You know the old joke: "I'm on a seafood diet – I see food and I eat it!"

When it comes to seafood, how about a twist on that: "I'm on a seafood diet – whenever I see seafood, I eat it!"

Which is what we do with scallops, which are among the tastiest of all the oceans' gems. But they're easily overcooked and can turn into rubber quicker than you can say, "Think they're done yet?"

That's why I, for one, finally gave up trying to sauté and grill them, and instead found happiness with scallops served in restaurants.

My lunch pal and I found a perfect rendition of scallops when we ordered the appetizer plate of the bivalve marine mollusks at the Terrace restaurant at Town & Country Village.

There, chef Michael Powers and his wife, co-owner Margo Powers, have put together a unique menu of specialty dishes that includes creative interpretations of jambalaya, pulled pork and salmon BLT. (The blueberry pancakes with link sausages are great, too.)

But it was those scallops that stopped us. They're large, super-fresh, highly prized "day boat" sea scallops, meaning they're brought from sea to land within 24 hours.

On the phone, Powers described how he cooks them. His techniques involve searing and steaming, and deglazing the pan. White wine, butter and olive oil play important roles.

The two accompanying sauces require the juices produced from wilting mini-bouquets of radicchio, spinach and fresh fennel in olive oil and white wine, along with whole-grain mustard, cream, fresh pesto, salt and pepper. Reduction is key.

There are yet more ingredients, but you get the picture. The tab: $10 for three scallops on wilted greens, topped with microgreens.

"Timing is critical," Powers said. "The scallops take less than a minute and you can't walk away from them."

Do customers like them? "They're tied with the house-smoked salmon as our most popular appetizer," he said.

For the record, what we call scallops – those glistening white and yellowish rounds in the seafood cases of grocery stores – are actually the adductor muscles that are removed from whole scallops in the harvesting process. The adductor muscle attaches the scallop's two shells and controls their opening and closing, allowing the animal to "swim" in short bursts via water propulsion.

Interesting, but of little concern when you're sitting at the table with a plate of the delicacies in front of you, ready to be demolished.

The Terrace is at Town & Country Village at Marconi and Fulton avenues, Sacramento; (916) 486-1904, www.theterracecuisine.com.

Barbecue at Lake Tahoe

The dining scene at summertime Lake Tahoe is off to a great start, with the best tables found outdoors on decks and patios.

Though the casual Sal's BBQ isn't on the water per se, it is situated in a grand people-watching venue. An elevated patio in front of Embassy Suites fronting Highway 50, near Harrah's hotel-casino and the Heavenly Valley gondola ride, has been set up to accommodate diners hungry for grilled goods and in the mood for music.

Offerings range from burgers and bratwursts to baby back ribs and hard-to-find skirt steak.

Wash them down with draft beer (hefeweizen and Kona Longboard), smoothies and sodas.

Food prices range from $11 to $14. The children's menu features burgers, hot dogs and cheese quesadillas ($5 to $7).

The food's good, as is the live music. We dropped by Saturday and caught one-man-band singer-musician Fabrizio, whose playlist ranges from reggae and pop to country and oldies rock. He plays weekends; other live acts appear Thursdays and Fridays.

Sal's BBQ is an arm of the Echo restaurant inside Embassy Suites, and bears executive chef Sal Delgado's name. Check it out from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 7 p.m. Sundays, through Labor Day. It's happening at 4130 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe; (530) 543-2140.

Editor's note: This story was changed June 23 to correct the phone number for the Terrace.

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