Dining

When we shell out upward of $100 on dinner for two, we're always on the lookout to be impressed, if not dazzled. We expect good food, maybe great food. As so often happens, we look forward to that moment or two when we come face to face with the "wow factor."

Welcome to The Beer Run, a place that brings you news, opinion and all kinds of information about the developments in the local and regional beer scene.

One summer day in 2011, we stopped in Truckee on a roundabout trip to Lake Tahoe and noticed a tiny bakery-cafe called Trokay. We went inside for breakfast, but nothing was being cooked on the stovetop that day, as the new hood fan hadn't arrived. However, if we liked baked goods …

Don't be fooled by the crowds (and the fact they're not here yet). Trio is still struggling to get the right message out that it serves delicious food prepared with creative flair and exotic twists.

For what seemed like a couple of years, the faded wood house (circa 1894) on Sutter Street in Old Folsom was under- going a seemingly endless renovation. The house stood vacant after the dust had finally settled, surrounded by construction debris and a chain-link fenc

Here's some recommended reading for foodies: the menus at Bacon and Butter.

My lunch pal and I talked about unruly cats and misadventures at overpriced natural-foods stores as we sat semi-patiently in a long line of cars creeping slowly along a two-lane road toward congested Richards Underpass, gateway to downtown Davis.

First Impressions visits dining spots in the region that are new or have undergone recent transitions.

With the departure of soup wizards Eric Harnish at now-shuttered Fog Mountain and the exodus of Daniel Pont, who sold La Bonne Soupe and opened Chez Daniel in Folsom, Muntean has become the source for soup aficionados on the downtown grid.

First Impressions visits dining spots in the region that are new or have undergone recent transitions. Have a candidate for First Impressions? Email us at taste@sacbee.com.

In simpler times, department-store lunch counters and restaurants were a thrilling part of any Saturday shopping excursion.

While Piatti has undergone a major remodel of its building, we found too many ups and downs with the food and other elements to be wowed by the dining experience. More consistency in the kitchen easily brings up this rating.

Ah yes, it's starting to feel like spring, the sun's shining a bit more and daylight saving time has started. You know what that means … time for a food truck festival!

March 17 is St. Patrick's Day, and you know the drill: Irish- and British-themed pubs serve gallons of Guinness and generic green beers, fill their cooking pots with corned beef and cabbage, and prepare for the party-hearty. It's the one day of the year when everyone who isn't Irish becomes Irish in an honorary sort of way.

Nicole Ix, a restaurant owner who infused the popular Cafe Soleil in downtown Sacramento with a sunny disposition that turned customers into friends, died Feb. 16 of cancer, her family said. She was 46.

First Impressions visits dining spots in the region that are new or have undergone recent transitions. Have a candidate for First Impressions? Email us at taste@sacbee.com.

Mikuni restaurant in Fair Oaks reopened Wednesday after a two-month closure for repairs after a fire in late December.

The first time we dined here in late September, Hook & Ladder had been open for just a few days.

Mill Valley musician and veteran lunch pal Jim Mitchell was revealing the secrets of songwriting as we cruised along Highway 12. We were hopping from Marin County to Sonoma County. Destination: the cheese- and wine-centric town of Sonoma. Purpose: Grab a bite and take a look.

In America, there is a time-honored, quasi- noble tradition of people who, through a combination of hard work, talent and a little bit of luck, become wealthy celebrities, and when they do, they decide to open restaurants and impose their wealthy celebrity awesomeness upon the masses.

Long before fast-food chains came to dominate the American landscape, drive-in restaurants were the cool places to grab a basket of onion rings and a burger and hang out with your friends – no texting required (or possible).

While our chefs, farmers and other restaurant players enjoy well-deserved props, let's not forget another group that deserves some spotlight: our area's food writers.

Last September, the venerable Wine & Roses hotel in Lodi decided to reposition its Towne House restaurant and scale things back a tad from a destination special-occasion restaurant to something that's, well, not so destination-y.

