Guests: Linda Naccarato, reception and accounts payable at Colton Insurance Associates in Elk Grove; Tim Naccarato, assistant dean at Pacific McGeorge School of Law; Kendall Dawson, recent McGeorge graduate and practicing attorney; Kris Hunt, public relations for Magic Circle Theatre in Roseville; Simon Hunt, software development engineer; and Lorie Farmer, director of food and beverage at the Marriott Rancho Cordova.

Where: Boulevard Bistro, 8941 Elk Grove Blvd., Elk Grove; (916) 685-2220

Benefiting organizations: Soroptimist Club of Roseville and Women's Caucus at Pacific McGeorge School of Law, supporting Court Appointed Special Advocates

1-second review: Delightful, fantastic, wonderful -- the restaurant in Elk Grove.

Ambiance: Intimate and quietly decorated, with an abundance of fresh flowers and soothing background music.

The menu: Upscale, offering variety and imaginative sauces with nary a trendy foam in sight.

The wines: It was Diva Joan Leineke's turn to order the wine. She chose Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc and Provenance 2004 Napa Merlot. Her assessment: "The Merlot was really wonderful, the white fine, but not on a caliber with the red."

Tops: Every dish was good. Our favorites: roasted Bosc pear with a wedge of brie; veal sweetbreads with shiitake mushrooms; whipped potato croquette with blue cheese and black truffle; shrimp cake with roasted-corn salsa; open-face brie and ham sandwich; and polenta with mushrooms and garlic shallot butter. Desserts included mango bread pudding, raspberry sorbet, chocolate decadence and crème brûlée.

Quote of the day: Diva Bernice Hagen said she knows what a Scotsman wears under his kilt. Her description was more graphic than a family magazine can tolerate.

Of interest: Tasha Merced, who has been at the bistro since it opened in February 2006, served with professional expertise, aided by a pair of bussers. The food arrived in a timely fashion, beginning with shooters of onion soup. The kitchen divvied up the dishes so we all could have a taste -- even the stylish hamburger had been cut into 10s, a toothpick securing each triangle.

Chatter: Tim Naccarato said that when Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy returns to Sacramento (his hometown), he usually visits McGeorge. "He walks into a classroom and says, 'Hi. I'm Tony Kennedy.'" The Hunts' involvement with Magic Circle Theatre includes performing. Simon Hunt called learning lines "muscle memory for the mouth."

The Dining Divas -- Gloria Glyer, Paulette Bruce, Bernice Hagen, Joan Leineke, Gayla Mace and Peg Tomlinson-Poswall -- have been wining and dining together since 1993. Every month, they lunch at an area restaurant, taking as their guests people who placed winning bids at charity events. To date, they have raised more than $279,000 for local charities and nonprofits.

Feeling hungry? You’re in luck: The Sacramento region is home to an exhilarating abundance of excellent eateries. Our rich agricultural bounty, vibrant ethnic food culture and profusion of top-tier restaurants make dining in the region an exciting experience. Here, a look at 21 of our favorite things to eat.

Pickled Beet Salad
Seasons
$7.75 | 102 F St., Davis; (530) 750-1801; seasonsdavis.com
This simple, lovely salad is resplendent with beautiful beets that have been oven-roasted and briefly pickled. The pink, yellow and red root vegetables glisten like jewels among crisp mixed greens, their pleasing earthiness contrasting with crunchy, locally grown pistachios and tangy-creamy goat cheese. Tossed in a slightly sweet balsamic dressing, it is a refreshing and elegant dish that customers won’t let chef Jonathan Nieto take off the menu.

Asian Bouillabaisse
Kru
$22 | 2516 J St., Sacramento; (916) 551-1559; krurestaurant.com
One of the most electrifying dishes in the Sacramento region, Kru’s Asian bouillabaisse showcases a profusion of fresh seafood—salmon, clams, calamari, king crab and mussels—in a vibrant orange broth prepared from miso and kochujan, a peppery Korean bean paste. This fragrant stew also contains thick, slithery udon noodles, a surprising and wonderful addition to chef Buu “Billy” Ngo’s feisty rendition of the French classic.

Pozole Verde
Zócalo
$9 | 1801 Capitol Ave., Sacramento; (916) 441-0303; zocalosacramento.com
The meaty aroma emanating from this fabulous soup is enough to make your knees buckle. Within its gorgeous green tomatillo-chili broth, redolent of robust Mexican spices, you’ll find generous chunks of tender pork and pretty, flowerlike blooms of hominy. Topped with copious amounts of shredded cabbage, the pozole is served up with lime slices, finely diced white onion and chopped cilantro. It’s a hearty, soul-warming meal-in-a-bowl.

