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Who Says You Can't Go Out For a 7-Course Meal the Day After Thanksgiving?

By
Real Estate Agent with Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker DRE #00697006

the kitchen restaurantLike Uncle Joe I'm moving kinda slow at the Junction this morning. There are no words to describe the feast we had last night. And I'm not talking about a Thanksgiving leftovers meal. We went to The Kitchen Restaurant for its Push the Palate special dinner. It's a quarterly event.

If you've never been to The Kitchen Restaurant in Sacramento, you're in a for a special treat. But there are 3 caveats. First, you need a reservation, and you might need to make a reservation months in advance. Second, if triple-digit restaurant bills scare the beejesus out of you, then this is not your restaurant. Third, you must have the time available to spend 3 hours or more to enjoy 5 to 7 courses.

You're encouraged to wander the entire restaurant because, as Chef Noah Zonca says, mi casa is su casa. So you can open the oven door and stick your head inside, talk to the chefs, tour the wine cellar, roll oranges across the floor, whatever you want to do. Just don't mess with Joe, the Vick's Cough Drop guy. OK, he's not really the cough drop guy but that's what we called him.

Since we dine out a lot, my husband and I have The Kitchen Restaurant on our favorite restaurant list. We're also on its email list. An email arrived last week talking about the Push the Palate event the day after Thanksgiving, so, on a whim, we decided to haul off my sister for a culinary delight. I thought she'd change her mind about the foie gras after hearing Chef Noah describe how humanely the birds are treated, but no. She also asked for no pork because she treats pigs as family, or at least that's her story and she's sticking to it. The staff at The Kitchen are very good about accommodating any guest's special request. They will bring you second helpings, too. All you have to do is ask.noah zonca the kitchen restaurant

We started with local sturgeon cavier and red waddle hog "ice cubes". Having a choice between the standard flight wines or the premium -- hey, my sister lives in Minnesota -- we chose the premium. The first course was followed by a giant sea scallop with cured foie gras, Nantucket Bay scallops and a mushroom emulsion. The giant sea scallop was a bit rare in the center, which was intentional.

The third course was a pumpkin soup, with a crispy lardo and toasted chili sabayon. In the center was a tiny ham and cheese sandwich that melted in my mouth. It was the most precious thing. I don't ordinarily like squash soup because I eat so much of it during the fall -- we get tons of squash in our farm box from Full Belly each week, but this was extraordinary.

Perhaps the biggest splash of the evening was the squab breast and leg with huckleberries, black truffle potatoes and topped with White Alba truffles. Ah, the aroma from the white truffles was a full-blown raputure of the senses and enchanting. You can see Chef Noah shaving truffles on top of the squab in this photo. I also never thought I'd enjoy baby pigeon as much as this. I also got a chuckle out of eavesdropping and hearing Chef Noah sound just like my mother as he admonished the platers: "If I've told you once, I've told you 20 times . . . "

Just when you think it can't get any better, out came the plates of grilled red grouper with Maine lobster claw, accompanied by Tokyo turnips and a white soy and wasabi root butter. We're talking about fresh wasabi, which is an entirely different taste sensation over the powdered crap.

By the time we reached the fifth plate, Mishima Ranch wagyu short ribs, alongside a miniature pot pie with sweet winter carrots, chard, celery hearts and small onions, I thought I had died and gone to Iron Chef heaven.

By desert, I was ready to curl up and take a nap. But instead, I devoured everything on my plate: apples in tart tatin, caramel and fritter, and a tiny scoop of Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream.

My sister is still sleeping it off in the next room. I suspect this was a Sacramento dining experience she will never forget.

Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub, BlackBerry Bold camera

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Elizabeth Weintraub is co-partner of Weintraub & Wallace Team of Top Producing Realtors, an author, home buying expert at The Balance, a Land Park resident, and a veteran real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown, Carmichael and East Sacramento, as well as tract homes in Elk Grove, Natomas, Roseville and Lincoln. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put our combined 80 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at RE/MAX Gold. DRE License # 00697006.

Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of RE/MAX Gold. Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice; it could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.

Comments (10)

Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Elizabeth, that sounds extraordinary!     I would need to walk off all that food for the next week, without stopping!

Nov 27, 2010 04:26 AM
Karen Fiddler, Broker/Owner
Karen Parsons-Fiddler, Broker 949-510-2395 - Mission Viejo, CA
Orange County & Lake Arrowhead, CA (949)510-2395

Yummy....there are a few places like this in Sonoma also that I love to hit when I'm up there. I am also noticing that the "open kitchens" are a new trend, I like that, but I have to believe it annoys the chefs.

Nov 27, 2010 04:28 AM
Colleen Fischesser Northwest Property Shop
NextHome Experience - Chelan, WA
A Tradition of Trust in the Pacific NW since 1990!

It sounds amazing, not just the food but the whole experience. How fun would that be to be able to get up and walk through the restaurant? I'm naturally very curious about everything so I would love that and probably annoy the crap out of the staff w/ my bazillion questions.

Nov 27, 2010 04:29 AM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Hey Joan: You'd think we'd need to walk but it's raining. And my husband is making waffles for breakfast.

Hi Karen: I don't think the chefs are annoyed. I think they welcome the opportunity to interact.

Hi Colleen: My sister had a ton of questions. She was still asking questions after dessert as we tried to drag her reluctantly toward the door. It was after 11 PM, and waaaayyy past my bedtime.

Nov 27, 2010 04:40 AM
Bandele Oguntomilade, Top REALTOR
Bogun Realty and Luxury Homes - Woodland Hills, CA
Your Woodland Hills Real Estate Agent 818-825-6996

Wow, Elizabeth, I wish i was there with you to enjoy the feast!

Bandele Oguntomilade

Nov 27, 2010 04:48 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

The atmosphere in this restaurant does not sound anything like I would imagine.  I love the idea of being encourage to get up and wake around...even into the kitchen.  Very cool.

Nov 27, 2010 05:13 AM
Mary Douglas
United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado - Red Feather Lakes, CO
REALTOR, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado

 What a fantastic menu, many things I have never tried and it all sounds delicious!  I think you had 2 Thanksgiving Feasts this year :-)

Nov 27, 2010 05:21 AM
Simon Mills
Mills Realty - Toluca Lake, CA

I'm not a big fan of the 7-course meal and I have tried the (supposedly best) at restaurants like The French Laundry and The Restaurant at Medowwoods.  However, the open kitchen concept and the chef that is willing to make changes to accommodate his guest does sound like a great reason to try The Kitchen Restaurant the next time I am in your area.

Nov 27, 2010 07:03 AM
Russell Lewis
Realty Austin, Austin Texas Real Estate - Austin, TX
Broker,CLHMS,GRI

Oh...man...I am glad I subscribed to your blog as I enjoy a variety of subjects in posts. I am also a fan of tasty eating in ALL price ranges, ethnicity's and flavors and now I am hungry!

Nov 28, 2010 04:07 AM
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

Every once in a while you make me so sad I don't live nearer to a city.  First of all the quarterly event sounds to die for and secondly so does the meal.  Alas as my mouth waters I'm getting ready to go home and heat the left overs (again.)

Nov 28, 2010 08:20 AM