With the big V-Day just around the corner, we thought we’d round up a few ideas to get you in the spirit. If you haven’t made your reservations yet, better get to it – once you read over our list of mouth-watering suggestions you won’t be able to resist!
Ella Dining Room and Bar is offering a very special Valentine’s menu. For $125 per person, your meal will include a bottle of champagne (per couple), a Dungeness crab salad, butter poached Maine lobster with black truffle gnocchi, slow roasted beef tenderloin and a warm molten chocolate cake for dessert! Can you say heaven?
Mikuni and Hoshall’s Salon and Spa have teamed up to bring you a very special Valentine’s Day deal. Purchase a $200 Hoshall’s gift certificate and you’ll receive a complimentary $50 gift card to Mikuni – OR buy a $200 Mikuni gift card and get a $50 Hoshall’s gift certificate free! Sounds like a perfect day to us!
Revolution Wines is offering a Valentine’s Port and Chocolate Tasting between 4pm and 9pm on the 14th. Just $15 for two people, the tasting includes two glasses of a special port and scrumptious chocolate. The perfect stop for before or after dinner!
58 Degrees and Holding Co. will also have a special for diners on the 14th. The four-course menu is $150 per couple and includes ½ bottle of champagne. Menu options range from calamari to petite filet mignon to crab stuffed scallops – delish!
The East Bay Restaurant Supply Culinary Center will hold a “Fondue You” Valentine’s Day cooking instruction and tasting class for $115 per couple – plus a free stainless steel fondue pot to take home! Couples will learn to prepare three fondue recipes including classic with imported cheese, spicy queso fundido and silky chocolate fondue. The class will take place on Saturday the 14th from 12:30pm to 3pm and reservations are required.
The Firehouse Restaurant is offering a menu that will answer a question we’ve had from readers in the past: where to fine vegetarian or vegan fine dining options? In addition to a special 5-course Valentine’s Day menu, the Firehouse is also offering a vegetarian and vegan menu which includes fig and onion bruschetta, risotto croquettes, spaghetti squash pomodoro and forest berry crisp for dessert. Visit the Web site to see all the dining options.
If these ideas don’t suit you, check out the list on Twin Soup. And, if you’re anything like us, you’re probably watching your wallet a little more closely lately. With that in mind, don’t forget to check back next week for our Tightwad Tuesday Valentine’s Day suggestions!
Archives for 2009
Tower Café : A Landmark Dining Experience
A Sacramento landmark, the Tower Café is one of the most popular dining establishments in the city. Located next to the historic Tower Theatre, the restaurant almost always has a line out the door during weekend brunch hours. Living walking distance from the eatery has allowed me the great pleasure of dining there on numerous occasions – in fact, my first meal after I moved here last summer was at Tower Café. I’ve tried quite a few menu items (including the famous French toast) and have always been happy with the food. My trip for dinner a few weeks ago was no exception – and choosing to go on a Tuesday was no accident either: Tower Café offers $2 draft beers on Tuesday’s.
As anyone who has dined out with me knows, deciding what to order is always a difficult process. However, the decision proved to be pretty easy this time as my dining companion and I decided to split two dishes: The Borracho Burger and the Las Americas Salad with grilled chipotle chicken.
The delicious Borracho Burger was piled high with jack cheese, crispy onions, lettuce, tomato and Firestone Double Barrel Ale BBQ sauce. It came with a side of what I consider some of the best fries in town – thick but still perfectly crispy.
Our slightly healthier choice, the Las Americas Salad, was a crisp mix of greens and vegetables with herb vinaigrette dressing. The salad was piled so high in the bowl we had to ask for another plate – and this was the “small” size!
Needless to say, we had no problem finishing both dishes and our beers, per usual. I know I’ll be back – there are still plenty of menu items I’ve yet to try and I’m looking forward to sitting on the Tower Café’s patio as soon as the sun allows!
