Dine Downtown Restaurant Week 2020
Who else was as excited as I was for the 15th Annual Dine Downtown Restaurant Week?! For 11 days (January 10-20, 2020), Downtown restaurants will offer a special 3-course dining experience for $40* with one dollar from every meal donated to social services and food literacy programs.
Last year I shared with you a preview of three of the participating restaurants. They’re back again too. You can check it out here.
This year I was invited back to the Dine Downtown Preview and we previewed menus from Rio City Café & Camden Split Ladder.
Photo courtesy of @riocitycafe
Rio City Café
My family and I have been to Rio City Café several times for brunch. They’re located right on the water in Old Sacramento, and I highly recommend sitting outside with a view of the Sacramento River.
*And order the crab cake Benedict.
This year’s menu included:
My favorites were the Grilled Atlantic Salmon and Maple-Bourbon Bistro Steak.
Camden Spit & Larder
Our second stop this year was Camden Spit & Larder. I attended an event here awhile back which included sampling’s of their delicious appetizers. I’ve been wanting to go back ever since so I was excited to try this menu.
The Scotch Egg is a must! And honestly I loved both of their entree options so you can’t go wrong with either one.
Foodies at work.
Thank you @downtownsac , @camdenspitandlarder, @riocitycafe, @foodliteracycenter, and all the other sponsors!
Station 16
To kick off Dine Downtown Friday night, some girlfriends and I had dinner at Station 16. I did not order the full 3-course meal because let’s be honest, I was there for the drinks lol! But I did order their Blackened Salmon which is included on their pre-fixed menu. It comes with garlic rice, but I suggest substituting the garlic noodles! Thinking about it now, ordering the pre-fixed meal would be perfect to share with friends and still have the drinks!! Check out their menu below:
Did you know Station 16 has an extensive custom cocktail menu?! You can check some of them out from their 2019 Cocktail Showcase I attended last year.
Next up…Date Night at Aioli Bodega Espanola.
I’ve been wanting to try Aioli for years now, but I always thought it was too nice to bring my kids. So when my mom volunteered to babysit during the last weekend of Restaurant Week, I said that’s where we’re going! Once again I decided to order off their regular menu rather than the pre-fixed meal. Why? Paella is why! If there’s paella on a menu I have to order it. The couple next to us (actually the couples on both sides of us) ordered from their Dine Downtown menu which had me questioning my decision the entire time, but the paella was worth it.
The Food
Along with a pitcher of their house-made sangria, we ordered a couple of tapas and the salad. My handsome date Donnie ordered their steak which is not pictured because he went in before I had the chance to take one.
Patatas Bravas
Gambas De La Parilla
Arugula Y Betabel
Paella Mariscos
The Aioli was even better than I was expecting. Our server was great, and she was well-versed on everything the had on the menu. There was live music from a solo acoustic guitarist, and the ambiance had me temporarily transported to Spain. Even better, Donnie loved everything! I was so elated about that because he’s so picky but he really enjoyed his meal which means we can go back lol!
Dine Downtown Sacramento is also donating $1 from every meal to social service and Food Literacy programs. Last year they raised over $15,000! I’ve volunteered with the Food Literacy program several times, and they have an amazing program that gets kids from lower income schools learning, eating, and cooking more vegetables! You can learn more about their program here, where you can donate and ways you can volunteer.
The Wrap Up
So I guess you can say, I’ve been eating good in the neighborhood these past two weeks. Although Dine Downtown is over, it’s never too late to enjoy the variety of delicious eats Downtown Sacramento has to offer! Also note, a lot of the dishes included in most of the participating restaurants’ menus are available on their regular menus as well. So where are you going next? Where do you recommend I try next?
Are you following @downtownsac for everything you need to know about events, eats, and events? Can’t decide which restaurant to try? They feature stories daily about everything going on around the city. Tag @downtownsac to be featured! Also if you follow hashtag #DineDowntownSac on Instagram you can see what everyone’s been eating!