Bali Wine Bar and Grill

Jennifer and I had been waiting for our Cafe Rolle night for weeks. Literally weeks--we planned this dinner so long ago (and have had dinner elsewhere in the meantime) that it seemed like it was never going to happen. So when we pulled up last night to use our expired coupon and taste some delicious French cuisine (yum, pate) I don't think either of us was surprised that the restaurant was closed until next week. Damn it!

Instead we decided to drive to Bali Wine Bar and Grill, another restaurant on our list to try. Bali (the restaurant, not the island) is right off Broadway on 18th Street. Super close, easy drive. There is plenty of parking on the street (if you don't mind parking in front of someone's house) and a very small lot in the back of the restaurant. I was already impressed "I love it already" to which Jen replied that I hadn't even seen it yet. Well, perhaps not all of it, but I did see lovely gauzy curtains and a wine bottle on every table. Good enough for me!

We were warmly welcomed right when we came in, and continued to have excellent service throughout the meal. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful in choosing entrees from a rather exotic (and unpronounceable) list. A nice touch was the recycled wine bottles used for mint-flavored water. Our server graciously poured our water and left one on the table. Always nice for us thirsty folks to not have to continuously ask for a refill of water.

We decided to order a bottle of red wine for our meals, and although Bali calls itself a "wine bar" I have to say it's a little stretch. They have wine, sure. And there's a fairly decent selection of varietals. But they certainly don't have the selection necessary for that title. And not to sound like a wine snob, but I don't go to a "wine bar" to taste wine I can buy for under $10 at Trader Joe's. That said, Jennifer picked out a lovely Sangiovese from Gina in St. Helena and it was great. It was also very reasonably priced.

We snacked on the chip things our server brought for us-- a strange, yet tasty crispy tapioca with garlic. I'm not sure exactly what they were called, but they were addictive. We decided not to do apps (saving room for desert) and went for main courses. Jennifer had the tri-tip and I had the salmon. Both were great-- each was marinated in a lovely tropical sauce that was not too sweet. None of that sticky sweet teriyaki here! My salmon was topped with a really spicy chili mix that really brought out the flavors of the fish. Both of us were pleasantly surprised by the veggies; each entree was served with a mix of wilted greens that were not too wilty, and crispy green beans and bean sprouts. The rice was our favorite however-- it was warm and aromatic. I'm not a rice fan (unless it's fried, but that goes for just about anything) but this was so good I had to go back for more. It was also nicely served in a separate bowl to share.

For desert we had a chocolate filled banana that wrapped in some sort of phyllo and fried, served with vanilla ice cream. The banana was great-- really chocolaty and crispy on the outside. The vanilla ice cream was also something special, it was very creamy and a great accompaniment for the bananas.

Overall, the ambiance and service were fantastic. It has a kitschy feel that works well with its small space. The bathroom is also something to check out--so much stuff! You almost want to hang out in there for a little while, if it wasn't for the scale sitting on the floor. Hmmm. Maybe it was a good thing there was no french food tonight! This would be a great place to go on a date, it's quiet enough to easily have a conversation, yet there's plenty of stuff around if the date proves boring.

It was also quite reasonable, due partially to our Entertainment card. If we had a rating system yet, it'd be right up there.

You can find Bali Wine Bar and Grill at 2416 18th Street in Sacramento, 95818. (916) 444-1247