The California State Capitol building in Sacramento, a picture book Neoclassical structure with Corinthian columns and a gleaming white dome, is a powerful place: inside, elected officials wrangle over the rules that will govern the world’s fourth largest economy.
But when the politicking requires a backroom, look to the capital city’s restaurant scene. Frank Fat’s, an old-school Chinese-American haunt, is known as the “third house” for its role in legislative wheeling and dealing. At Grange, “power lunch” is written into the menu in the form of a coursed bargain offering with a soup-salad-sandwich compromise.
For those wielding influence and those hoping to win it, take a seat at the table at one of these spots from The MICHELIN Guide.
Ella
Located just two short blocks from the sprawling capitol lawn, Ella is a sophisticated power crowd stomping grounds with an ample bar and a selection of private rooms for closed-door conversation. Lunch here is classic New American, featuring several serious salads, like a cobb with a smoked gouda dressing. The Capital Plate – a porchetta sandwich with a side salad, fries, and a salted chocolate chip cookie – is a lawmaker special.
Frank Fat’s (Bib Gourmand)
The wide-tie era of the power lunch is alive and well at Frank Fat’s, a Sacramento establishment just behind the capitol. Much on the Chinese American menu here feels like a throwback – orange chicken and pineapple sweet and sour pork included – but that’s the point: the wall-length booth and bar seats here have been a safe space for legislators since it opened in 1939.
Grange
The downtown Citizen Hotel is the base camp for in-the-know industry chiefs in town to backslap and twist arms. Grange is its canteen, with a two-story wine vault and handsome leather banquettes. Lunch here is casual and sure to please any constituent group, including a tombo tuna sandwich and a seasonal salad with three proteins to choose from.
Zócalo
In Mexico City, the Zócalo is the grand central plaza, one of the world’s biggest squares, that’s served as the setting for Aztec emperors, Spanish viceroys, and today’s Mexican president. Sacramento’s Zócalo is a seat of power, too, its dining room a mainstay for the Californian leaders working nearby. The menu, like its name, is Mexican: fresh guacamole, tacos, and a set of lunch bowls fit for the ruling class.
Mulvaney’s B&L
Patrick Mulvaney, the chef and owner of Mulvaney’s B&L, is known as an advocate in his own right, promoting the region’s agriculture and the city’s reputation for locavore dining. His restaurant is a case study in environmentally mindful gastronomy: the New American menu changes daily to feature what’s coming in fresh from the farm.
Camden Spit & Larder
With an address on Capitol Mall, the grassy boulevard that runs to the capitol building, Camden Spit & Larder has the gravitas of a heavyweight institution. Walk inside and you’ll see that this gastropub doesn’t take itself too seriously. The mascot, a taxidermy boar in a three-piece suit, is named Winston (as in Churchill), and his namesake happy hour comes with a tikka masala loaded fries and a $7 draft beer deal.
Hero image: Francisco Chavira / FarmtoFork Street Festival 2023
