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Ella

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Ah, Selland’s Family of Restaurants, you never fail me, nor cease to tantalize my tastebuds with tasty treats! “Don’t practice your alliteration on me!” (random Monty Python reference!) Ella, the “middle child” of the Selland’s family of restaurants (The Kitchen being the marriage proposal-anniversary celebrating kind of place and Selland’s Market Cafe being the “every day” haunt), it is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Sacramento. When I decided to take off the Friday before New Year’s and give myself a four day weekend, Ella was on my mind as a spot I wanted to visit for a leisurely lunch, particularly after following Selland’s on Twitter and Facebook and hearing about all their delicious lunch specials!

The first time I went to Ella was probably about six or seven years ago, fairly soon after they’d opened. My virgin visit came on the heels of my first trip to The Kitchen. After that amazing experience, I was dying to try out Ella. Since then, it has been on my list of top five places to take out of town guests.

It’s located off of 12th and K, along the light rail route, though I’m not sure where the closest stop is. Valet parking is available for $5 right outside the front door on K. If you’re like me, and never have cash, Ella will conveniently add on the valet cost to your bill. If you’re more “independent,” there’s a parking garage on 12th between K and L, which they will validate.

I don’t know what the building was before Ella took up residence, but it is beautifully decorated with comfortable chairs and an open floor plan. The kitchen is also within plain site, so you can watch them all you want. Unfortunately, I did not remember to take a photo of the wine cellar, but it’s glass enclosed and visible from the dining room so you can dream of what lies within… actually, you are welcome to explore it! The last time I was there, I wandered through the rows of cabernet sauvignon and meritages that made me drool and wish I had a sugar daddy (or mama!) to help me work my way through them!

Upon walking into the restaurant, you are immediately greeted by a member of the staff. They are welcoming, warm, and there to take your jacket, or give you a stool upon which to place your purse, laptop, or briefcase. (I love this!) You know that you will be well taken care of and treated as if you are the only person there.

Ella has amazing oysters and typically there are three varieties which are listed on a blackboard near the bar. Honestly, this is all I see when I first walk through the doors and everything else kind of fades away 🙂

But if you were wondering what you might see to the right of the oyster bar, this is it.

The dining room is open, and decorated with a modern, yet comfortable feel. The tables are a lovely, warm wood, the chairs cushy. Colorful, recycled shutters outline the bar area, and accent the spaces around the entire restaurant.

Half dozen oysters is never enough, but room for lunch must be left! On today’s oyster menu: Kumomotos from Washington, Kusshis from British Columbia, and Shigokus, also from Washington. I learned that the “terroir” of oysters is much like wine… sandy versus rocky will produce different flavors. These are all delicate, light, flavorful, and simply fabulous. I could probably eat my weight in oysters! Of course, I’d have to declare bankruptcy shortly thereafter! They don’t restrict you to multiples of six, and you can mix and match all you want.

On the lunch menu was their papardelle. It’s something I’ve had before and absolutely love. It is quite popular, and rightly so! This is house made papardelle with a poached egg, crunchy, crispy bits of prosciutto (I totally forgot to tell them to leave if off, but somehow dealt with it ;-p ), and a preserved lemon sauce. Mixing the two together creates a hollandaise sauce, of sorts. The serving size is perfect and just exactly what my tummy wanted!

Briana had the grilled three cheese sandwich, made with cheddar, gruyere and parmesan on thickly cut brioche and included a mixed green salad and an amazing winter root vegetable soup garnished with chives. It tasted mostly of butternut squash, but was wonderfully complex, buttery, savory and nothing short of delicious!

The centerpoint of the dining room is this amazing three tiered construction that houses the glasses, plates, cutlery, and various other items.

There was no dessert this afternoon; my belly was much too full!

If you’re thinking of heading to Ella for lunch someday, they do a weekly special that typically consists of a salad, an entree, and a soda or iced tea… all for just $15! Don’t feel like you’re getting short shrifted or that the only reason they’re running the special is to get rid of stuff! They’ve done dishes that include a cioppino style sauce with clams, mussels, salmon, walu and shrimp with papardelle. I was lucky enough to get some of that and it was delicious even after heating it up seven hours later!

The bar is also a great place to hang out. They make their own tonic, so do yourself a favor and order a gin and tonic! Happy hour is from 3-6. http://www.cowtowneats.com/2008/12/ella-dining-room-and-bar.html

The service, the ambience, the food… everything comes together perfectly! What can I say? Ella is a great place to go on a date, to celebrate a special event, or to go just “because.” Think of it as champagne… great on a date, to celebrate a special event, or just for the heck of it! Make a generic Friday night into a special one!

Bottom line: I give it 4.5/5 stars. I have been there a bunch and have never been disappointed! Price is mid-range, meaning you can order things on the lower side, or you can go crazy!

