Sacramento - Tower Cafe

In the Reno/Santa Crawl entry last December, I made a brief mention of my brunch at Tower Cafe in Sacramento. That brunch left such a strong impression on me, I decided to go back when we were in Sacramento. It was a toss up between Tower Cafe for lunch and Ten22 for dinner. Obviously, we chose Ten22 for lunch which means we had Tower Cafe for dinner.

Tower Cafe is aptly named because it is next to the historic Tower Theatre which mostly plays indie movies. There is a tall tower on this building. The outdoor seating area has the cutest vibe ever - feels like an English tea garden. Instead of walls, they grow dense shrubbery and plants on wire fences to enclose the dining area. So cute!!!

Lychee Lei - This drink is everything that's right with the world. Pineapple vodka, lychee puree, coconut water, and a squeeze of lime. Tastes like all sorts of tropical. The orchid is edible but I didn't eat it and now I feel bad because some poor graduate could have used this in their lei.

($8.95) Ceviche Torre - scallops and tiger prawns in a citrus marinade and tri-colored tortilla chips. It was exactly as good as it sounds. Very spicy actually but still so good.

($16.95) Jamaican Jerk Chicken - half chicken marinated in 18 spices, chilis, citrus juice and served with white rice, black beans, pineapple sauce and a side of jerk sauce. That last part is what turned me off about the dish. I wanted jerk chicken stewed and falling off the bone, dripping in jerk sauce. I thought the chicken was flavorful but a bit dry this way. Phil really liked this so he traded his linguine with me. Oh yeah, a half chicken, booyah on portion size!

Linguine with scallops, prawns - this was a special because I can't find it on the menu anymore. A similar dish is $15.95. I love seafood and fresh pasta. This did not disappoint at all. Bowl looks smaller than it was in person. This was also a huge portion.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

Tower Cafe impresses me again. Good for brunch and dinner. If I didn't live so far from Sacramento, I would go here often and eat outside on the patio then treat myself to a cookie from their bakery afterwards. That's the life. Service, excellent. Prices, regular. Portions, huge -- therefore, prices are good. Ambience, cozy, bustling, eclectic decor. The walls were adorned with art from Mexico, Thailand, Egypt, and everywhere else. If you're ever headed up North, go here, please. And then tell me about it so I can re-live my memories through you.

Tower Cafe on Yelp