DINNER CLUB RECAP

I tried for a light and healthy dinner club this week. As an optional start, I offered elixirs of "sweet garlic juice" (garlic, mango, avocado, kale, cucumber, lemon) -- and everyone partook! For the app, I served French bread with a dual dip: grape seed oil and a mixture of ground coriander, cumin and sea salt. The entrée was fresh snapper with a balsamic reduction. On the side was wild rice and a shredded raw beet and apple salad with a chipotle dressing. Although I liked the beet salad, I was disappointed -- it wasn't fabulous and it took forever to make. For dessert, I served a trio of goodies in a bowl: date balls, chocolate ice cream and vanilla ice cream. (I always forget how good plain ol' chocolate ice cream is!). The date balls were a mixture of dates, walnuts, mesquite flour and maca powder rolled in unsweetened coconut. I topped the vanilla ice cream with a dusting of mesquite and the chocolate ice cream with some of the coconut to combine all the flavors.

DINNER CLUB RECAP: Cinco de Mayo: Tilapia Tortas

I really was hoping to get rid of our extra gin on you guys when I realized that, crud, british pub theme for cinco de mayo just wasn't going to cut it!! But, what type of mexican dishes have we not done lately? I decided to go the torta route: instead of meat, however, I used tilapia that I lightly dredged in flour (no egg) and a bit of cumin and red pepper, just to create a thin crust. I pan fried and then threw in the oven to finish under the broiler. Layered in our tortas were vegetarian refried beans, crumbly white mexican cheese, a guacamole salsa that I made, and cilantro. Turned out ok, but I think the favorite was the fresh corn salad- to make, cook your corn in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain, and immerse in a cold water bath. Cut kernels off and mix with 1 cup of red onions, 5 tbsp. cider vinegar, 5 tbsp. of olive oil, 3/4 tsp. salt, black pepper, and tons of cilantro. I also put a couple of sliced pieces of nopales (cactus) on the top of mine for decoration. Dessert was also an easy layered tiramisu that I made with marbled pound cake. Recipe available upon demand. Drinks were served in martini glasses: lime juice, chambord, margarita mix, and silver tequila. Salud!

DINNER CLUB RECAP: Wet Burritos and Apple Pie Enchiladas

I made burritos and poured sauce on top. People got to pick their toppings. That is all. Lisa here- Ray's burritos were awesome. Everyone loved them- we all got forms to fill out with what we wanted inside, choice of tortillas, including spinach, and yummy enchilada sauce, sour cream, and cheese on top. I'm getting hungry just thinking about them! The dessert was easy for all you looking for another easy dessert recipe- use smaller tortillas, fill them with canned apple pie filling, melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon, roll like a tortilla, and bake for 15 minutes or so. Serve with ice cream on top and an apple chip. Ole'!

DINNER: Sunflower cafe

Sunflower's Web site

I’ve heard about this place for years (mostly from the teachers at little C’s school) and after hearing that DC was going to skip a week, I decided to give the Sunflower café in Fair Oaks a whirl. I had heard AMAZING things about this mostly vegan place, so I asked Bernadette to join us so she could weigh in as well. This place is a kin to a drive-in — picnic tables outside and one long family style table inside the place. It’s super cute, just be prepared for the picnic style dining and take a look at the weather before you go since it's mostly outside. The menu includes things like veggie burgers, burritos, smoothies and the like. I had the black bean burrito — simple and natural; and it hit the spot. Just as you would expect, it was filled with black beans, sprouts, bosmotti rice and other natural goodies. Claire opted for the kids bean and cheese burrito - which came with a drink and a fruit leather. Our entire meals cost less than $10! Sweet. We began our dining adventure outside, where two rather large roosters greeted us. I don’t spend a lot of time in the city of Fair Oaks, but it seems that chickens, roosters and turkeys walking around is a daily and common occurrence around town. So, at first miss C liked the roosters.... until one jumped up on the table and snatched a piece of her burrito right out of her hands! Then, we promptly moved to the table inside that was rooster-free. B had the falafel which I had a bite of and determined was excellent. Be on the look out for her blog on this place. We will definitely be going back — but will keep the roosters in mind when we choose our seating!