Aloo Tikki
Sher-e-Punjab
$4.99 | 6400 Fair Oaks Blvd., Carmichael; (916) 971-0115; sherepunjabrestaurant.com
It’s hard to resist Sher-e-Punjab’s enticing aloo tikki, a popular Indian street food that, while traditionally quite spicy, has been toned down here to appeal to customers with less intrepid palates. Three dense potato patties, fragrant with cumin and glistening with oil, are smothered with a textural, stewlike garbanzo bean curry. The result—a complexly flavored, hearty snack—tastes even better when rolled up in one of the restaurant’s irresistible shahi naan, a pliable flatbread stuffed with dry housemade cheese and almonds and baked in an Indian clay oven known as a tandoor.

Whole Sesame-Glazed Artichoke
Crush 29
$7.95 | 1480 Eureka Road, Roseville; (916) 773-2929; crush29.com
A well-cooked artichoke is one of life’s most satisfying pleasures. Crush 29, however, takes the well-cooked artichoke to the next level. After being gently steamed in lemon-grass broth, the thistly vegetable is halved, sprayed with sesame oil and flash-grilled, which gives it a seductive smokiness. Served with a lively chipotle-basil aioli, it’s fun to eat and provides you with a scrumptious boost on the day’s vitamin C and potassium requirements.

Coniglio Alla Cacciatore con Peperoni e Balsamico
Biba Restaurant
$26.50 | 2801 Capitol Ave., Sacramento; (916) 455-2422; biba-restaurant.com
Leave it to Sacramento’s famed Biba Caggiano to create the region’s most delectable rabbit dish. Braised in a garlicky sauce containing shallots, roasted bell pepper, tomato and balsamic vinegar, the rabbit is topped with diced pancetta and accompanied by intensely cheesy polenta rounds. The meat is moist, and we bet you’ll sop up every last drop of sauce with the restaurant’s chewy-soft bread. “This is just a typical, heartwarming Italian country dish,” says Caggiano.

Spicy Buffalo Salad
Jack’s Urban Eats
$8.50 | 1230 20th St., Sacramento; (916) 444-0307; 2535 Fair Oaks Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 481-5225; 4370 Natomas Blvd., Natomas; (916) 515-4910; 2756 E. Bidwell St., Folsom; (916) 984-5553; jacksurbaneats.com
If you’re watching your waistline and order salad for lunch, beware of Jack’s spicy Buffalo salad, a wickedly flavorful, unashamedly caloric treat. Lacquered in thick blue cheese dressing, the salad is topped with honey-glazed walnuts and shiny pieces of fried chicken tossed in a spicy, irresistible Buffalo sauce. Punctuated with slim carrot matchsticks, apple slices and chunks of celery, this salad is a delicious way to score points toward that five-a-day goal. Just save the dieting for your next meal.

Sausage Pappardelle
Lucca Restaurant& Bar
$12.95 | 1615 J St., Sacramento; (916) 669-5300; luccarestaurant.com
Who could resist Lucca’s toothsome housemade pappardelle, tossed with a rustic mushroom ragu and zippy nuggets of sweet Italian sausage? One of the restaurant’s top sellers, the pasta is garnished with grated Parmesan and is as warming as a mother’s hug. It’s perfect with a glass of zesty old-vine Zinfandel and Lucca’s lemony chop salad.

Beef Salad
Tuk Tuk Restaurant
$9.95 | 4630 Natomas Blvd., #150, Natomas; (916) 575-7957; tuktuksac.com
Fiery and substantial, this Thai salad is a wake-up call for jaded taste buds. Laced with papery-thin wisps of carrot, sliced red onion and fresh basil leaves, the salad is loaded with chili-flecked strips of roasted beef and is tossed in a sharp, vinegary dressing that will give your senses a jolt. Feeling overheated? Cool off with a glass of Tuk Tuk’s Thai iced coffee.

Roasted Eggplant Pizza
Gönül’s J Street Cafe
$11.25 | 3839 J St., Sacramento; (916) 457-1155; jstreetcafe.com
Searching for an ultrathin-crust pizza? Look no further than Gönül’s in East Sacramento, a friendly, family-owned cafe that serves up some of the best pizza in the region. Our favorite is the roasted eggplant version, served up on a crackly, crisp crust and loaded with fontina, mozzarella and goat cheeses, aromatic slivers of fresh basil, sweetly caramelized onions and pudding-soft chunks of roasted eggplant. This is pizza that will energize you, not weigh you down.

Salt Cod Fritters
Spataro Restaurant and Bar
$4 | 1415 L St., Sacramento; (916) 440-8888; spatarorestaurant.com
There’s nothing dandier than sinking your teeth into these irresistible fritters, with their deeply brown, crusty exterior and buoyant, fluffy interior. Their delicate flavor—potatoey, with a pleasing, rich background of salt cod—is enhanced by Spataro’s excellent, garlicky aioli. Pair these hot, delightful mouthfuls with a glass of sparkling Prosecco and you’ll be transported to your very own Mediterranean holiday.