This week, we take a look at two casual and affordable places doing very different takes on Korean fusion cooking. Both use the vibrant and eclectic flavors of Korean cuisine in ways that marry centuries-old traditions with 21st century sensibilities.

On Thursday, Valentine's Day, an estimated 70 million people throughout the United States will go out to eat.

The Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar has emerged as the little red rabbit that could.

Grand-dame hotels in world-class cities seem filled with intrigue and character, generating an aura close to mystery – at least when the imagination is prodded.

The dining side of this laid-back, family-friendly restaurant is filled with plenty of booths and tables. Neutral-colored walls are covered with painted canvases in shades of red, orange, yellow, and hints of black.

We arrived for dinner in the early evening. It was part of the plan. There's just something entertaining about watching a mostly empty room come to life – with more and more people as the minutes tick by, with sounds large and small, with movement, with energy.

Tahoe Joe's Famous Steakhouse in Folsom was seemingly humming along, but then abruptly went dark in May from lack of business.

Les Baux has emerged – and in some aspects flourished – since it opened last spring. What an intriguing combination of top-flight bakery, coffee spot and casual bistro.

We Sacramentans are ideally positioned to … well, get outta town. Within easy reach are destinations that are the envy of the world – Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, and the Napa and Sonoma wine countries. Then there's the Monterey Peninsula, always a favorite destination.

Food trucks are not welcome in Auburn's historic district under an ordinance passed by the City Council on Monday.

I'm sitting in a large room that's very quiet, very expensive, has no windows, pipes in bad music and, every minute or two, there's this frantic-looking dude who stops by to apologize and thank us for being patient.

We greeted Kinnee O'Reilly's Irish-themed pub in El Dorado Hills with enthusiasm when it opened in September 2011, featuring a menu of well-handled pub-grub classics and, of course, Guinness beer on tap. But the restaurant biz is brutal and diners' tastes are fickle, and Kinnee closed after only eight months.

TODAY-SUNDAY- The 11th annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival focuses on climate change, offering more than 100 films about nature, community activism, adventure, conservation and more.

During our several visits to Clark's Corner – for breakfast, lunch, dinner and for drinks – we tried to put our finger on what it was exactly that makes this place work – and work so well.

As 2012 comes to a close and we gear up for many more dining adventures in the next 12 months, let's recount some of the great – and not so great – moments on the local culinary scene.

With another year's adventures in casual dining under the belt, so to speak, here's a subjective list of the 10 places my lunch pals and I especially liked in 2012, in order of preference.

Pulled into the crowded parking lot of the vintage Loehmann's Plaza the other day and walked by a lineup of chain restaurants, including Jack's Urban Eats. It plans to move into the much bigger space – now under renovation – vacated by Scott's Seafood Grill on June 18. Just an FYI.

First Impressions: In our latest dizzying round of visits to new restaurants in and around Sacramento, we discovered one in Roseville that could soon be excellent, and we zeroed in on some very good burgers and beer in West Sacramento.

Somebody noticed the advertising insert in The Bee, the one that read, "Enjoy the holidays in Walnut Creek."

Once December arrives and the malls are crammed with Christmas shoppers, I'm drawn to one particular restaurant that really appeals to me, especially with the giving spirit that takes hold in so many at this time of year.

One of my favorite books on exotic cuisine is an oversized, colorful tome called "Thai Street Food" by David Thompson.

We were at a table in Negril, appreciating the framed photos of Caribbean resorts on the walls, and eyeing a suspiciously motionless and silent red-and-yellow parrot perched nearby.

For many years, Sacramento was not known as a pizza town. There were Zelda's, Luigi's and a few other spots here and there, but the quality dropped off perceptibly and quickly.

At the risk of sounding like a Yelper tapping out a review with his thumbs on a smartphone, I really, really wanted to like this place.

Goodbye, summer. Adios, grilled watermelon salad, corn on the cob and heirloom tomato gazpacho.

The original Buckhorn restaurant sits in a building that is more than 120 years old. The walls are red brick. Mounted on those walls are animal heads including deer, moose, caribou and boar. White string lights add a warm glow to the rustic feel.