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Be sure to follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/elladiningroomandbar
https://www.facebook.com/sellandfamilyrestaurants

https://twitter.com/#!/SellandFamily

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The Porch – Dinner

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Where, oh, where to go eat in Midtown? So many favorite spots! Although I hadn’t been there for a while, Celestin’s had been a fun place with a funky vibe and a long time staple on “K” Street. So I was a bit disappointed to hear they had decided to close down. However, when it was announced that the Capitol Garage owners were opening up a Southern cuisine restaurant in its place, I was thrilled! After having spent my undergrad years at a school that straddled the food line of spicy Southern and bland upper-midwestern, I was looking forward to a place that could make hush puppies, fried okra, and grits. I was hoping The Porch could deliver.

What is immediately different from Celestin’s is the facade. Gone is the yellowish plaster with the flowery painting. In its place is a white picket fence, the outside eating space designed to resemble a wrap-around porch you might find on any plantation house in Georgia. Upon entering, the space is airy and bright, with a lovely colored laminate floor, dark wood crown moulding, and eating spaces separated by tempered glass partitions.

As we were shown to our seats, we ran into a couple of friends whom we never bump into out on the town, so that was quite a lovely surprise! Once we were seated, we received a small serving of muffaletta spread, which is pretty much an olive tapenade, but different, flavor wise. I suppose this could be considered the amuse bouche. Then came the difficult selection of beverage. The owners consulted with a good ol’ southern bartender to craft their artisan cocktails. Briana had The Southern Mule, while I enjoyed a One Burnt Orange: Stoli Ohranj vodka, house made blood orange puree, fresh squeezed lemon, topped with Victory stout beer. Most of these handcrafted libations include bourbon, a true testament to its Southern roots! These aren’t your ordinary cocktails, my friends. These are unique, fun, and delicious sipping drinks to enjoy over a lazy dinner… also nice and Southern!

I ordered the Oyster Po’ Boy: A soft loaf of French bread lined with crab mayo and stuffed with cornmeal fried oysters, lettuce, avocado, white cheddar, apple wood bacon (which I removed), and pickled onions. Usually this is done with shrimp, but for some reason, they didn’t have any. Because I’m a sucker for mac and cheese, I indulged in a side of skillet macaroni and cheese. Briana got the sturgeon, which was pan fried with a cornmeal crust and served atop creamy white cheddar grits and garnished with tomato & corn relish. She couldn’t resist ordering a side of collard greens.

After our meal was finished (we also had it for lunch the next day), we joined our friends in the bar area for an evening (well, okay, we closed it down!) of drinks, laughter, and chatting… just what I imagine a night in the South is like.

Overall, I give this place 3.5 stars. The entrees are pretty pricey: $14 for a burger up to $24 for fish, but the portions are hefty and the sides and salads are reasonably priced.

http://www.theporchsacramento.com/index.html

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Birthday at The Kitchen

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So here’s my first post…

And I think it’s appropriate that my first post would be to share one of my favorite experiences!

After celebrating my last birthday with a night of pizza, wine, and karaoke with about 35 of my closest friends, I decided this year would be something a bit more mellow and with just one special person. This year, I decided to revisit one of the happiest places on earth for a food-aholic like me.

I present to you… my evening at The Kitchen!

First off, finding it can be a bit of a challenge. It’s located off Howe and Hurley in an unmarked building across from a strip mall that includes a Ross and a Subway. You know you are going to be well taken care of; there is a security attendant monitoring the lot at all times.

We entered through large glass doors to be greeted by one of the staff. Long white curtains partially obscure the entry from the parking lot, adding to the air of exclusivity, as if you are stepping from the world of the mundane and ordinary into one of sheer delight and imagination. “Pladson,” I reply when asked for the reservation. We are shown to our seats at the end of the bar, my favorite place to sit to watch the action. It was also a pleasant surprise, since I was told there were no available seats there when I made my request.

The stage has been set: All spectators are seated. The players are waiting in the wings to get the proverbial show on the road. The room is pervaded with smells of exotic mushrooms cooking down to a delicate reduction, onion soup that has been simmering for hours… slow roasted beef tenderloin waiting to be carefully sliced and married with sauteed brussel sprouts and green peppercorn sauce.

Our guide on this gastronomic adventure of epic proportion is Noah Zonca, Chef de Cuisine. Not only does he speak in the language of food as experience, but he is a consummate performer, a chaperon who not only tickles your tongue and stomach, but your funny bone as well. Noah grandiosely explains what lies in store for us and we wait, expectantly… hungrily!

Yes, this isn’t just a regular meal… this is a night where food is the headlining act. This is a night where the staff of The Kitchen takes you on a seven act play of culinary delights.

The Playbill!

The only way to start out the night is with a glass of sparkling wine. Douglas, the wine steward, recommended a delicious Brut from Domaine Carneros.

