Mmmm... Thai Basil is yummy... But they don't have much of a bar in the restaurant. Problem solved: take the bar out of the restaurant and put it upstairs.
Level Up is one flight of stairs away from Thai Basil but has an energy all its own. The brightly colored furniture is offset by the alternating neon strip that wraps around the window seats overlooking J Street. The walls are adorned with a changing array of local art. I hear a DJ spins at night, but I've never been there that late to witness it myself.
I think I'm burying the lead here, but happy hour, they call it Mingle Hour, goes until 8:00! That's a lot of happy hours!! As noted in the happy hour quick list (http://sachappyhour.blogspot.com/2007/10/cheers.html), Level Up offers $2.25 & $3 beer, call $4.50, wine $5.50, signature cocktails $6.50 and $6 appetizers. You really have to have the lychee mojito. It's seriously out of this world. The appetizers, ranging from coconut and satay chicken to lettuce wraps and tempura vegetables are great for sharing. It's fun to have happy hour appetizers that vary from calamari, nachos and spinach dip. They also have a full menu available with favorites like Pad Thai, Korean short ribs and lamb chops. Another intriguing element... they start serving breakfast at midnight.
I mentioned the DJ later in the evening. Maybe that's when the crowd comes because during the handful of times I've been there, I've been one of the only people in the place. It may not be the place for a raucous after work party, however, if you're just in the mood to try something new, it's a good bet!
Level Up is located at 2431 J Street (http://www.leveluplounge.com/). It is closed on Mondays.
Monday, May 5, 2008
"I Love Sausages," says Carmen
On a warm summer evening there isn't much that's better than a baseball game (OK, there are some things, but work with me here). This past Friday, Carmen and I spread a giant lime green blanket on the lawn of Home Run Hill at Raley Field. Our trip was two-fold, to enjoy our first Rivercats game of the season and to celebrate my friend Nancy's accomplishments as Teacher of the Year in her district (Yay Nancy!!).
We spent $7 for our tickets and $7 for our beer -- a Miller Lite, no less. However, it was $1 hot dog night so $8 for both isn't too bad! It was $1 for ice cream too, but I was too full of beer, hot dogs and garlic fries to partake. Hot dogs never taste as good as they do at a ball park -- even when they're the wimpy $1 kind. Carmen was hoping for sausage, but after the beer broke the bank she stuck to the cheap version.
Anyway, there are lots of promotions throughout the summer:
- Tecate Fiesta Tuesdays: $3.50 Tecate from 6:00 - 7:00 (pre-game)
- Miller Lite 'Que & Brew Thursdays: $2 beer and BBQ specials
- Family Feast Fridays: $1 Drumsticks and hot dogs
- Fireworks Saturday: No beer specials, but fireworks are cool
Monday, April 28, 2008
GV Hurley's
Jennifer and I decided to check out the new restaurant on J Street last week. GV Hurley's doesn't even have a sign up, but it's easily recognized by the enormous crowd inside. The block on J where GV Hurley's has set up shop has really become one of the happening places in Midtown. By the time a new pizza place opens up in the space that used to occupy the coffee shop the Grind (which is really sad that it closed, it was great for a post-yoga lunch) there will be 7 restaurants, bars, or clubs in that one block.
More on that in a sec. Our first trip to GV Hurley's was spent on their lovely front patio. The restaurant itself is truly beautiful, although clearly is needed a little more organization. The hostess basically ignored us, then forgot to bring us menus. Our server was very nice, but somehow got stuck looking for the cucumbers for my drink himself, and as a result it took us nearly 20 minutes to get our drinks. (This was after a lengthy wait to order them in the first place.) The free bread was tasty though, our view was lovely, and the drinks were delish, even if we had to practically take out a loan to pay for them. I highly recommend the "Cool As a Cucumber", lack of cucumbers conveniently on hand or not.
I returned with Mindy the next Friday, thinking it would be a good place to start our night. I really wanted to see the back patio, which I had missed completely the other night I was there. The patio is beautiful, and on a really chilly night, they had heat lamps and a fire going. It was pretty nice.
"Pretty nice" is really the only way I can describe it. While beautiful, the restaurant's clientele is older, and male. And while this may be a good thing for some ladies out there, it wasn't the friendly crowd that welcomes people and allows them to meet each other. It's also pretty expensive--even for this block. If somebody else was paying, I might go back for dinner.
I think part of the reason the crowd is so subdued is that the restaurant itself wants to project this type of image--not necessarily for the type of clientele that they are pursuing, but the keep their liquor license. I did a little research on the opening of the restaurant, and found that the city has placed some pretty tight restrictions on their hours and the amount of people they can have outside. This is all because of the neighbors who have complained about the noise level on this block. I empathise to an extent--I live only 7 blocks away and my street can get pretty noisy even without bars nearby. But I also understand that I live in Midtown, in a developing urban community. It's silly to think there wouldn't be noise. Do people live in San Francisco and expect there to be no noise? Move to East Sac, or Land Park, and stop complaining, or standing in the way of those who want to grow our community and turn it into the world-class city that we all imagine. I hate to say it, but that just can't happen unless us "youngsters" have a place to hang out.
And I can pretty much guarantee you it won't be at GV Hurley's, although I'll keep going to Harlow's, cranky neighbors or not.
More on that in a sec. Our first trip to GV Hurley's was spent on their lovely front patio. The restaurant itself is truly beautiful, although clearly is needed a little more organization. The hostess basically ignored us, then forgot to bring us menus. Our server was very nice, but somehow got stuck looking for the cucumbers for my drink himself, and as a result it took us nearly 20 minutes to get our drinks. (This was after a lengthy wait to order them in the first place.) The free bread was tasty though, our view was lovely, and the drinks were delish, even if we had to practically take out a loan to pay for them. I highly recommend the "Cool As a Cucumber", lack of cucumbers conveniently on hand or not.
I returned with Mindy the next Friday, thinking it would be a good place to start our night. I really wanted to see the back patio, which I had missed completely the other night I was there. The patio is beautiful, and on a really chilly night, they had heat lamps and a fire going. It was pretty nice.
"Pretty nice" is really the only way I can describe it. While beautiful, the restaurant's clientele is older, and male. And while this may be a good thing for some ladies out there, it wasn't the friendly crowd that welcomes people and allows them to meet each other. It's also pretty expensive--even for this block. If somebody else was paying, I might go back for dinner.
I think part of the reason the crowd is so subdued is that the restaurant itself wants to project this type of image--not necessarily for the type of clientele that they are pursuing, but the keep their liquor license. I did a little research on the opening of the restaurant, and found that the city has placed some pretty tight restrictions on their hours and the amount of people they can have outside. This is all because of the neighbors who have complained about the noise level on this block. I empathise to an extent--I live only 7 blocks away and my street can get pretty noisy even without bars nearby. But I also understand that I live in Midtown, in a developing urban community. It's silly to think there wouldn't be noise. Do people live in San Francisco and expect there to be no noise? Move to East Sac, or Land Park, and stop complaining, or standing in the way of those who want to grow our community and turn it into the world-class city that we all imagine. I hate to say it, but that just can't happen unless us "youngsters" have a place to hang out.
And I can pretty much guarantee you it won't be at GV Hurley's, although I'll keep going to Harlow's, cranky neighbors or not.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
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
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
Thursday, March 13, 2008
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!
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!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, March 3, 2008
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
