Seasons 52’s Winter Menu Features Savory Flavors and Holiday Cocktails
This week, Andy and I were invited to try out the new winter menu at Seasons 52. Seasons 52 describes themselves as a fresh grill and wine bar that offers a seasonal menu inspired by the appeal of a farmer’s market and what’s good now. I would also add that they cater to people who enjoy dining out, but like to stay calorie conscious. That pretty much describes me, and why I have accepted every invitation the restaurant has sent my way. I really love the concept of the restaurant and enjoy the food!
We started out in one of the banquet rooms, (other writers were also invited and gathered there) to taste a few of the featured wines and flatbreads. Andy and I passed on the flatbreads (which Seasons 52 does specialize in because they can make them very seasonal—by swapping out the toppings when the seasons change—and low in calorie). However, later on we found out that they can make any of the flatbreads on the menu with a gluten-sensitive dough! I have been to the restaurant 5 or 6 times now and I never knew this! 🙂 More on the gluten-senstive flatbreads later, but before I get too off track, let’s get back to the wine tasting at the beginning of our evening:
I particularly enjoyed the Catena Cabernet Sauvignon, a reasonably priced food friendly wine, that is a recent addition to the Seasons 52 wine list. Their international wine list features 100 wines and offers at least 52 of them by the glass.
During the wine tasting, Andy and I met up with Susan Cooper (who writes the blog Finding Our Way Now) and her husband. Since both of our websites have shifted towards wine, we decided to sit together during dinner and talk about some of our current and future projects.
I started out with this rosé of Syrah from Casas del Bosque. It was an off-dry wine and a great appetizer in my book. 🙂
Speaking of appetizers, this is the gluten-friendly flat bread I mentioned earlier. We chose the Grilled Garlic Pesto Chicken with fresh mozzarella cheese, balsamic onions, roasted red peppers and arugula. The entire appetizer clocks in at 490 calories. It’s called “gluten-friendly” as opposed to “gluten-free” because the kitchen and oven are exposed to gluten. Celiacs should always take extreme caution when dining out, but people who are gluten-free for other reasons can enjoy this flatbread as much as I did! 🙂
Of course, there are dishes that are not gluten-free, but still worth a try such as the Black & White Lobster Ravioli.
The raviolis are made with squid ink and egg pasta, and topped with shitake mushrooms and roasted red peppers. The dish is finished with a sherry-lobster sauce. (320 calories)
If you’re looking for a cocktail in between your appetizer and entrée, Seasons 52 currently features a Bourbon Berry Bramble and a Cranberry & Sage cocktail to enjoy this holiday season.
Entrée time! I think Andy and I were really feeling the seasons change and both ordered red meat for dinner.
I ordered the Grilled Flat Iron Steak Salad: Bibb lettuce, butternut squash, grilled red onion, a cheddar tuile and horseradish vinaigrette. (450 calories).
I wish I would have known the presentation of my salad was going to be so dramatic, because I would have filmed it and posted the video. The salad is brought out in on the plate with a cuff/ring around it and then it is released upon service. It was like “voilá” here’s your steak salad. I ordered dressing on the side because truthfully, there’s so many flavors going on, I didn’t really need it. Cheddar tuile, I wish I could wrap you around me like a blanket. 😉
Andy ordered another meaty dish: The Oak-Grilled New York Strip. Ut was a soy garlic marinade, charcoal roasted vegetables, Yukon potato mash and a 15-year aged balsamic drizzle. (750 calories) Whoa, Andy, hope you don’t plan on eating dessert.
Just kidding! I love it that Andy is willing to tag along with me and try all this incredible food. We both agreed that the steaks on the salad and on his entrée were perfect (medium rare).
By the way, our server was John. You’ll need to know that because you will want to ask for him when you visit Seasons 52. Here’s what he looks like if you need to chase him down. 😉
Truthfully, I am amazed this kid isn’t working as a wine rep. He knew almost as much as one. This is an instance where server training has really paid off. John is just as enthusiastic and passionate about wine as I am. Maybe. 😉 Anyway, if there are not enough reasons to stop by Seasons 52, do so, so that you can be waited on by this guy! 🙂
More wines (some of our server John’s favorites) he allowed our table to try. I went with sparking wine (sorry, John!) because these days, I try to keep the alcohol content down while I am out and about. 130 calories per glass in the prosecco, by the way. 🙂
And then it was time to order dessert! 🙂 At Seasons 52, they have a portion-controlled dessert menu that is brought out so you can see exactly what you are ordering!
I passed on the dessert plate, because I was actually so full from dinner, but I heard great things about the S’More dessert as well as the gingerbread dessert from my table mates.
