Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda

Sometimes I am genuinely surprised by restuarants. Other times, well, I'm disappointed. In the interest of trying something new I forgo the old favorite (see below post for my feelings on old favs) and go for something interesting. I like to tell myself it's in the best interest in the blog.

Jennifer and I met for drinks and free apps at Il Fornaio last night. I've always thought it was a lovely restaurant (even if it's a chain!) with wonderful service and delicious food. And they play Italian music, always a good thing. Il Fornaio labeled wines are only $5.95 a glass and very good. The bartenders are promt and courteous and not overly attentive. But Jennifer and I were hungry, and we didn't feel like spending Il Fornaio prices. So after a brainstorming effort and another glass of wine, we decided to go to Sacramento Brewing Company in Dowtown Plaza.

I'd been there with my parents before and remember enjoying the food, so I figured it was worth a try when I was paying my own way. Jennifer and I were shocked, frankly, at the prices of the meals. Usually at brewery type restaurants there are plenty of choices in the under $10 to $15 range. We found that most of the prices were above this. It's like a brewery in disgiuse as a fancy restaurant--or perhaps the reverse. We sat in the bar and our service was, well, weird. I actually got a strange look when I ordered my salad. I'm not sure what the problem was, it was a mixed green salad with blue cheese and I got flank steak added to it. When it arrived it was good, not fabulous, but good. Jennifer had a chicken breast stacked on spinach and mashed potatoes and floating in a pesto cream sauce. Yes, this was at a brewery. She gave it a "OK".

We did notice that one of the specials looked remarkably like one of the menu items. Their menu was ok, but it just wasn't what we were looking for. Going from our fabulous bartender at Il Fornaio to our so-so bartender at Sacramento Brewing Company was a disappointment. I'm sure he's a fine bartender--but perhaps not the best in the food department. And we could have easily spent the same amount at Il Fornaio. Our lesson of the night was, if you like where you're at, then you should probably just stay there. (Although I did get some early shopping done!)

Lowdown on Lodi

When a lot of people think of California's wine country, they think Napa & Sonoma. Others are quick to sing the praises of Amador and El Dorado counties. Then there's Lodi. I like to call it the California's undiscovered wine region. (In the interest of full disclosure, I've done some PR for the city and it's signature event, "Taste of Lodi," for the past few years but the region has some great wineries and great prices! This is not a PR-post though) This past weekend Carmen, Lisa Marie, Jessica and I headed down scenic Route 99 for The First Sip. Needless to say, we had many, many sips! The first stop was Vino Piazza. If you've never been -- you should go. It's a few miles outside of Lodi in Lockeford. The place houses about 10 small wineries in an Italian-style plaza. The handful of wineries I've tasted at are great! Worth mentioning is Macchia. Their brightly-labeled bottles hold some amazing and unique vintages from Nebbiolo to Petit Sirah -- with about eight different Zins in between. It was so hard to choose a favorite!

However, my favorite stop may be Stama. Gus Kapiniaris, who runs the place, settled in Lodi from Kalamata, Greece. He's the sweetest man in the world and has quite a way with the ladies! His wines are delicious and inexpensive - which Gus likes to point out. I'd suggest the Curvaceous Cab or the Reserve Zin. And as a red wine drinker I'm bewildered by the fact that the White Zin is fantastic. Try before you judge. I guarantee you'll be surprised.

The Berghold Estate Winery was all decked out for Christmas - maybe a little too much - but the winery is a great stop for its extensive antique collection and gorgeous grounds. The wines are good too, but didn't compare to our first stops. Our trip also included a stop at M2, which was too crowded to really enjoy though they had live music, live art demonstrations and good snacks.

By the time we got to Borra it was starting to rain (and I was getting a little tipsy), but the Italian sausage hot off the grill and the Andrea Boccelli in the backround made it worthwhile. Like most Lodi vineyards they're known for their Old Vine Zin, but their Fusion blends (in red and white varieties) were quite tasty too. Plus, they have whimsical labels.

Lodi is so close to Sacramento and most of the wines are really good. I really encourage more people to take the 45 minute drive down to check them out. A good starting point if you've never been before the Wine & Visitor's Center on the grounds of Wine & Roses Inn (http://www.lodiwine.com/visitorcenter1.shtml). Cheers!

Ok, I'll admit it

I'm a traditionalist. I love good ol' fashioned, delicious non-pretentious cuisine. Sometimes you just need something that tastes fab, is fancy without boggling the mind, and is totally straight forward without being boring. Really, the reason why I like to go out to eat is because I like food that tastes good, I like to drink a glass of wine that tastes good, and I like a great conversation. Not one that you have to fight with other diners to hear, or one with waiters who don't understand the menu, or don't present the food, menus, wine, etc with a smile on their face. For these reasons, I like the following restaraunts: Paragary's, Lucca, Zinfandel Grille. Appropriate for a date, family dinner, or good time with friends. I had the pleasure of going back to Zinfandel Grille on Fair Oaks tonight for dinner. It was great, and everyone should go there. Sometimes it's just nice to not question things, you know? PS- try the lamb shank. Yum.