The Morning Fork is the product of husband and wife team, Chef Keith Swiryn and “self-proclaimed Waitress Extraordinaire” Jennifer Swiryn. They are both from Sacramento with lots of years in the restaurant industry. Their dream was to open a breakfast lunch spot and in 2019 this retro diner style place is just the thing, in the place where The Lucky Café had been. They are open daily from 8am – 2pm. It’s a long place with a counter and stools running the length of it. Booths line the other wall and picnic tables are outside for waiting as they are known to have a line especially on weekends. Art is on the walls and there’s a stiking piece made from forks on the back wall by the kitchen. Music is in the background, the lighting is bright and the service is helpful, friendly and efficient. The server helped me craft the plate I wanted. The food is fine so if you need breakfast or early lunch in this area put this on your radar. Continue reading →
Allora offers a four course prix fixe dining experience with optional wine pairings available seven nights a week. With each of the courses there are a number of choices some of which are only available with a supplemental fee. You also could add a caviar course and/or cheese course. Opening in Feb. 2018 they call themselves a modern Italian seafood and wine bar highlighting fresh handmade pastas and locally sourced ingredients. The 22-foot tall glass enclosed wine cellar was a focal point in the dining room. They did offer the options for seating outdoors, the counter around the bar, high top or standard size tables. Lots of windows to the outside made up a couple of walls while the bar counter served as a divider of the room. We sat to one side of the bar which also had the open window into the kitchen. Service was first rate and the pacing and portion control of the meal was good. I would definitely go again if in town.Continue reading →
The Waterboy has been serving the cuisine of northern Italy and southern France since 1996. A native Sacramento Chef Rick Mahan was inspired by a trip he took to France and now creates European style food with local California ingredients. It’s a good sized place with an open ceiling two-story room decorated with lots of plants. Windows were on 2 sides, the back of the space was filled with a semi-circular bench seat, music was in the background, the small tables were covered with white cloths and a bar with stools faces a painted wall. There were also some tables outside on the patio. The menu was supplemented by a list of daily specials and breads that were made in house. The wine list had reasonable prices and the food servings on the large size. Service was friendly and efficient. The food was good and I hope you’ll give it a try when in Sacramento. Continue reading →
building – 915 Broadway #100, Sacramento, CA 95818
The Kitchen was opened in 1991 by the Selland Group and around 2014 Chef Kelly McCown, who had worked in numerous highly regarded kitchens took the helm. Here he assembled a fine team that continues to gather awards from many sites. The restaurant offers a tasting menu (with several types of optional wine pairings) Wed to Sun. with a twist – you can participate in the meal’s preparation and ask for seconds. The venue is large and the 80 people in attendance are seated at a variety of tables and some around the low counter, where you can participate in the action without having to leave your seat. Everyone is invited to be seated at the same time so when you approach expect a line at the door. After they take you to your assigned seat (ask for the counter) they take drink orders and invite you to start milling around and sampling from the many trays of snacks scattered throughout the room. It’s supposed to mimic a dinner party feel but to me it was a bit chaotic and the flow of the setting did not work great for milling. Take that with a grain of salt, as I’ve dined around more than most and have been invited into many kitchens so for some this would be quite thrilling. I don’t enjoy cooking but for some helping prepare the plates or torching the fish would be exciting. The concept would work better for me with a much smaller group but I can appreciate the novelty of the concept. I was fine to stay in my seat at the counter and interact with chefs in front of me and the folks beside me while enjoying some very tasty food. One other critique I would level though was the lack of texture in the dishes. When you prepare that many covers it’s hard to keep the crisp or heat in a dish. Nevertheless I appreciate the changing menu format (tonight’s theme was apples), the fine service, the show with dinner and would give the place a thumbs up to visit. We were there on Halloween, so many of the staff and patrons were in costume. Continue reading →
Mulvaney’s Building & Loan gets its name from the movie It’s a Wonderful Life where George Bailey learns that his business actually holds the community together. Owners Patrick and Bobbin Mulvaney wanted to honor the community that has been good to them and so chose that name. They serve New American cuisine in a farm-to-table restaurant whose menu changes with the seasons and local availability. The restaurant is in 1893 firehouse with the original brick walls and open ceilings and exposed ductwork. It’s a medium sized room but next door is a larger room, that can be rented and a patio joins the two. White cloths are on the tables, music is in the background, art is on the walls and there are lots of windows(the old firehouse doors being repurposed as such). Staff was super friendly but a bit slow. However, the food was interesting and worth waiting for. Hope you’ll give it a try. Continue reading →
Localis serves a global cuisine that changes every five weeks. They offer a twelve-course tasting menu using as many locally sourced ingredients as possible. Two levels of wine pairings are available as well as a wine list, bar and non-alcoholic beverages. They have been awarded one Michelin star. When the theme of the menu changes, the entire menu changes except for the 2 first snacks. On our visit it was an Argentina theme but they have also used Portugal, Thailand or ‘something like Middle Earth’. The counter has 2 seatings every night at 5pm and 8:15pm while table times are staggered. I’d call it medium-sized and the dining room tables are irregularly cut pieces of wood that are attractive in a window-sided room that felt like an enclosed porch. The background music was fairly loud and parking is on the street as you can find it. Opening about 9 years ago, Chef Chris Barnum-Dann also serves as sommelier. Service was friendly and helpful and portion control was good, as it’s a long menu. The menu at your table is marked with your name and it has great descriptions of the food, if you don’t write fast, which is nice. The courses varied in their success but overall it was a very positive experience, so I encourage you to give it a try when you are in Sacramento. Continue reading →
Frank Fat opened his namesake restaurant in 1939 calling it “Frank’s 806” (which you can see at the end of the awning). Today, it’s Frank Fat’s and the oldest Sacramento restaurant exclusively owned by one family. When Frank Fat began, he was very interested in feeding people quality food with great service and that has allowed him to open several other places with varying cuisine. In 2013 he received a James Beard Foundation Classics Award, given to locally owned and operated restaurants. It has a reputation as a place where influential California politicians come to drink, dine and negotiate, which makes sense as its location is a short walk from the capital building. Every California governor has been a customer since the restaurant opened. It is a large place that runs several rooms deep, all with beautiful Chinese decorations. The first room had stools around a bar counter and bench seating along the wall. Further in bare dark brown wood tables appear. They serve a large menu of old-school Chinese food and have specials for lunch, which are smaller versions of some of their more popular dishes. The food was quite good and the service was friendly and efficient. I would put this on your list, especially after taking a free tour of the California State Capital building. Continue reading →