Corned Beef Hash
Lucky Cafe
$11.95 | 1111 21st St., Sacramento; (916) 442-9620
It’s easy to form an addiction to Lucky Cafe’s corned beef hash. Made entirely from scratch, this satisfying, crusty pile of goodness pairs just-salty-enough corned beef with two eggs of your choice and the brownest, crackliest hash browns you’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming. Mix ’em all together into a heap and scoop it up with copious amounts of heavily buttered toast. Washed down with gulps of hot coffee, this hash will stick tenaciously to your ribs for the rest of the day.

Duck Confit
Hawks Restaurant
$20 | 5530 Douglas Blvd., Granite Bay; (916) 791-6200; hawksrestaurant.com
Duck confit, when prepared properly, can be a memorable treat. The region’s best example of this beloved French dish (in which the meat is salted and slowly cooked in fat) is at Hawks. Resting on a bed of perky, tiny lentils, the meat is adorned with tufts of bitterish watercress that add a cleansing kick. The coup de grâce, however, is chef Molly Hawks’ clever decision to serve the confit with candied mandarinquat (a cross between a mandarin and a kumquat) zest, whose vivacious, sweet-tart personality cuts the richness of the confit, enlivening and brightening the dish.

Halibut sandwich
Fins Market & Grill
$8.95 | 1901 S St., Sacramento; (916) 442-9300; 2610 Fair Oaks Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 488-5200; 8525 Madison Ave., Fair Oaks; (916) 967-0954; 8680 Sierra College Blvd., Roseville; (916) 783-5200; 2171 Cowell Blvd., Suite F, Davis; (530) 750-5000; finsmarket.com
It’s fun to eat fancy, but there are times when nothing satisfies like an utterly simple meal. When you’re in that frame of mind, head to Fins for a halibut sandwich, one of the plainest and most gratifying dishes you’ll find in the region. An absolutely fresh, flaky grilled halibut fillet is crammed between two pieces of bread (try the sour wheat walnut) that have been spread with a dill-infused tartar sauce. That’s it: no onions, lettuce or tomato to divert your attention away from the juicy goodness of that fish. It’s clean, it’s uncluttered and it’s delightfully satisfying.

Peanut Butter Cookie
Masque Cantinetta & Baking Co.
$1.50 | La Borgata at Serrano, 3909 Park Drive, El Dorado Hills; (916) 941-0545; masqueristorante.com
Not your everyday peanut butter cookie, this extra-special treat manages to be both crunchy and chewy at the same time, offering up a deep, rich peanut buttery-ness that lures you to overindulge. Its deeply cracked top, resembling a parched desert landscape, sparkles with crystal sugar granules, and its generous size will make you smile.

Valrhona Chocolate Turtle Cup
Slocum House
$7.50 | 7992 California Ave., Fair Oaks; (916) 961-7211; slocum-house.com
Feeling chocolate-deprived? Your salvation lies in Fair Oaks, where talented pastry chef Melissa Dyer has created a ridiculously chocolatey dessert. Moist and warm, the fudge cake (made with exceptional French Valrhona chocolate) comes with a dollop of vanilla malt ice cream and is sprinkled with toasted pecans and drizzled with a touch of caramel sauce. This is one dessert you will not want to share.

Almond polenta cake
Karen’s Bakery Cafe and Catering
$2 | 705 Gold Lake Drive, #340, Folsom; (916) 985-2665; karensbakery.com
The attraction of this captivating, golden-hued cake lies in its simplicity. Supermoist and sturdy, it has a sandy-soft texture and heady almond flavor that make it the perfect partner for a hot cup of coffee or a juicy pile of summer berries. Dress it up with a soft heap of barely sweetened whipped cream, or simply grab it in your hand and devour it as is. We love the versatility and homey friendliness of this rustic cake.

Tarte Tatin
La Provence Restaurant & Terrace
$6 | 110 Diamond Creek Place, Roseville; (916) 789-2002; laprovenceroseville.com
It’s difficult to find tarte Tatin in Sacramento and more difficult still to find a version that is prepared traditionally. La Provence’s tarte Tatin, featuring deeply caramelized, velvety-soft apple chunks encased in a flaky puff pastry shell, is both traditional and absolutely marvelous. Served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, this lovely dessert is one of La Provence’s star attractions.

Bacon-wrapped blue cheese meatloaf
Tazzina Bistro
$19.95 | 614 Main St., Woodland; (530) 661-1700; tazzinabistro.com
Burly and enormous, this is no meal for lightweights. Tazzina’s delectable all-beef meatloaf features a forceful, molten Shaft blue cheese core and is wrapped with strips of smoked bacon. Served with a mountain of mashed potatoes and crispy red onion rings, it’s the dinner you yearn for on a cold, rainy night.

