By Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt and Jessi Gunn
There’s a chill in the air, leaves on the ground and the holidays are fast approaching; it is officially fall! I don’t know about you, but this weather makes me want to cuddle up and eat good home cooking, but the desire to watch Netflix all day sometimes outweighs the desire to cook. That’s where Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar comes in! You may remember us paying them a visit for brunch with our furry friends in tow this spring. That day we discovered what an amazing hidden gem Lazy Dog is, and our latest visit only solidified its place in our hearts!
We visited Lazy Dog to give the new fall menu a try and haven’t stopped thinking about it since! Their attention to detail with their special menus continues to amaze us, not to mention the quality of their ingredients. All of the Lazy Dog ingredients are sourced from local farmers! The fall menu is filled with all the best comfort foods but with a delicious twist.
As you can see the menu is AMAZING! So it was pretty hard to pick a favorite dish. If you told us before we went to Lazy Dog that we would have a dining experience where the Spaghetti Squash and Beetballs were among the favorites, we wouldn’t believe you. However, the Spaghetti Squash and Beetballs were truly amazing, all the flavors of one of our favorite childhood dishes and completely vegetarian-friendly!
We also got the chance to try some delicious starters like the Crispy Deviled Eggs and the Winter Veggies with Burratta.
Onto the mains, we indulged in the most delicious and perfectly cooked Cornish Game Hen. Oven-roasted and served with a fantastic stuffing, this was to die for! We also tried a delicious, and different, PB&J Burger! We were skeptical of the peanut butter at first, but the candied bacon and grape jelly swayed us, and it was delicious. Sometimes those unique flavors have a big payoff.
We finished dinner with a delicious gluten free dessert!
Next time you don’t feel like cooking, visit your local Lazy Dog for some truly amazing fall food. That’s our plan!
Ten22’s Fall Menu
By Jon Schuller and Tracy Tierney
Tracy: As someone who has shared her past Ten22 dining experience on SacFoodies, I knew I was in for a night of fabulous fare and superb customer service. While I have previously sampled the winter menu as well as lunch items, the restaurant’s fall menu was new to me. It’s equally delicious and featured locally grown items to boot.
Jon: As the casual-dining cousin to Old Sacramento’s venerable Firehouse Restaurant, Ten22 offers a similar commitment to upscale dining with a more down-home approach. Executive Chef Jay Vergge leads a team of chefs serving up a commitment to seasonal fare with organic, sustainable and local ingredients whenever possible. A common tune in Sacramento these days, and one recognized in the city’s recent proclamation as the Farm-to-Fork Capital of America. The restaurant’s fall menu touts some adventurous and well-executed dishes that, to this diner, appear rooted in comfort with an elevated touch.
Drinks
Tracy: I started my evening off right—with beer on tap from one of my favorite breweries, Stone. Their dark, flavorful smoked porter warmed my soul on this chilly evening.
Jon: I went with Chardonnay and, trusting my server’s familiarity with the house wines, sipped through a sampling of three, before settling on the Wente Reserve. It was her first recommendation and my eventual choice, after asking for something balanced between buttery and fruit-forward. Perfect.
Appetizers
Warm truffled mushroom salad
Jon: Oh, truffle oil. My old nemesis. Blending perfectly with this salad’s casked wine vinegar, the dressing lent a beautiful, mouthy earthiness to every bite. Spinach leaves, velvety mushroom caps, twisted strips of thick, crispy bacon—this is definitely a salad for fall. I have to say my biggest surprise came from the fried turnips, delicately positioned atop the textured bed. A great starter and very well executed.
Gorgonzola and baked apple
Tracy: Next up was a unique appetizer, the Gorgonzola Baked Apple, which included three individual squares of cheese, baked apple and a honey comb. Who would have thought to put all three together? It didn’t take long for me to find out why—the three flavors together were unexpected yet superb.
Entrées
Lamb “shortribs” with organic polenta
Tracy: For my entrée, our server recommended her favorite: the lamb atop a healthy portion of polenta. The tender, juicy short ribs and their accompanying sauce melted in my mouth, and they were flawlessly complemented by the polenta. The serving size was quintessentially comfort food-esque—I finished about half of my dinner and brought the rest home for round two!
Grilled elk bavette steak
Jon: I’ve had bison. I’ve had venison. But never elk. So when I saw this cut on the menu (bavette = a French term for, essentially, flank steak), I figured I’d give it a try. Leaner and higher in protein than beef, I was expecting the usual gaminess, but was surprised that the Colorado-raised organic meat tasted rather tender on the palate. The peppery plum au jus added a sweet quality to the bite, too. And while the cauliflower-gold potato side was described as a galette on the menu, it appeared more as a gratin to my eye (our knowledgeable server also referred to it as such). Whatever you call it, it was divine. Perfectly textured, not too buttery, and with just the right amount of creaminess, I have half a mind to walk into Ten22 and boldly order an entire plate of this next time. Combined with the creamed spinach (also local), it’s no wonder why I nearly licked my plate clean and had zero room for dessert.
Tracy: Overall, our server put it perfectly when we arrived—Ten22 features a menu full of “warm, comforting goodness!” I will have to go back come spring and summer to round out my full seasonal experience at this excellent Old Sac staple.
Jon: “Warm, comforting goodness” is right. The shortribs and the steak were just a couple of the comfort-inspired offerings at Ten22 this season. Other bright spots, like the pork and beans (house-made smoked pork, tenderloin, sausage, and bacon), sweet potato gnocchi, and organic chicken pot pie carry the siren call. The restaurant’s just-launched fall cocktail menu also beckons.