Canon — Restaurant in Sacramento

I haven't written a review in a while, but my experience at Canon made me dust off my keyboard because I was incredibly disappointed. The only reason you got two stars was because of your chocolate cake and my weakness is chocolate (but we'll get to that part later).

Ambience: It was nice. I liked the large patio in front of the restaurant, the large pane glass doors to give the restaurant that open air feeling. Inside, it's not that big, but the setup did well to maximize seating without seeming overcrowded. Their kitchen is open so you can see it from almost every seat in the restaurant, really giving that avant garde yet totally hipster vibe. The downside, it was really loud, without a lot of furniture or walls, voices and noises carry throughout the room, therefore, I would not recommend going here if you want to actually hear your date.

Food: -Charcuterie: Grilled bread, pate de campagne, smoked pork belly, carmelized scallions (or an attempt at carmelized scallions because they weren't browned, just softened), and mustard seeds. I do love a good charcuterie platter, but this one lacked dimension and variety. It had fat on fat on fat. The mustard was a nice try to cut through the fattiness of the pork belly, pate, and overly oiled bread, but it wasn't enough. This dish needed something more to lighten up the platter or something fresh to add balance. Also, the pate was stuffed inside these clear ramekins and then left uncovered in the fridge. I could tell because the top portion exposed to air was harder in texture and dried. Almost looked like a can of dog food.

-Halibut Crudo: Watermelon, tomato leche de tigre, avocado, and jalapeno. This one wasn't bad. I liked the watermelon and halibut with grilled avocado. The watermelon juice mixed with citrus notes sitting in the bottom of the bowl was light and offered something to wash down the fatty charcuterie with. But, just because it wasn't bad, doesn't mean it was one of the better crudo's I've ever had (it wasn't).

-Chicken Drumsticks: Urfa chile sauce, orange, dried garlic, and greek yogurt. My girlfriend liked this dish the best out of all the shareable plates. The meat was tender, fell right off the bone, had a nice kick from the urfa chile sauce and the Greek yogurt helped cut the heat from the spice. My only complaint is that I wish the Greek yogurt had more flavor to it. More dried garlic. More orange. Basically, more of anything.

-BBQ Beef: Bone Marrow, potato skins, and bread and butter pickles. So, when you see this dish on the menu, you think you're going to be getting some bbq beef bone marrow, potato skins, and pickles. If this dish were a magic act, it would be called "The Disappearing Bone Marrow" because I couldn't find any in this dish at all! What I got was a hallowed out bone, mashed potatoes, shredded bbq beef, two quarter-sized potato skin chips that were a bit floppy, and a pickle. The pickle was good though.

-Chocolate Almond Cake: This was the best thing from the entire night and the only redeeming element of my dinner (of course my girlfriend was really the best thing, but this dessert was a close second). Rich chocolate, not overly sweet, with a great almond flavor, it filled my heart with chocolatey happiness. If the rest of their menu was as good as this dessert, they wouldn't have any problems becoming one of Sac's newest hot spots.

Service: I'll chalk this one up to soft opening jitters, but their wait staff really need to understand the food if they are going to be serving it. If we ask the waiter about a dish or what they recommend, please say more than just "its good". If you want to have a great waiter or waitress work for you, hire a foodie. Foodies know how to sell food because we love to eat well. If you have a waiter that doesn't appreciate food, then it rubs off onto your customers, because that's what happened to us.

Honestly, there are so many great restaurants in Sacramento. Mulvaney's, The Waterboy, Luca's, Ella's...the list goes on. Canon,...

I would not return here if you paid me. Wait, I was offered a $100 gift certificate as compensation for ruining my birthday and I refused to use it and settled my issue with my credit card company.

Let me provide details. At 5:20 pm there were a total of 6 people there and waiting on one more person whose estimated time of arrive was 5:35 pm. The server asked if we could start the food because that’s what is what the kitchen wanted do even though I said I wanted to wait for my friend, but we went ahead anyway. The fact that we finished around 7:00 pm makes me question this in retrospect more. The meal and drinks came out with no issues. Around 6:40 pm we asked that the cake be brought out because some friends had to catch a flight. We probably should have told the server earlier about this change. They left around 7 pm. About half the party left, and there were four of us chatting. They pulled the other large table around 7:10 pm and then pulled the rest of the dishes and utensils at 7:20 pm. I was going by that we had the table until 8:00 pm. Reading this sound pretty standard for a dinner. It is hard to describe exactly how we felt rushed. Maybe the way they aggressively pull the plates and utensil and the generally business-like (as opposed to friendly) service. I have been to Canon 12 to 15 times and have had two other private events there and that was the reason I decided to have our birthday celebration there. The food was good, but the feeling of being rushed was unpleasant. Also, it was not just me that felt this way. In contemplating the second query, our dining escapade unfolded with a rather peculiar tempo – one that left us with a lingering sense of haste, urging us to conclude our repast promptly. Allow me to illuminate the particulars of this culinary chronicle. The clock hands pointed to 5:20 pm when a mere half-dozen patrons adorned the venue, with the anticipation of a seventh companion set to grace us with their presence at approximately 5:35 pm. Despite my expressed desire to linger until the tardy arrival of my friend, the server, seemingly influenced by the culinary brigade's cadence, implored us to commence our gastronomic journey. Succumbing to this gentle persuasion, we acquiesced, only to retrospectively ponder the expeditious nature of our dining sojourn, culminating at the relatively premature hour of 7:00 pm.

