DINNER: Jamie's Broadway Grille, Lisa's Take

Jamie's Broadway Grille's Web site

So, for our 3rd Dinner Club Night Out, we chose Jamie's because it was recently featured on the Food Network and is a local favorite. I hadn't been in years, so was looking forward to having a cocktail and some comfort food. What I got was a lot of heartburn! Ouch! My first impression was that Jamie's is extremely lively and fun, but it was packed. We barely found 3 spots at the bar to have martinis, and then had to wait for a table to open up. I was jazzed by their menu board, which appeared to have some interesting options. The bartender was pretty cool, but told us that a lot of items go quickly, so we should order soon. She did put aside the last order of the chili hamburger Ray wanted, but before we ever got a table, the entree I was absolutely ravenous for was wiped off the slate. Lamb stew. It sounded lovely. Needless to say, by the time we got a table, even the renown clam chowder was sold out! I kind of felt a little annoyed that I could not have what I wanted, and ordered, along with Sandra, what I thought still had a lot of potential- a seafood combo plate with scallops, opakapaka, prawns, and crab. You all know I love a good cioppino or bouillabaise, and I think this combo plate was attempting to be "similar" to a cioppino with its own twist. Unfortunately, it left me feeling not so great. It was dripping and oozing with some sort of mystery tomato oil/sauce. I mean, dripping. The combo plate was just a big bowl of oily goo ladled over fish. It was topped with fried basil and some sort of shavings that I first thought were lemon grass, but then we decided maybe some sort of green/white onion shaving? It's still a mystery. Anyhow, the fish was cooked fine, but the oily goo just didn't really inspire me nor do I think I will go back to eat. Sorry Jamie's!

DINNER: Roxy's

I'll make this short, but Roxy's is a fun and fancy western-themed restaurant on Fair Oaks Blvd. Thursday night they have special burger and brew specials. I got to make my own lamb burger with very yummy and diverse condiments! Don't know how much vegetarian fare is available, though. This place is very meat oriented since the owners own Lucky Dog Ranch. Most of the meat is from their ranch or other local places. I will go back!

LUNCH: Capitol Dawg

I wanted to get out and about today and try something new, so Ray picked me up for lunch to go to the Capitol Dawg. Who knew there were so many varieties of hot dogs out there? I had to try something traditional, so went with the Prop. 51 Chicago dog, grilled, with mustard, green relish, onions, tomato, kosher dill pickle spear, sport peppers, and celery salt on a poppy seed bun. Ray went with the Los Angeles Deftones Dawg, which had mustard, chili, american cheese, and onions. The sweet potato fries were the biggest hit, though. I'd have to say we can probably cook better hot dogs/sausages, but it was a fun 1/2 hour and the hot dogs all had such fun and crazy names and toppings! For vegetarians: they have vegetarian dogs that yelp reviews have rated high. Location: next to Jack's in midtown.

DINNER: Zelda's Pizza

The thing I love about Zelda's pizza is the pizza, of course, but also the slow-paced nature of the whole scene. It's funny that a lot of Yelp complaints for this restaurant rail on the slow service, but I think that's all part of the fun of going there! Anyone who knows me, too, knows I'm not all that patient when it comes to waiting. but, here, it's almost like it forces me to slow down and actually enjoy the time and people watch. Also, the $1 bud drafts and other $3.50 beers are quite the deal. The halloween and xmas decor year-round is great, too. Definitely a dive bar with great deep dish pizza. Love the crust.

DINNER: Hot Italian, Lisa's Take

Hot Italian's Web site

Funny, we all have slightly different perspectives on the evening. I have to say that I thought the minimalist concept worked! I loved the hanging overhead fan, which appears to be an actual propeller from an airplane. Very cool. I also really enjoyed walking through the motorcycle shop while we waited for our pizzas; it was quasi-museum and quasi-pizza joint! Loved it! I foresee myself bringing out-of-towners here because it is so different. Loved the hand drier in the bathroom! I do think they should have more appetizer options, and when the waitress was asked her opinion on the wines or suggestions, she had none. That's not a good thing, especially when our group is very used to napa/sonoma/amador wines, but not Italian. We would have gone with a suggestion, but instead we had to guess with both bottles. Loved the prosciutto fig pizza. Would not reorder Ray's egg/prosciutto/mushroom pizza. Without the egg, there was barely anything on it! Good thing for the egg! Pistachio gelato - excelente!