Mussels
Bidwell Street Bistro
$8.95 | 1004 E. Bidwell St., Folsom; (916) 984-7500; bidwellstreetbistro.com
You may have tried mussels steamed with white wine and garlic, but Bidwell Street Bistro takes a different approach, serving the bivalves in a lip-smacking sun-dried tomato and fennel sauce, dotted with chewy bits of pancetta and garnished with chopped green onion. The haunting sweetness of the fennel is delicious with the mussels’ briny, pumpkin-colored flesh, and the bold flavors of the sun-dried tomato transform the sauce into a bread dunker’s dream.

While it was a small gathering of faithful McCaffrey families and friends, Sunday’s Under the Sea Crab Feed was a big success, said event organizers, especially considering the start of the crab season and the hard economic times facing us all.

A fundraiser for McCaffrey’s bid to build a track on their campus, the crab feed and silent auction raised much-needed funds for the track and field dream.

Robert L. McCaffrey Middle School PTA president Dan Garrett said the crab feed committee was thrilled to see so many familiar faces at the event on Sunday, given the date had to be changed after the oil spill in San Francisco late last year.

"We are really glad to have as many turn out as we have," said Garrett. "Times are really financially difficult for a lot of people right now, so we feel honored that these families chose to spend what little extra dollars they may have supporting the effort to get a track built for the students at McCaffrey."

For many in attendance, the McCaffrey crab feed is an annual favorite.

"We have been coming for the past four years," said Donovan Hanson. "We like that they serve both hot and cold crab, and we love that the funds go to the kids of the school."

Earning much-needed funds for travel, the members of the McCaffrey band and choir attended tables, serving guests drinks and making sure their bowls were full of delicious crab, working for tips at the end of the night.

Catered by the Boulevard Bistro, owners Bret and Debbie Bohlman have added their flavor to the McCaffrey crab feed each year, donating their time and energy to the cause.

With tables sponsored by local businesses that included special prizes for each guest, the Under the Sea Crab Feed was a fun, family event supported by local efforts to provide the best for Galt’s kids.

"The MMS PTA wishes to express our deepest appreciation for everyone who took part in putting this fundraiser together," said the PTA during the crab feed program. "Without their hard work and dedication, this event would not have been possible."

Talk of fine cuisine in the Sacramento region rarely includes Elk Grove. For years, this rapidly growing area has been dominated by chain restaurants, which sprout up like mushrooms at the same rate as the nearby housing developments. And while it’s comforting to know that this growing population is being served by a restaurant scene of sorts, it’s been mighty difficult to find distinctive, edgy, heartfelt cuisine in the area.

All this has changed with the return of Elk Grove’s prodigal chef, Bret Bohlmann, owner with his wife, Debora, of Boulevard Bistro. Fresh from the Bay Area, where Bohlmann honed his cooking chops at establishments such as San Francisco’s flamboyant and highly regarded Cypress Club, the couple decided to return to their hometown to introduce fresh, seasonal, innovative cuisine to a population starved for something new and different.

The Bohlmanns purchased a cute little turn-of-the-century bungalow on the city's main drag and spent a year transforming it into a beautiful restaurant that still feels very much like a home. The interior is sparklingly clean, with tranquil dove-gray walls, a leafy copper-colored carpet and gorgeously upholstered chairs and benches. Tables are draped in crisp white tablecloths, and a dramatic floral arrangement sits atop the fireplace mantel. Out front, you'll find an old-fashioned porch with chairs, for those who like to sit and watch the world go by. And, my, does it go by quickly:

The Bistro’s wine list is unique in that 45 of its 50 wines are from “nearby” wineries in Amador and El Dorado counties, Clarksburg and even Elk Grove. Bohlmann is determined to educate his customers about locally produced wines. (“People don’t know how good they are!” he says.) He also embraces locally grown produce, buying from small farms like Sacramento’s Del Rio Botanicals. Since he does much of the prep and cooking himself, he limits the menu to six or seven entrées that he can execute successfully, in addition to a modest selection of appetizers and salads.

On a recent visit, I was dazzled by Bohlmann’s knockout cucumber soup. Served chilled, the gentle, refreshing liquid cradled several eye-wateringly spicy shrimp in the center, marinated, noted the menu, with Thai chilies and cilantro. The interplay between the fire of the shrimp and the soothing creaminess of the soup was marvelous and inspired. Another not-to-miss appetizer is the chef’s sweetbreads, sautéed in a heavenly, meaty red-wine thyme sauce and punctuated with browned, intensely flavored shiitake mushroom chunks and bright-green fresh-shelled peas. We used up an entire loaf of bread greedily absorbing every last drop.

The salads are simple and fresh; I especially enjoyed the organic baby greens, tossed with crunchy candied walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese in a Champagne vinaigrette. Its only downfall was the oddly soggy pear slices that limply topped the salad. Another starter of note is Bohlmann’s housemade Neufchâtel cheese, which takes him three days—and lots of milk—to prepare. Tangy and smooth, the white cheese arrives like a pristine snowball, drizzled with a nubbly pesto sauce and surrounded by a scattering of kalamata olives and sweetly ripe cherry tomatoes. The cheese appears in a much sweeter guise in Bohlmann’s excellent cheesecake, garnished with a mouth-puckering plum sauce made from fruit grown on the property.

