Sacramento is the capitol of the state of California and lies along both the Sacramento and the American Rivers in the sprawling Central Valley. The city is home to many historical sites, theaters, museums, the Second Saturday Art Walk and orchestras, symphonies, rock bands and jazz ensembles. Sacramento is also home to a number of excellent restaurants, and food lovers should have no problem finding something good to eat in the city.
The Waterboy is a midtown Sacramento restaurant owned by head chef Rick Mahan, himself a Sacramento native. The Waterboy has been praised by Sacramento Magazine for its distinctive ambiance and unique fusion of Italian, French and contemporary California cuisine. The restaurant serves lunch, dinner and desserts, and has a lengthy wine and beverage list. Lunch on steak tartare, potato gnocchi or pan-seared scallops, or have a leisurely dinner of sweet corn soup, pork shoulder and lemon-raspberry tart. Top off your meal with your choice of wines from Italy, France, California, Oregon or Germany. The Waterboy is open for dinner seven days a week and for lunch Monday through Friday.
The Waterboy
2000 Capital Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95811
916-498-9891
waterboyrestaurant.com
Biba is dedicated to fresh, authentic Italian food and has received accolades from magazines like Gourmet, Restauranteur, Travel and Leisure and the newspaper the Sacramento Bee. Head chef and owner Biba Caggiano won the Robert Mondavie Culinary Award of Excellence in 1998 and the Northern California Chef of the Year award in 1999. Biba has lunch and dinner menus, which include both fixed-price selections and dishes a la carte. Choose from among salmon slices with lemon, smoked ham with summer melon, stuffed pasta, soup, lasagna, homemade gnocchi or roasted Alaskan halibut. Biba also has desserts, cappuccino, espresso and red, white and sparkling wines. The restaurant is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday, and for dinner Monday through Saturday. Reservations are highly recommended. Biba is closed on Sundays.
Biba
2801 Capitol Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95816
916-455-2422
biba-restaurant.com
Mulvaney's B&L (which stands for Building and Loan, a nod to the movie "It's a Wonderful Life") is located in a historic 1893 firehouse on 19th Street. The restaurant has a banquet hall, courtyard and patio in addition to its main hall. The restaurant serves American food with a gourmet twist, such as fettuccine with roasted garlic cream, mahi mahi with blood orange salsa, seared scallops with chili-roasted cauliflower and citrus cheesecake with toasted coconut and lemon sauce. Mulavaney's B&L serves lunch Tuesday through Friday and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. It is closed both Sunday and Monday.
Mulvaney's B&L
1215 19th St.
Sacramento, CA 95811
916-441-6022
culinaryspecialists.com
