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: 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: 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: 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.

DINNER: Jamie's - Sandra's Take

Jamie's Broadway Grille's Web site

I'll make this short and sweet. I know Jamie's is a Sacramento institution. I am aware it was recently featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. None of that made my maiden dinner experience at Jamie's good. Ray, Lisa and I went for our third dinner club night out. The restaurant is a true, legitimate dive. I loved the relaxed atmosphere and the friendly (some drunk) patrons. I was excited to try their seafood since that is the only meat I eat. I had a choice between an encrusted halibut dish and the mixed seafood special. I opted for the mixed seafood. That was a mistake. It came in a bowl of oily, greasy red sauce poured all over the seafood. I couldn't taste anything but the sauce. It had some sort of crispy herb on top. I don't know why. I have never heard of crisping herbs. I tasted one but I couldn't taste what it was, it just tasted fried. The vegetables and rice on the side were fine if uninspired. To top it off, the dish was expensive. If I recall it was about $28. On a positive note, the bartender was nice and our server was very entertaining. I would NOT recommend the seafood special to anyone though.

LUNCH: 58 Degrees & Holding

58 Degrees & Holding's Web site

Every now and then, Suzanne and I hit up 58 Degrees & Holding for a weekday lunch. It's a hidden gem for the lunchtime crowd. Rarely is there more than a couple other patrons -- making for a cozy, private experience with attentive service. You can have a long, leisurely meal without worrying about them needing to turn the table, or you can request fast service if you're in a rush. 58 is one of my favorite places, but it is typically too packed for happy hour (I just can't enjoy a fancy glass of wine and apps while standing and looking around for a table to open up) and dinner. Small plate sampling is my favorite way of eating, and that's 58's specialty. The trio of bruschetta provides a variety of tasty options and the charcuterie and cheese plate selections are equally as scrumptious. I've never had a plate at 58 that I didn't demolish -- the inspired salads offer lovely flavor combinations and the entrees are always perfectly seasoned and delicious. And I will give any place snaps for offering half glasses of wine, as I like to sample beverages as much as I do food. Check it out for your next midtown lunch!

DINNER: Jamie's, Ray's Take

Jamie's Broadway Grille's Web site

Nothing says mediocre food like a dark dive bar. Jamies lived up to the challenge. The beer was good, and, the second beer was good too. The food, well that was awful. I ordered an open faced chili cheeseburger. Hard to mess up right? Dive bars make good hamburgers, right? well, no, apparently not. Although the chili was good, the plate consisted of an overcooked hamburger patty buried in a pile of chili with two small pieces of garlic toast. I would have thought a hamburger in a dark dive bar would be a safe option, I guess you should stick to the food found in your Bloody Mary or hefeweizen. On an upside, I found street parking.

Lounge on 20

Lounge on 20's Web site

Lovely lovely lovely compared to my last post on Jamie's. What can I say? Totally different caliber of cuisine. The wine we ordered was out due to a Sac Foodie event that packed the place up; we weren't thrilled with our replacement option. I think the waitress could tell we were disappointed, so all of a sudden the wine sommelier showed up. He recommended another Pinot Noir that turned out the be excellent. Kudos on the part of the restaurant to try to make up for a snafu. We ordered small plates: dates wrapped in bacon, the beet salad, the yellowtail carpaccio, and the beef sliders. All very tasty- LOVED the dates. A bit pricey, but a very fun evening with my fella!

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!

COCKTAILING: Frank Fat's

Frank Fat's Web site

RIP OFF! M-F are 1/2 off ALL martini specials at the bar at Fat's. I've gone several times. This past time the bar was packed and we asked if we could go ahead and sit at a table and still get the 1/2 off specials. They said yes. We sat down. After 6 very weak special martinis, we were charged $48 instead of $24. Unfortunately or fortunately, someone else had already picked up the tab for us by that time, but either way. We got ripped. There was firm agreement by many at the bar that the male evening bartender is quite the jerk (unless he knows you and you drop fat lobbyist cash). I will not go back anytime soon.... Be forewarned.

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!

DINNER: Taylor's Kitchen, Bernadette's take

Taylor's Kitchen's Web site

I cannot believe I didn't know about this charming, lovely, little place. We've shopped at Taylor's Market every once in a while, but I never even noticed the restaurant right next door. What a find! The menu at Taylor's Kitchen is interesting and current, the food itself is delicious. The decor is perfectly pleasant and the service is excellent. Its plates are not embellished or styled, but that's probably because it's more of a substance over style place. I loved the Humbolt Fog cheese, although each selection on the cheese plate was delectable. The Housemade Stinging Nettle Tagliatelle was wonderful (Ray ordered it, too); it appeared to be just a bowl of green noodles with a sausage crumble here and there -- but it tasted so much better than it looked. Lots of garlic and some fennel, I think. The beet salad was one of the best I've ever had (and I always order beet salad if it's on a menu). The Andrew Rich Pinot Noir that was recommended by our server was a huge hit, too. I enjoyed the panna cotta dessert, but it was the only thing I'd rate as "good not great." I cannot wait to go back here (our first-date anniversary is coming up, John ... hint hint). So, sorry Land Parkers, your hidden gem is becoming more widely known!