DINNER: Mulvaney's

Mulvaney's Web site

We finally got around to checking Mulvaney's out. The first and last time there was at the pubcrawl where they were making their mozzarella right in front of us. Had to go back. We finally did, and we spent and ate more than we do anywhere we go! Talk about gluttons! We should have been in the movie "Seven" where the fat guy got bounced/offed. Anyhow- we started with Prosecco, beer, pea shoots, and posole. The posole was awesome and they were kind enough to split the order into two bowls. The pea shoots were interesting but highly pricey at $11 and very skimpy. Would skip next time. We then had the pork belly and scallops, lamb, and a pasta dish with mushrooms. All were excellent; the small plates were generous. The pork belly scrumptious. The red wine, an old vine zin, went well with all. The decaf coffee was the best I've ever had. The only loser of the meal was our dessert; we misordered. Will order the ding dong next time. Why did we pass that up?

Dinner Club Recap: The Gang is all Here

So it was the first dinner club in a while with the gang all back together. This time of year is always tricky – 70s during the day but back down to the 40s at night still means you might be in the mood for some warm comfort food. Well, in trying to balance the Spring tastes I turned to my friend’s blog www.everythingrachaelray.com for some inspiration, which is where I found the main course. You should check it out! I started with just a simple Spinach dip served with sliced baby cucumbers and assorted colored pepper strips. Dinner was cheese tortellini with roasted tomatoes and green beans with fresh mozzarella and basil. Next time I would definitely add more roasted tomatoes (they were SO good) and less cheese tortellini. I forget how filling tortellini can be, a few really go a long way. But, I always get worried that I never serve enough food at DC, hence the hearty portion. I liked the veggie combo - you throw in the green beans during the last two minutes that the tortellini is cooking - just enough to cook but still leave the crunch. Plus, this dish can be accomplished in one pot! Always a plus. I served this with garlic bread and a mixed green salad with dried cherries, crumbled blue cheese and almond slices. Dessert was fresh cantaloupe with raspberry/pineapple sherbet - I couldn’t contain my excitement for the warmer weather in the months to come!

DINNER CLUB RECAP: All Things Green

At first, I was thrilled to find out I was hosting Dinner Club on St. Patrick's Day. Then -- after lots of searching -- I found only two Irish recipes that were vegetarian. And they were kinda boring. So, I went green instead. Apps: salsa verde and spinach dip with green crudite. Entrees: asparagus soup, roasted broccoli with cheese, and cod with a cilantro and macadamia nut pesto -- and lime wedges as garnish. Dessert: cupcakes with green sprinkles and mint chocolate chip ice cream. You'll have to take my word for all of this since I didn't have a chance to take photos ... Hope everyone had a fabulous St. Patrick's Day!

DINNER: Ambience, Lisa's Take

I'm going to be one of the odd men out and be a little bit more critical of Ambience than the others! Rogue blogger! :) We were really hyped to try Ambience and the prix fixe meals there, but kind of got mixed impressions. The service was a little bizarre at first; I did feel that there wasn't a whole lot of enthusiasm by the wait-staff when we first arrived and the server didn't seem to know what was on the beer list. To her credit, the waitress got a lot better as the evevning went on. As for the food, I thought some dishes were lackluster and others pretty decent; I think, however, that I was hoping it would be more like the Kitchen or Ella, but I think I prefer Ella. The starter dish was a strange salmon mousse concoction on soft toast. We just said "eh" and looked for the next dish. My tuna dish was pretty decent, although one of the tuna sashimis was mixed with a strange tomato paste/sauce, which didn't seem to go together well. The crab cake, again, was ok; the best part was the baby polenta crouton. Wish I had had two more of those! The highlight of my meal was the veal shank; it was perfect. I also tried the beef tartar, which was not tasty, and the duck, which had a strange texture. The rabbit was decent. If this was Iron Chef, I would give them a 25 on presentation and more like a 19 on food. Very hit or miss selections, although impressive that they have such a wide variety and the plating is excellent!

