Sacramentans, rejoice! Dine Downtown 2018 is officially our favorite way to kick off this rainy New Year. From January 12-21st, 32 del-oi-cious Sacramento restaurants are offering three-course meals for $35 in honor of Dine Downtown 2018. For ten days, your favorite restaurants will feature a special Dine Downtown menu, with one dollar from every meal purchased benefiting local social services and Sacramento’s Food Literacy Center.
As foodie fiends, we love the opportunity to try out specially curated menus because it gives chefs the chance to show off what they’re proud of, and we get to try something new. Earlier this week, we were invited to preview the Dine Downtown menus from Ten22, La Cosecha and Iron Horse Tavern.To no one’s surprise, everything we tried was inventive and tasty, with unexpected flavors and new takes on old classics that caught our attention in a big way! Take a look through the photos below for some highlights and some mouthwatering menu inspo!
To check out all participating restaurants and their specially-made menus for the occasion, click here. We’ve already picked out a few favorites that we can’t wait to try out – hope to see you there!
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.
September 30 Winemaker Dinner at Ten22 Supporting Southside Art Center
We’ve been fans of Ten22 ever since they opened. Not only do they have great food and a relaxed atmosphere, but they are also supporters of several Sacramento non-profit organizations…which we love.
On Sunday, September 30, 2012, Ten22 is helping the Southside Art Center celebrate 26 years of supporting adults with disabilities in Sacramento with a delicious evening of food, wine and art. The festivities begin at 4:30 with cocktails and appetizers, and the five-course winemaker’s dinner and live auction begins at 5:30 p.m. All proceeds from this fundraising event will go to support Southside Art Center programs.
The SacFoodies got a sneak peek at the menu and they allowed us to share:
Hand Dive Mexican Sea Scallop
Crawfish Nantua with Black Truffle
Gilbert Farms Pheasant Breast
Roasted Pear Polenta Cake with Rosemary Butter
Pork Belly Confit
Wild Frisse, Braised Onion, Black Pepper and Maple Vinaigrette
Colorado Bison Medallion
Bacon Cheddar “Torte” with Fig Demi-Sec
Chocolate Genoise Cake
Mousse Cake, Sponge Genoise
Auction items include original artwork by Southside Art Center participants, luxurious trips, priceless memorabilia and more. Tickets are $125 per person and are still available online. I’ll be there…hope you will be too!
Not able to attend the event but still interested in learning more about Southside’s artwork? Check out their gallery at Country Club Plaza.
For more information, visit http://www.southsideartcenter.com/frameevent.html.
Dine Downtown: Ten22 in Old Sacramento
Today begins Dine Downtown Restaurant Week, put on annually by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. From January 9-18, you can enjoy some of the best dining experiences that Sacramento has to offer. During these 10 days only, local chefs will create special three-course dinner menus for only $30 per person.
One of the participating restaurants is Old Sac’s Ten22, and a guest and I were lucky enough to get a sneak peek of its Dine Downtown menu this past weekend. I love that Ten22 has roomy booths and tables with plenty of space between them, so you don’t feel like you’re in on the conversation at the next table over. Its atmosphere feels upscale and classy, yet comfortable at the same time – we sat at a stylish booth near the bar, which had the football game on and an array of beers on tap.
For drinks, I opted for a glass of Fumé Blanc, while my guest sipped on a smoked porter from Stone Brewing Co. I’m usually a red wine gal, but this glass was crisp and mild, the perfect companion for everything on the menu. The beer was smoky and smooth – yum!
For our first course, we tried both options, the Sliced Ahi Sashimi and Roasted Pecan-Smoked Bacon “Chop.” The chop was my favorite – it was like two high-quality, crispy pieces of bacon that coupled well with the smoked porter beer.
Next up was the main course. We tried the Pan-Roasted Salmon and Petit New York Strip Steak Diane. Both were fabulous and flavorful! The salmon was crunchy on the outside and cooked to perfection on the inside – this was hands-down my favorite item of the night. Both dishes came with roasted potatoes, which had a pleasant, simple flavor that didn’t take away from the main courses.
Of course, the evening wouldn’t be complete without dessert! Ten22 has a new pastry chef, so all of its desserts are baked in house. We tried both the Citrus-Scented Crème Brûlée and Chocolate Mousse Cake, and both were a sweet finish to a perfect dinner. The caramelized sugar atop the crème brûlée was delicious and not too rich – just the way I like it. And the chocolate crust on the mousse cake was nothing short of mouth-watering.
I highly recommend you check out Ten22 for its quality food and enjoyable atmosphere. You can view its Dine Downtown menu here, and for a list of all participating restaurants for Dine Downtown, click here.
Ten22
1022 Second Street
Old Sacramento
(916) 441-2211