than normal basil and pine nut pesto. For my pesto I used spinach and arugula with walnuts. You don't need the arugula if you are not a fan of the flavor. You can also substitute the walnuts for almonds if you prefer. Add salt, pepper, EVOO, garlic, red pepper flakes or a whole jalapeno for kick and 2 cups of grated hard Italian cheese. Blend up in a food processer and you have pasta sauce. I also made stuffed artichokes. I chopped off the tops and bottoms of my artichokes and boiled them in water with lemon for 30 minutes. After they cooled I pulled the leaves apart enough that I could pull out the center leaves. I then used a spoon to hollow out the hairy part of the core in the bottom. I filled them with a mixture of lots of chopped garlic, gorgonzola cheese, pepper and fresh chopped herbs (whatever you like). When you mix the ingredients it works best if the cheese is not too cold. Add a little milk or cream to loosen the mix and allow the ingredients to mix together but don't add too much. You don't want it too wet or loose. It should be thick and crumbly and pasty. Top each artichoke with store bought breadcrumb topping with fresh copped herbs for color. Drizzle with EVOO and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

For dessert I served fresh cut fruit drizzled with honey.

DINNER: The Grange

The Grange's Web site

When it first opened, we weren't in a hurry to check out The Grange because we heard the service was a little iffy. Now that it's been open for six months (and we needed a hot spot to eat before the Chelsea Handler show), we decided to give it go. It was worth the wait. The service, food and atmosphere at The Grange was top-notch. The hostess offered to bring us umbrellas after overhearing we left ours in the car (we valeted at the restaurant and were going to walk to and from the show). Our server was friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. The restaurant has an urban feeling: huge windows line two walls which provide a no holds barred view of 9th and J Streets. The woody decor was a nice touch (I liked that they didn't use tablecloths, gave a warmer feeling). The chef puts great emphasis on obtaining mostly local food from sources that use environmentally sustainable practices. Whether or not that's important to you: the food is delicious. Because John ordered a killer cab, I selected the hangar steak. It was cooked perfectly and had a delightfully smoky flavor. John ordered the ribeye (because they took their ballyhooed short ribs off the spring menu), which I liked even better than my steak. I wasn't crazy about the sundried tomatoes that came with my arugula salad (the greens needed something sweet and those tomatoes didn't help, they were kind of smokey), but that's my only quibble. We shared some divine chocolate and peanut dessert. Because we were full, neither of us really wanted dessert -- until the plate came. We didn't leave a crumb.

DINNER CLUB RECAP: Lisa's Phyllo-Stuffed Mushrooms

We were missing 2 of our compatriots the other night, but I will recap for them and others, if interested in the recipe(s). This was probably the most healthy dinner club I have made of late ... Appetizers were sliced cucumbers with spreadable whipped cream cheese, a slice of lox, capers, and sliced red onion. The main dish was a stuffed portabello mushroom wrapped and baked in phyllo dough, which stuffing had been pureed in a food processor (crimini mushrooms, olive oil, garlic, pecans, and green onion). Sides were asparagus with minced garlic and lemon zest; and fingerlings with sea salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary from the garden. Dessert was blueberry and blackberry skewers with dipping choices of hershey syrup and vanilla or strawberry yogurts. My motivation: gearing up for spring and using fresh veggies and fruits!