Mulvaney's B&L

Sacramento, CA

For our 3rd anniversary on a Tuesday evening, we decided to stay close to home and try Mulvaney's, a popular fine dining restaurant in Midtown. When we received our menus, "Happy Anniversary" was printed at the top, a nice personalized touch.

Potato Skin Amuse Bouche

We started with an amuse bouche of a fancy looking potato skin which I was super stoked about since I love them. Unfortunately, this one was cold and hard and unappetizing. 

Marinated Trombocino Squash "Linguine" - Chili Marinated Prawns, Cherry Tomatoes, Basil

Chu-Toro's ordered the squash "linguine" as her appetizer, which was like a papaya salad. It was the most flavorful dish of the night, bringing together a spicy combination of prawns, squash, tomatoes and basil with the crunchy textures of the squash making it a memorable dish.

Heirloom Tomatoes with Hand Pulled Mozzarella, Corto Olive Oil, Maldon Salt

Our other appetizer was homemade hand pulled mozzarella with fresh heirloom tomatoes sources locally from the area. Everything on the plate was extremely fresh and tasty.

Seared Sonoma Foie Gras with Roasted Mushrooms, Farout Ranch Frisee, Red Wine Vinagrette

My next course was recommended by our server, the seared Sonoma foie gras with roasted mushrooms. Although it was a small portion of the foie, it was well cooked and delicious. The roasted mushrooms added a strong earthy flavor and although they didn't seem to incorporate that well, they were tasty nonetheless.  

Hand Cut Fettuccini al Olio with Braised Chicken, Garlic, B&L Bacon, Fiscalini Cheddar

Chu-Toro had the hand cut fettuccini with braised chicken which I found to be the most bland dish of the meal. Chu-Toro didn't seem to mind it and the large serving ended up leftovers the next day. 

28 Day Dry Aged Niman Rib Eye with Tuscan Salsa Verde, Uncle Bob's Potatoes

We shared the rib eye which was well cooked, but not a premium cut of meat, so it ended up not being anything special.

Valrhona Ding Dong, Devil’s Food Cake, Mousse, Ganache 

For dessert, we shared their popular Valrhona Ding Dong, which is exactly what its name describes, except kicked up a notch with premium ingredients. Overall, the meal was good, not great. We enjoyed the meal at Ella better the week before, but glad we tried out Mulvaney's to compare some of the best places that Sacramento has to offer (which isn't much). But the entire staff very kind and they must have wished us a happy anniversary at least a half a dozen times which is a credit to their excellent service. 

Rating 7/10

August 30th, 2011