(UPDATED 5/20/2020) Cielito Lindo closed its doors in late April. The closure announcement was made prior to the statewide COVID-19 stay-at-home order issued by Governor Newsom.
Original Post
Description and review of a recent dinner at Cielito Lindo, a “modern Mexican cuisine” restaurant located in East Sacramento on J Street.
After a recent neighborhood association board of directors meeting four of us decided to go out to dinner. Mexican food sounded appealing to all of us, and after considering the options we chose Cielito Lindo.
When we left the meeting the four of us ended up in three cars – but everyone was luckily able to find parking in the immediate vicinity.
See related blog post: Cielito Lindo Mexican Gastronomy
When the four of us entered Cielito Lindo it was after 7:00 p.m. There were a number of tables occupied – but it was by no means crowded. The staff prepped an empty table and we were seated shortly thereafter.
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The interior of Cielito Lindo is colorful and cheerful – and in my experience the staff is always pleasant and attentive. One thing that always strikes me about Cielito Lindo is its “sparkling” clean appearance.
We all ordered drinks while we were looking over the menu, and chips and a red salsa were delivered to the table. I ordered a glass of white wine and the other three in our party ordered margaritas. Both the watermelon and pineapple margaritas were said to be particularly tasty.
Cielito Lindo Menu/Review
The Cielito Lindo menu had been updated since I was there last, so I looked it over carefully before ordering. Two of us were not overly hungry so we ordered from the appetizer section of the menu.
When we were served we all commented on the presentation of each dish – all were colorful and most appealing.
One friend ordered the Triangulos Crujientes de Ceviche de Camaron (four small corn tostadas with fresh shrimp cooked in lime juice, topped with pico de gallo, cucumber and cilantro) ($10) minus the corn tortillas. She was very pleased with the dish which was attractively served in a martini glass and garnished with avocado and flowers.
I ordered the Panuchos de Cochinita Pibil (three small fried corn tortillas with black refried beans, shredded pork marinated in axiote sauce, garnished with pickled red onions and oregano) ($9). The dish consisted of a corn tortilla base topped with seasoned black beans (refried?) topped with a second tortilla which in turn was topped with the marinated pork and pickled red onions – so six tortillas total. I was glad to take half of the dish home with me for a snack the next day. My leftovers tasted as good re-heated as it did the day prior.
A third friend was quite hungry, so she ordered the Rib Eye con costra de Chorizo (rib eye steak topped with chorizo, and served on a bed of seasoned mushrooms) ($25). The dish was said to be delicious, although not quite the medium rare she had ordered. Hungry as she was she also took home leftovers.
Our fourth friend ordered from the Vegetarian portion of the menu, which showcased four very good- sounding options. She chose the Azteca Budin aka Mexican Lasagna (cactus, Poblano pepper strips, green zucchini and eggplant simmered in a tomato and paprika sauce) ($18). The dish received a rave review.
After we had finished our meal our server cheerfully offered to pack up our leftovers for us and inquired as to whether we would like one check or individual checks. We gratefully asked for individual checks.
Needless to day – we were all very glad afterwards that we had dined at Cielito Lindo.
See related blog post: Annual Sacramento Restaurant Review Recap (2018)
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