Musings by the Hairslave

What a fabulous day!  This was the kind of day that reminds me of why we live in the city.  We pretty much lived the yuppy dream .

It’s not very often that Pete and I would try to go to midtown for dinner on a Saturday, much less a second Saturday.  The parking, the crowded restaurants; we never usually think to make a reservation.  But this night was different.  We had two gallery openings to attend during the 2nd Saturday art walk. The first stop was at the Urban Hive.  This was an exhibit of work by teachers, including our neighbor, and friend, Linda Clark Johnson.

Her work for this show consisted of some rather colorful and witty collages. They were each a study for a larger piece she created in watercolor.

The gallery itself is an interesting, light filled cooperative.  They bill themselves as the “un-office”.  Studios and a “cafe style” work place are what they offer. It’s a perfect gallery space, whatever the purpose.

We then headed over to the E Street Gallery and Studios, to not only view the wonderful ceramics by our very good friend, and colleague, Deborah Pittman. But unbeknownst to me, a Clarinet (Deborah Pittman) and Violin/Viola (Randy Fisher) duet.  The gallery was small, and the temperature a little on the warm side, but Deborah and Randy are so talented, that we stayed for a number of pieces.  The work of the show itself was exquisite, of course!  That’s why Deborah is my only artist in residence at Cobalt Salon & Gallery!

For dinner, Pete had taken at stab at finding a restaurant that we hadn’t been to many, many, many times before. Pete managed to do a great job, and acquire a reservation on one of the busiest nights of the month!  He succeeded beautifully!  We had read about The Lounge on 20 in several publications, and since they had a table open at the perfect time, he grabbed it.

What a great find!  The food is good enough, our drinks were perfect, and the people watching was the highlight of my week.  The Lounge on 20 is at the corner of K St., and 20th, of course, which sites it perfectly to watch the blocked off 20th street.  Wow.  I had no idea Midtown Sacramento had become such a hot spot!  I’m not joking, it was pretty crowded, in a laid back, dare I say, mature way.  It reminded me of a waaaay less fashionable version of the promenade in Italy.  With People walking their dogs and children, while rubbing elbows with artists, neighbors, and gays (did I mention this is the epicenter of Lavender Heights?).  It was a Sacramento I haven’t seen in my 18 years here. I’ve said it before, and I don’t mind saying it again, don’t call this a cowtown.

The weather was on the warm side when we arrived, but in true Delta fashion, the evening breeze kicked in, and with our drinks in hand, we were feeling pretty fine. After consulting with the waitress, Pete ordered a Ginger Spice. He’s a sucker for anything with ginger, and a cocktail is no exception.  I ordered an especially tasty sounding drink, tequila, grapefruit juice, and sparkling wine, who’s name I’ve unfortunately forgotten.  It was so good I’ll be going back to find out what it was!

Now, I don’t generally like things with ginger.  Oh, gingersnaps are good, as is a little ginger bread, and ginger ale if I’m not feeling well, but overall, no.  Pete, on the other hand, is a sucker for anything with ginger.  That is usually OK for him, but often ginger can really screw up a good idea.  This time it was a bullseye. The sweet and sour combination of ginger liqueur, gin, and lemon juice was a perfect warm evening drink.  His second drink, however, was in a highball glass filled with ice.  We can’t remember the name of that one, but Pete says it wasn’t good, too strawberry-y, or something.

We spent quite a lot of time looking over the menu.  What with the lazy heat, the wonderful drinks, and the interesting people strolling by below us, we were happy to linger.  In fact, sitting having drinks here would be perfect any day of the week.

We both decided to go with the $25 fixed price dinner.  Pete and I both chose, and were very impressed by, the beet salad to start.  The meal comes with three courses.  Soup or salad, entree, and a sampler dessert.  It seemed like a fair deal to us.  We both enjoyed the beet salad.  It had a generous serving of beet, cut thin and arranged with an accompaniment of spicy greens, lightly dressed. Perfect on a warm summer evening.  Pete chose the chicken for his entree, and I chose the salmon.  The meats were both terrific.  My salmon was cooked very nicely, and the fish was fresh and sweet.  I liked the way it was cooked.  As a friend of Pete’s said recently, “You can tell a good cook by his salmon.”  It goes from undercooked to overcooked in about one minute.  This salmon was just the way I like it. Pete’s chicken was tasty and nicely prepared.

The veggies were another story.  Mine were kind of strange, ranging from capers, which I love, what I assumed to be vine ripened cherry tomatoes (so far, so good), and then it went a little strange, random olives, overcooked peppers, and a little too freely splashed with oil.  It was good, but strange.

Pete liked his green beans, but he said they were a little overcooked.  A shame for green beans in Sacramento this time of year.  I’m happy with them raw!

The dessert is a charming representation.  You get to chose two from the regular menu, and they come in a sample size.  That gave us four options. Pete ordered Crunchy Hazelnut Chocolate, and the Raspberry Bavaroise, and I ordered Espresso Creme Brule, and a white Chocolate Delice.  Mine were very good, Pete’s were OK.

Between food and drinks, we spent over $85.  A little higher than we’d normally go for a dinner out, but this seemed like a special night.  We decided we’d definitely be back on a more boring Friday or Saturday to see how we feel without the crowds.  This is what the K Street development needs to strive for, reasons, both epicurial and entertaining, as well as spontaneous to attract the crowds.  Overblown redevelopment plans will only work if the buzz spreads.

I’d also like to point out that The Lounge on 2o would be a fabulous place to hang with friends, but one way or the other, I’ve seen the future of Sacramento, and it’s pretty damn cool.