California Vegetarian

Tazzina is a gem tucked away in Woodland, just outside Sacramento. It’s about a five-minute drive into downtown from Highway 113 or I-5, and it is well worth it. The food is excellent, and the atmosphere is cozy and yet sophisticated without being pretentious. In fact, this last time George and I ate at Tazzina, I told him that aside from the jazz that was playing at that moment as background music, Tazzina Bistro is what I would want my restaurant to feel like if I ever had one of my own.

A side note on the jazz: I mean no offense to readers who love Jazz. It was just a skosh too loud when we sat down. The really nice thing was that without us having to say anything, Jeremy, our server, noticed, asked us what we thought, and then turned it down. It was just one small example of the wonderful service that he rendered that evening and that we have come to expect from Tazzina.

Tazzina is not a vegetarian restaurant, but it is vegetarian friendly. Normally, there are about three vegetarian entrée options on the menu. Since Tazzina changes its menu seasonally, these change with it. As it turns out, according to Jeremy, the summer menu had sported about a half-dozen vegetarian entrée options, but the fall menu, which is what we were looking at, only had one. It was their housemade ricotta gnocchi with brown butter, sage, dried cherries, Brussels sprouts and parmesan ($17.95), and it was simply to die for. But I am getting ahead of myself.

We started our meal by ordering a lovely Russian Hill syrah. It was practically perfect! And it paired perfectly! We chose their “Ellen’s Block” syrah, which, according to the bottle was harvested from a 1.5 acre block personally tended by the owner Ellen Mack. I’m not sure how much love she put into the tending, but it tasted like there was a lot. On their website, the makers describe the wine as “A lush wine with a rich milieu of flavors and an appealing, silky texture.  On the nose you are greeted with aromas of blueberry, orange zest and spice.  On the palate these flavors are further enhanced with those of cloves and vanilla. The wine is big, both in structure and flavor, and has a nice long finish.” And I honestly have to say that I couldn’t disagree. This wine was superb.

For our first course we shared a wild mushroom pâté with white truffle oil and toasted hazelnuts served with crostini ($9.95). The mushroom lover will adore this dish, but I have to admit that it was a bit strong for us. I do not think this is the fault of the chef, but the taste of our palates. The first couple bites were very good, but the amount offered was so large that instead of making me appreciate it, as I initially thought I would given the ‘bang for buck’ mentality that I frequently employ, I was quickly overwhelmed. In the end, we boxed half the pâté to take home.

We each chose the house gnocchi as our entrées. It was simply divine. The gnocchi were perfectly cooked, as were the Brussels sprouts. The cherries’ tang was a wonderful balance to the earthiness of the sage and the sprouts. The richness and depth of the cheese and the butter was expertly lightened by the texture of the pasta. Clearly, there was no palate-miss with this dish. I would happily return to Tazzina to find it the only vegetarian option again.

For dessert, George chose Tazzina’s Nuttela Parfait ($7). Nutella mousse with dark rum, whipped cream & Hazelnut Florentine. The bite George shared with me reminded me of the line in the Shrek movies about how parfaits are the perfect dessert. George and I love Nuttela. We have it at home frequently as a dessert burrito, by which I mean that I spread it on a warm flour tortilla, fold it, and enjoy. So, our expectations for Nutella-based desserta are very high. This one did not disappoint! I’d like to add another side note about our server, Jeremy and vegetarian options. Because the cheap/quick-fix way to make mousse includes gelatin, I always make sure to ask when we see a mousse on a menu. Again, Jeremy was thoughtful and thorough in confirming with the kitchen for us what would qualify as vegetarian.

I love a good bread pudding, savory or sweet. So, I chose Tazzina’s churro bread pudding ($6.50) for dessert. They served it with warm caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. It was very yummy!

In the end, the food for two minus the cost of alcohol was under $70. Not cheap, but a good deal for the quality. I would recommend reservations for Tazzina especially for the weekends, and with that, I would also recommend that you review the menu to see what vegetarian options are available for the season that you are looking at. But, if you find yourself passing through Woodland on I-5 at about dinner time, Tazzina is more than worth the detour for some excellent vegetarian food, and the omnivores in your party will certainly be just as happy.