Locating the Malabar in Natomas off of I-5 North was a cinch. Living in the area was a plus, but regardless of that fact, the restaurant's sign is really well lit so that it is easily visible from the freeway.
It was finding the entrance into the place that had me slightly confused.
The door, which was my first guess, had me second guessing if it was even the entrance. It wasn’t elaborately designed and it could have easily passed as the back door to the restaurant.
After deciding to go around and see if there was by chance another door that would actually lead me in, two gentlemen walked past and one looked at me in a sort of funny way. He then pointed back to the door.
Once inside, the hostess greets incoming customers with a smile, but some of my classmates were already there and seated in a booth not too far from the entrance.
Lighting in the restaurant was dim, in addition to the subtle glows illuminating from the candle lit tabletops. This is particularly essential for evening dining.
Since it was election night, my biggest concern was missing out on all the fun of the race between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain for presidency.
No worries there.
Nine flat screen TVs were mounted along the walls of the restaurant. All but one was tuned into CNN, which was obviously reporting on the incoming polls.
Our server was very observant. She instantly recognized when there were new arrivals at the table and promptly provided menus and asked for drink orders.
At first sip, the soda tasted a bit flat. Not surprising, usually a common situation at various restaurants, but not a big deal.
We started with the three cheese garlic bread. At $3.95 the price was reasonable. The plate consisted of two slices of bread, more like a half of a loaf, topped and baked with provolone, asiago and mozzarella cheese.
It was tasty, but lukewarm.
When the orders were placed, a set of stairs behind me caught my attention.
According to our server, the second floor provided space for larger dinner parties and banquets.
In conjunction with the restaurant’s name there was also a bar available towards the back. Then it dawned on me that this was somewhat like the Elephant Bar.
All of our dinner plates arrived at the same time and everything was accurate.
My order, which complemented the appetizer, was a three cheese pizza. The cheeses used on the appetizer were the same ingredients.
After taking a few bites my palate picked up on a hint of jalapeño flavor, which was peculiar since there were no jalapeño toppings.
Portion size was good, about what a medium sized pizza would be. Price was fair at $8.95. Taste was…Eh.
Deciding on whether or not to have dessert is determined by how the food has tasted up until that point. Since nothing really satisfied my taste buds, dessert was out of the question.
All dessert prices were $6.50 each and the menu included the standard. Crème Brulees, cheesecake, sundaes, etc. Nothing that quite stood out.
The restaurant specialized in American cooking, but as one of my classmates pointed out, a majority of the menu options seemed influenced. Pasta, for example, is obviously Italian.
Regardless of the food’s mediocrity taste, the service was great. Our server personally boxed some of the meals to go, was informative and we were never low on drinks.
Cheers to the next President!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Sounds like you had the opposite experience of us over @ Hoppy's. I kinda laughed at the part about the door ... good job. :p
Finding your way into a restaurant easily - or not - is a very justifiable commentary.
Usually in such hard to figure out spots, the food is great.
Not for this reviewer, however.
The reviewer probably needed to go into more detail about the experience of the other diners with her. Did they like their food? What did they eat? And, of course, what did other items cost?
And the flat soda? Was it Coca-Cola or Pepsi?
Maybe it went flat because the delivery service couldn't find the door.
Post a Comment