Sacramento is home to a number of talented, innovative chefs whose menus are a flavorful celebration of our region’s agricultural bounty. Some of the most dazzling and sophisticated farm-to-fork cuisine in the city can be found at The Firehouse in Old Sacramento, where chef Deneb Williams is plating up an enticing array of seasonally inspired dishes. I recently had a meal at The Firehouse that knocked my socks off, and made me wish (despite the extravagantly steep prices at this iconic restaurant) that I could visit on a monthly basis.
The evening included Williams’ fabulous and playful pork cheek “Benedict,” embellished with Bourbon-bacon jam and Béarnaise sauce; a beautiful Port-poached pear salad with candied hazelnuts; and fork-tender, pancetta-wrapped sea scallops with an earthy, textural smoked farro salad. Our evening ended sweetly with the kitchen’s impressive, poufy Grand Marnier soufflé, drenched (tableside) with raspberry coulis and Grand Marnier anglaise; and the stunning Gianduja mousse bombe, served with raspberry zinfandel sorbet and a cocoa nib crème fraîche.