DINNER CLUB RECAP: Chili and Corn Bread

My last dinner club, in February, needed to be quick and painless, since February is a very busy month at work. I decided to scour the crock pot recipes and get everything ready the night before to decrease dinner club stress. Usually, just pouring lots of wine helps, too. So, in the crockpot went lots of different types of beans, onion, cumin, garlic, crushed tomatoes with jalapenos, etc... For appetizers, we started with deviled eggs, cut carrots, and celery with peanut butter. Very comfort food-esque. Then we had our vegetarian chili with cilantro, cheese, and sour cream on top and yummy cornbread on the side. For dessert, we had port and sliced cheeses and pear. Overall a pretty healthy dinner club!

DINNER CLUB RECAP: Pho

It's been a while since I blogged, but wanted to do a quick update on my past dinner clubs. This one, I think from January, was all about comfort food and pho. The entire theme was mostly asian, with egg rolls to start, and then pho, which wasn't really authentic pho, since I did use udon noodles to make the dish a little heavier entree. I used veggie broth, added udon noodles, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and then for the meat eaters, some precarved deli roast beef. That added some great texture. To me, the best part of pho is the condiments. We had bowls of whatever we wanted to add: bean sprouts, limes, jalapenos, cilantro, mint, basil, rooster sauce, etc... I love pho.

DESSERT: Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates

Ginger Elizabeth's Web site

For Valentine's Day, my hubby got me a box of chocolates. Not just any box, but a delectable selection from Ginger Elizabeth. First, I was pleasantly surprised by the present and loved the exquisite brown and pink packaging. Second, and most important, the chocolates were amazing. I'm pretty picky, in fact I don't care for those other candy vendors whose chocolates are saturated in sugar. No, the chocolate from Ginger Elizabeth has flavor. Mouth-watering flavor. I could easily identify what went into whichever piece I was eating: fresh raspberries, salted caramel, peanut butter, etc. I didn't miss the synthetic mystery flavors of those other brands at all. There are no preservatives in Ginger Elizabeth chocolates, so you need to eat them within two weeks (no refrigerating). Not a problem, I ate the entire box in two days. Even though I've had more than my fair share, I am very tempted to pop into the Ginger Elizabeth boutique on 18th and L to sample the ones I haven't tasted yet. (The Olmec spice is my favorite so far.) The leaflet that accompanied my box explained that every candy is made from scratch on site, not even flavor extracts are used. I didn't know extracts were that taboo, but I suppose using vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract, or fresh lemon instead of lemon flavor, makes a big difference. In fact, some of her offerings are seasonal, depending on when the ingredients are available. Ginger Elizabeth is open late most nights, so that midtown restaurant goers can stop in for dessert. What a good idea.

DINNER: Plan B

Plan B's Web site

I've been wanting to try this place since Leslie and Chris reviewed it. Plan B is a cute, cozy eatery near Fair Oaks and Watt. I appreciated the decor -- pretty dark colors contrasted by white brick walls. (John thought it was lacking, though.) I was impressed with their wine list, especially their wines by the glass -- many of our favorite wineries were represented. The menu is simple, offering appetizer "stix" options that mirror the entree selections. And mussels. They offer a variety of mussels, which I assume is one of their specialties. Not really in a seafood mood, we each ordered a salad and meat entrees. John's Caesar salad was good, but could have used more anchovies. My mache salad was also good (it came with a hunk of brie, how could I not like that?). My lamb was simply and perfectly prepared. John loved his rib eye steak, a strong recommendation for all you beef eaters. We had apple pie for dessert, John thought it was boring, but I appreciated its simplicity. In fact, that's how I'd sum up Plan B -- delicious food, simply prepared.