Lunchers will find a handful of entrées not available at dinner, including a hefty and satisfying salmon club sandwich and a thin, chewy, flavorful grilled New York steak, served with handsome hand-cut fries that, sadly, became sodden only moments after arriving at the table. But the real lunch gem may be Bohlmann’s top-notch Angus beef burger, the juice-runs-down-your-arm variety topped with fragrant smoked mozzarella and embellished with the requisite lettuce, tomato and onion slices.

At dinner, however, there’s the rack of lamb, an indulgence you must allow yourself. In fact, I recommend you splurge—as I did—and order the full rack, so you can gnaw on leftovers at your leisure the following day. We oohed and ahhed when the rack arrived, browned bones curved protectively over the accompanying asparagus spears, roasted chanterelle mushrooms and softly appealing zucchini rounds. The meat, cooked to a perfect medium-rare, was moist and tender, delicious with the plate’s rich, rich mashed potatoes. If red meat isn’t your style, try a fish entrée: The night I visited, Bohlmann served a fantastic pan-roasted opakapaka, Hawaiian pink snapper, floating seductively in an aromatic coconut lime broth and topped with a mango salsa whose mango dices were, unfortunately, jarringly unripe. The chef also employs a light hand with risotto, which was so delicate and abundant with fresh vegetables that I ordered it on two separate occasions.

If you’ve managed to save room for dessert, be adventurous and order Bohlmann’s cinnamon-raisin bread pudding, served with a caramelly Guinness (yes, the beer) crème anglaise. Other selections include chocolate decadence cake, the cheesecake and a simple crème brûlée.

Boulevard Bistro is a family affair: Daughter Lauren, 15, bused tables and worked the hot line with her dad this past summer to earn some extra cash, while her sister, Candice, 12, manned the pantry section, plating salads and desserts. “It’s a way we can spend some time together,” Bohlmann explains with a rueful laugh. Wife Debora runs the front of the house, answering phones, pouring wine in the cozy bar area and checking on diners like a warm mother hen. I commend their efforts and can only hope that the success of this gutsy, independently owned restaurant will encourage others like it to open in Elk Grove.

Along Elk Grove Boulevard between the freeway and the small, winning Boulevard Bistro, the signs do not look good for finding a nice restaurant. We passed chain after chain before finally spotting the tiny, understated sign that announced our destination. The restaurant is in a converted older home, with ample parking in the back and big wine-barrel planters of thriving herbs along the walk in.

The interior is similarly welcoming. We were greeted with apparent delight by the hostess; it turned out that the person who had taken our reservation had such bad handwriting that the staff couldn’t tell if we had reserved a table for 6:30 or 7:30 p.m. When we arrived at 7:30 p.m., they’d been saving our table for an hour. As it happened, it was among the best seats in a fairly full (if tiny) house, a round table with ultra-comfy wing chairs in front of an attractive fireplace lit with candles. (The reservation was in my husband’s last name, which is different from mine, so I doubt the care with which our reservation was handled constituted special treatment.)

Nevertheless, it took them a few minutes to get the table set before we could sit down, no doubt because here diners are provided with a very full complement of silverware at the outset, including a fork and spoon above the place setting for dessert. I don’t think anyone is particularly watching for Emily Post-like knowledge of cutlery usage, though. Boulevard Bistro has pleasing formal touches--such as long, heavily draping white tablecloths; a hostess wearing a smart suit; and well-trained servers--but it’s not at all stuffy. Instead, it has an air of quiet calm that’s enhanced by dove-gray walls, dark-wood fixtures and a pretty leaf motif in its logo and décor.

Somehow it all feels very seasonally appropriate for the approaching fall months, and the food is in line with that mood. The menu is short, with the basic list of proteins constituting the entrees: filet mignon, chicken, pork tenderloin and rack of lamb. There was also ahi tuna and a pasta dish, crab and lobster linguini with goat cheese, but nothing for vegetarians; the menu noted that vegetarian entrees are available upon request. Starters, salads and soups were also firmly in the classic-with-a-twist mode, like an heirloom-tomato salad or sweetbreads with shiitake mushrooms. The specials included two soups, clam chowder with a lobster base and gazpacho with avocado. There’s also a nice though compact wine list that’s got plenty of interesting picks, especially from among wineries close to home, and great prices: a lot of bottles fell in the $20-$30 range.

My husband ordered the shrimp cakes, at my urging, and I had the salad. The shrimp cakes were a deep golden brown, crispy on the outside and light-textured within. The flavor was clear and pleasant, but in part because the texture of the seafood was finely ground, it was hard to place it definitively as shrimp. I liked the roasted corn salsa garnishing them, however, and the two different sweet flavors made a good pairing.

