(UPDATED 12/3/2019) David English has announced that The Press Bistro will permanently close on December 31, 2019. You have until the end of the month to pay a farewell visit!
Original Post
Description and review of The Press Bistro, a casual but upscale restaurant located on Capitol Avenue in the Handle District (Midtown Sacramento).
A friend and I recently stopped by The Press Bistro for dinner prior to attending Finding Neverland at the Community Center Theater in Downtown Sacramento. We arrived shortly after 6:00 p.m. that Tuesday evening – without reservations. Upon entering we were immediately greeted and seated.
Parking is always a bit of a challenge in the Handle District, so we decided to park and pay the $6 at the nearby parking lot off of L Street.
The Press Bistro has an outdoor patio area, and the interior décor is what I would call urban-industrial. There is a big bar, and a long high-top communal table. If the restaurant is packed the communal table is a good option.
Our waitress checked in with us shortly after we were seated inquiring about our choice of beverages. My friend decided to start with a glass of the Housemade Sangria (red and white wine, infused with fruit, brandy, orange juice) ($6). I chose a glass of the House Red (Perry Creek, Fair Play CA – a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah and Barbera) ($7).
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Menu/Review
After looking over the menu and deciding that we both were hungry – but not starving – we decided to share three tapas and two appetizers. The Press Bistro offers one Tapa for $4 or three Tapas for $10.
Neither of us was familiar with the term “arancini” so we asked our waitress to describe the dish to us. Upon learning that it was a rice ball coated with bread crumbs and then deep fried we decided to give the roasted garlic and parmesan arancini tapa a try. For our other two tapas we ordered the fried meatballs with garlic yogurt sauce and the potato croquette.
The three tapas we ordered were “ok” – but I would not order them again. My friend disliked the arancini. She found the garlic taste of the dish to be overpowering.
For our two appetizers we ordered the Little Gem Salad (garlic parmesan vinaigrette, croutons, carrots, radish) ($10) and the Potato Gnocchi (prosciutto, spring peas, parmesan cream sauce) ($11). Both the salad and gnocchi were ok – but nothing special. Again, I would not order either of those two dishes again.
To sum up, will I patronize The Press Bistro again in the future? The answer is yes. Why? Because, I like the atmosphere and vibe, and our server and other staff were pleasant and attentive. Next time I will likely try one of their pasta dishes. Our server mentioned that the pasta is made in-house.
See related blog posts: Walk Down Memory Lane and Annual Sacramento Restaurant Review Recap (2018)
Comments on The Press Bistro?
What has been your experience at The Press Bistro? What tapas, appetizers, or entrees do you recommend?
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