Just as the last drops of this delight were being emptied from the glass, the first course was being plated:  Randall’s French Onion Soup with Swiss Gruyere and Black Truffle. This was not your ordinary French Onion soup. This was created using a variety of onions including yellow and pearl onions, cipollini and chives, all from local farmers markets, and cooked down with red and white wines, cognac, and port. I think Noah may have said there was some whiskey involved as well!

French Onion Soup at The Kitchen

After that heavenly experience came the salad course. By now we decided to open up a bottle of Frank Family chardonnay, a housewarming gift from some dear friends. It made me realize that it had been a long time since I had had a truly delicious chardonnay! It went wonderfully with the frisee and endive salad. This was a harmony of the bitter endive, the texture of the frisee, the crunch of Chandler walnuts from Lodi, the pomegranate sauce (sourced from their receptionist’s yard!), the sweetness of apples from Apple Hill, and the smoothness of Central Point blue cheese, a subtle and not overpowering blue from Oregon. To top it off, lardo made by Noah’s sous, Stan, made it one of the most decadent and texturally interesting salads I had had in a long time!

Plating:

Frisee and endive salad

The finished product:

Endive and frisee salad

Next came the Intermezzo: Sushi, Sashimi, and Crudo. Unfortunately they ran short on oysters, but the albacore, hamachi, and maguro were heavenly… THIS is what sushi is supposed to be like. The tuna was some of the most flavorful and delectable I had ever had. There were some sushi rolls, however the sashimi was definitely aces for me!

After this course was finished, Number Three was up. This was by far my favorite: The Kitchen’s Dungeness Crab-Maine Lobster “Melt.” A delicate puff pastry lazily housed a butter-poached Maine lobster and dungeness crab mixture which included house preserved lemon and Modesto sourced goat cheese for an even richer flavor. It was surrounded by chervil water and caviar.

Lobster and Crab "Melt"

By now, we were ready for some red wine. Douglas recommended a bright, cheery, non-earthy Pinot Noir for the occasion: Lady Slipper from the Carneros appellation.

The main meat course was up next! I did not partake fully (more on that later!), so instead of the regular dish, the expert cooks whipped up a peppercorn crusted seared ahi for me. But first, let’s get to the dish! This was a slice of sheer heaven for any carnivore. Beef from Montana Ranch was grilled, then slow roasted at a low temperature before making its way to us, medium rare. While I would be appalled at anyone cooking this any longer, they are more than happy to accommodate anyone who wants their tenderloin burnt to a crisp! It was crusted in ground telecherry peppercorns and set atop a poached egg sauce and a reduction of some kind. The coup de grace, however, were the frittes. These were slices of potatoes fried, not in zero transfat vegetable oil. No. These were fried in pork and duck fat, yielding the most flavorful, crunchy fries imaginable. You could cut the beef with a fork, trust me, I tried. Indeed, it was so tender, I bet you could cut it with a rubber coated toddler spoon.

Plating:

Plating the meat course, take 1

Plating the meat course, take 2

Plating - Done!

The finished product!

Beef tenderloin

They made a special peppercorn crusted ahi tuna for me:

Seared ahi tuna

But I just couldn’t resist!

And then came the white-gloved tea service. And when they say “white glove,” they mean it. The “tea dude” has monogrammed white gloves. Not only do they serve excellent French press coffee, they are expert tea “makers,” with herbs and teas they grow. They’ll also create any blend you wish and steep it not a second too long, or too short. This is where iPhones came in handy!

I selected Nancy’s Blend, an amazing mixture of herbal teas, the majority of which was lavender.

Nancy's Blend tea

And finally dessert!

Toasted macadamia nut-warm chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream, coconut foam and a sugared tuile.

Dessert

The evening finally wound down as people slowly filtered out, their bellies full and minds quieted by wine and chocolate. We hung back, taking our time and chatting with Chef Noah. It wasn’t until after midnight when we finally exited “Disneyland for Foodies” and headed back home.

The man himself… Randall, who spent a ton of time with us, chatting about everything from his kids to social media. When we ran into him at Selland’s a few days later, he remembered us, introduced us to his son Josh, and even remembered that we were there for my birthday… and he remembered my name.

Randall the man!

The entire philosophy of The Kitchen is mi casa es su casa. They encourage you to wander around the kitchen, enjoy a glass of wine by the fireplace on the patio, even chop a few things, if you want. Because everything is prepared before your eyes, you get a feel for the time, effort, and care they put in every single dish. They are attentive, gracious, and eager to tell you all about what you’re eating. Here are some shots from within.

While it is not cheap to experience The Kitchen, it is well worth every penny for foodies. You can return to any course you wish (I had seconds of the Third Act!) and even repeat the entire menu if you want to. I have no idea if anyone ever has… I’ll just have to remember to ask Randall next time I visit!

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