The yellow-billed magpie, native to this part of California, is from a family of birds purported to be one of the most intelligent animals… smart and lovely, what a fabulous combination! Magpie Caterers also combines two wonderful qualities: a casual, comfortable environment, with simply delicious food.

Located in the mixed use building at 15th and R Streets, its cuisine is American, local, seasonal, and fresh. The menu changes daily, but doesn’t deviate so much that you’ll never see your favorites again.

Menu from 2.2.12

If you are there for lunch, the menu is posted on this pillar. All you need to do is belly on up to the case, make your order, and have a seat! They’ll give you a number and bring your meal to you.

The Case

For dinner, take a seat wherever you’d like. One of the servers will present you with menus and take excellent care of you during your stay.

Green salad with winter squash vinaigrette. Greens, fennel, watermelon radish, and toasted pepita. I enjoyed this salad, but there was a bit too much dressing for my taste. I’d rather have too little than too much and ask for more. However, the toasted pepita was a great textural addition, while the fennel and radish added just enough flavor variation to keep it from being a standard issue baby greens salad.

Wild mushroom and runner bean ragout. Hedge hog mushrooms, cannellini beans, tiny potatoes, winter squash, herbs and marsala sauce. I was expecting this to come with bread, rice, or some other kind of accompaniment that would sop up the very delicious sauce. But then I rethought that and figured the added starch might have been just a bit much.

Chicken with Meyer lemon. Crispy pan-seared breast and confit leg with an heirloom bean and meyer lemon sauce. It’s great that they created this dish so diners can try this organic chicken two ways and experience the differences that preparation and flavor can have on a dish. The sweet meyer lemon pulls together the two styles, while the cannellini beans, neutral in flavor, serve as a nice base and textural variation.

These are something that you absolutely must have when you go to Magpie. Carrot cake cookies! They are rather large, so you might want to split this with someone… or not! The cookies are soft, moist, and perfectly carrot-y, while the filling is a delicious glop of cream cheese frosting goodness. I’ll take this over almost any slice of carrot cake from any bakery.

Overall, I have always enjoyed my meals at Magpie. They serve excellent food without being pretentious or snobby. It’s comfortable, cozy, and the perfect place for a weekday meal with friends.

They open at 7:30am Monday through Friday and serve breakfast until it’s gone! They also do happy hour from 3-6 Monday-Friday with discounts on select glasses of wine, beer, and appetizers.

As their name indicates, they are a catering company as well.

When it’s nice outside, enjoy the patio right outside its front doors. With the varied businesses in the building, there is always good people watching!

Bottom line: Another of my Sacramento favorites!

Overall: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Price: $$/5

http://www.magpiecaterers.com/cafe
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Magpie-Caterers-Market-and-Cafe/144800849518
Twitter: http://twitter.com/magpiecafesacto

1409 R Street
Phone: 916-452-7594