Dinner Club Recap: Summer BBQ

Summer is officially here so I thought I would test out my BBQ skills on the gang this week. I started with grilling off some french bread drizzled with olive oil that I served with goat cheese and brie, with blueberries and grapes. We had a long discussion about goat cheese and everyone agreed that you have to eat it the day of opening it or else it gets a bit funky. For dinner I made cedar planked salmon with a mustard and brown sugar crust. Yum. This was the second time I made the salmon - I had tested it on my husband the week before - and using less mustard this time made a difference. I really like these cedar planks, they are so easy to cook on and almost impossible to over cook the fish. I served the fish with buttered fingerling potatoes, blueberry and cornbread muffins, and a cold black bean and pineapple salad. For dessert I finished out the BBQ theme by grilling up some pineapple and serving it with vanilla ice cream topped with a sugared rum sauce. I hope everyone enjoyed it! It was fun to make and cooking on the grill is always an easy clean up!

COCKTAILING & DINNER: The Shady Lady

I tried this place one Thursday for my usual weekly happy hour. It is a very basic and open space with dark wood floors, booths with dark wooden tables and upholstered in black. The bar in the center is a half circle surrounded by wooden stools with black seats. I found it odd that every booth is the same size so no matter what your party size you get the same size booth though there are a few freestanding tables. This place does not have a happy hour at least as of the date I went. I had a Sazerac to drink. It was served true to the classic drink. To eat I tried their tasty green bean salad with crisp green beans, crunchy onion crisps and dressing. There was slightly too much dressing but it was good so I'm not complaining. I also ordered the jalapeno cream soup which was absolutely delicious. My only gripe is that it wasn't hot by the time it got to me. My friend had the Po Boy sandwich with French fries and really liked it. I have to admit I was a bit distracted during my short happy hour there by a bird that flew into the place. I can see how that would happen since it is a warehouse type space with lots of large open windows. I'm happy to report the bird eventually freed itself safely. The servers all dress (or make a poor attempt to) in 1920s period clothing and try to keep the vibe that way. Our server however was a bored looking, soft spoken uninterested girl who gave us very nonchalant service and didn't check in on us except at the end. She came by when I needed another drink to ask if we were ok. I said yes because I was still working on my food. I was about to add "but I would like to order another drink" when she placed our check on the table and walked away with hardly another word. The crowd here was very mixed and the block was really busy from all the other places nearby. The prices were ok and heavy on the comfort food. It is a different place than most of the other Sacramento bars. I will probably give it another try but it didn't make a lasting impression.

DINNER: Pearl on the River

I'm writing this review over a month after our dinner club night out dining experience. This is where my handy note book comes in to remind me of what I liked and didn't during my meal. The restaurant itself is nice inside but it was a beautiful night to eat outside. Our server was attentive if not a little clueless. He tried really hard though. I found my ginger mojito too sweet and not gingery enough but nice and minty. I ordered the salad special of butter lettuce, blue cheese crumbles, red onion, pears and walnuts with blue cheese vinaigrette. The onion overpowered the salad, the blue cheese crumbles were nowhere to be found and the salad was swimming in dressing. We shared fried calamari in a tomato chili sauce and topped with gruyere cheese. It was good but the sauce made it very soggy. The tangerine beer was a hit being crisp and not too fruity. This restaurant has Chimay blue which was a surprising treat although our sever didn't know what it was at first. I was apparently the first to order it. The shrimp cocktail was good and the sauce was even better. Katie liked her sliders but said they were a bit dry. Lisa's comment on her chili rubbed lamb with mint tomato jelly and cous cous with red pepper and onion was that it was like her mouth was a playground. (I think that was the Chimay talking or writing) Wray liked his fettuccini with gigantic prawns just fine but would probably not order it again. Paul's fried seafood plate was also ok but overpriced for what it was. That seemed to be the consensus for this place. I will mention the key lime pie was also ok. It was creamy and sweet. Everyone enjoyed the coffee which comes from Mr. Espresso NOT EXPRESSO. End of rant. Overall this place is just fine if you are looking to try a new place on the river but you are not looking to be wowed by the food.

LUNCH: De Vere's Irish Pub

Again, the food was "eh," the beers fantastic. Soccer on the tube- great! Lots of space- great! Best thing on the menu besides beverages- the soups made daily.

Dinner Club Recap: Chicken Mole'

I've always wanted to make mole' but have always been too scared to try. The guinea pigs of dinner club seemed the perfect victims. I went for an easy red mole' recipe I found online for the crockpot. In general, the ingredients are set at slow cook for 8 hours, give or take: boneless skinless chicken thighs (free range), onions, canned whole tomatoes, cider vinegar, olive oil, cocoa powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, ground cumin, ground cloves, cinnamon, sugar, garlic, ground graham crackers, etc.... The vegetarians were served a store-bought mole' that was mixed with veggie broth, and then spicened up by myself with a little cumin, vinegar, cocoa powder, and sugar, and served with grilled squash and zuchini. I was overall happy with the end result. I served the above with corn tortillas, cheese, tomatoes, jalapenos, radish, onion, salsa, cilantro, black beans, and wild rice with saffron and peas. Fancy taco! Dessert was cookies from Goodie TooChews and ice cream. Yum.

Drinks & Dinner: Tokyo Fro's Rockin' Sushi

With so many new and trendy places popping up all over town, the hubby and I have learned that we are creatures of habit. Located next to another old fav, Bandaras, Tokyo Fro's has once again not disappointed. This time, we decided to hit the sushi bar without the kiddo, although Tokyo Fro's is quite kid friendly. We went on Friday night and it was pretty packed due to their amazing 1/2 off happy hour. We usually sit a table when the little one is with us, so we switched it up a bit by sitting at the sushi bar. I think one of the reasons why we always go here for sushi is because of their fresh fish - it never seems like it has been sitting around and it doesn't have that funky fish smell --- something not appealing in fish, especially sushi. We shared the tuna poke appetizer, which was served in a martini glass and generously enough for two. We moved on to three different roles, the Captain "save-a-fro" (spicy tuna with lots of extras), The Coach T Finger (tempura prawns with lots of extras), and the Peeta Roll (all veggies with special sauce). Like most sushi places these days, Tokyo's has lists and lists of rolls with crazy names that are loaded with several types of fish, veggies, sauces, and beyond. Heck, they even have rolls with meat in them these days. We even capped it off with some citrus sake. So, the next time you are in the mood for sushi but are a little too scared to try the new hole in the wall down the street, check out Toyko Fro's instead.

DINNER: Cyrus

Cyrus Restaurant's Web site

It doesn't get much better than this. Cyrus is not in Sacramento, but it's a couple hours away (in wine country) should you have a special occasion. I won't write up a proper review -- that'd be way too long considering we had the eight-course tasting menu. Plus some champagne and caviar to start off. And there were a few special "bites" that showed up in between courses, too. I just want to say that my dinner at Cyrus was absolutely incredible. I ate every single thing that came my way. As I was leaving, I was surprised that I wasn't overly stuffed -- after all those courses. Then I realized we had been there for six hours! Ah, that's why. Well, the service is impeccable. The dining room is elegant and cozy. But it's really about the food. And the wine. If you're making the drive and spending the money and time for a place like Cyrus, you really must do the wine pairing menu, it adds layers of flavor to an amazing meal. John and I shared the wine pairing (he was driving). But if you space it out like we did, I don't think all those half glasses add up to too much. Cyrus shares the building with the Mars Hotel -- I think we'll spend the night there next time we go. And I hope that's soon! Maybe John will do his own review on Cyrus for those who want to know more ... (I know he's dying to write about the Wagyu beef.)