This Friday (Black Friday) you can enjoy Seasons happy hour menu from open to close. With $8 specialty cocktails, $6 select glasses of wine and $5 Chef-inspired small plates, there’s something for everyone!!
Social Media Roll Call:
You can find Seasons 52 on Facebook here, follow them on Twitter here and on Instagram here.
Special thanks to the management at Seasons 52 for setting up this special tasting. We’ll definitely be back!!
Seasons 52 Wows Us with Service and their Gluten Free Menu
I try to avoid the Arden Fair Mall at all costs. I have been shopping there maybe about 10 times in the 10 years since I have lived here and it’s always been a pain. Probably because of frustrating trips to the Apple Store and the always promising long wait therein. Even with an appointment. For those of you that have been there you know what I mean. Then there’s the abundant parking at Arden Fair. 😉 And the youngsters these days…hmmm. Nothing good can ever come from a trip to the mall. But wait!
But last Friday we did NOT go to the mall! We went to Seasons 52, a restaurant that happens to be tucked into the aforementioned mall. They have been there since January 2013, and I have been eager to come back since the media opening I attended at that time.
Eager to come back because of the concept of the restaurant and it’s direct fit with this website! 🙂
Every entree at Seasons 52 is designed to be less than 475 calories. Here’s a link to their menu. There are no freezers in the kitchen/pantry, so no meats or fish or vegetables are ever frozen. No butter or margarine is used in food preparation. Instead, extra flavor comes from natural caramelization on their wood-fired grill and brick oven. Seasons 52 also has a chef’s table for chef-hosted events and wine pairings, and features a piano bar with live music currently on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
A few months ago I was pitched to come back to Seasons 52 to try some of their new desserts for the upcoming fall season. I emailed back to say thank you and that the dessert angle was not really an editorial fit, but I would be happy to feature the gluten free menu. I knew the restaurant was popular for their flatbreads, but I was sure they could show me more. And they really did…
First, a gander at their gluten free menu. It’s got a lot of choices. So many that Andy and I ordered a starter glass of wine while we decided on appetizers and entrees. 🙂 A Borsao Rosé for me and a Selbach Oster Pinot Blanc for my man. By the way, once we were seated, it was like there was no mall. Just a romantically lit environment with several other couples and small parties dining around us. 🙂
Our server for the evening was Tanya, and she was more than delightful. Once we told her about my website and we asked to see the menu, she mentioned that she is also Paleo. I was pleasantly surprised and automatically won over. We were in the right hands!
For appetizers we ordered the Oak-Grilled Maine Lobster Tail served with melted lemon butter (above).
And the Tuna & Avocado Sushi Roll wrapped in soy mame nori, wasabi, natural pickled ginger (above). Our wines both complimented the appetizers, both seafood items. The lobster had a very pleasing texture and taste, but was tricky to navigate with just a butter knife. 😉 We survived however, and also enjoyed the sushi roll. The rice was a welcome treat. I don’t have it that often, but really enjoy it when I do.
We ordered settled on a bottle of 2012 Markham Chardonnay to drink with our main courses. And the wine selection is the only thing even slightly negative that I have to say about Seasons 52. Sadly, there was not a single bottle of local wine on the menu. That’s a shame because there are so many stellar local wines coming out of Amador, Lodi, and even Placer County. I realize that a Master Sommelier put together the list for the entire chain, but to appeal to more customers (especially real wine drinkers) in a city like Sacramento, there really needs to be an addendum to the wine list featuring local juice. I will now step down from my soapbox and tell you about what we had for dinner! 😛
I ordered the Lemon and Herb Roasted Whole Branzino (a European seabass) with Meyer lemon, thyme broccolini, and crushed roasted potatoes. The presentation on this particular dish is pretty neat. A waitstaff member presents the plate with the Branzino closed and the lemon and thyme resting inside. Then, they open the top filet and remove the lemon and thyme, resting it on the side of your plate. The entree also comes with a little olive oil on the side.
We also ordered a side of Brussels sprouts with bacon to supplement our meal–I had a race and long run planned for the next day. The cast iron container is a nice touch––it kept the sprouts very warm so we could spoon a few onto our plate at a time.
Andy ordered the Caramelized Grilled Sea Scallops accompanied by butternut squash risotto, broccolini, lemon butter. I didn’t ask him to try the scallops, but he always cuts a little piece for me to try. We love ordering different entrées and eating family style. I was never a big fan of risotto and not eating a lot of rice on the Paleo diet, but really liked the risotto served with this dish. Once again, a buttery flavor is imparted without using butter.
