Tikka Trip to India in Sacramento

I've already raved about Dine Downtown week, but another plus to that annual event is that the Sacramento Downtown Partnership ran a contest for a $50 gift certificate to one of the participating restaurants. I was lucky enough to win a certificate for Gaylord India Restaurant. I like Indian food, but I rarely crave Indian food, so the free meal really got me in the door.

The first Gaylord opened in New Delhi, India in 1946 and today there are locations in Chicago, San Francisco, Sausalito, Menlo Park, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas and our little Sacramento.

The menu is really extensive and Carolyn and I were a little overwhelmed by all the choices. With our servers help, we decided on one of their "Tasting Menus," which gives you a sample of about five items, plus soup, naan and dessert. The one we chose, a combination of curries and tandoori, was $25 for both of us. It's hard to describe the flavors of Indian food -- they use lots of different spices, but spicy really isn't accurate. Pungent? Aromatic? Yummy works.

We started with some garlic naan and then a cup of Mulligatawny soup, which is a lemony lentil soup. Then our server brought out a sizzling plate of tandoori chicken and lamb kabobs on a pile of roasted onions. The chicken was delicious and despite being on the bone (a major hang up for me) I ate the whole piece. The lamb was flavorful and tender. That dish was followed by a plate of scented basmati rice, chicken tikka masala (chicken simmered in saffron, fennel tomato sauce) and sag paneer (Indian farmer's cheese in a spinach and garlic puree). Our server said the tikka masala was their most popular dish and I understand why. We both loved it and ended up using the remaining sauce for dipping naan and smothering rice.

Dessert was included and the choices included cheesecake with mango sauce, kulfi (a saffron infused ice cream in both pistachio and mango flavor), rice pudding and two cheese-centric options. Since we didn't love the farmer's cheese in the sag paneer, we opted for the rice pudding or kheer. It was more of a rice soup -- a thin "broth" with rice and pistachios. It wasn't at all what I expected for rice pudding, but it was very tasty. At this point we were both too full anyway so we had more of a taste of dessert than a full course.

Overall, the meal was great -- we cleaned most of the plates! -- and at the risk of sounding cheesy, kind of an adventure for the palate. These aren't tastes you find everyday and it was fun to explore them.

Gaylord also has a full bar. I started with a pomegranite gimlet and Carolyn had a mojito. Once we started on the spicy stuff, Taj Mahal (an Indian beer, natch) was a great compliment to the meal.

Check out the menu for yourself: http://www.gaylords.com/dinner_menu.html. The chicken tikka masala alone is worth a return visit. Plus, Gaylord has a lunch menu too and it's location makes it perfect for the downtown worker.

Gaylord is located at 1501 14th Street in Sacramento. (916) 441-6700

It's funny 'cause it's true

Normally I wouldn't advertise somebody else's rundown of the Sac scene, but since I know you've already read this week's SNR, I thought I'd include the link, especially since Jen & I are rather unlikely to be hitting any karoake joints anytime soon (although I'm up for a Thursday night trek to the Cove... just call me!).

http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=634680

The address for Cap Garage is wrong, however. I'm not sure how to tell them that.

I still think ours is better... but they're pretty funny too. (Just check out what they say about the Round Corner).

Cheers!

Dinner, European Style

I've blogged about 58 Degrees before. I love the place. I love the wine selection. I love a couple of the servers, some of whom are extremely knowledgeable. I've never really eaten there besides sampling some appetizers -- which are excellent -- but last night four friends and I sat down for their Prix Fixe menu. It's a four course meal for $25, add $10 for a 3oz wine pairing with each course.

We started with bleu cheese and roasted garlic crostini with green onion oil. The bread was crispy and the combination of the pungent cheese and tangy garlic, paired with the slight sweetness of the oil was fabulous. It was served with Bucci Verdicchio, a nice white Italian wine with hints of honey and apples.

The second course was a salad of roasted red peppers, shaved fennel over mixed greens with a basil dressing. This small salad was served with a cauliflower panna cotta. I'm used to panna cotta as an Italian dessert with a custard-like consistancy. This was a really interesting way to serve my not-so-favorite vegetable. The consensus around the table was that it was pretty tasty -- though no one would have probably ordered it if they saw it on a menu. The wine this time around was a Walden Cotes du Roussillon Rouge from France. It was a yummy blend of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah.

Course Three was a four cheese and arugula cannelloni with lemon cream sauce, caper bread crumbs and gremulata (a fancy way of saying finely chopped parsley, garlic and grated lemon zest). This dish got raves from everyone. The pasta was tender and cheesy; the sauce was creamy without being overbearing, We went back to white wine with a Domaine Reverdy-Ducroux "Beau Roy" Sancerre from France. It's a crisp Sauvignon Blanc that I found neither too sweet or too flowery that cut the richness of the sauce.

And lastly, we had chocolate praline bread pudding with pecans and chocolate cream sauce. Bread pudding is never one of my favorite desserts but I'm always willing to try. I don't think it was a universal hit at our table, but it wasn't bad. However, the Maquis Lien Syrah Red Blend from Chile, was a universal hit. The bold blend of Syrah, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and a touch of Petit Verdot was absolutely delicious! Fortunately for us our desserts took a long time to come out of the kitchen so our wonderful server Kara brought us a few extra pours. It was rich and fruity -- and for me a much better dessert than the bread pudding.

58 Degrees offers their Prix Fixe menu on Monday and Tuesday nights. The menu changes monthly.

You should also take advantage of No Corkage Sundays at the wine bar. You save $15 per bottle. Plus, once the weather gets nicer I can't think of many ways to enjoy a Sunday evening outside at such a great people-watching location in midtown.

Yay for Wednesdays!

Apparently my last Wednesday was so fun, it's taken me nearly a week to write about it.

Work Jen and I went to Capital Garage to start our "path of drunkenness" (explanation will come in a later entry) last Wednesday, and made 3 excellent discoveries.

1. Happy Hour is all night on Wednesdays at Cap Garage! Reason enough to go when Absolut cocktails are $4 in addition to their normal specials.

2. The food here is really, really good. Honestly, I was a little worried, but my hamburger was awesome, and Jen's sandwich looked really tasty as well. Their brunch menu looks excellent as well (I always love a chef who's fond of hollandaise sauce). And unlimited mimosas for $4.95--hello! Works for me!

3. Jose, one of the coolest bartenders in Midtown.

When you're looking for an unpretentious, fun, tasty place, I highly recommend Capital Garage!