I enjoy two things as much as travel– cars and food. I combined all three by visiting eateries in car dealerships. Nirvana! Let’s take a look at three examples.
1. Bistro 33 (Mercedes-Benz of Rocklin).
Bistro 33 is a trendy micro-franchise of eateries in the Sacramento metro area. In 2009, it opened up a restaurant inside the Mercedes dealership in Rocklin, which is just a few blocks from the Rocklin Road exit on Interstate 80.
Upon entering at noon, I was pleasantly surprised by how packed the place was. Truth be told, when I read about the concept, I thought the idea was doomed.* I was seated at the last open table. The decor can best be described as upscale IKEA– very Northern European, simple, clean. The staff was efficient and neither friendly nor unfriendly.
As for the food– I want to preface this review by saying that just by the mere fact that I am being very nitpicky about the food says a lot about the place. The food is good enough that I am actually comparing it to serious restaurants. So there you go.
The sweet potato fries ($5.95) were seasoned, cut, and fried perfectly. The three dipping sauces were truffle mayo (tasted like regular mayo), peach ketchup (tasted like Domino’s pizza dipping sauce), and bleu cheese dressing (exactly as described).
I was eager to try the tasting sized clam chowder ($1.95). It’s soup served in an espresso cup. The ingredients and presentation were excellent, but the chowder was barely lukewarm.
I had the meatloaf ($16.95) as my main course. It came with cayenne aioli on top, which didn’t taste like anything but left my palate with a spicy sensation five minutes after completing my meal. It came with a side of mashed taters and a few spears of asparagus. All of the ingredients were fresh.
The meatloaf itself and the dark brown sauce which hugged the circumference of the plate were interesting, to say the least. The loaf was made of ground lamb and pork sausage. The outside was a bit burnt and the inside was soggy with an almost eggy consistency. The ponzu-like sauce smelled like Japanese curry and was uber-rich. Tiny specks of spices can be seen in the shallow pool of sauce. One taste and I knew that I was going to be thirsty for the rest of the day.
Overall, the meal was between average and decent.
You really don’t get that great of a view of the showroom while sitting in the dining area. I did get lured into the showroom after the meal.
At the end of the meal, I got a 2-for-1 coupon to revisit the restaurant. That may explain why the restaurant was full and why there were so many even-numbered parties.
*The restaurant shut down recently.
2. Bistro F-1 (Ferrari and Maserati of Silicon Valley).
Let me just start by saying that the food at Bistro F-1 is light years better than Bistro 33. I may have been a tad generous with my assessment of Bistro 33.
F-1 Bistro is an integral part of Ferrari and Maserati of Silicon Valley. It is right next to the receptionist’s desk and gift shop. It consists of a small open kitchen (very residential), a small bar with a few stools facing the kitchen, and five small tables. I am quite astounded by the kitchen fan’s power and lack of noise as the smell of food does not end up in the showroom at all.
I am greeted by a stand-offish cook. He is a one-man team and acts as the waiter, cashier, and maitre d’. First impressions are deceiving. He is actually a decent bloke and quite a talented chef.
I had the pan seared chicken breast ($18.99). It was the best chicken I’ve had in years. The skin was crispy but not crunchy. The large piece of meat, which included a leg, was tender, lean, and moist. It was served atop spinach and a white bean ragout. The portion seemed large when presented but was appropriate. A very fresh and healthy meal. My only small complaint was that it was a bit white wine-heavy.
My companion had the sausage and peppers with polenta ($12.99). I am not a polenta fan so I am not qualified to judge it. The sausage, though, was excellent.
When we went, there were only a few other diners. I don’t know how well the chef can handle a full house by himself. All in all, though, this is an excellent restaurant that just happens to be in a car dealership.
From the bistro, you can barely make out one of the cars in the showroom. But throughout our meal, we could hear the rumbling of V12s in the parking lot. I’m not a big fan of modern Ferraris (anything from the last two decades), so I didn’t check out the showroom after the meal.
3. The Horseless Carriage (Galpin Ford).
My automotive-culinary tour ends at The Horseless Carriage. It is a part of the Galpin Motors (Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Lincoln, Volvo, Mazda, Lotus) complex in the San Fernando Valley.
The Horseless Carriage is a small, narrow, old fashioned diner. All the seat covers and menu covers are teal. All the booths were occupied so we sat at the counter.
The menu was quite extensive and the dinners were about as expensive as at Bistro F-1 and Bistro 33 ($13 to $24). Because it was such a hot day and because we had a huge breakfast, I was not able to eat a full meal. So I ordered a cup of their soup of the day (chicken rice for $4.95) and an order of onion rings ($4.95). I figured that if they can’t get these two simple things right, it probably speaks volumes about the rest of the repertoire.
I knew that the entire soup did not come out of a can because the rice was still hard. The chicken, carrots, and celery though were cut in that telltale way from a large, mechanized chopper from some depressing, anonymous factory somewhere in the Central Valley. The liquid part of the soup was strange. You know how normal chicken soup has that film of almost florescent yellow oil? Well, this soup had a blood orange film of oil that clung to the side of the bowl like rain on a dirty windshield.
I waited what seemed like 20 minutes for my onion rings. I even heard my waitress yell at the cooks, asking for my rings. When they finally arrived, they were scalding hot and the batter was a little too thick. Other than that, they tasted pretty good.
The restaurant is separate from any showrooms. All you see outside are random new and used cars for sale. Nothing to write home about. Parking was hard to find. We ended up parking down the street.
Top image: Flickr dhilowitz
Bottom three images: Maxichamp
