To celebrate a 21st birthday and 30th wedding anniversary, my boyfriend’s family and I dined at Ella Dining Room & Bar. Having only been to Ella once for happy hour, I was very excited for the full Ella dining experience.
My boyfriend, Alex, and I showed up a half hour early to get a drink at the bar; I ordered the White Linen which was like drinking spring. The muddled cucumbers at the bottom of the glass added to the fresh and crisp taste. Alex ordered an old fashioned with Basil Hayden bourbon.
The rest of our party joined us shortly after and we were escorted to our table. The atmosphere was modern yet elegant, and the plates of food on the other tables made my mouth water. After some chit chat, the table ordered cocktails and our server dispelled the specials. As soon as he explained the duck plate with foie gras everyone lit up and there was no doubt in my mind that we would all order the decadent treat.
For those of you who do not know, foie gras is made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been fattened. As of July 1, 2012 it is illegal to sell in the state of California due to the way in which foie gras is processed. I will spare you the details but there is an abundance of information online if you want to know more.
The server recommended a great group appetizer for us to share before we made our final entree decisions.
Almost immediately after we ordered the flat bread our server came back with grave news: all of the foie gras was gone. He had just told our table there was an abundance of foie gras left that they needed to get rid of before the end of June, and now he was telling us it was all gone? Apparently a group of 30 people had come in shortly before us and all ordered the duck with foie gras – and poof, gone. I looked like a child who had just opened coal on Christmas.
“It’s all gone? Completely gone? Like no more, ever?” I asked.
The server told me that just because I looked so incredibly sad he would try and scrounge up just one more order. And he did just that. The chef made us a special appetizer with the LAST piece of foie gras the restaurant had. And boy was it delicious.
I had never tasted anything more appetizing and savory. It melted in my mouth like cotton candy, and then it was gone. This seemed to be a reoccurring theme of the night.
It was a good thing I had soup and a plate of duck coming my way or I probably would have gone into the kitchen to lick pots and pans clean.
The side dishes and entrées were unimaginably tasty. And the mocha crunch ice cream was the perfect way to end the evening. I nearly had to be rolled out of the restaurant, but it was well worth it, for I got the last piece of foie gras Ella Dining Room & Bar had to offer.
Ella Dining Room & Bar
1131 K Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
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