Description and review of Adamo’s Kitchen, a casual Italian neighborhood restaurant located on P Street in Midtown Sacramento.
A friend and I stopped by Adamo’s Kitchen after a recent neighborhood association meeting for dinner. My friend had a $15 off of $30 coupon for Adamo’s Kitchen, so we decided to check it out. Neither of us had heard of Adamo’s Kitchen previously.
We secured a parking space in the lot next to the restaurant. I also noticed that there was street parking available in the vicinity.
SacramentoRevealed.com – All Things Sacramento (from a personal perspective)
A few moments after we entered the restaurant a server motioned to us to seat ourselves at one of the two available tables near the back of the restaurant. Adamo’s Kitchen is cozy, with exposed brick walls, a long communal table near the entrance, tables placed along the wall, and additional seating at the bar (beer and wine only).
I picked up two menus at the front hostess station and we made our way to our chosen table. I was glad that I had nabbed the menus, as it soon became obvious that the cheerful server was the only person manning the front of the house.
It did not take us long to decide what we were going to order. Both of us decided on pasta dishes as the pasta is made in-house. Pasta dishes are served with the house salad and garlic bread. We both ordered a glass of Pinot Noir ($8).
My friend ordered the Carbonara (fettuccine, apple wood smoked bacon, garlic, egg, parmigiano) ($14) and I chose the Eggplant Parmigiano (pappardelle, eggplant, mozzarella, marinara, parmigiano, basil) ($13).
At the time we ordered we mentioned to our server that we had a $15 off of $30 coupon. Shortly after our order had been taken she returned to the table to let us know that our order had not reached the $30 threshold (our wine did not count). She then offered us the opportunity to add an appetizer or a dessert to our order so that we could utilize the coupon.
We both appreciated her suggestion and decided, as a result, to order an appetizer. My friend suggested the Arancini (three fried risotto balls with a mozzarella center, marinara) ($10).
Adamo’s Review
It did not take long for our salads to be served, and soon afterwards the Arancini. The salad was small, but tasty. While my friend liked the Arancini, I did not particularly care for the dish. I was underwhelmed by the marinara sauce and thought that the risotto balls were a bit overcooked.
Both the Carbonara and Eggplant Parmigiano were a disappointment, as was the garlic bread which did not appear to have been toasted.
The Carbonara was described as very bland, rather dry i.e. “not saucy”, and in need of some type of seasoning. The comment was made that even the bacon in the Carbonara did not taste like bacon.
As for the Eggplant Parmigiano, two good-sized slices of breaded eggplant were served on top of a bed of pappardelle. There was no layering of sauce or cheese between the two slices of eggplant, and only a very thin slice of mozzarella (such as you might get on a deli sandwich) adorned the top slice along with marinara sauce and a sprinkle of parmigiana. Both the pappardelle and the eggplant were cooked just right – what was missing from the combined dish was flavor.
As the portions of both of our entrees were good-sized, we both planned to “doctor” the leftovers we took home before consuming them. Bottom line, to sum up, Adamo’s Kitchen is an attractive space, our server was pleasant and helpful, the food was cooked well – but suffered from a lack of seasoning.
See related blog posts: Annual Sacramento Restaurant Review Recap (2018) Sacramento Ethnic Restaurants
Comments on Adamo’s Kitchen?
Have you dined at Adamo’s Kitchen? What has been your experience?
Adamo’s Kitchen Snapshot:
- 2107 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95816
- (916) 440-9611
- Hours: Monday – Thursday (11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.); Friday (11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.); Saturday (5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.)
- Happy Hour: Monday, Wednesday, Friday (3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.); Tuesday (All Day)
- Parking: Parking lot & street parking
Subscribe to SacramentoRevealed.com to receive the weekly newsletter direct to your inbox! Comments are welcome.
I would just like to say that I think you need to give Adamos another chance. My husband and I eat there at least once a week. It is typically very crowded and I will admit that it isn’t a place that you want to go for a quick meal. It is a small restaurant and depending on the night, there may only be one server (who also combines as a hostess), that being said the two main servers (Erin & Amanda) kill it! They are our favorite waitresses in all of Sacramento. Friendly and always happy to help and recommend. Paulo, the main chef, is a master and will even come out to your table to ask about your order if he has any questions (I typically have crazy requests). He will even make things not on the menu if they have the ingredients. I would go as far as saying that this is our favorite restaurant in Sacramento (and we eat out regularly). Besides the food, we love the atmosphere and the clientele (my husband and I have commented many time how friendly the people that go there are, always a great vibe!). I almost hate to write such a great review because we would like to keep this spot to ourselves, but I really feel a need to speak out. I have never had a meal that wasn’t tasty (or not seasoned correctly). I hate to recommend a dish because everyone has their own tastes, but you cannot go wrong with the burger (with jalapeno aioli!) and the fries are to die for (my husband loves the polenta with meatball and the risotto), Once again, give this place a shot, you will not regret it. Diana & Rick DaPrato
Thanks for your comment! I did like much about Adamo’s Kitchen – including the ambiance and friendly and helpful staff. It could well just have been an off-night in the kitchen, and I certainly will give Adamo’s another try. Thanks for the hamburger recommendation – we did note that several diners had ordered that particular dish. I had considered ordering the risotto – so I might give the risotto a try the next time I am there.