55 Degrees, 99 Degrees, and Mistaken Prostitution (55 Degrees - Sacramento, CA)

NOTE: This restaurant has closed it's doors. Still, funny as hell.

I had post-poned getting together with Kim and her hubby twice at this point for various reasons, so this time I was determined to not miss this dinner date. Even if I was drugged up to high heaven in order to attend. Luckily even though I was sick, my taste buds had not been affected, so eating out was still an option. Kinda.

We had decided to meet up at 55 Degrees, one of the more contemporary restaurant that can be found on Capitol. It's steel and glass aquarium desgin create a chic, elite, sterile feel, where only the hippest cats come to dine. Of course, the three of us were out of place... we're way more awesome than that, but we decided to grace it with our divine presence anyways.

Well, maybe my divinity isn't all that apparent. Funny story on the side - I got there about 20 minutes early, so I paced around outside Capitol Street. Eventually I leaned on dimly lit lightpost and checked my test messages. At this point I made eye contact with a car idling a little bit aways. The car then drove up, rolled down the window and a doughy middle aged man began to question, "How muc-" At this point my face contorted into I can only imagine what as I stated in a total dead tone, "I am not a hooker." His face went pale and the car screeched off.

Great. First my mom thinks I'm a homeless guy at the airport cause of my dingy coat, and now this. Kim can confer I did not look like a prostitute and we attributed it to the pacing, leaning on the lampost and the dim light it gave off. She thought the whole damn thing was hilarious, and in retrospect, it is.

ANYWAYS, Kim and I were quickly seated and a lovely set table. Looking outside the large glass structure give you a feeling like you're eating at the top of a sky scraper, that's on the ground floor. I know it's hard to explain but that's the only way we could; it's just spacious, like you can see everyone.

We started with a phenomenal cheese platter. A semi-hard cheese, a soft goat cheese, and a bitey little blue cheese were served along with a few dates, some honeycomb, and some fresh (and warm!) crusty bread. Let me tell you that the whole thing was spectacular, each cheese was like a piece of music evoking ohh's and aah's from our table. The blue cheese paired with the honeycomb was especially arousing.

Kim had a throughly creamy risotto, that just melted in your mouth. Made with mascarpone, truffle oil, and wild mushrooms, this was just heaven on earth. If I could go back, I would have ordered the same.

The reason for that is I ordered the Thai mussels. Now given, the mussels were excellent quality, they tasted fresh and had the aroma of the ocean. They had been cooked with coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, and curry, but the problem for me was that this thai taste was just too slight. I wanted it a bit stronger. Given though they give you no short supply of mussels. I could have fed three people with this plate. And I did.

After attending, it's obvious as to why 55 seems to be garnering so much attention, Chef Luc Dendievel knows what he's doing and his experience in New York shines through. If you have a date or relatives to wow, or want to really take in a elite Sacramento experience, head over to Restaurant 55 Desgrees.

Restaurant 55 Degrees
555 Capitol Ave.
Sacramento
(916) 553-4100