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: 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: Dragonfly

Dragonfly's Web site

After securing a babysitter for a long-waited and much-needed date night, we decided to wing it and make our final dinner choice selection once we hopped in the car on Sat night. We discussed tapas or Asian or sushi.... which led me to thinking about Dragon Fly on Capitol. It was second Saturday and we were already half way there, so we figured we check it out and if it was swamped we would try some place else. After the parking Gods smiled down on us with the perfect spot in front of Dragon Fly, we saw that there was still a table or two available on the patio. Why? Zocolo’s and Paesano’s were SWAMPED. Hmmm. Well, I had eaten there long before and recalled liking it and we were there, so why not check it out. We started with some mohito’s that hit the spot. Not mind-blowing delish, but not bad, either. Neither of us wanted full blown meals and Dragon Fly is a great spot to share dishes. We started with a tempura tofu dish that was topped with steamed spinach and mushrooms. It was light and cooked perfectly, not wet and soggy. We then got the ahi tuna blossom - very simple dish of Ahi tuna slices and avocado which tasted fresh and had non-fishy flavor. We rounded it out with two of their veggie sushi rolls – for some reason we are finding that we like veggie sushi rolls rather then the ones with the raw fish these days! Ah well. These were similar in taste with asparagus, cucumber, mushrooms and the like, but their unique sauces definitely made them different. We finished the evening off with a big piece of simple plain cheesecake. This was the perfect spot to people watch on Second Saturday. The down side to Dragon Fly, which is known to all, is that it was slow, just like the internet reviews had promised. There was only one person working outside, but since we weren’t in a hurry and it was a beautiful night we were fine with it. I hope that Dragon Fly stays around. After 7:30 there wasn’t an open table, but it still didn’t have the crazy lines like Zocolo’s and others around the area. Go check it out!

COCKTAILING: Mix Downtown

Mix Downtown's Web site

The last time I went to Mix, I had only positive things to say -- we sat at the bar, had decent wine and a great bartender. After my more recent visit, I doubt I'll go back again. John and I were craving margaritas, so we initially went to Zocalo. But it was packed and I really wanted to sit down (I was wearing killer heels). So we ended up at Mix. Their menu listed two margaritas. Being the purist that I am, I asked which was closer to a classic margarita since I didn't want any sugary flavorings. The server didn't really know (?!) so I ordered a standard margarita with Patron Tequila. About 30 minutes later, our appetizers came, but still no drinks. We finished most of our apps (those kobe sliders are yummy!) before our drinks finally came. I eagerly sipped my margarita ... it tasted terrible. I asked what the Patron was mixed with -- Grand Mariner? Cointreau? She said she wasn't sure but it was some sort of mix. Seriously. A wannabe hot spot in Sacramento used a mix in place of a real cocktail? With Patron? Even though I was surprised and highly disappointed, I didn't send it back for fear I'd have to wait another hour for a replacement. I slurped it down and certainly needed another drink. Nearly half an hour later, I sent John to the bar since we hadn't seen our server. He came back with some cocktails straight from their menu (figured that was safer than ordering off-menu again). Those drinks weren't very good. In fairness, we're not really into the flavored trendy drinks so it's not shocking we didn't like them. By this time, we were ready to leave. We asked for our bill. It didn't come. Twenty minutes later, we asked someone else to find our server because we really wanted to go. Ten minutes after that, John went to the bar to ask for our check. They ran his credit card and said they'd bring it to our table. They didn't. We were about to go back to the bar to ask for it when finally someone came over with what we thought was our bill -- yes! We could finally get out of there! Oops. It was actually some guy telling us our table was reserved for later in the evening and we couldn't stay much longer. I almost lost it, but decided to be polite since this guy hadn't been a party to the substandard service we had already received. I said, "Yes, we've been trying to leave for the past hour but they are having trouble with our bill. Could you help us get out of here by speeding up the process?" He said, "Oh, don't worry. We don't need your table for another hour." Bottom line: Mix has a fabulous, fun atmosphere but the drink menu caters to an unsophisticated palate. Wait staff is friendly, but easily confused. If you speak slowly and repeat yourself often, you might fare OK.

LUNCH: Phil's Fish Market: Moss Landing, CA

I know we don't blog about out of town places, normally, but Phil's Fish Market is easily one of the best fish markets around and easily accessible on vacations, such as to Monterey or Carmel. Phil took on Bobby Flay of the Food Network channel and won for the Cioppino cookoff. We highly recommend ordering one bowl of cioppino for two people.... It is enough for two. The east coast oysters on the half shell are another great option for appetizers. Don't sit in the "dining" area if possible; it reminds us of picnic benches in grade school. The bar is the best spot, and you sit next to the fish market and those lovely big chunks of tuna. Also, you can order Phil's online and have it shipped! Check it out!

DINNER: Center Court

Center Court's Web site

Out of town people are fascinated by this place. I don't blame them! It's a great sports memorabilia bar, being that Chris Weber, former Kings' player, owns it. The food is always so-so, but if there's a game on, it's a great place. A friend from out of town and I went there, and had chicken fajitas and the grilled chicken sandwich. Both were respectable; they serve crazy cocktail mixed drinks with odd basketball names; V liked hers. I always order Blue Moon there. Note- If you are not wild about the club scene, the place turns a little hoochy after 9:00 PM on weekends. Apparently, cashmere sweaters are out on these babes.

LUNCH: De Vere's Irish Pub

de Vere's Web site

As compared to prices at Frank Fat's, see below, we went to lunch at De Vere's and for a 2:00 PM "lunner" ended up spending $50 for 4 beers, a bowl of soup, fish and chips, and a straight 15% tip. Not the best value for your buck nowadays (for all you value shoppers), but the ambience, I guess, is the reason to go. It's lively, loud, 2 bars, lots of draught options, and hot men playing soccer on the tube. The fish and chips were just so-so (2nd time I've heard that), but the soup was, again, the best thing tried. If you go -- order the soup.

COCKTAILING: Frank Fat's

Frank Fat's Web site

I've reviewed before, but to sum downtown Frank Fat's happy hour: 1/2 off martinis, $1.95 beers, and 1/2 off appetizers. 3-6. We had 4 drinks and 3 appetizers for $40, which included a fat tip, since I was shocked at the crazy low bill. The dim sum, lettuce wraps, and salt and pepper calamari were all cooked well, and was enough for 2 of us for dinner. Note- you must sit at bar for happy hour prices.