Plan B Restaurant — Restaurant in Rancho Cordova

First the good:

Food was excellent. Our party selected a variety of appetizers that included calimari and fennel-leek tarte. Calimari nice and crispy, not overdone and its accompanying understated dipping sauce was a nice compliment. The fennel-leek tarte was tasty too, but leeks could have been a bit more carmelized. Entrees included Leg of Lamb and Porterhouse Steak that were seasoned and cooked to perfection. Their accompaniments were nicely seasoned, but could have been a tad warmer. Dessert was a warm Tarte Tatin w/Caramel sauce accompanied by vanilla gelato and was outrageously tasty. The food rated at least 4 stars.

Second, the not-so-good:

The service was a disappontment, and the reason for the overall 3-star rating. When served, the servers were pleasant. But service was very inconsistent throughout the meal.

First of all, the reservation was made at least 2 weeks in advance. However, when we arrived we were shown a table near the door on what was a chilly, damp night. Given there were at least 4 other empty tables, we inquired if there was a table available further from the door. We were accommodated. As we were seated, water was promptly poured, menus brought, and an inquiry made re: drink orders.

After that, we waited at least 15 minutes before anyone returned to take our orders, all while waitstaff chatted with one another and cleared tables. Finally, someone came and we ordered the appetizers, salads, and entrees all at the same time, believing they would be brought one course at a time. Instead, our appetizers were brought, then less than 5 minutes later our salads were brought, and just a few minutes later, our entrees arrived. The courses were too jammed together to allow sufficient time to savor the flavors each course. Once finished, we waited another 10+ minutes for our dishes to be cleared

Once cleared, asked if we'd like dessert, and said yes. At least another 15+ minutes went by before the waitstaff came to take the order. The restaurant wasn't even half full at that time. One person in our party was celebrating her birthday. However, when her dessert arrived, there was no candle to blow out, even though it it Plan B's practice to do so.

Once given the tab, (for fear of it being another 20 minutes before they came to collect our card), made sure the card was very visible, so the tab could be promptly processed.

We really don't understand why a nicer restaurant like Plan B with such good food doesn't have the basic fundamentals of attentive service mastered. We realize the pandemic has been unsettling, but thought enough of the "kinks" would be ironed out by now. Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps down the road we will consider giving them...

As long as you can get past the price, the food is excellent all around. We had prawn stix, chicken, ratatouille, mussels, and fries. I am price sensitive and this is a "special occasion" place for me. I would not get the prawn stix again: they were very tasty but $7.50 for 2 bacon-wrapped prawns. The chicken was amazingly moist and flavorful; my wife said it was the best-tasting chicken she has ever had in her life. The ratatouille was also exceptional. The provencale mussels were very tasty and perfectly cooked (not overcooked or tough). Even the fries were flavorful and a little extra special. There were a good number of mussels (20?), but I wouldn't get them again, simply because they didn't nearly fill me up (which I expected, but I wanted to try them). If I went back, I would get any of the entrees with the potatoes and ratatouille on the side. I appreciated that they provided french bread for free. One thing I didn't like is that their dessert menu had no prices listed, but we weren't in the mood anyway. The ambiance in the restaurant is nice and romantic. My wife said that it reminded her of places in San Francisco. It certainly is a stark contrast to the strip mall just outside the door. We came here on a Tuesday night and we didn't need reservations, as there were only a few groups during our visit. Another reviewer mentioned the service being very slow... I thought that might be intentional as it is French cuisine, but the service wasn't that slow for us (hardly anyone in the restaurant though). Overall, this is a hidden gem: we go to Danielle's all the time, but he didn't even know this restaurant existed until I found it online. We will...

We had my lovely wife Christmas party here last night with Luca amazing staff. We arrived early to help set up and the staff was friendly and helpful. You could really see they enjoyed doing what they do. We had about 60 something guests and the space was perfect. Luca was nice enough to close the restaurant for our party. We noticed all night long "regulars" coming to the door, and Luca spent time talking with each one. I would come back here again just for the service. But, we had food also. Appetizers were salmon skewers and bacon wrapped prawns, to over simplify it. Truly wonderful, I could of just had those for dinner. Each and every course was better than the last, and everything paired well together. Truly a nice find. The bartender was even working on her birthday and she truly made us all feel very welcome. Luca has assembled an amazing team from top to bottom and I say a...