Grange Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Sacramento

Popped in here on a random Wednesday night while cruising the streets for a spot to eat. The atmosphere was so nice that i had to ask if they had a dress code before getting a table; luckily for us, they did not.

We were quickly seated by the friendly front staff and our waiter Tim got us started with a round of drinks while we scanned the menu. When the (immaculately crafted) cocktails came out, they brought out a tiny roll-sexed loaf of freshly-baked bread with butter, a delicious starter to whet the appetite.

After getting our courses ordered with Tim's expert recommendations, I settled in to scan the environment. The restaurant felt like it was flawlessly balanced; warm wood and rustic tones with soft lighting, the music set at just the right level to enable lively chatter without people having to yell over it, and a surprisingly quiet open kitchen in the rear. On the way to wash up in the restroom, I almost got lost after getting distracted by the stunning lobby of the Citizen Hotel that Grange is attached to.

Shortly after I got back to the table, the first course arrived: Soy-braised pork belly over congee. The pork belly was fork-tender and amazing, and the delicately fried and toasted aromatics added a perfectly balanced element of flavor, but what really floored us was the congee; It was soothingly delicious, and so flavorful I could have had nothing but a bowl of that for dinner and left satisfied.

After the course, they brought some more of the tiny bread, which served as a nice palate cleanser. The small size was a genius move; it's the perfect size for a satisfactory snack between courses without filling up.

After a short time of sipping on a fresh round of delicious cocktails, the main course arrived. We ordered the Niman Ranch New York Strip and the Braised Short-Rib over Gratin. The steak was great, and it was perfectly cooked to rare (although I should have ordered med-rare - I've got a Pavlovian reaction to restaurants overshooting their steak temps). But as with the first course, the real star of the show was in the accompaniments; the root vegetable hash and bordelaise sauce under the steak were amazing, and the gratin under the short ribs was jaw-dropping. Grange works absolute magic with the normally muted staples that hold up a dish.

After clearing our plates, we chatted with our waiter Tim over a scoop of blood-orange sorbet. It turns out he had been with Grange since they opened 17 years ago, and was due to retire this year. It takes a special kind of restaurant to keep someone this long, and Tim let us in on the secret; Grange takes care of it's own. Grange provided him with the benefits and pay required to maintain a long and happy career in service. This is a rarity in the restaurant world, and any restaurant that cares for their workers to this extend has my utmost respect.

My final verdict is this; Grange is a hallmark anchor of Sacramento's upper-end dining scene, and along with Ella, helped pave the way for Sacramento to become the great food city that it's maturing into today. If you want to have a flawlessly-crafted restaurant experience where everything is done just right, don't be...

4/6/2019

Wow, where do I start? My wife and I have been going to Grange since our very first wedding anniversary six years ago. Even though the food is excellent, the ambiance spot on, it is the service more than anything that keeps us coming back. Tim our server this year continued the legacy of expert service. Attentive but not invasive, knowledgable but not arrogant, and pleasant to chat with. But the service does not end with Tim. I left a note in the open table app that simply said we were celebrating our sixth anniversary in a row at their establishment and were looking forward to our reservation. Front of the house staff obviously take their hospitality seriously because when Tim first arrived table side it was to offer us two glasses of champagne courtesy of management. We were also so appreciative the manager on duty came by the table to thank us for celebrating with them year after year.

The kitchen was firing on all cylinders because they were delivering hit after delicious hit all night long. The ahi appetizer had all the right traditional notes but was crowned with unbelievably buttery uni that took the dish to the next level. Flawlessly executed soft boiled eggs made the asparagus salad downright divine. The plating for the New York was perfection with those cubed confit Yukons supporting a perfectly executed cut of medium rare heaven. With a little bit of the velvety Casa Piena cab still in our glasses we decided to go with the S'mores dessert pairing. The deconstructed S'more was served so elegantly that it was almost unrecognizable as its campfire counterpart. Our sincerest compliments Chef!

We always have high expectations of Grange but to execute like they do, as individuals, and as a team, year after year is just remarkable. That kind of consistency, at that level of cuisine just isn't something you find everyday, and it's for that reason the night always ends with "see you next year".

'Till next year, Ammon &...

This restaurant was so much better than what I was expecting in every single way. I expected some good food and nice service. But what we got was incredible food with exceptional service!

First off, I always feel bad when we go to a place and have a time constraint because we're going to a show, which was the case here (note, it's a 10 minute walk to Sacramento Memorial Auditorium and slightly less to SAFE Credit Union...convenient). As such, we make earlier reservations and mention it so that they are aware. Our reservation was for 530p (we arrived 10 minutes early and were seated immediately) and our show started at 7pm. So we wanted to be out no later than 645p.

All that said, my wife and I ordered five appetizer dishes, split a main, and had two desserts and we got out in time. The server was very conscientious of our time and managed everything as a four course meal. We didn't feel rushed at all.

Our appetizers were the curried lobster bisque (one each), chicory salad, ahi tuna tartare, and pork cheeks with beets. Every one was extremely delicious, aromatic and beautiful. But I'll say that I would make a special trip to Grange just for that soup and pork cheek dish. I wish I took pictures to share, but sometimes you just want to eat! These were served as two courses, which kept our table tidier, and we appreciated that.

The main we split was the ricotta ravioli with a pork sugo and a few calabrian chiles. Wow. So rich and delicious and those chiles really cut through the richness to offer a rewarding mouthful of food!

For dessert we had the banana cake and the sticky toffee pudding. Those were delicious, but I'll say the savories outshone the desserts...at least for us. We did rush through our dessert a bit though.

All of this was done in a very tastefully designed restaurant and with truly...