DINNER: Ambience, Sandra's take

Ambience's Web site

I couldn't wait to try Ambience after John's review so we decided to make it our Dinner Club night out restaurant. I was not disappointed and I recommend it to anyone. $45 for 5 courses (not 4 as their website says) is a steal! The inside of the restaurant is very, well, ambient. I did get lost in the maze of rooms trying to find the restroom though. To be completely honest, some of the 5 courses were better than others but none were bad. The starter course of salmon mousse brioche was my least favorite. I felt the dough and the sauces drowned out any flavor from the mousse. My lobster crème brulee (a few dollars supplement) was a delicate and slightly sweet dish. The consistency was between a light mousse and custard. It was like nothing I ever tried. I don't understand the name since it was not burned on top. The follow up to that were three cold seared lobster medallions with various sauces. It was fantastic! My next course was a crab cake that I liked just fine and a polenta cake that was delicious. The star was my main course of Chilean Sea bass perfectly cooked served over the most delicious braised leeks and arborio corn rice and served in a Chardonnay cream sauce topped with crisped beets. Out of this world!! Dessert was an equally decadent light and airy but still rich chocolate parfait with a truffle on the side. The truffle wasn't anything memorable but the parfait made me crave more. Our server was pleasant and friendly and did a great job recommending a Vignonet that paired nicely with my food. Please go check this restaurant out. It is a great dining experience.

DINNER: Ambience - Leslie's take

Ambience's Web site

John said it best when he said that Ambience in Carmichael was a "delightful find." Man, this place is good! And I have NO idea how they can offer such five star food at a prix fixe menu of five courses for $45. Our waitress started off a little shaky in the beginning (oh, that is a beer that has a "cartoon character" on it and can be sold at Trader Joes... what?), but totally pulled it out by the end. She knew this menu like the back of her hand and explained each detail of the course (often seven different dishes were brought to the table!) effortlessly. Ambience looks completely cheesey from the outside but the decor in the inside is trendy and mellow. For veggies and non-veggies alike, the options seemed endless.... We all started with the Salmon scallop mousse puffed pastry thing. The second course included beet salad, ahi tuna samplers, lobster.... just to name a few. Our table did a good job of ordering almost everything on the menu with the exception of dessert - they had this chocolate number that most couldn’t pass up - so check out other blogers for their view. I had the beet salad that was wonderful. I am a sucker for anything beets. Next course was asparagus soup with creme fraiche that I think was my favorite dish of the items I sampled. It was fresh tasting with a hint of heat. My main course was the Grilled Chilean sea bass on braised leeks, corn arborio rice with radicchio and arugula. I practically licked my plate! The fish was cooked perfectly and some how the whole dish seemed "light" not drowned in any sauce which was a refreshing change. This place isn’t just a fish and steak place — they offered rabbit, duck, and boar as well as a few other numbers. For dessert, most of the table got pulled into this chocolate-sabayon cream parfait number that was to die for. Seriously, it was a lot of food, but the portion sizes were nicely done and they timed the platings perfectly so your tummy had just enough time to digest before moving on. The hub and I decided that we are already going back.... perhaps for Valentine’s day? (Hint! Hint!)

Dinner Club Recap: Southern Home Cookin'

It’s been forever since I blogged but I can’t forget about our last dinner club. It was the husband’s turn to do the cooking and he knocked it out of the park. He decided on straight up Southern cooking — fried fish, buttermilk chicken (baked, although you couldn’t tell by looking at it!), baked apples with fennel and the best mashed potatoes ever made. I can’t comment too much on the chicken since I don’t eat meat, but man, I was even tempted to take a bite. It was crispy on the outside and juicy looking on the inside. The fish was amazing, perfectly cooked so not as to taste a bit of oil, and light and flaky. The bake apples with fennel was right up there as well, the sweetness of the apple with the bite of fennel flavor was outstanding. He might have used two tubs of butter for the mashed pots, but it was worth it. Dessert was simple after such a heavy meal - grilled pineapple circles with nuts and nutella drizzle. Amazing!

