A note from Brenda Diesel about her visit to Ella, Randall Selland's new downtown Sacramento restaurant, located at 1131 K Street:

Bill and I had lunch yesterday at Ella restaurant. At the SacWomen event, I heard so many people talking positively about it. And, we agree. It definitely exceeded my expectations.

You would like the concept--small plates meant to be shared. We had absolutely fabulous raw oysters, prawns in citrus juice, crispy pork belly, beet salad, and lemon tartlet. Every dish was amazing, and business was booming even though the legislature is not in session.

The decor is interesting and completely different for Sacramento. Most people absolutely love it; I don't love it (nor do I hate it), but I give them kudos for stepping outside the box. It definitely has a bit of a Scandinavian feel (the designers are from Norway, I think, or maybe Sweden).

Friends of ours from Hawaii and formerly of Sacramento are coming to town next week, so we are having dinner there. I suspect the menu may be the same, but in any case am looking forward to it. If you like, I can give you a second experience after dinner next week. That's always my litmus test. Is it as good the second time?

Brenda and Bill love to visit good restaurants here and in Napa and Sonoma. Their recommendation means a lot. I can't wait to visit Ella.

And one more reason to attend SacWomen events - great restaurant recommendations!

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen