Poppy by Mama Kim — Restaurant in Sacramento

When my husband and I finished our meal, we said to eachother, "this was the best way to end a long week".

Let me take you back to 1.5 hours earlier when we walked into Poppy.

We hustled over at 7 because they close at 8. Well, I was impressed that unlike many restaurants, the staff here were super friendly and greeted hungry guests without any attitude, even if they walked in 15 mins before close and let them stay to enjoy their meal.

They were pretty busy but our waitress let us know to have a seat where we would like and she would bring us menus and help answer any questions we may have. We sat down and 2 minutes later she came by with menus.

I mean, everything looked scrumptious! I honestly was having a hard time deciding what I wanted to order. But we finally settled on their Cambazola salad, fried green tomatoes, lamb sliders, and vegetarian lasagne. Don't even get me started on dessert. I seriously considered ordering one of everything on the menu. I ultimately ordered 3-don't judge!

Please see my photos of our food. That's cool. I'll wait.

Welcome back! Are you hungry now??!

First, that salad. It's like a flavor explosion with all the components of a fancy cheese board, but beautifully served and perfectly balanced. Figs, prosciutto, arugula, creamy cambazola, candied walnuts and the freaking best wine poached pear I have ever had!! That accompanied with a couple of pieces of focaccia and life was complete. The fried green tomatoes were fantastic. Super crunchy, not soggy with a savory cornmeal crust. The lamb sliders were juicy and the sweet potato chips were phenomenal. My lasagne? I'd eat an entire pan of it. The noodles were thin, but provided that nice soft chew on a lasagne, the cheeses were perfectly proportioned to the spinach and eggplant. Nicely browned on top with a great sauce that made it dangerously easy to eat.

The service? Great. Super friendly, efficient and just nice! I know they were working hard because they were busy and like so many other places understaffed.

A lot of neighborhood residents came in the say hi, grab a menu or grab a quick bit to go if they weren't already sitting having dinner. That tells me a lot about this neighborhood gem. I'm jealous (and grateful) that I don't live in Sutter Park. I would be here EVERY DAY.

The decor is modern but not pretentious and they have a nice outdoor area with cheerful orange umbrellas.

It's street parking and we were easily able to park in front.

As much as I hate to give away the secret of this great restaurant, I also want them to be around for many many years. So please go and stop by, support them. Order pick up, come for dessert.

Personally, my next stop will be brunch and another...

Wowza!! This was the best meal I have had in a long time. The beet salad with persimmon and oranges with goat cheese and candied pistachios was so incredible! It looked like a work of art. I had the grilled salmon with pascilla remoulade. I think it was the best salmon I have ever had!! It had a spicy sauce on it but it was a mild chilli. It came with two sides and I had the broccolini and coleslaw and both were delicious. There bread is also super yummy. I had the focaccia and it came with an oil dip.

The menu changes frequently it seems so you might see something different. They also have daily specials on their website and on their board inside. We sat outside on their cute patio! Bring a jacket in the winter months. They also have limited seating indoors. Also be sure to check out their baked goods at the counter inside. The chocolate cherry biscotti is out of this world good! Only complaint was that the meal took close to two hours. I think they are currently short staffed so I think this may be improving soon. Sorry no pics! It was dark and I was too busy enjoying this amazing meal....

The service isn’t great. I stood by the door while the only server talked at a table. Then she asked me to sit in a chair to wait for a table. There were three empty tables, but two of them needed to be cleared and one wasn’t set. She then gave me menus to look at, which was nice, but then she came by and gave me a glass of water. All of this while not clearing or setting the tables. It’s kinda awkward to sit in a chair and hold two menus and a water. She finally set the cleared table and sat me.

I ordered the lamb sliders with salad and a sangria. The salad was delicious and I was looking forward to the sliders. They were good, but I guess I expected more. The sangria was decent.

I waited, ordered, ate and still the table next to me was not cleared. In my opinion, the waitress spent way too much time chatting and not enough time clearing and serving.

I want to give them another shot, but I’m torn on if...