Dine Downtown Dinner Preview: Il Fornaio

Prosciutto di San Daniele  - San Daniele prosciutto with stracchino cheese, multigrain croutons, grissini, frisee and cipolline

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s eighth annual Dine Downtown Restaurant Week returns with 29 participating restaurants starting on January 9, 2013. For 10 straight days Dine Downtown features three course prix-fixe dinner menus for only $30 per person. Simply ask for the Dine Downtown menu at participating locations to experience the best of Downtown’s dining scene.

This week I was able to enjoy a Dine Downtown Dinner preview at Il Foriano. It's always fun post-holidays to find that you can be able to go out, and not break the budget (that's already pretty tight post-holidays to begin with), Dine Downtown is a great way to help along with that, not only do you get a chance to preview some restaurants that you might never got a chance to go to otherwise – but you're also able to be spend a little extra time and money on yourself after all the holiday craziness is over! 

The way I figure it there's a lot of restaurants that are exciting to go to, but some of them are uniquely great deals because they're Dine Downtown menu could literally be 50% off what their regular menu price normally retails for, and at that point it's just a steal! 

Every year the Downtown Sacramento partnership picks some uniquely special people to be able to give all of the Sacramento foodies is a little bit of insight into it happening at this year's Dine Downtown, check out this awesome excitement, and give all of Sacramentans a little bit insight to what are the best meals go to this year, this year I got Il Fornaio.

Tips to do Dine Downtown right:

• Visit DowntownSac.org to see all the participating restaurants.
• Download the menus and peruse to see which of them most strike your fancy.
• Make reservations! The restaurants get inundated with food lovers during Dine Downtown, so be sure to save your seat in advance. You can call the restaurants directly, or make them directly through the open table link on downtownsac.org.
• Bring a friend (who likes to share!). Dine downtown makes for a great date night or girls night out. Want to score real points? Call your mom and invite her to dine downtown.
• Be prepared to tip your wait staff. They’ll take great care of you this week, return that favor!
• Spread the word about your favorite meals! Word of mouth is what helps our wonderful local businesses succeed. Make sure our local chefs are appreciated by sending your friends and relatives to enjoy their talents.
• The most important tip? Have a wonderful time, and a relaxing meal with great company.

Now if you never been to this restaurant it's in the deep downtown area, on capital mall sandwiched between the beautiful Towerbridge and the capital itself! As if two epic landmarks weren't enough when you walk into the restaurant you receive a beautiful view of the entire restaurant, including their 45 foot ceilings! (the rent must be ridiculous)

Is this place is all about white tablecloth Italian dining! 

Our menu ranged from Prosciutto di San Daniele to Fettucine con Zucca e Porcini.

Zuppa di Fagioli e Bietole  - Cannellini bean soup with root vegetables, Swiss chard, tomatoes and Grana Padano

Traditionally on these Dine Downtown menus you have options from the regular menu that are selected to create their special menu, or more commonly they have an entirely pre-selected pre-fixed menu that the diner has the ability to choose from - our menu this night was of that case, and we were able to enjoy multiple delicacies from the Friuli region of Italy.

Clockwise from the left: Ravioli d’Anatra agli Asparagi - Ravioli filled with roast duck, San Daniele prosciutto and Montegrappa cheese topped with asparagus cream sauce, radicchio and Grana Padano, Insalata di Pere al Formaggio - Pear salad with arugula, seedless red grapes, radicchio, frisee, Belgian endive, gorgonzola, pecans and pomegranate dressing, Fettucine con Zucca e Porcini - Fettuccine pasta with porcini, butternut squash, black kale, cream and Grana Padano

Excitingly enough for Italian lovers it also turns out that this is their seasonal regional menu, which they are also specifically doing for their Dine Downtown pre-fix this month, is actually showcased way of eating through Italy – so if you are a explorer of Italian food, or an interested party looking to expand your Italian palate there's no better way than to taste through Italy at this restaurant! They have an entire passport club dedicated to it – next month is Cambria, which is famous for its use of spice.

Maiale al Forno - Pork shank braised with root vegetables and white wine; served with mashed potatoes, braised Savoy cabbage and broccolini

But on to the food! Our first course is started about with multiple course of antipasti (the prosciutto with stracchino cheese was my personal favorite), and then we were able to enjoy small portions of each of the showcased pastas (the Fettuccine pasta with porcini, butternut squash was a particular fave - the smell of mushrooms literally waifed up from the bowl as they set it down), followed by tastes of each of their entrées! Henry VIII couldn't have had a more grand feast!

Clockwise from the left: Dessert cart, Gamberoni alla Busara con Spaghetti - Large prawns sautéed with paprika, garlic, brandy, capers, marinara and cream; served with spaghetti tossed with sliced garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and Italian peperoncino, Filetto di Branzino alla Greca - Grilled filet of wild sea bass with black and green olives, capers, tomatoes and Trebbiano wine; served with mashed potatoes and sautéed organic spinach, Gnocchi alla Friulana - Potato dumplings with Italian sausage, onions, button mushrooms and tomato cream sauce

I'm still dreaming about the Fettuccine pasta with porcini mushrooms and butternut squash!

If your looking for even more info about this menu, check it out here! This month's regional focus is Friuli, and this menu will be available from January 7-20, 2013.

Looking for some of the other famous restaurants that are particpating this year?: 4th Street Grille, Biba, Blackbird Kitchen + Bar, Blue Prynt, The Broiler Steakhouse, Capitol Garage, Cafeteria 15L, Chops Steak, Seafood & Grill, Dawson’s at the Hyatt, Ella Dining Room & Bar, Esquire Grill, Fat City, The Firehouse Restaurant, Frank Fats, Grange, Il Forniao, The Melting Pot, Mulvaney’s B&L, Paragary’s Midtown, The Pilothouse at the Delta King, The Porch, Spataro, Restaurant Thir13en, Red Rabbit, River City Brewing Company, Rio City Café, Ten22, Tequila Museo Mayahuel, and Tulí Bistro.