The Best Restaurant Meals I Ate Around Sacramento in February

There were times in February when I craved rich, romantic meals at a tried-and-true Sacramento area institution. Other days I just wanted shelter from the storm.

These are my favorite dishes that I, a food and drink reporter for the Sacramento Bee, ate at local restaurants in the area in February.

All reviews were first published in my free weekly food and drink newsletter, which arrives in inboxes at midday every Wednesday. Visit https://bit.ly/bee_food_drink_newsletter to sign up.

Aïoli Spanish wine estate

Midtown is Sacramento’s hub of cutting-edge culinary innovation, but is still home to a few restaurants that straddle the modern while drawing inspiration from yesteryear. Aioli Bodega Española is one such concept, an art deco restaurant located in the Handle neighborhood with many longtime fans.

Founded by Reda Bellarbi in 1994 and run today by his son Aziz Bellarbi-Salah, the man behind Brasserie du Monde and The Grand cocktail bar, Aioli overlooks the corner of 18th and L streets through windows going from floor to ceiling. A beautiful garden patio goes into hibernation for the winter, letting guests admire metal artwork depicting goats and naval explorers inside.

The menu ranges from tapas to paella pans for two, which take up to 45 minutes to prepare and must be ordered first. While cooking, share a plate of duck breast ($18), delicious slices of braised and pan-fried duck breast served in a fennel-sherry sauce with Swiss chard.

Aioli offers six homemade pastas, including the slippery Sicilian Casarecce ($21), short pieces of dough mixed with a hazelnut, mint, pecorino and pistachio sauce. Main courses are generally meaty and heavy; pollo baillard ($23)leaves of grilled chicken breast marinated in citrus fruits, pounded flat and arranged around papas bravas, described as relatively light dishes.

Finally, the main event. THE Paella Barceloneta ($60) was an eye-catching platter of cuttlefish, whole shrimp and scallops swimming in arborio rice dyed black with squid ink. All the seafood was nicely tender and there was a crispy soccarat (layer of crispy rice at the bottom of the pan), but the dish’s connection to the sea unfortunately seemed to extend to the salt content as well.

Address: 1800 L Street, Sacramento.

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Phone: (916) 447-9440

Website: https://aiolibodega.com/

Drinks : Full bar with extensive wine selection. Cinnamon sangria is a specialty.

Vegetarian options: A few, including two paellas.

Noise level: Strong.

Saigon Oi

Southeast Asia experiences a monsoon season; Sacramento experienced the 60 MPH gusts and sporadic rainfall that hit the area in February. I braved the elements for a bowl of noodle soup at Saigon Oi, Hung Kieu’s Vietnamese restaurant opening in a Little Saigon mall in 2021.

Faux green shutters decorate some walls in Saigon Oi, featuring illustrations of the vast historic Bến Thành market in Ho Chi Minh City. Another wall has faux bricks and a neon sign with the restaurant’s name, and others have faux foliage designed for Instagram photos (real potted plants also line the floor).

It’s a 2020s restaurant that pays homage to Vietnamese comfort food. Take the breaded bread ($19), a pan of filet mignon, a pork roll, a meatball and a pile of pâté swimming in a sweet-savory sauce with a fried egg looking skyward. Typically eaten for breakfast (Saigon Oi opens at 9 a.m. daily), it’s served with an airy baguette that delivers an ASMR-worthy crunch with a light squeeze.

You are more likely to find banh khot ($16) in Sacramento’s Vietnamese American homes as well as its restaurants, so try the tasty miniature pancakes topped with shrimp while you have the chance. Served sizzling in their pan, the little cup-shaped pancakes are fluffy with a thin, crispy exterior, the result of the rice flour used in baking.

Saigon Oi does not make pho, but offers Hue beef noodle soup ($18) as a comforting special given the external elements. A noodle soup topped with thinly sliced ​​steak, meatballs and coagulated pig’s blood, it tasted woodier and less spicy than some other Little Saigon renditions.

Address: 6835 Stockton Boulevard, Suite 450, Sacramento.

Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday-Tuesday, closed Wednesday.

Phone: (916) 594-7757

Website: https://www.saigonoisac.com/

Drinks : Vietnamese coffee, dessert drinks known as chè, tea and soda.

Vegetarian options: No sector. Starters include spring rolls and sweet potato fries.

Noise level: Moderately strong.

Restaurant Visconti

A Folsom favorite since 1992, Visconti’s Ristorante leans into its classic charm with faux marble walls, classical music, framed paintings and recipes from the Visconti family days of Calabria and Sicily. The pasta house and pizzeria are just down the road from Folsom Lake College, while extended family member Frank Gianni Jr. owns Ristorante Papa Gianni’s in Cameron Park.

Some long-standing suburban restaurants endure, while others become integrated into the urban fabric. Visconti’s is part of the latter group, a special occasion spot with a cozy atmosphere that has collaborated on a house pilsner with Folsom-based Red Bus Brewing and gets its beans from Vaneli’s Handcrafted Coffee in Rocklin.

Visconti Veal ($30) is a house specialty, a decadent amalgamation of breaded veal, ham and mushrooms covered in a creamy white sauce and marinara, topped with mozzarella cheese and baked until gooey. Served with spaghetti, Visconti’s famous minestrone and garlic bread soup or a simple salad (an Italian mustard vinaigrette pairs well with the greens), the delicate flavor of the veal still managed to come through. ‘infiltrate.

THE lobster ravioli ($32 with garlic bread and soup or salad) was just as rich, but less overwhelming. Maine lobster was ground to a velvety texture, stirred into pasta and cooked just right, then topped with a tomato cream sauce studded with roasted garlic cloves.

Visconti’s extensive menu briefly touches on pizza, with a meat combo ($16-$28) pie as stacked as any other. A mix of pepperoni, salami, sausage, linguiça, beef crumble, ham and Canadian bacon piled in sheets on my medium-thick crust (a thin one is also an option) that became soft in the middle but retained its crunch around the edges.

Address: 2700 E. Bidwell St., Suite 700, Folsom.

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday.

Phone: (916) 983-5181

Website: https://www.viscontisristorante.com/

Drinks : Full bar, with specialties like the Sicilian Kiss cocktail (bourbon, amaretto and peach schnapps).

Vegetarian options: Several, including eggplant parmigiana and spaghetti topped with raw tomatoes, herbs and olive oil.

Noise level: Moderately quiet.