It's always interesting to see people's reactions to their coveted restaurants, and there are few things I speak to others about lately (politics aside) that get such strong and adverse reactions.
One example is Sacramento's newest bistro, The Press, in the Panhandle on 19th Street and Capitol Avenue.
On two occasions I had a chance to go and patronize this restaurant, and I can see why the reactions are so varied – the experience is far from consistent. Here's an account of my two experiences, and you be the judge on which was closer to your take.
First Experience:
I walked in at 4 p.m. during the Second Saturday Art Walk, and it was still early enough that there was no one in the restaurant.
This is my favorite time to be in a restaurant – when no one is there, when the wait staff is still preparing for the evening, the bartenders have only woken up a couple of hours before and people are putting just a little more attention into the details of the dish when you show enthusiasm about food.
I like to sit at the bar for more interaction with the staff (plus usually faster service), and start talking to the bartender about the special drinks they do.
When we went to The Press, we got a Creole – with buffalo trace, ouzo, cointreau, bitters, lemon (my only comment would be the ouzo overpowered the flavor of the wonderful bourbon), and a salt and pepper – with gin, grapefruit, lemon, bitters and rosemary. This was a take on a rosemary salty dog, which is one of my favorite drinks when made correctly, and this one was.
As we started ordering food, we got a glimpse at David English (executive chef and owner), and he was working the kitchen, executing dishes, making sure all business was in order. I was surprised when, as the only patrons in the restaurant, he didn't come over and say "Hi," but some chefs aren't into that.
So we jumped into the food. The whole reasons I was excited about this place was the tapas. I'm all about tapas, and they have an impressive selection: potato croquettes, fried meatballs with garlic yogurt sauce, garlic dip with grilled pita, watermelon salad with feta and mint, and a few others.
The coolest part about it was they were priced at three for $10, and well-proportioned, so you got a good deal for a good price. The potato croquettes were crispy and creamy, the meatballs were reminiscent of gyros, the garlic dip was wonderful as it was VERY sharp with a ton of raw garlic, and the watermelon salad was bright and refreshing.
We tried some other dishes, including crispy pork belly with grilled peaches and prosciutto with ambrosia melon. The pork belly was outstanding. It was crispy and luscious, and the peaches were the perfect hint of sweetness.
The prosciutto was less exciting, but the bartender was very passionate about the way they received the pork loin in the restaurant and cut their own instead of having it pre-cut and dried out.
Although he was quite passionate, it was a bit 1980s supper club/catering in flavor: nice, but less creative than the rest of the menu.
As we were about to be on our way for the rest of the evening, we passed on the entrees, and my conclusion was this was a smart and savvy place with great architecture and a wonderful menu with a passionate staff. So when I ran into a friend and she gave a very opposing critique of this restaurant, I was almost defensive, as it was such a great experience, so I decided I had to go again and prove her wrong, right?
Second Experience:
Being such a proponent of this restaurant, I wanted to take some of my other foodie friends to check it out, as I wanted to start getting this place more good press.
I should have held my tongue.
As we walked into the Panhandle area, there was a huge concert playing and the outside was like a free show, so upon walking into the crowded restaurant we requested to sit outside.
Then a horrible stench hit the air. Of sewage. I have no idea where it was coming from or why more people didn't seem to care. I began to feel ashamed on my original hubris. As we were led to our table outside, we realized that the music had ended and the Spanish comedian had started. This would be perfect if I spoke fluent Spanish, or if the sound guy kept the static at bay.
Oh well, those were environmental concerns that the restaurant could not control. But when we ordered the drinks I had enjoyed so much before and the same appetizers, I was expecting the same results.
This time around we ordered a ginger julep (Woodford Bourbon, ginger simple syrup, domaine de canton, mint), and the simple syrup was so strong you couldn't taste the bourbon (that's a lot of sugar), and we ordered salt and pepper (gin, grapefruit, lemon, bitters, rosemary) again.
It tasted as if the bartender had accidentally had a problem with the normally salted rim and had dumped a cup of salt right into the drink. Normally at this juncture I would have sent the drink back – that is, if I could find our waiter, who was in short supply.
The appetizers that I had been so proud of as a customer to eat were cold, the pita bread hard, the meatballs crispy, and there was none of the exceptional seasoning that had made them so great before.
After a poor showing, my foodie friends didn't have the heart to continue with the meal and wanted to go where we knew the food is always good, just a couple blocks away.
So after waiting a surprising amount of time for the check, we headed out, and on the way I was surprised to see Executive Chef David English taking orders and bring food to tables.
Conclusion:
I'm absolutely mixed on this one, and disappointed that all these great new-hope-for-Sacramento restaurants seem to be having no small amount of hiccups all over the place.
Was it a bad night? Were they short staffed?
The only thing I could infer from my two experiences was they have a smart and tasty product in a great location, but when they get too busy, the food and drinks take a dive.
It's very difficult to maintain a welcoming, comfortable and enjoyable experience when the place gets really busy, and usually this leadership and cool collected-ness comes from the top – but where English didn't even say "Hi" when there was no one around, he was waiting tables when it was busy. This screams that delegation is needed.
For all the commentary that could be said about Randall Selland, he is a Sacramento powerhouse of culinary prowess and knows when to cook and when to glad-hand the patrons. Coming from Randall's kitchen at Ella, I thought I would see more of this from English, but have from many accounts seen and heard that there is an inverse relationship between quantity and quality at The Press Bistro.
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