The comestibles and libations materialized seamlessly, sans any notable hiccups. However, the tempo shifted come 6:40 pm, as we implored for the prompt presentation of the celebratory confection, owing to the impending departure of some friends embarking on an airborne adventure. Perhaps a tad tardy in communicating this modification to our server, the airborne-bound comrades departed at the stroke of 7 pm. A portion of our party bid adieu, leaving a quartet engaged in animated conversation. Unbeknownst to us, the orchestration of our evening took an unforeseen turn at 7:10 pm, as the secondary table was ushered away, followed by the abrupt retrieval of our dinnerware and utensils at 7:20 pm – a timeline at odds with my understanding that our table reservation extended until 8:00 pm.

Assessing this narrative in retrospect, it paints a canvas that, on the surface, mirrors the conventional tapestry of a dinner gathering. However, encapsulating the essence of our experience proves to be elusive; a feeling of hastiness pervaded, stemming, perhaps, from the assertive retrieval of plates and utensils, coupled with an ambiance of transactional efficiency rather than conviviality. My choice to celebrate our birthday at Canon, influenced by a history of 12 to 15 prior visits and two prior private engagements, was rooted in the delectable offerings it consistently provided. Alas, the savory delights were momentarily overshadowed by the disconcerting sense of urgency, a sentiment not singular to my...

My husband and I tried Canon last night based on a recommendation he received. We were celebrating my birthday quite belatedly. This was a Wednesday at 6:30, and parking was extremely difficult. We met there and, after circling 34th Street five times, I eventually parked in the "no-parking-allowed" Muzio's lot as other cars had done so.

Canon's decor is attractive and tastefully done. However, when designing the place, no thought was apparently given to insulation and soundproofing. At our table for two, we practically had to shout throughout our meal to have any conversation, very reminiscent of 33rd Street Bistro down the block. We remarked that if we were to return to Canon, only the outdoor seating would be acceptable, which appeared pleasant and cheerful although quite limited.

Now to the menu. We are quite accustomed to eating in fine dining establishments with unusual menus. On the other hand, if it is trendy to now have only four entrees on said menu, gee, maybe I'm not trendy enough? I expect my high-end eatery to have more entrees than appetizers. Call me crazy! There were an abundance of appetizers on Canon's menu, each more unusual than the last! Yet only four entrees??

We ordered the small plate of St. Louis ribs as an appetizer. They were quite scrumptious and fell off the bone, but would it have been too much to have been served FOUR instead of the odd THREE?! How do two people share three ribs? Answer: They don't. One person settles for a mere one rib. Does this seem logical? It doesn't to me, and for $14--as most of the appetizers were priced--I think they could have served one additional rib.

The four entrees are not inexpensive. We WERE told they are intended to be shared by two. In fact, my whole beer-can chicken, cut up into pieces, was indeed a huge portion, and I took over half of it home. My husband ordered the braised lamb seasoned with unusual spices. Though not nearly as large as my portion, he did ask to take about one-third home and pronounced it excellent. Do note that, for the most part, the entrees are not served with any vegetables. My chicken plate was devoid of extras. Ordering such would incur additional charges. My chicken was good but hardly exceptional. There was absolutely zero beer taste. For the record, my chicken sans vegetables was $34.

My husband ordered a highly unusual cocktail from Canon's esoteric list. I ordered a Spanish rosé which was fair. Each drink was about $16. The best part of the meal may have been dessert. I chose the chocolate almond cake for us to share. We were served a large, gorgeous slice with creamy filling and luscious frosting, but neither of us could detect any meaningful almond flavor. Still, it was delicious and rich.

Our overall impression is as follows: We found Canon to be overpriced, the food to be just fair, and the noise level intolerable. With all the truly wonderful restaurants we now have in Sacramento, we just can't justify returning to this...