We did clean our plates, but honestly it was the right amount of food. I wasn’t interested in dessert, but if you are there are some great options for you at Seasons 52. There are even two gluten free, but not sugar free desserts you can try from the gluten free menu. The desserts are served in little shot glasses to keep the portion/calorie count down. Each one is a smaller take on a classic dessert (carrot cake, s’mores, for example) Below is a picture of how you might end a meal at Seasons 52, just don’t eat all of what you see on the platter. 🙂
After dinner, we went into the Piano Bar for a little music, and here’s what we heard:
Thanks to the staff at Seasons 52 for their immaculate service. We’ll definitely be back. You can find Seasons 52 on Facebook here and on Twitter here. Make a reservation on Open Table by clicking here.
Seasons 52: Fresh, Healthy, Seasonal and a Destination for Wine Lovers
Last Wednesday evening I attended a preview dinner at Seasons 52 with a few other Sacramento food bloggers, as well as a number of local TV and radio personalities. Seasons 52 is located in the former Fresh Choice space at Arden Fair Mall.
The “Seasons 52” name and menu are inspired by the seasons and the fresh appeal of the farmer’s market. Every week of the year, the restaurant (under the direction of Senior Director of Culinary Chef Clifford Pleau and Executive Chef Partner Jeffrey Martell) strives to feature the freshest ingredients at the peak of ripeness and flavor, and offers them in ways that showcase culinary art and creativity. Wood-fire grilling and brick-oven cooking result in meals that are naturally lower in calories with nothing on the menu over 475 calories. The award-winning wine list was created and developed by Master Sommelier George Miliotes (you can find his bio here)– one of over 180 Master Sommeliers worldwide – features an international selection of 100 wines, including more than 52 offered by the glass.
The contemporary-style decor is Frank Lloyd Wright inspired and is highlighted by soft lighting, lush greenery, rich colors, contemporary art, stone and warm wood accents which present dramatic architectural lines that also are organically comfortable. There is a circular piano bar featuring live music nightly, an open kitchen with a brick oven, a chef’s table and a customized, climate controlled wine chateau holding upwards of 2,000 bottles of wine. The restaurant also offers two private dining rooms for private and semi-private business and social events.
When I arrived, I was given a glass of champagne (Chartogne-Taillet Cuvee Sainte Anne, Champagne MV) and a short tour of the restaurant, including a walk past the chef’s table, the kitchen (with a view of the aforementioned brick oven and wood-fired grill, the main dining area, the wine cellar, the private dining areas and the bar areas. At the end of the tour, I was seated at a a long table alongside Catherine Enfield aka Ms. Munchie of Munchie Musings and Darrel Ng of Cowtown Eats for a multi-course gastronomical tour of the Seasons 52 menu and wine pairing. Glad I wore my stretch pants. (Kidding!) 😉
To begin, we were presented an amuse of Dungeness crab and Hass avocado on a spoon, paired with Aveleda Vinho Verde, Portugal 2011
The third course served was a salad of organic field greens, grilled mushrooms with toasted pistachios and truffle dressing and a glass of Sinskey Pinot Noir, Carneros 2009.
The next course was a small plate of Sonoma goat cheese ravioli, roasted garlic, basil, organic tomato broth, and I have to admire the culinary team at Seasons 52 for remembering my gluten-free request. Instead of the ravioli’s they brought me a sampling of the delicious tomato broth, and a mixture of garlic, basil, and goat cheese. I was still able to taste the dish in effect without the pasta element. It was dreamy. The wine pairing was a glass of Retromarcia, Chianti Classic 2009.
I applaud the kitchen staff for boxing up most of each course as the dinner was served. I enjoyed making it to the end of the meal without being uncomfortably full. I also wanted to bring part of the salmon dish home so Andy (big salmon fan) could try it.
Our last savory course was a mesquite-grilled Piedmontese striploin & Manchester Farms all-natural quail, mashed sweet potatoes and red wine sauce with a double wine pairing: a glass of Alto Moncayo Garnacha, Campo de Borja 2009 and a glass of De Toren Z, Stellenbosch 2009.
I am pretty sure the sauce must have contained sugar or gluten, because it was omitted from my plate, but the entrée did not need any sauce. I don’t know if you are familiar with grass-fed meat, but it is much more flavorful than standard corn-fed beef. Bonus points for the Brussels sprouts… a personal favorite of mine.
For the dessert course, we were presented a plate of “Mini Indulgences“, smaller portions of classic desserts such as cheesecake, lemon pound cake, and s’mores, served parfait-style. I opted for the shot of fresh fruit with no added sugar. Yay! The desserts were served with a glass of Selbach-Oster Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Auslese, Mosel 2010.
Seasons 52 opens tomorrow, January 28th. You can make a reservation on Open Table. You can find Seasons 52 on Facebook here and follow them on twitter here.
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