On Sunday, instead of watching the Super Bowl and stuffing myself with chips and guacamole (not a bad thing), I saw Little Shop Of Horrors with Helene and Nancy. Afterwords we wandered around downtown Sacramento, like an episode of Seinfeld, trying to find a place to dine. We discovered that most restaurants weren't serving dinner yet, and it would be two hours until our restaurants of choice opened for evening meals. And I was in the throes of fasting hypoglycemia, due to my clever policy of avoiding breakfast or lunch if I'm going to a restaurant for dinner. To my mind, this justifies eating like a pig at the restaurant. Kids, don't try this at home! Sadly, this system doesn't work very well for me anymore. I was famished, dizzy and not a lot of fun to be around. Nancy is a doctor and she kept admonishing me about my eating regimen. I guess this means I need to be more sensible in the way I eat?
We wound up eating at Spataro, which I give good marks for serving dinner at 4:30. All it took was two pieces of their excellent focaccia and I was able to talk coherently again. None of us had eaten at Spataro's, so we didn't know what to expect. I had high hopes because it's operated by the owners of Paragary, one of my favorite restaurants.
Walking into the restaurant, you're immediately impressed by the decor. Spataro is beautiful, very modern in feel, as if Frank Lloyd Wright designed it. I was so clueless about Spataro I didn't know it served Italian cuisine until we were given our menus. I found the number of menu choices a bit abbreviated, but they were dishes that I enjoy. Right away, I told myself not to compare it to my beloved Biba. But that's impossible, as most of the dishes at Spataro are also served at Biba.
For my appetizer I ordered meatballs with soft polenta. I'm bonkers about soft polenta and looked forward to eating this dish so much I was literally tapping my foot in anticipation. Unfortunately, the polenta was thin, watery and very disappointing. The meatballs and sauce were nice--but it's all about the polenta.
Fortunately my next dish, marinated roasted beets, with ricotta salata and shredded fennel, was wonderful. I dived into it, forgetting to take the picture until I was almost done. It was so good, it almost wiped the memory of the polenta from my mind.
Nancy and Helene both ordered eggplant parmigiana. I think they enjoyed it, but I was too busy attacking my beets and exclaiming over them to notice anything but my own selfish pleasure.
I ordered free form lasagna with ragu Bolognese and bechamel sauce. It was good, but the ragu sauce lacked the richness that I expected. The pasta was freshly made and rolled very thin. And the price of the entree was reasonable.
Just as the beets were fabulous, my side dish of braised baby artichokes was heaven. Helene sampled one and agreed that it was the best she had ever eaten.
Nancy and Helene ordered chicken salads. Why?
For dessert, I had house made bittersweet chocolate gelato. It tasted exactly the way it should, dense and full of dark chocolate flavor. A nice way to end the meal.
All in all, I had mixed feelings about Spataro. Later, Bob told me that he often goes there for business lunches, and he enjoys the food very much. Hmm, well serve me bad polenta and I get testy, I guess.
What a rich meal! yum
your friend Nancy is right. From what I heard, you're supposed to eat a lot for breakfast, a little less for lunch and not that much for dinner. Your body needs a boost in the morning, that's why you're allowed to eat more. All the energy will be burnt during the day but the food your eat in the evening has to be light because your body doesn't need that much energy.
Posted by: Céline | February 06, 2006 at 04:17 PM
Hi Céline. Yes, I try to be sensible, but my little method of cutting back on food in the morning, when I'll be eating a rich meal in the evening, is not working now. The body has a way of showing that I'm not acting wisely.
Sigh.
Sher
Posted by: sher | February 06, 2006 at 04:56 PM