The arugula salad was a nice melding of flavors; my only tiny quibbles would be that the figs were nearly ice-cold, damping their sweetness, and some of the candied walnuts were close to burnt. But the vinaigrette coated the peppery leaves perfectly, blobs of super-creamy goat cheese added a pleasing dairy tang, and the seasonal figs added beauty and interest.

My main course, the linguini with crab and lobster, was less balanced. The promised goat cheese was melded into a great deal of thick, super-creamy sauce. The flavors were great, and the small chunks of seafood were sweet and tender, but there was considerably more sauce than pasta, making the dish very heavy. For a cold winter night, and with a much less overwhelming sauce-to-pasta ratio, this would be an appealing dish.

My husband’s stuffed chicken breast with mozzarella, spinach and other flavors was better executed. It came with the well-browned skin and a piece of wing attached, and it was appetizingly moist, with a well-seasoned filling. The accompanying polenta had a few lumps here and there, but it tasted great, and the tender, savory green beans with it were excellent.

Dessert choices are somewhat limited; there was a rich-sounding chocolate cake, a cheesecake with berries, and crème brûlée, in addition to a special: roasted pear half on puff pastry with custard and pear purée. We tried the latter, which had some lovely flavors, especially the rich, eggy custard and the surrounding thick pear sauce. The pear half, however, was undercooked, which marred the dessert.

Open a little more than six months, tiny Boulevard Bistro has clearly already earned a loyal clientele; we heard one departing table say something about being back soon, as usual. The restaurant is doing something Elk Grove sorely needs: cooking fresh and generally well-conceived dishes in an elegant and one-of-a-kind space. But to turn itself into a real destination, it will need to iron out a few rough spots in cooking and execution so that the food matches the setting.

Here are a few "must eats" at restaurants in the Sacramento area.
By fall, these popular items will disappear from menus.

1. The chopped salad at Café Bernardo in Sacramento. Featuring chicken, avocado, tomato, cucumber, egg and a Point Reyes blue cheese vinaigrette, it made its annual debut just last week, and none too soon, said chef Shannan Berg. "People have been driving me crazy asking about this salad," she said. "But we like to wait until the tomatoes are just right." The clock also has begun ticking on the café's grilled chicken breast with summer squash and roasted Brentwood corn. "Right now, everything's about tomato, corn and basil," said Berg.

2. The fig-and-goat-cheese appetizer and the crab salad with avocado and cucumber at Masque Ristorante in El Dorado Hills. Truth be told, you might want to sample a bit of everything at this elegant foothills eatery before the leaves start to turn. Come fall, "my entire menu is going to change," said chef Jonathan Kerksieck. That includes the homemade ravioli, which right now is made with summer squash and smoked baby tomatoes.

4. The "squash linguini" at Mulvaney's Building and Loan in Sacramento. Chef Patrick Mulvaney crafts large, light green squash into linguine shapes, tosses it with garlic, lemon and cherry tomatoes, then tops it with grilled prawns. He also makes "stoplight gazpacho," a chilled soup of red, yellow and green tomatoes. The kitchen is using ripe and juicy stone fruits in its desserts, and summer figs and lavender are among the flavors in Mulvaney's fresh ice cream.

5. The house-made Yukon gold gnocchi at Taste restaurant in Plymouth. Served with super-sweet Brentwood corn, it's a crowd-pleaser, said proprietor Tracey Berkner. Taste also boasts a fabulous summer salad of black mission figs with caramelized shallots, toasted walnuts and crumbled goat cheese, and tossed in a balsamic and "fig essence" dressing. Don't pass up the homemade éclairs, which during these dog days are adorned with fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.

Autonomous entrepreneurs with the gumption to create destination restaurants in Elk Grove have been rare, but that isn't discouraging a couple of Elk Grove High School sweethearts.

On Valentine's Day, Bret and Debbie Bohlmann opened Boulevard Bistro in a 1908 craftsman bungalow facing Elk Grove Boulevard. No matter how many times he rode his bike out front as a youngster, Bret Bohlmann likely never thought he'd be inside as the owner and chef.

He didn't even see himself as much of a cook until he developed cancer in 1996. (He eventually lost a leg to the disease.) At the time, he'd been working for Bel-Air, overseeing clerks and stocking shelves.

As chemotherapy ruined his appetite, he began to fiddle in the kitchen in hopes of coming up with dishes to revitalize his taste buds. He found he enjoyed cooking so much that he and his wife moved to San Francisco so he could enroll in the California Culinary Academy.

After two years there, he put in stints at the Cypress Club in San Francisco and the executive dining room of Oracle Corp in Redwood City before returning to Elk Grove.

Following a brief tour at the country club at Rancho Murieta, he accepted his first job as head chef, at the Ione Hotel in Ione.

