Bistro Blast

It was that time again, Friday night. The glorious weekend was here and a few co-workers, my wife and I decided to begin our time off in style with some good conversation and food at one of my favorite East Sac haunts...33rd Street Bistro. I was really pumped to go as it had been quite some time since I'd been. The service and food always seems to be at the very least very good. To add to the excitement, one of my dining peeps, affectionately known as Gibby, promised to bring along a little somethin'-somethin' from his Napa excursion a few weeks ago. You can read all about that trip and much more at his blog Gibby Tyme.

We arrived and it was packed to the gills with couples and small parties gathered in the small entryway. The restaurant does not take reservations, so we camped out and exchanged pleasantries for 20 minutes or so before getting settled at a cozy table nestled in the corner of the Bistro. It was a bit cramped for our party of five and Gibby spent the evening under a plant that frequently pricked the top of his dome when he sat up really straight. This wasn't much of a problem as we had plenty of good eats to haunch over.

Our waitress was friendly and very helpful even letting my try a couple of wine selections as I struggled to decide on the right wine for our appetizers that would open our palettes up and start the dinner off right. I decided on one of their specialty international wines that caught my attention. It was light, refreshing, and hinted of citrus fruit...it was Albarino. I wish I had the presence of mind to write down the producer and vintage because it was some tasty hooch!

The food journey at 33rd began with one of my favs, the Crisp Shrimp Cigars. A lively modern interpretation of the egg roll, at least that's what they look like. These tasty little delights have a light, crispy outside texture and are filled with a moist combo of shrimp, green onions, carrots, and something with a little heat...yuuuuum! Next up we shared an order of the Jerk Ribs. A sweet, tangy and spicy pile of oh-so-tender beef short ribs.

At this point in the meal we had thrown down the entire bottle of Albarino, all our apps and we were primed for our mains. Now seemed like the ideal time to bust out the wine that Gibby had brought from Napa. A big bold beaut of a Cab. The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon from Castello Di Amorosa was every bit as good as he made it out to be. In light of this magnificent wine, my entree of choice had to be the Bistro Meatloaf. Nothing says comfort and good times like a succulent slab of juicy lamb and pork meatloaf . The cayenne aioli that dressed the loaf added a nice refreshing twist to this classic.

My wife and B-Fong opted for the Pot Pie filled with chicken, peas, carrots and a tarragon cream sauce. The dish seemed to have highs and lows. 'The High' being that the chicken was flavorful, and the crust buttery and flaky. 'The low' being the aforementioned cream sauce seemed to be lacking in tarragon and seasoning rendering it forgettable.

Gibby and his wife Amy Vella threw down their mains with unbridled panini lust. Great choice guys. 33rd is notorious for churning out Grade A panini. Gibby's selection was The Gorge, a one-of-a-kind perfect blend of Turkey, Apple Smoked Bacon, and creamy, buttery Havarti cheese. I can personally attest to the greatness of this one....very , very good! AV chose The Columbian, a tasty sandwich filled with a cocaine....just kidding, wanted to see if you dozed off! Seriously though, a fine example of Northwest flavors with perfectly cooked salmon, red leaf lettuce and tomato all served up on crusty delicious ciabatta bread with lemon aioli.

The night ended on a somewhat lackluster note with the trio of chocolate desserts. The molten chocolate cake served up in a white ramekin was simple, rich and executed quite well. The other two chocolate desserts unfortunately are not worth mentioning.

Overall our whole crew enjoyed our time at 33rd Street Bistro. There was good food and wine, some really good laughs, and we even got to see B-Fong almost hook up with our server. Almost being the operative word. But that's another story for another time. The Bistro had cleared out and we were the only ones left. My dining compadres and I were stuffed, happy, and alas... ready for the weekend.