Tightwad Tuesday
For this week’s Tightwad Tuesday we bring you: Happy Hour at Paul Martin’s American Bistro. This upscale Roseville restaurant is offering small plates and specialty beverages for just $4 each between 3pm and 6pm, Monday through Friday. Small plate offerings include Smoked Chicken with Chili Aioli, Slow-Cooked St. Louis Pork Ribs, Smoked Salmon Lettuce Cups and Maple Cider Grilled Chicken Skewers. We already know the lunch menu is delish and we’ve tried the soup so we’re confident the small plates won’t let us down. If you can’t make it to Roseville, try visiting Cowtown Eats which is a listing of the best happy hour deals in Sacramento. Or, help us create our own list and leave a comment below telling us about your best happy hour find!
Upcoming Foodie Events
What: Join Chef Carolyn Kumpe for “A Chocolate Valentine” cooking class. You’ll learn to make luxurious truffles, chocolate shortbread cookies and chocolate dipped strawberries for that special Valentine.
Where: East Bay Restaurant Supply Culinary Center, 552 North 12th Street, Sacramento
When: Saturday, February 7, from 12:30pm – 3:00pm
For more information or to register visit East Bay Restaurant Supply Culinary Center, or call 916-440-0623.
What: A Tasty Exploration of Asian Lunar New Year. The event includes a discussion of the significance of this important holiday season and a delicious selection of Lunar New Year dishes including Korean rice cake soup and Vietnamese rice cakes with pork and mung beans.
Who: Presented by The Good Life Garden at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science
Where: Barton Art Gallery, 1723 I Street, Sacramento
When: Thursday, February 12 at 6:30pm
For more information please visit The Good Life Garden.
Where Will You Be on Super Bowl Sunday?
With the Super Bowl just a few short days away it’s about time to plan your Sunday itinerary. The SacFoodies have been researching potential locations to watch the big game – from the obvious sports bar hangouts to hole-in-the- wall hideaways, any restaurant or bar with a TV is bound to have the game on – but we want to make sure there’s good eats, too, of course!
There are our picks for this coming Sunday – What are we missing? Leave a comment below and let us know your plans for the Super Bowl.
M.V.P Sports Grill – You can count on finding a crowd of Super Bowl fans at this downtown Sacramento sports bar. Plenty of TV’s, a great draft beer selection, friendly service and hearty food choices like triple decker club sandwiches and BBQ options make this an easy pick, especially for downtown Sacramentans.
Center Court with C-Webb – If you haven’t checked out Chris Webber’s restaurant yet, this might be the perfect opportunity. The restaurant is decorated with authentic basketball hoops and a wood court floor and boasts a more upscale menu than the typical sports bar. And don’t worry about trying to get a good view of the game – you won’t have any problem seeing one of the 34 flat screen televisions or one of the five jumbotrons here!
Mandango’s – With locations in Sacramento, Roseville and Elk Grove, this sports bar and restaurant chain has huge TV’s and is known for great food including pizza, pasta and even Mexican options!
INK Eats and Drinks – This Sacramento hipster hangout might just attract a new crowd with the specials they’ll be offering this Sunday: 25 cent wings, $1 Pabst Blue Ribbon beers and $3 drafts are sure to bring the sports aficionados from far and wide.
R15 – Featuring four pool tables, 15 flat screen TV monitors, wireless X-Box systems and lots of interactive media, this trendy Midtown destination also boasts comfy couches for living-room-like Super Bowl viewing while you chow down on burgers and fries.
G.V. Hurley’s – If you’re looking for a great meal and classy drinks to go with your Super Bowl experience, look no further than G.V. Hurley’s!
Oshima Sushi and Sports Bar – If you’re not looking forward to a Sunday spent noshing on nachos and wings, then why not head to Oshima Sushi in Natomas for Super Bowl Sunday? Oshima is offering an all-you-can-eat sushi special this Sunday for $30. Buy your tickets at the restaurant ahead of time, or pay $40 at the door. There are also upgrade options that include drink specials.