(Last UPDATED 11/8/2023) Description and review of the Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar, located on J Street in Midtown Sacramento. NEW: See “Updates” below.
During the month of December The Red Rabbit will be all decked out for the holidays! The restaurant, located in Midtown Sacramento on J Street, is not only beautifully decorated to celebrate the holidays – it is also featuring a very special holiday cocktail menu.
Having heard about the special holiday decor, four of us headed to The Red Rabbit for drinks and dinner after a neighborhood association meeting.
The interior decor of The Red Rabbit is very festive with a lot of attention to detail. There are multiple Christmas trees with sparkling lights and decorative garlands. Even the back of the chairs are “dressed” with Santa hats.
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Holiday Cocktail Menu
Several in our group ordered drinks from the special holiday cocktail menu. The cocktail menu offered ten holiday cocktails ($12) and two shots (Nice Shot & Naughty Shot) ($5). Specialty drinks ordered were the:
- Christmapolitan (Vodka, Elderflower, Dry Vermouth, Spiced Cranberry Sauce, Rosemary, Lime, Absinthe Mist)
- Run Run Rudolph (Bianco Tequila, Coffee Liqueur, Iced Hot Chocolate, Mexican spices)
- Yippie Ki Yay Mother F****r! (Barbados Rum, Cachaca, Trinidad Overproof Rum, Purple Yam-Coconut Orgeat, Pineapple)
Everyone enjoyed their drinks – but the Christmapolitan proved to be the most popular. I settled on a glass of Playtime red blend wine ($8).
Red Rabbit Dinner Review
After looking over the menu and asking several questions, one friend ordered the beet salad (baby beets, carrot, rustic crouton, fresh mozzarella, mixed greens, tarragon vinaigrette) ($10), and requested gluten- free bread on the side ($3) instead of the croutons. While the beets in the salad were judged to be undercooked, the lightly toasted gluten-free bread was described as “light and airy” and was a big hit.
The menu features a soup and salad combo, but one friend decided to just order the mushroom soup ($6) and a side of bread ($3). The soup was very thick, but she found it tasty.
The third friend ordered a portabella mushroom dish which included thin wide noodles, veggies and ginger ($14) which she greatly enjoyed.
I ordered the shaved Brussel sprouts salad ($12). It included thinly sliced apple, candied nuts, dried cranberries, blue cheese crumbles and tri color quinoa lightly dressed with a vinaigrette dressing. I really enjoyed both the texture and flavor of the salad – which I intend to try to replicate at home.
Our waitress Christia was very helpful and also very accommodating when we requested a certain dollar amount be charged to each one of the four credit cards presented for payment.
After a second round of drinks we all left the Red Rabbit in a very merry holiday frame of mind.
See related blog posts: Walk Down Memory Lane and Annual Sacramento Restaurant Reviews Recap (2017)
Updates
(11/8/2023) Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar has closed its doors. The stories as to why vary. The space formally occupied by the Red Rabbit will be soon be home to The Lock & Key Tapas & Bar.
(1/3/2021) The Red Rabbit has recently changed hands, so I look forward to checking it out to see what changes the new owners have made. I will update this blog post when I have done so.
(9/24/2018) Bryan Matthews of The Red Rabbit recently was one of five bartenders to win a cocktail competition sponsored by Diegeo and the Sacramento Kings. Liquors were limited to Diageo’s reserve line (Crown Royal, Ketel One, Bulleit, Dickel, Don Julio, Tanqueray Ten, Zacapa and Ciroc).
Drinks had to contain fewer than seven ingredients, including no more that three alcoholic beverages, and had to have less than 2 ounces of liquor, total.
Recipe for “Lion’s Pride” – Matthews winning cocktail:
- 2 oz. Don Julio Reposado Tequila
- 1 oz. grapefruit juice
- 3/4 oz. lemon juice
- 1/2 oz. simple or cocktail syrup
- Two dashes orange bitters, topped with ginger beer
- Directions: Shake all ingredients, excluding ginger beer, fine strain, add ginger beer and ice. Garnish with a lemon swath.
Comments on The Red Rabbit?
Have you visited The Red Rabbit this month? Any comments to add on the holiday decor or the special holiday cocktail menu? Or, any comments on The Red Rabbit during the other eleven months of the year?
The Red Rabbit Snapshot:
2718 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95816(916) 706-2275Hours: Monday – Friday (3:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.); Saturday (10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.); Sunday (10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.)Outdoor patio
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