DINNER: Taylor's Kitchen, Wray's Take

Taylor's Kitchen's Web site

This place is a hit. Excellent food, service and atmosphere, with a clear focus on fresh, high quality ingredients. The five of us started with antipasto and cheese plates. Both were very nice and went well with a sparkling wine picked out by our resident bubbly-aficionado, Sandra. I shared a beet salad that tasted like the beets were ripped from their home mere hours before. I chose the Stinging Nettle Tagliatelle with Italian Sausage, Kale, and Pecorino Toscano. To be honest, I am afraid of whole grain or green pastas. They usually are dry, chewy, or taste like something my brother would serve me when he had to baby sit me as a kid. But, despite this being a green pasta, it was outstanding! And, no, no stinging nettles ended up lodged in my tongue or esophagus. Our waiter directed us to a very nice wine that seemed to go pretty well with everyone's entree, and his overall service was attentive and sharp, without being overbearing. For dessert, a panna cotta and cappuccino. I left happy, fulfilled, and only slightly lighter in the wallet.

DINNER: Taylor's Kitchen, Lisa's Take

Taylor's Kitchen's Web site

Our 2nd dinner club outing was a lot of fun. I won't write too much about what I think the others will say, but there were some pros and cons. The pros: the service, atmosphere, and decor. What a great romantic neighborhood restaurant! I was digging the sink in the bathroom, and the 16-ply toilet paper. I'm not kidding! Ok. Maybe not 16... The waiter made a great wine recommendation, and the beet salad was fantastic. We all agreed that it was much better than Pearl on the River's beet salad. My minor disappointments in what was otherwise a great setting: the cheese plate was very drab looking; just a sprinkle of an herb or oil would have made it look stellar because the toleme cheese was stellar. Also, my pappardelle was extremely extremely salty salty salty. If and when we go again, I think the smart thing to order, from a sister restaurant of the butchery next door, would be a meat entree or the special fish entree. Duh on my part. Overall, the menu introduced me to a lot of new flavors and ideas for our next dinner club. I've never tried toleme cheese, nor caper berries or panna cotta. So, I really applaud Taylor's Kitchen for having an interesting menu and a diverse wine menu.

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: Plan B

Plan B's Web site

After a long awaited date night, we finally booked a sitter for Saturday night to make it happen. Chris picked the spot - a hip little french joint just around the corner from our house called Plan B. This place was AMAZING. From the decor to the service to the food - 5 stars all the way (even when the guy who was a few scotches in knocked over our almost empty bottle of wine while walking to his table on to my almost finished fish plate special - within seconds two servers cleared my plate and brought me an almost full portion of the special!) It was such a wonderful dinner I almost can’t even remember what we ate. Oh yes, after ordering cocktails (margarita and a champagne split) we started with the butter salad with walnuts, Roquefort and sun-dried cherries. This was simple and delish. Our waiter (who was 100% french, accent and all) was excellent with suggestions. Knowing that this place was famous for their mussels, we asked which dish was the best as they offered six different mussel plates. He recommended the nantaise (butter, shallots, and creme fraiche) without hesitation. This was wonderful - I could have drank the sauce alone. The mussels were fresh tasting and not fishy. The dish also was the perfect size, plenty for two, even three people. The dish was accompanied by pommes frites which were seasoned with oregano. No need for catchup with all this yummyness going around. I ordered the fish special. Honestly, I cannot even recall the two types of fish — they were two that I had never heard of before – but we aren’t talking our standard salmon, halibut or ahi tuna here. So light and with a texture that I would have never thought of. Again our waiter highly suggested this special (and I usually go for the fish special, anyway) and being he was so right on with his other suggestions how could I refuse. Chris had the lambchops which he said were to die for. I took several fork-fulls of his side of ratatouille and thought it was excellent. Our waiter also made an excellent wine selection - a pinot noir from the Alexander valley. We didn’t grab dessert because we were off to catch a movie. This place is a neighborhood gem and I really hope it sticks around. It’s got that kind of downtown trendish feel, so you can get all glammed up if you choose to, but since its nestled between the neighborhoods of Arden Park and Willhaggin, it doesn’t have that crazy pick-me-up clientele. We both decided that we would be coming back, both for dinner and/or also for a night cap on the way home. These guys know their wine and food. Now go and enjoy! Go!

DINNER: Hot Italian, Wray's Take

Overall, a fun place with good food, if you order the right pizza. I thought the place was a modern spin on a traditional pizzeria that leaves a good impression. I liked the open air feel, large tables, unique menu choices and gelato counter within reach for a cool & creamy dessert. The collection of black plastic forks on the wall was intriguing, but has left me with a secret desire to tape up KFC sporks on my next visit. Overall the pizza was good; thin crust that focused on the toppings. My favorite of the DC selections within reach was the balsamic fig and prosciutto pie. With that said, I definitely thought some pizzas we had were much better than others, and I don't think I would plan a night out revolving around this place. Better than Zeldas? Uh, that's questionable. The fact that I remember the wall-forks more than the pie probably answers that question.