He was there nearly five years, until quitting to start the yearlong remodeling of the cozy Elk Grove bungalow into the refined and comfortable Boulevard Bistro.

The place is small - it seats 30 - but the Bohlmanns placed customer pleasure and ease high on their list of improvements as they readied the house. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for the dewy bowls of iced-down bottles of sparkling wine that greets diners as soon as they swing open the front door and step into the tiny bar, more staging area than lounge.

But even without a welcoming glass of sparkling wine, Boulevard Bistro is instantly relaxing. It's more plush than the concept "bistro" generally suggests, thanks to the linens on the tables, flower arrangements of abundance and freshness, the leafy pattern replicated in exquisite upholstery and carpet, and the dark wood fireplace mantel, mirror frames and louvered screen. Walls are painted a soothing greenish-gray, and would benefit from a bit more brightly contrasting art. The contemporary recorded jazz is so jaunty, I expected at any moment to hear Gary Vercelli break in with a request for pledges for Capital Public Radio.

As I glanced one evening across busy Elk Grove Boulevard, the hostess who was handing us our menus smiled and said, "That's our ocean view." She was Debbie Bohlmann.

When I looked again I got the joke. Ocean Fish and Chips is directly across the street, a brighter landmark than the cottage itself if you're trying to spot the place. (Incidentally, don't even think about parking out front. Boulevard Bistro has an easily accessible and roomy parking lot directly in back.)

The menu threw me even before I got to the list of dishes. "Where the passion for great food and fine wine collides," it proclaims right at the top. The vision of passion, food and wine colliding contrasts with the calm of the setting, and could unsettle diners who up to this point think they've found a rare outpost of civility on the dining front.

The motto, however, does seize the unaffected enthusiasm of the Bohlmanns, whose excitement and pride are further represented by a logical and sunny take on California cuisine.

On a hot summer night, all a body really needs is a bowl of this soup and a glass of the heady Ehrhardt Estates chenin blanc ($6 by the glass, $22 for the bottle).

A salad of grilled asparagus, cherry tomatoes and a fresh mozzarella was similarly at once invigorating yet mollifying ($8). Each ingredient was first-rate, and the balsamic vinaigrette was showered on with appropriate restraint.

The kernels in the corn and the onion salsa with the pan-fried shrimp cakes were appealingly charred, smoky and sweet, while the two plump patties were cleanly flavored and gently spiced with a red-pepper aioli ($8).

Shiitake mushrooms emboldened the veal sweetbreads, also enhanced with a red-wine sauce seasoned with thyme and, unfortunately, a touch too much salt ($9).

Assertive use of salt also slightly upset the equilibrium of a couple of entrees. It was pronounced on a breast of chicken stuffed literally with mozzarella, parmesan, arugula and spinach, but I'd order the dish again anyway ($17). Too often a cut of chicken filled wit this or that is so skimpy you feel you should call out a search-and-rescue squad. There was no problem here finding the finely flavored contents, however. What's more, each of the accompaniments, including a red-pepper purée, creamy polenta and green beans, had been handled precisely.

Both the finely minced shrimp crust on a thick cut of Alaskan halibut and lemon beurre blanc that accompanied the fish also would have benefited from a little less salt ($22). On the other hand, the thick stalks of grilled asparagus on which the halibut was served, and thin slices of fried Yukon Gold fingerling potatoes were well-crafted, adding up to another inventive and busy dish worth revisiting.

A bright and fruity pinot noir sauced dappled with plump, dried cherries harmonized with thick and juicy slices of grilled pork tenderloin ($19), while a risotto with "early spring vegetables" was winning vegetarian option, though the weight and color of its produce, which included mushrooms, eggplant, carrots, squash and peas, said fall more than spring ($17).

Other desserts included a custardy and cinnamony bread pudding richly studded with walnuts and creamy with a Guinness anglais ($5), and a smooth and concentrated chocolate pot de crème in a coffee cup with whipped cream ($5)...

Boulevard Bistro's wine list is a celebration of Sierra foothill and Delta brands, though the Napa Valley isn't entirely ignored. Bogle Winery of Clarksburg doesn't make much pinot noir, but the 2004 on the list, made with fruit grown in the Russian River Valley, boasts pleasant and delicate cherry fruit ($30). It would have been even more pleasant if it had been served not quite as warm. The corkage fee is a modest $10.

Servers are young but well trained and nicely attired. Their attitude was persistently upbeat, their attention focused.

The Bohlmanns hope to add a patio on the east side of the house next year, but given the confidence they are showing early on - and the lack of similarly independent and individualistic restaurants at Elk Grove - they may need to move up that timetable.

Bistro is a place in France where people share a small talk, a glass of wine and an excellent meal.
Bret (the chef) and his wife Debbie Bohlmann, owners of the Boulevard Bistro have made their recently opened Bistro in Elk Grove.

