1530 16th St, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 441-2601

Saturday night while hustling over to Nishiki to meet some friends, I noticed a convergence of folk across the street at the now defunct Fuel location. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a pale pink sign sporting the words "Mochii" (with two i's) and in smaller letters, "yogurt" on the corner of 16th and P. My inner hapa perked up at the thought of a Japanese dessert shop and I made a mental note to get the details later on as I was tardy as it was. After a filling dinner, the group of us meandered across the street to investigate. Turns out "Mochii," was having a soft opening. The owner was very welcoming and nice enough to fill us in on the pertinent details (the official grand opening would be in a week) and gave us small glasses of celebratory champagne along with samples of mochi with yogurt. For those who have never had it, mochi is basically a Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice that's pulverized into a paste and then decoratively colored and shaped. Sometimes wagashi (Japanese confections that indulge all five of the senses - appearance/taste/texture/scent and sound) are filled with ingredients such as an azuki bean paste, fruit or a jelly. Trust me, it tastes a lot better than it sounds.

During our visit, we were offered two types of plain mochi, pink (strawberry) and orange. Both flavors were soft and fresh tasting with just the right amount of chewiness. Since I opted to skip the frozen yogurt (damn lactose intolerance), they were nice enough to give me a big cup of just mochi cubes! Yum! My friends tried both complimentary products and remarked that the frozen yogurt tasted like...well, yogurt...good but nothing remarkable. It also appears that the shop will be offering fresh fruit toppings (purchased from the local Fremont Park farmer's market ... yay, for using local producers!).

The interior was tastefully decorated in soft hues and there was seating both indoors and out. The place is on the small side and I can see crowding being an issue, but it seems like it would be a perfect place to duck into to grab a dessert to nibble on while taking an after dinner stroll through Midtown.

Hopefully, Mochii fares better than its previous predecessor. The location should get some of the foot traffic generated from the Fremont Building eateries, as well as the locals in the grid out wandering about in the balmy weather. It's main hurdle will be whether Sacramentans will be receptive to this new (to Sacramento anyhow) concept.

Seikou wo inorimasu, Mochii! (I wish you success, Mochii)

2381 Fair Oaks Blvd,Sacramento, CA 95825,(916) 489-2000

My friend J. and I for years indulged in girls night out dinners where we went all out-- a bottle of wine, apps, main courses and of course desserts accompanied by a strong cup of coffee. For awhile these gluttonous feasts took a back seat to a hectic work schedule (me) and back-to-back pregnancies (for her). This Tuesday, we decided to resurrect our dinner night and chose to venture out to Roxy, the sister restaurant to downtown's hip Lucca.

Although located outside of the grid, in a strip mall, Roxy is still able to encompass the trendy, smooth atmosphere akin to the various chic eateries popping up around the downtown and midtown dining scene. The exterior is very non-descript...the inside, however, sports a cross between minimalist decor (subdued color scheme, clean lines) and well...Bonanza. There are large windows in the front allowing natural light to illuminate the dining area, comfortable seating, cowgirl art and a sparkling chandelier all harmoniously intermingled together.

My dining companion and I opted to start with drinks in the bar. Corey, the bartender, did an excellent job with my extra dirty Kettle One martini. I like my martinis salty enough to rival the Dead Sea and my first one was. Although we had thought ahead to make reservations for the dining room, we decided to forgo our table and have dinner at a deuce in the bar. The hostess was accommodating and provided us with the dinner menu to peruse. The menu is unusual and could most likely be classified as New American or New Western, perhaps? It showcases a haphazard mix of dishes from mussels in curry, pork stroganoff to a hefty filet mignon with a zesty side of mac 'n cheese (made from sharp cheddar and roasted poblanos- yum!)

Being ravenous, we decided to start out with the black sesame ahi cones with nopales-jicama salad and cara-cara citrus sauce. While aesthetically pleasing, the dish did nothing to captivate my tastebuds. The ahi tasted fresh... true, but it was unexciting and the cara-cara citrus sauce tasted suspiciously of overly sugared applesauce. My dining companion also expressed that for the price (12.95) the portion was quite minute. From the appetizer, we moved on to sharing the flatiron steak salad with red chili-vinaigrette. Delicious! I loved the crispy onions adorning the top of the salad (reminiscent of the age old green bean casseroles that make an appearance every Thanksgiving season) and the steak was delectable. Do be careful of the spicy, sliced red habaneros which are slyly interspersed throughout the salad and can pack a mega-wallop! Unfortunately, we were only able to get about two bites of salad in before the rest of our order arrived. The waitress that was assisting the bartender apologized and offered to keep the plates warm in the back if we wished. We advised her it wasn't necessary and took the opportunity to order another round of drinks since the bar was getting quite busy.

For the main courses, J. ordered the petrole sole with a shallot-caper butter and I chose the lobster ravioli with a citrus cream sauce. We swapped bites and mutually decided we each liked the other's dish better and exchanged plates. The petrole was pan-fried perfectly and wasn't oily in the least bit. Although I could have done without all the ornamental frisee on the plate, I do have to say that Roxy's does do a nice job on plate presentation. While we were dining, Ron, one of the owners took it upon himself to swing by and take our main courses to the back and have the cooled selections reheated. J. was quite happy with her plump raviolis with arugula. We both agreed that the stuffing was sweet in taste...comparable to butternut squash ravioli. Our second round of dirty martinis arrived and this time around were quite strong and without a hint of olive juice...the bartender rectified the situation as soon as we brought it to his attention and graciously poured us a rocks glass with olive juice.

For the finale, we dived into two desserts. The smores pie and the berry cobbler with gelato. Neither were awe-inspiring but both were tasty...the perfect way to conclude our meal and satiate our sweet tooths.

Like a rhinestone cowboy, Roxy sticks out from the other typical suburban restaurant haunts. It's full of culinary hits and misses but given time, I believe that the hits will outnumber the misses. I liked my dining experience there and would definitely go back and give it another shot. Next time, I'd like to try the steak and skinny fries which looked mouthwateringly good. The service was efficient and the food though not creative is solid. It seems that if you stick with the "comfort food" menu items, you can't go wrong. Also, it's highly advisable to make reservations as the place seems to fill quite quickly.