Dine Downtown - Tuli Bistro

When I looked up my last review of Tuli Bistro I wasn't too surprised to find that it was done in 2009. Back then I had been wary because of mixed reviews from friends. I had no issues on my visit and came to the conclusion that it was a top star in the Sacramento dining scene. Since that time I have been back to Tuli a few times, but not in the last year. 

Dine Downtown is running from now until January 18th. For those who haven't heard of Dine Downtown before, it's objective is to bring diners out to eat during the slower month of January. The second objective is to entice in new customers who have wanted to try a restaurant but might not have gotten around to it. The participating restaurants provide a prix fixe menu at $30 which covers three courses - generally soup or salad, entree, and dessert. Dine Downtown has been happening every January for at least four or five years because I take full advantage of it every year. I'm so interested that I often try to pin down the exact dates as early as November so I can get my reservations in before everyone else. This year I was happy to be given the chance to do a preview of Tuli Bistro.

I walked in the door to find owner-chef Adam Pechal busy chatting up some patrons at the bar. The hostess greeted me and offered me a table, but I requested the bar. Tuli offers an open kitchen layout and so the bar seats edge the kitchen area so that you can watch the cooking action. This is my preferred seating preference when it is available. It just gives you something to watch while you are eating instead of spying or eavesdropping on everyone else around you. In this case it also worked out great for lighting for the photos.

My guest eagerly agreed with my plan to order everything offered and share. Each Dine Downtown restaurant has the freedom to create their menus. Some may have as many as five entree choices but they  must have at least two. Tuli Bistro had two choices per category and so it was easy enough to say, "We'll take one of everything" and then share it. Our only change was the pasta course to have a vegetarian sauce versus the bolognese since my friend did not eat beef or pork.

The first course offered a choice of soup or salad. The salad was a Classic Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons and a Parmesan Crisp. The lettuce was properly cut to bite size. You know how nice it is not to have to sloppily eat salad because the veggies are too large. I appreciated the Parmesan crisp while my companion got to scoop up my croutons. Both of us commented that the dressing had a great tang to it. In fact, my companion said it was one of the best Caesars she had ever had.

The soup was a Spanish Vegetable Soup with garbanzos, cilantro, and pepitas. I'm not a garbanzo fan so I left some of those behind, but the tomato broth was nicely spiced. I enjoyed the crunch of the pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and, as a fan of cilantro, liked the generous flourish added to the top.

Chef Eric Sarmento w/ housemade pasta

It was after the first course that Adam Pechal stopped by to meet us. I had briefly met him when I judged the Trailfest Chefs Competition last fall. We discussed the competition and his two restaurants. Pechal also operates the relatively new Thir13en at the Sterling Hotel. I am actually going there for Dine Downtown tomorrow, so I was getting to do both of his restaurants. He explained that they use the larger kitchen there to do most of the production cooking and he had had to run over there to get more bread pudding since they had already run out at Tuli.

Pechal says he spends more time at Thir13en these days and leaves the Tuli kitchen to Eric Sarmento. He prefers Tuli, though, for the open kitchen design and the neighborhood, friendly atmosphere. He hopes to get back over to Tuli more in the future after Thir13en is more established.

Our conversation ended as the entrees arrived. I had the Beeler's Fire-roasted Double-cut Rib Chop with Pecan Honey Glaze, which came with roasted vegetables. The chop was very thick and juicy. I asked what else was in the glaze and Sarmento said it was simply the pecans, honey and butter. But he also explained that the chops were brined in apple cider vinegar and spices. That explained it. All that juiciness from the chop mixed with the glaze to create the flavor combination. I had to take half of it home so I could still eat dessert.

The pasta selection is House-made Herb de Provence Pappardelle with Country Bolognese and Ricotta Salata di Testa. What you see above, though, is the vegetarian version of the pasta. Mixed in were mushrooms and Broccoli Romanesco. It might not have had meat, but it was still a beautiful and flavorful dish. I only had a bite before I started my chop, but I could have easily eaten a full plate of that. There was a nice sweetness to the sauce that I really enjoyed.

The first dessert choice was the bread pudding that Pechal had to run and get more of. It was an Apple-Cranberry Bread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel and Salty Caramel Cream. The cranberries added quite a bit of sweet tartness and the ice cream added a creamy accent.

But both of us say - Get the panna cotta! My friend was very tempted to lick the plate and I was thankful for the square ended spoon which made it easier for me to scrape the plate. My only critique is that I would say the dessert is mislabeled. Panna cottas get set with a bit of gelatin and this was more pudding consistency. I would rather say it was closer to a creme brulee without the crispy brulee topping. The panna cotta was topped with sections from blood orange with a bit orange glaze and came with a side almond biscotti. Of the two desserts, this was the clear winner.

As I mentioned at the start, one of the goals of Dine Downtown is to entice new people to come in and introduce them to the restaurant so that they will hopefully return in the future. Mission accomplished. My friend had never been before and looks forward to bringing her husband. We had both looked at the regular menu and found several items that we were interested in having... but that will have to wait for another day. Meanwhile, I get to stop by Thir13en next!

Disclaimer: Our meals were provided free of charge as a preview via the Downtown Sacramento Partnership.