A supper club in midtown Sacramento? New restaurant opens with a nod to the past
With more than 70 years of hospitality experience between them, Mark Reck and Robert Redmond decided it was time to work for themselves.
Reck, Redmond and investor Scott Matrenec opened their new restaurant Frog & Slim on Wednesday at 1420 16th St., Suite 300 in midtown Sacramento’s Legado de Ravel mixed-use building.
The “polished, casual supper club,” as Reck described it, replaced Legado Restaurant & Bar, the short-lived effort that took over from Jim’s Good Food and subsequent pop-up Wiener Burger in July 2020. While Frog & Slim won’t have live music, a dark interior and neon frog sign conjure jazz clubs to mind.
“We have a small, quaint, almost boutique-y dining room with a vibe of jazz and blues,” Reck said. “A lot of our food is savory, rich in flavor and almost an old-school style.”
Indeed, appetizers like deviled eggs with caviar ($11) or clams Rockefeller ($12) offer an air of classic refinement. Large plates tend to center around a protein — think grilled octopus with roasted fingerling potatoes, andouille, sun-dried tomatoes and a sorrel crème fraîche ($27) or braised pork shank with potato-parsnip mash and plum chutney ($32).
There’s an extensive wine selection and full bar, and chef Christian Viau came to Frog & Slim from another spot of yesteryear: Fat City Bar & Cafe, Fat Family Restaurant Group’s long-tenured Old Sacramento property that closed in November 2019.
Once ubiquitous throughout the Midwest, supper clubs have slowly become a dying breed. They tend to be upscale dinner houses with traditional food, large portions and a social atmosphere, a place for people to savor their drinks or nibble on hearty sides.
Frog & Slim aims to fill a similar role amid the midtown hubbub. They’ll be able to serve customers quickly if requested and will have a daily takeout deal (two entrees and a bottle of wine for $50), but would prefer people linger and enjoy themselves, Reck said. Opening hours are 4-9 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday and until 10 on Friday and Saturday, but don’t worry about overstaying your welcome.
“Our philosophy is we don’t rush anybody out. Once you’re in our place, it’s our responsibility to take care of you and treat you however you expected to be treated,” Reck said. “Let’s have fun, provide a great, unique space and more importantly, let’s build a culture within our four walls.”
Redmond and Reck both have lengthy careers in hospitality, much of it on the corporate side. For Redmond, that includes a stint as partner in Cerca Trova Restaurant Concepts, the management company for Outback Steakhouse; Reck was the director of operations at Hilton Sacramento Arden West and previously worked at Max’s Opera Cafe and Il Fornaio in the Bay Area.
Frog & Slim can seat about 60 people indoors and another 50 on two dog-friendly outdoor patios, Reck said.