It's not often that a restaurant reviewer gets to eat somewhere more than once, but or this review I was not only able to eat lunch, but also a fabulous dinner, before writing this.

The Boulevard Bistro, cozily tucked away inside a renovated home at 8941 Elk Grove Blvd. just before Old Town, has been open for several weeks.

Built by the Bartholomew family and owned by Elk Grove natives, the restaurant offers an exciting and more than above average lunch and dinner menu with a long list of wines to compliment any meal served.

My first encounter with the Bistro came when I was supposed to meet someone for a business lunch. We had mutually decided on the Bistro because we'd both heard good things. Unfortunately, my lunch partner fell sick and I was left alone at the Bistro with an inviting menu in full view.

And, as anyone who knows me will tell you, that can mean trouble for my already slim wallet.

I half considered going back to the office to eat a bowl of organic soup, but the extremely friendly wait staff and ownership kept me in my seat and swayed me ever so gently to stick around and have lunch.

The lunch and dinner menus may be only one page, but both have a nice selection of appetizers, salads, and main dishes. For lunch, I decided on the grilled tri-tip smothered in green peppercorn sauce. This tasty lunch selection is accompanied by tasty French fries, and at slightly less than $10 in price, it is one heck of a deal.

There were five to seven hearty slices of tri-tip grilled to perfection (medium rare for me) and a passel of fries fit for a growing 36-year-old. The lunch also came with an extremely tasty loaf of toasted bread which I gobbled up in no time while my meal was being prepared.

My second venture to the Boulevard Bistro was for a dinner with more than a dozen work acquaintances. We arrived on a Monday night and the restaurant was closed for our group. We were treated to a special night with Wayne Bartholomew; who introduced our group to the chef (an Elk Grove High graduate) and also had his wine choices explained by a viticulture expert from UC Davis.

We had the option to choose between two of the standard dishes that night, Filet Mignon topped with Cabernet Reduction and Atlantic Salmon pan seared and served in a Dijon Chardonnay broth with Yukon potatoes, spinach and baby carrots.

Things got going with a phenomenal salad of D'Anjou pear, Belgian endive, and Champagne vinaigrette. This tasty mixture of healthy veggies was topped with a pan seared sea scallop.

For the more adventurous in our group, there was also an appetizer of black truffle and mushroom risotto. This concoction - which I did not try because I really, really dislike mushrooms - was given high marks by the three other hungry folks at my table.

The main dishes were exquisite, with the salmon perfectly seared and kept moist and juicy by the Dijon Chardonnay broth. The baby carrots were not overdone, and were a pleasant addition to the dish. The potatoes were slightly cooked, while was interesting, I do prefer to have my potatoes a bit more well done, but on this evening I was experiencing something new and it was definitely good.

My cohorts opted for the Filet Mignon, which was accompanied by a heaping pile of garlic mashed potatoes and outrageously tempting stack of green beans. The minute I saw this, I wondered if I had made the correct choice of dishes, as I love a well-made cut of beef and fixins.

The four of us plowed through our respective dishes in no time, and were lucky to be able to wash it down with a diverse selection of wines, including a Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay from foothill wineries and Bogle, in nearby Clarksburg.

Many of these vintners are reaping the benefits of a savvy group of graduates from the UC Davis viticulture program, and that normally means high quality wines for every meal.

For dessert, we were treated to a Crème Brulee and a scrumptious and chocolaty Pot au Crème. I did not experiment with the brulee, but after devouring the Pot au Crème, I felt like taking a bath in a giant tub of the chocolate treat.

Overall, our experience at the Boulevard Bistro was nearly perfect. The management, ownership, and employees were all very polite and expressed a great desire to serve the best meal possible and make an enjoyable experience for all.

The food - well, all I can say is this: it was superb. I cannot think of a better restaurant for a nice, cozy dinner in Elk Grove.

If you haven't been there yet, make sure to check out the Boulevard Bistro. It gets the Citizen's Five Star rating!!

The historic 95-year-old former Raymond Russell residence on Elk Grove Boulevard is the home of an elegant new restaurant in Elk Grove.

Lunch is from $8.50 to 11 which features an elegant variety menu which includes salads such as pear and endive and a hot beef salad. Sandwiches include a Bistro chicken.

The veteran chef dinner menu is from $17 for a free-range organic chicken pan seared oven roasted, hand picked chanterelles and fresh Chevil. At the top of the dinner menu for $28 is the New York steak with black truffle and morels. It is grilled USDA prime beef served with black truffles, sliced morels and asparagus. Other features include venison Osso Buca, spiced pork tenderloin with pomegranate, oven roasted Alaskan halibut with prosciutto, and lobster with linguini.

Appetizers include BBQ shrimp and corn potato fritter, seared sea scallops, and ginger duck pot stickers.

A soup is Dungeness crab, fingerling potatoes, fresh vegetables herb and cognac.