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: 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.

WINE: Old Sugar Mill and Bogle Vineyards, Clarksburg

Thanks to mom and dad visiting, I had a great excuse to excuse myself from work. Saturday was Ports and Chocolate weekend at Bogle Vineyards and the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, CA. I won't make this too lengthy, but let's just say, we prefer less crowded weekends when we bring a picnic and don't have to deal with pushy people trying to get their 100th pour. Too many short obnoxious men taking up too much room and being overly domineering and loud. Do you really need to drape yourself over 5 feet of the entire tasting area and monopolize the vintner's attention when there are about 50 other people waiting? I think not. Typical jerks trying to get their free stuff. Seemed to be more about the "free" and not about the tasting of the wine. Bogle- still a favorite, mostly a reason to support local businesses; best wines- Phantom and Old Vine Zinfandel. Old Sugar Mill- great ambience, but Ray described the wine, at times, as vintner's dysentery. Carvalho- bad; immature wines. Solomon- disgusting; sugary water. Revolution- respectable Pinot Grigio, if just for the price. Heringer- the best petite syrah port we tasted on that particular day. Todd Taylor- this is probably the best winery in that complex/area. I think it's better than Bogle (sorry Bogle). It seems that their wines are more complex than the sugar water we drank at all the others. Their wines probably compete with Napa- I think most of their grapes are from Amador County and some regional Monterey areas. The Tempranillo, Primitivo, and "Clockspring" Zin are must tries. The best food we had that day- some random deli in between Bogle and the sugar mill on the main road.

COCKTAILING: L Wine Lounge

L Wine Lounge Web site

It was a romantic Saturday: after doing our taxes and squeezing in a game of racquetball, we saw "He's Just Not That Into You" and then had drinks and appetizers at L Wine Lounge. I've always had a nice time at this place. There's usually a place to sit (important in my book) at the bar or in the "lounge" area. L has a cool, modern atmosphere -- perfect for many occasions, like laughing it up with a group or having an intimate conversation with your spouse. I had the Sparkler flight -- three generous tastes of sparkling wine. John had a Malbec from a Yolo vineyard, which was quite tasty. We ordered several appetizers: a pizzetta (pretty good -- but how can you mess up bread and cheese?), meatballs (John loved them, I liked them) and the white anchovy plate (delish!). Later on, I ordered a glass of red, I think it was the Barbera, which was wonderful. John, too, had another glass of red (can't remember which) and liked it. (Yeah, I know. We need to start writing these down since our memory fails us once we get to drink number two.) We drank those with a round of bread that comes with a yummy crumbly spice dipping mixture (I tasted coriander, wish I knew what else was in there). By the time we left, we were full enough to call our happy hour a dinner. I've started to favor drinks and apps at wine bars instead of structured dinners at restaurants -- it not only costs less, but I don't get overly full and come home with leftovers that I never eat. L Wine Lounge has consistently offered up tasty food, great wine and attentive service. I've heard others disagree (post your comments below!), but L Wine Lounge gets a big thumbs up from me.

DINNER: 58 Degrees & Holding Co.

58 Degrees & Holding's Web site

Leslie and I ate dinner at 58 during "Dine Out Sacramento Week". We went for the dinner with wine pairings. Overall, food was wonderful and wines were unique. I recommend this wine bar/restaurant for after work drinks and appetizers. You could tell formal dinners are not their strength. The appetizers (wild mushroom soup, arugula salad and cheese plate) were to die for! I could have stayed there all night just munching on the cheese plate and sipping on the fine wine. Cons: no reservations taken for dinner...first come first serve...makes it difficult to find a table. You have to hover around people until they leave or find a couch or sit at the bar. And the dining area is small. Pros: ambiance is fun, wine is unique -- regions and countries are atypical. Of course, maybe I rejoiced in my dinner just because I was out without my two-year-old!!