Last Friday evening I had the opportunity to visit one of my most favorite restaurants in Sacramento, Mulvaney’s B&L to preview their Dine Downtown menu. For those of you that aren’t familiar with Mulvaney’s, this restaurant is the epitome of “farm to fork”. In fact, the menu at Mulvaney’s changes daily based on the ingredients delivered to them fresh that morning from various farms and ranches in the Northern California area. This is fantastic as a diner because your meal could not be more fresh, and because Chef Patrick Mulvaney does not always know with certainty what ingredients will be delivered, it adds to the inventiveness of their dishes. A little “Chopped” style mystery basket element comes into play everyday, in fact Chef Mulvaney is famous for saying “Whatever comes in the front door goes on your plate.” In other words, a foodie paradise.
As the marketing manager coordinating Dine Downtown, though, Mulvaney’s ever changing menu can be a challenge. It makes it hard for me to get their menu up on our website before the promotion, because they simply aren’t certain of what fabulous treasures may be delivered to them that week in advance. It also, as it turns out, makes Dine Downtown Menu Preview dinners challenging, because very few of the ingredients they were anticipating for Dine Downtown week were in house the Friday before the promotion started. We realized this just hours before my reservation on Friday.
Now, because I am a selfless previewer for our readers, I didn’t dream of cancelling the meal. Who am I to deny you the opportunity to read about the dining experience at Mulvaney’s while trying to choose your Dine Downtown locations? It would just be rude of me, wouldn’t it? So I decided I must go forth, and report my findings, despite not being able to sample all the dine downtown offerings. I figured our foodie loving, taste seeking readers would understand, am I right?
We sat at Mulvaney’s ‘Chef’s Table’ which I highly recommend. Seated side by side, you get to watch the chef make all of the small plates and deserts in the small and homey open-style kitchen. It gives you the feel of chatting with mom while she prepares the marinade and chops up the salad. You can ask your server all kinds of questions about what the chef is preparing and see all that goes into various elements of your meal. It would be absolutely ideal for a first or blind date, as the kitchen is chock full of instant conversation starters.
The view from the Chef's Table
My meal began with the Del Rio Botanical Greens with Balsamic Vinaigrette and Crostini. This is a choice from the first courses of the Dine Downtown menu. It is one of those dishes that is exceptional in its simplicity. This salad is literally only composed of fresh greens, balsamic vinaigrette, and a crostini. I also detected a hint of sea or rock salt, which I particularly enjoy on my salads for just a little extra flavor. The balsamic vinaigrette was delightfully light and showcased the delicate flavor of the greens. The crostini was a nice stand in for your basic crouton, and really made the dish very pretty to look at.
Del Rio Botanical Greens
For my entree, I had the Seared Mary’s Chicken with ‘Ponytail’ Greens served with creamy grits, braised collard greens & bacon. I specifically chose this dish because it was as close as I could get to the Dine Downtown entree: Seared Cache Creek Chicken on Suzanne’s Chili with Creamy Polenta & Broccoli Rabe. I was glad I had a chicken dish to sample, because a very common reaction to seeing a chicken dish on a dine downtown menu is to assume its a throw away dish, a menu filler, or simply boring. I wanted to see if that assumption held true. I’m happy to report that I was not in the LEAST bit bored by my chicken dish. Skin left on, the chicken was moist, tender, juicy, and full of flavor. It has really been a long time since I’ve had chicken that shined so much under the seasoning of just the perfect amount of salt & pepper. I’m happy to proclaim the chicken myth BUSTED. So give those chicken dishes a chance, they’re there because they’re special.
Seared Mary's Chicken Breast with Ponytail Greens
This lovely chicken was perched on top of the creamiest of creamy grits and surrounded by ‘ponytail’ greens. We asked the manager about the name ‘Ponytail’ greens and he explained to us that they had a previous employee with long hair that he always wore in two pigtails. They called him Ponytails. And Ponytails, being from the south, loved to make braised collard greens with bacon. ‘Ponytail’ greens soon became a regular menu item on the Mulvaney menu, and I understand why. The delicious greens with bacon mixed with the grits and chicken was so rich with delicious, comforting southern flavor. If the creamy polenta and Suzanne’s chili that accompanies the chicken on the Dine Downtown menu is even half as good, you’re in for a treat.
Chef Patrick Mulvaney in the Mulvaney B&L kitchen
We finished with Lemon Chess Pie and Creme Brulee. They were delectable, and made me want to come back during Dine Downtown week to try the Toffee Bread Pudding which is one of my absolute favorite desserts. If Mulvaney’s can make a Lemon Chess Pie and Creme Brulee that is this standout, I can’t wait to see what they do to elevate their Bread Pudding.
Dine Downtown is a great time to try Mulvaney’s B & L as their entrees regularly run in the $30 range alone, and they do not skimp on the portions. $30 for 3 courses there is an exceptional value, and the time spent in the lovely atmosphere of the Building and Loan watching great chefs do what they do best couldn’t be better spent. The exemplary service rounds out a top notch dining experience. I highly recommend it.
Megan never imagined the day when she couldn’t stop craving braised collard greens, and yet that day arrived. Thank you Ponytails, wherever you are, for bringing this recipe to Sacramento. And thank you Patrick & Bobbin Mulvaney for continuing to push Sacramento’s farm to fork experience to the next level. To make reservations at Mulvaney’s and to view their Dine Downtown menu, visit DowntownSac.org/dinedowntown.
