Headed to Sacramento for a conference at the Hyatt. Please recommend any good inexpensive to moderately-priced restaurants within walking distance (or a short taxi ride) of the Hyatt. Interested in good food.

One of the restaurants in the Hyatt is pretty good. But right outside the back door of the hotel is the Esquire Grill. This is a really good place with an inventive menu. it is next door to the Imax theater on the K street mall just behind the hotel. There is another good restaurant in the same block called the Broiler.

There are many other good restaurants within a short cab ride but these two are less than 100 yards away.

The concierege at the hotel can direct you to the good places in mid-town and in old scaramento.

I live in Sacramento, and have for 40+ years. I agree with janis about the downtown restaurants in and around the Hyatt; but I'd stay away from the Broiler. Ate there on Sat. I/19 and it was ordinary at best. The place is well decorated and the staff efficient. It's the food that was below par. Enjoy the town while you are here.

MY dh and I ate at City Treasure on New Years eve and then walked to the community center from there. The community center is right next door. I think it's just a couple of blocks and not much of a walk. City Treaseure is a great restaurant as is the Esquire Grill just outside the Hyatt.

Short ride to 4th street Grill at 4th and L across from Macys.

Suzie: What is a "dh"? Dear hubby? Dumb husband? Designated hitter?

Aloha Betsy,
Moxie's is still our favorite restaurant in Sacto. A little hole in the wall at 20th and H...not too far from the Hyatt.

The owners, Bill and Adam are 2 loveable goofballs who will go out of their way to make sure you have a good time.
Celestin's (Caribbean) has some of the best gumbos outside of the Fr Qtr in NOLA. Just moved into a new location and I can't recall exactly where it is but it is near the Hyatt. Another taxi ride tho.

We liked the Broiler...go figger. Mrs Kal liked the Esquire Grille, too.

Kal

Hey F, in my case it's Dear Husband. Can't vouch for others using thoat shorthand.

ttt

Aloha back to ya, KK.

What cuisine do those "loveable goofballs" serve at Moxies?

Betsy,
Good ol' American fare. Pretty imaginative menu but the specials are what makes it.

Every time I go, I tell Mrs Kal I'm getting the meatloaf (yes-meatloaf) and then they spring some tantalizing specials on us.

We were there in Nov and one of the specials was a seared Ahi with wasabi sauce, veggies and garlic mashed potaters. Biggest hunk o' fish I've had outside of Coconuts Restaurant in Kauai.
Cooked "Island Style" (seared lightly on the outside-fresh on the inside)just the way I like it.
Our friend had a good osso bucco special. Good beef, too. Decent wine list. No hard drinks.
I think one of the owner's Mom makes a
mean cheesecake for desert.

Probably need a reservation, tho.

It's been voted one of Sacto's "best kept secrets" for the past few years. Hey. It's Sacto. It take us awhile for us to catch on.

Kal

You can also take light rail to the R street stop between 15th and 16th street and head toward S street one block to Ernestos, a yummy mexican restuarant.

A short taxi ride to 33 Street Bistro. Great food.

Also to enjoy any one of the Paragary restuarants, of which the Esquire Grill is one, you can take a ride to the vacinity of 28th and N where you will find Paragary Bar and Oven, and Twenty Eight. At 27th and Capital, one block away, Cafe Bernardo, and just a short couple of blocks away at J street, Centro mexican food. These are pretty happenin' places. Also the Monkey Bar is squeezed in there too.

Why do you people keep telling these tourists about Moxie's. Its my favorite restaurant and its already too hard to get a table. Send them all to Mortons of Chicago or for really, really mediocre food, send them to one of the Paragary's restaurants (of which the Esquire Grill is an exception). Seriously, in addition to Moxie's, Waterboy and Grapes are great local places. Also, the redone Firehouse in Old Sacramento is getting rave reviews these days and, of course, Bibas has always been rated one of the best in Sacramento by our local food critic.

But Tony, Biba and Firehouse are not inexpensive to moderate-priced as Betsy asked for.

Hey Kal, do you still recommend Moxie's? Dined there on your recommendation in 'O2. I'm coming back!

Yes but...Grange is doing some good stuff as is Cosmo Cafe.
Short walk to the Hyatt.
We did Grange for my B'day Dec '08. Just opened and it was already in mid-season form.

Capitol Garage is about a block away for a good b'fast.

We also enjoyed a meal at L Wine Lounge and Urban Restaurant.

Will your schedule allow a mini gtg with some of us locos...I mean Locals?
You locked into the Hyatt? We stayed at the new Citizen Hotel. Very nice. It even had closets!
Grange is in their lobby.

Hey, Kal! Thanx for your speedy reply. We'll be in Sacramento this week (5/4 and 5/5), Wednesday and Thursday nights. We're staying out in the boonies near the Arco arena at the behest of the State of CA for which I'm putting in two days of work for the Board of Behavioral Sciences (unless their employees are laid off before I get there). Anyway, I'll switch to email from here on out. If any of you locos are free on such short notice, maybe we can GTG for a libation or dinner.

I think Moxie's is good but their ventilation system stinks. I lingered over a great dinner there but after we left my clothes reeked of food smells.

I have been to Sacto once - so by no means an educated pointer I had been to a Leatherby's Ice cream outlet - and had a very good experience there..
Cheers
Murthy