Aioli

This is one of my very favorite restaurants in Sacramento. I love the decor, atmosphere, and--of course--the food. Lunch is surprisingly inexpensive, too. The service, though, can be slow, but the staff is always gracious. We just recently went to Aioli in Davis and it, too, was excellent. If you're looking for a European-style restaurant instead of a chain restaurant, this is it.

I treated myself to dinner the other night and decided that downtown Sacramento was the place to be. Naturally, I came to Aioli Bodega Espanola Restaurant, a.k.a., Aioli’s, as I have come to know the owner, Reda, and many of the long-time servers by their first names, and they have always made me feel like I’m part of a big Mediterranean family. Living thousands of miles away from home, and away from your oldest and best friends, people who treat you like family tend to readily grow on you, and so I come back on a regular basis. This is a family of chefs, sommeliers, philosophers, and kings.

Much of this big family comes from Algeria, France, Morocco, Spain, and Mexico, bringing forth a great number of otherwise hard to find fresh and delicious recipes. On this particular visit, I thought I’d try the lamb shank, which prompted me to write this review, as I have only had such a well prepared lamb one other time. The other time was at the base of Franz Joseph Glacier in New Zealand, commonly known as the home of the best lamb in the world. In both cases, the lamb was cooked to perfection, falling off the bone, as if it was cooked in a stew marinade for hours, despite being prepared in less than 20 minutes during peak hour. It was accompanied by tender vegetables and complimentary bread and hummus, and of course several Heineken beers.

Some other perks include live classical guitar music towards the weekend, a discrete outdoor garden patio, changing and permanent art, including a hand-pounded copper bar, artistic copper lighting, murals, large impressionist paintings, and photography. And just when you think it couldn’t get any better, there is also Aioli’s at The Grand Wine Bar, two blocks towards the Capitol rose gardens, and Aioli’s in Davis.

I treated myself to dinner the other night and decided that downtown Sacramento was the place to be. Naturally, I came to Aioli Bodega Espanola Restaurant, a.k.a., Aioli’s, as I have come to know the owner, Reda, and many of the long-time servers by their first names, and they have always made me feel like I’m part of a big Mediterranean family. Living thousands of miles away from home, and away from your oldest and best friends, people who treat you like family tend to readily grow on you, and so I come back on a regular basis. This is a family of chefs, sommeliers, philosophers, and kings.

Much of this big family comes from Algeria, France, Morocco, Spain, and Mexico, bringing forth a great number of otherwise hard to find fresh and delicious recipes. On this particular visit, I thought I’d try the lamb shank, which prompted me to write this review, as I have only had such a well prepared lamb one other time. The other time was at the base of Franz Joseph Glacier in New Zealand, commonly known as the home of the best lamb in the world. In both cases, the lamb was cooked to perfection, falling off the bone, as if it was cooked in a stew marinade for hours, despite being prepared in less than 20 minutes during peak hour. It was accompanied by tender vegetables and complimentary bread and hummus, and of course several Heineken beers.

Some other perks include live classical guitar music towards the weekend, a discrete outdoor garden patio, changing and permanent art, including a hand-pounded copper bar, artistic copper lighting, murals, large impressionist paintings, and photography. And just when you think it couldn’t get any better, there is also Aioli’s at The Grand Wine Bar, two blocks towards the Capitol rose gardens, and Aioli’s in Davis.

I went to Aioli’s on a first date and things couldn't have been any better. With our reservation, we were seated immediately. The bar was very crowded (where I was waiting for my date to arrive) but I still was served a drink within seconds of standing in the crowd. Impressive! After ordering, our food came quickly, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway because the atmosphere was so fun. Live Latin Jazz! Everything I tasted was exquisite including the wine. The food was very fresh. We had grilled double breast of chicken with red pepper flakes in a wild mushroom & sweet sherry sauce and garbanzo puree. When we complimented the waiter on the food, he informed us that the food comes daily, always a plus! We ended up going back to Aioli’s on our second date with friends for drinks, and danced to the great music. So much fun, a must in Sacramento. I can't wait to go back again.

The atmosphere is one of sheer Mediterranean beauty. Arrive early and have a glass of wine at the bar. Describing the food as outstanding does not do it justice. When making the reservations, they inquired if this was a special occasion and made our 5th Anniversary very special. All told, it was about a two hour dining experience, so there were plenty of opportunities to gaze into each others eyes in between courses, naturally. We soaked up the art, the music, the food, and the wine. A perfect evening indeed…we will definitely come back for more.

This is one of the most intimate, romantic restaurants I have been too. Opt for dining room seating. There are a lot of beautiful, dim, hand-crafted brass lights (to go along with the hand-pounded brass bar), very rustic/Tuscan villa style. The service was excellent and the owner, “Reda”, came by during our meal to ensure that everything was exceptional, and everything was exceptional. He was very gracious and hospitable and held the door open for my husband and I as we departed, something you just don’t see any more… a class act. Menu “must tries” include the steak in a glazed sauce with anchovies, Galician style steamed octopus in adobo sauce with potato pureé, and mussels in a garlic, sherry wine cream sauce. As for the wine, leave it to the experts…ask the waiters…and remember red wine with red meats and white wine with wine meats! This place is all about intimacy and mood lighting.

Aioli Bodega Espanola serves amazing food in a beautiful ambiance. While it's better known as a fine dining spot, I love to go here for lunch. As a big eater, I usually go for the paella for 2 people, and still have plenty to take home with me for next day’s breakfast. I very much like that the menu changes with the seasons, allowing for new fish and vegetable dishes, and the food is always very fresh. My husband regularly orders the pan seared salmon, encrusted with hazelnuts in a fresh herb sauce, along with the scallops pan sauteéd in a garlic beluga lentil anchovy sauce, his favorite. I'm not the biggest fan of scallops and even I love them! We've been here about a dozen times, 11 of them for lunch, and have never had a less than exceptional experience.