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: Ella Dining Room and Bar

Ella Dining Room and Bar's Web site

Recently, a prix fixe menu for Ella for April was emailed to us, so we thought we'd try it out. $25 Lunch and $35 dinner. Great prices, although the entrees are entrees from the lunch menu, which is ok, though, because if you break it down, you are definitely getting your moneys worth. As usual, the service and decor were excellent. The only downer- when we were seated no prix fixe menu was provided; we had to ask for it, which immediately had our waiter rushing us to pick our entrees and our wines ($20 wine pairings with each dish). He warmed up to us later, but still.... Don't advertise a prix fixe menu if you aren't going to be happy about honoring it! Not sure if they will have one next month, so go soon for the April menu (note- no substitutes and the small plate is their meatball plate (for you vegans)).

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.

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: Bandera

Bandera's Web site

Some how our initially planned dinner date to La Boheme miraculously morphed into dinner at Bandera's. My husband wasn't feeling in the mood to try something that was seemingly stuffy so we hit the fav around the corner. Since we are parents to a 2 year old -- we had no shame at starting our date at the ripe old hour of 5:30 pm. We started the night off with freshly made margaritas and I now recall how great a real one is rather than that green stuff that comes out of a screw cap bottle. Next came the to-die-for tuna poke with mango and shrimp. This is one of the reasons we go to this place --- I think my husband might just dream about this dish at night, it's that good. We then vowed to try new dishes: I very much enjoyed their signature cornbread (this didn't come out of a box, folks) and their smoked Salmon plate. The fish was light and tasty --- not at all oily and wet looking, which is what I've experienced at other places and usually steer clear of anything "smoked." By now I was on to a glass of pinot noir: a generous pouring with a $8 price tag. We snuck in what was called a "nice little house salad" --- and it was just that, topped with bits of goat cheese and wonderfully flavorful cherry tomatoes (amazing that they found such tasty ones this time of year). At this point in the evening we were probably pushing 6:45 (I know!) and there was not an empty seat in the house. The staff was excellent. At no point did we feel rushed even though we were only munching on apps. After adjusting our belt buckles, we dove into their main dishes: I got their grilled veggie platter that never disappoints: full of seasonal delights such as grilled red cabbage and purple cauliflower. The hub got the signature rotisserie chicken that he said was delish. With 6 cocktails and all this food, our bill was just a hair over $100. Even though I wanted to try a new place, Bandera's gets a thumbs up, and once again doesn't disappoint.

DINNER CLUB RECAP: Host Sandra

Gourmet mac and cheese after my heart. Sandra- you couldn't have picked a better night for comfort food. Rainy and cold, after a 70 degree winter weekend. Winter? What's winter? We want the recipe; sorry for the digression on Israeli/Palestinian strife, the mess with Gaza, and our opinions on a westernized version of the military. We digress too much, and spend much time talking and not enough time drinking your wine.

DINNER CLUB RECAP: Sandra's

Tonight I decided it was the perfect drizzly winter weather for comfort food. I won't go into how I didn't have my mini bruschetta appetizers ready in time for my dinner club guests and ended up burning them later anyway. For our main course I made a white cheddar and pecorino Romano macaroni and cheese dish. I started with a béchamel and added white cheddar and pecorino Romano cheeses with salt, cayenne pepper and nutmeg. I quickly cooked some elbow macaroni for 3 minutes just until the outsides were cooked. Then I rinsed them and added them to the cheese sauce. Pour into a buttered casserole dish and top with a bit more grated pecorino Romano, grated white cheddar and the croutons which were just pieces of white bread with melted butter drizzled on top. Bake for 30 minutes and you have cheesy mac and cheese goodness. Our salad was organic baby arugula tossed with warm sautéed portabella mushrooms and topped with goat cheese and pine nuts. I dressed the salad with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. To make the salad I just sautéed shallots in olive oil and added sliced portabellas and cooked until they were soft. I tossed them with the arugula adding a pinch of salt, oil, balsamic vinegar, crumbled goat cheese and pine nuts. For dessert, I made a simple white cake with whipped vanilla frosting. Little 2 year old Claire was a big help in serving dessert. For some reason she thought it was John's birthday tonight so we went with it. : )