DINNER: Ambience

Ambience's Web site

Ambience Restaurant is a surprising and delightful find – right in the middle of an unassuming strip mall in Carmichael, which we managed to find in the pouring rain thanks to our bossy Garmin navigator. Apropos of the name, the interior is casually elegant, with several rooms, some with booths, adding to the sense of place and privacy. The menu is prix fixe at $45, and has five courses. As we were soon to learn, this may be one of the best deals in the Sacramento area. Several of the courses allowed for multiple options, so do not be concerned that you will be boxed into what the chef thought you should eat that evening. Bernadette had the baby beet salad as a first course, and raved about it. My lobster crème brule came in two parts and was topped with a dollop of caviar. Say. No. More. My main course, the wild boar, was excellent; although I had to get over the guilt of eating beef that was flown in from New Zealand … I’ll offset the carbon with a few trips to work on my bike. Bernadette’s sea bass was similarly excellent, but she regretted smothering it in the herbed butter dollop that topped it. Since I was driving, it was probably OK that Ambience does not offer a wine pairing menu to accompany each course; Bernadette was initially disappointed … until she tasted the Cold Creek chardonnay which put her in a very good mood. Overall, we were just as satisfied walking out of Ambience as we have been walking out of The Kitchen, Ella, Biba, and any of the other “event” restaurants in Sacramento. The service was knowledgeable and attentive, but not obnoxiously so, which added to our very positive experience. So, if your reconnoitering skills are good, do try this little gem in the middle of suburbia. It is worth the trip.

Dessert: Yogurtagogo Happy Hour!

As you may (or may not) know, I am addicted to frozen yogurt. In fact it has gotten so out of control that I ate it almost every day in the last week and on one day I had it twice in one day. Embarrassing I know. My ultimate fave is taro flavored yogurt. That is why it is always a treat when Yogurtagogo in midtown has taro as a featured flavor. I make sure to get my fix every day until the delicious lavender taro goodness runs out. I was pleasantly surprised this week to find small cups at Yogurtagogo. It is a peeve of mine that many yogurt places insist on one giant sized cup to try to trick you into filling it up with way too much yogurt. When I inquired about the new size I was even happier to find that it is not a new cup size, it is their "happy hour" cup. From 5-6 they put out the small cups and you can fill the cup as high as you can get it for only $2!!! You can guess where I'm going to be every day between 5 and 6 until taro runs out. :) Yogurtagogo is located at 1801 L Street on the corner of 19th and L. Try the taro topped with shredded coconut and plain mochi. Yum!

DINNER CLUB: Mac and Cheese for a stormy day 1/20/10

Every year around winter I make my homemade white macaroni and cheese. What better winter time comfort food than mac and cheese? I tried to keep the rest of the menu simple and healthy since our main course was going to be rich, gooey and indulgent. For an appetizer I made guilt free spinach dip served with pita chips and endive spears. I started dinner off with a wedge salad made with homemade buttermilk goat cheese dressing. Our main course was white macaroni and cheese with a side of orange zest broccoli. Dessert was poached pears topped with plain Greek yogurt and drizzled with honey. I always rely on my friend the Trader Joe's wine guy to make recommendations for wine pairings. I especially needed help since I am not a white wine drinker. One wine that he suggested that I really liked was a Les Caves Joseph Bordeaux Blanc. It was a sweet white wine that was not overpoweringly sweet. It was very different and I really liked it. I really love the spinach dip and it is so incredibly good for you. To make the spinach dip heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil and add 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Add a 10 oz. bag of spinach and a pinch of salt and let the spinach slowly wilt. In a food processer add a can of rinsed cannellini white beans, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper, 1 Tbsp of EVOO and the wilted spinach. Puree until smooth. Serve either warm or cold.

DINNER CLUB REVIEW: New Year's Eve lasagna

I went out on an experimental limb with my roasted vegetable lasagna. The reviews on Epicurious.com encouraged deviation from the original recipe, so I came up with a lasagna layered with roasted portabello, eggplant, red peppers and zucchini. I sparingly used the bechamel sauce which the recipe called for and substituted some pesto and red sauce to make up for it. I also threw in some traditional ricotta and mozzarella cheeses in addition to the fontina that the recipe advocated. During the prep, I was worried about concocting a big mess of too many flavors, but it turned out to be a hit. For starters, I made a cranberry-apple-yogurt salad that I served spooned into individual endive leaves -- that recipe is also on Epicurious and is already a part of my repeat repertoire (I even liked it better than the lasagna). What a crazy night that was for me since John (who was supposed to come home at 3pm to help prep) got caught at work and didn't make it home until a few minutes before midnight! He missed our annual re-giftathon, but we ended up with the best loot so it all worked out.