For our final courtyard stop, Maria and I were lucky enough to visit this Midtown hotspot with none other than Rick Kushman himself. The three of us met for lunch on the patio and I have to say that Aioli has one of the nicest patios in town! Sitting on the patio, surrounded by foliage and listening to the sound of the pretty tiled water fountain behind us, it was almost impossible to believe that we were dining on one of the busiest corners in Midtown.
After noshing on a few baskets of bread with a dipping sauce that reminded us of hummus with a kick of spice, I decided to order one of the daily specials, a chicken salad topped with grilled bell peppers and shoestring potatoes. Maria opted for the vegetarian sandwich special and Rick went with the lamb sandwich which he described as having a subtle Mediterranean spicing but calling out for a glass of Pinot Noir to go with it. Both sandwiches came with side salads and were served on grilled bread that tasted like a delicious cross between pita bread and pizza crust.
Chatting away over our meals we agreed that Aioli likely is one of the best-kept courtyard dining secrets in Sacramento. The inside of the restaurant looked just as welcoming including a cozy bar area in back. Lucky for all of us that weather reports look like we’ll surely have at least a few more weeks of patio-dining-acceptable weather – at least for lunch!
Aioli Bodgea Espanola
1800 L Street
Sacramento, CA
(916) 447-9440
Funny thing, I checked out Yelp and most of the reviews for the place were bad. I guess you got lucky.
I LOVE Aioli! We used to frequent the Davis location often when we lived there. I’ve never had lunch there, but a dinner of assorted tapas can’t be beat.