From the opening of House Kitchen & Bar (review to come tomorrow!) and the Mason’s makeover announcement, there seems to be a lot going on lately in the Sacramento restaurant world. Of course, foodie news is our favorite kind of news so we have no complaints! In fact, we’ve got one more announcement to add to the list.
Tonight marks the Grand Opening of Sake House at The Fountains in Roseville. Sake House is a new undertaking by Randy Paragary of Paragary Restaurant Group and Bob Simpson, owner of Social Nightclub in downtown Sacramento. The mix of their unique backgrounds has resulted in a new type of sushi and sake experience. The restaurant/bar/lounge/nightclub offers a fully furnished 2,000 square foot patio making for a vibrant dining experience that transforms into an upscale lounge late in the evening with DJ music and dancing.
Whether you’re looking to relax, drink or dine, Sake House promises to have it all!
Sake House
1017 Galleria Blvd. #160
Roseville, CA 95678
(916) 782-5040
A New Restaurant on Capitol Mall: UPDATE
We have some exciting new details about the new restaurant coming to 555 Capitol Mall that we first reported last week. According to a source that commented on our post, here are the latest details about House Kitchen & Bar:
Opening: January 5, 2010 (That’s in less than 2 weeks!)
Serving: “Reasonably priced fine comfort foods.” (We’re hoping for some mac & cheese)
Happy Hour: Apparently, a happy hour with extended hours is in the works. (Cheers to that!)
We’ve also heard that House will take the place of the La Bou lunch “to go” cart that is currently in the building lobby at 555 Capitol Mall. With the closure of La Bou’s Downtown Plaza location earlier this year, as of December 25, the nearest downtown La Bou will be at 11th and L Street.
We’re looking forward to trying out House when it opens – we’ll keep you posted!
Cafe Americain Grand Opening
The other night a few of us Sac Foodies found ourselves at a new champagne bar in Old Sacramento called Café Americain that we heard about on Sacramento Magazine’s “Ravenous” food blog.
What impressed us the most was the incredibly friendly and hospitable staff, all of whom seemed very excited for the upcoming Grand Opening Event. As we each enjoyed a bowl of delicious organic vegetable soup and sipped champagne, we were lucky enough to chat with the owner, Natalya, to get the details about the grand opening.
Café Americain’s Grand Opening Event will be on December 12th at 6 p.m. The event will feature a reception with complimentary champagne and caviar appetizers, a presentation by a world renowned culinary expert and wine connoisseur on caviar and champagne and an exclusive tasting showcasing three exotic caviars and three of their featured champagnes. The evening will culminate with a three course sit down dinner with your choice of three entrees including Sterling Sturgeon Steak, Wild Sea Scallops or Organic Baby Lamb.
For pricing information or to make your reservation, call Natalya at (916) 470-6898 before December 8th.
Cafe Americain
1023 Front Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 498-9098
Grand Opening Party at Ten22
Last week, a few of the Sac Foodies were invited to attend the grand opening celebration for Ten22 restaurant in Old Sacramento. Since we had also been invited to a preview tasting a few months back, we were really looking forward to seeing how the restaurant had turned out now that it is officially open!
The four of us had a great time feasting on appetizers and enjoying the complimentary drinks while mingling with friends and fellow foodies. Even the mayor stopped by and expressed his excitement about the new restaurant opening and the jobs that have been created as a result.
We especially loved the huge outdoor patio and fire pit area – we’re already envisioning many a happy hour spent out there! The welcoming attitude of the owner and staff along with the casual atmosphere are sure to make Ten22 an Old Sacramento hit. And we couldn’t be happier to have a new hangout just a few blocks from the office – see you soon Ten22!
New Restaurant Preview: Ten22
Last week, a few of the SacFoodies were lucky enough to be invited to attend a preview and tasting event at what will soon be Ten22 – a hip new restaurant in Old Sacramento’s historic Orleans building. Surrounded by fellow local foodie bloggers including “Cakegrrl” Kristy DeVaney, Sarah Campbell of Twin Soup and Sacramento Magazine’s Kira O’Donnell and Marybeth Bizjak, we were in good company! Owner Terry Harvego (his family owns the Firehouse) played host alongside Irie Gengler (of Roseville’s Crush 29), the consulting chef for the restaurant.
First, we learned what the layout of the restaurant would be like once construction is complete. While the interior of the restaurant will be anchored by an open kitchen featuring a wood and stone pizza oven allowing patrons to enjoy the ambiance of the oven flames, we were most excited to learn that the outdoor patio will feature a fire pit of its own and seat 100 guests! We were already imagining ourselves heading to Ten22 for post-work Friday happy hours. Then, when Terry added that the bar would include 24 beers on draft alongside a California-centric wine list, we were sold (and we hadn’t even tried the food yet!).
Next, we headed upstairs to the posh Orleans lofts where we’d have the tasting portion of our preview. Terry asked us to weigh in on everything from what color the napkins should be to which wine glasses they should choose to how long happy hour should run – and weigh in we did! As we chatted, Irie brought out Jalapeño Martinis for everyone – a drink he is well-known for at Crush 29. We expected something hot and spicy and were pleasantly surprised when the drink was actually cool and refreshing.
We were seated at a long table (with a mis-match of chairs under consideration that Terry wanted us to try out) when the food began to arrive. First, we tried Brandy Marinated Beef Skewers which were served alongside maple-accented sweet potatoes with a pomegranate-soy dipping sauce. I think we all agreed that this dish was a hit, especially the sweet potatoes.
As we tried a couple other plates served in varying presentations, Irie explained their culinary mission to offer great food with great service in a family-friendly atmosphere. Their goal is to have guests come in and recognize the menu items but to leave saying, “Wow, I’ve never had it like that before!” We can say that mission was accomplished when we tried what seemed to be the big surprise of the night – Kool-Aid flavored pickle chips! They were served alongside the “Pogo Sticks,” mini corn dogs with two dipping sauces, including a spicy brown mustard sauce. It was such an unusual combination of kid-friendly flavors that were both fun and nostalgic to eat.
We also enjoyed prawns wrapped in crisp phyllo strings served with an Asian-style dipping sauce. The fresh cilantro that was incorporated into the sauce and used as a garnish added a special element to the dish. While delicious, this was a messy one to eat. The room was unanimous in their suggestion to lose the skewers that were part of the presentation.
Finally, we were treated to a dish that many of us deemed the best of the night: Slow Braised Baby Back Ribs with a honey BBQ sauce served with crispy sweet potato fries. The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender – in fact, it didn’t even feel like we were eating ribs it was so tender! One diner even proclaimed them the best ribs she’d ever had, while a few others said that though they typically don’t order ribs, these would keep them coming back for more.
While feedback from the crowd was divided on a few things like the pickle chips and the stem-less wine glasses, we were all in agreement that Ten22 will be a must-stop destination from lunch hours to happy hours.
In honor of its namesake, Ten22’s grand opening is slated for October 22, 2009. You can stay posted on latest updates by visiting www.Ten22oldsac.com or by following them on Twitter.