Il Fornaio

When I think of Il Fornaio, I think of a restaurant to host celebrate a birthday or special occasion. Il Fornaio is located just down the street from the California State Capitol Building and occupies a beautiful space that is elegant and refined. Both the area outside as well as the dining room inside are beautiful.

I decided to visit Il Fornaio on Mother’s Day - a very busy day for dinner services at just about any restaurant. I had made a reservation online so getting a table was no issue at all. My family came to the restaurant and were seated quickly as we had arrived at our arranged time. The whole reservation process made everything smooth and easy, and the hostess at the front was very friendly.

We were seated and given menus to look at. I found service to be good on this visit. It was certainly busy because of the Mother’s Day, but not so slow that we felt that we were ignored. I’m sure service is quicker on standard evenings, but given Mother’s Day, I didn’t have any complaints. The staff was quite good and professional.

The food on the menu is Italian and features pastas, pizzas, salads, soups, and other courses. The menu is large and there is a lot to choose from.

For starters we had the calamari. This appetizer came on a raised tray with a red dipping sauce and lemon for squeezing. It was an excellent starter dish that we all enjoyed. The calamari came out crisp and were fun to eat.

For my main course I had the sausage over polenta. This dish sounded great on the hot Sacramento evening we visited Il Fornaio. I also happen to really love polenta, and not many restaurants have it on the menu. The sausage was flavorful and combined with the mild polenta, the dish achieved a very nice balance of taste.

I’d say the dining experience at Il Fornaio gives off a higher-end, fancy restaurant feel… but it doesn’t have a huge price tag associated with it. Il Fornaio fits in the high-mid price range and is a good value for the dining experience.

Il Fornaio is not just a Sacramento restaurant, there are Il Fornaio restaurants scattered around California, so you may see one when you visit other cities. It’s an impressive restaurant chain with quality food offerings.

Website: www.ilfornaio.com

Address: 400 Capitol Mall, Sacramento, Ca 95814

Rating: A -

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