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Ambience
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
52 reviews for Ambience
Review Highlights
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"We enjoyed the prix fixe menu immensely." In 10 reviews -
"...the chocolate mousse cake and raspberry/mango mousse cake." In 3 reviews -
"...poached scallop and lobster creme brulee + seared lobster." In 5 reviews
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52 reviews in English
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Review from Stephanie L.
Rancho Cordova, CA
This review is long over-due but I still remember my experience at Ambience from 5 months ago.
As a SF native, it was quite a culture-shock for me when I moved to the Sac area and discovered that there was quite a lack of nice restaurants. However, I'm so glad I discovered Ambience. As many reviewers have mentioned, the restaurant is not located in the best environment. Think dingy strip mall with a fancy restaurant dropped in. Don't be discouraged though because the interior is nothing like the exterior.
We decided on the prix fixe menu with additional wine pairings for each course. We had many dishes so I'll just focus on the best ones:
Our first course was the Salmon/Scallop Mousse Brioche with Tomato Casino de Paris and Smoked Mozzarella Gratin. It was so delicious and a wonderful start to our meal. The brioche was warm and perfectly crispy and went well with the mousse.
My second course was the Chilean Seabass, Corn Arborio Rice, Braiaed Organic Leeks, Golden Pear Cherry Tomatoes with Dill Butter. I LOVE chilean seabass and this dish did not disappoint! Again, perfectly cooked.
The restaurant really focuses on game and we had everything from rabbit to venison to duck. I won't go into more detail. Service was excellent as well. Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant, their prix fixe menu, and their wine pairings. -
Review from Serious C.
Sacramento, CA
Located in a little building in the parking lot of a strip mall plaza. Very unassuming. Surrounded by the likes of Big Lots.
Inside, it's dark. It's intimate. Quite lovely, really.
The menu-- Well, It's your choice of a 5-course Prix Fixe Menu ($55) or a 7-course Chef's Tasting Menu ($75). Nothing else. One or the other.
We went for the 7-courses. There was also a wine pairing option for an extra $45 where each course had a wine pairing so, why not. We had the wine as well. With each course, we looked forward to the next. It was all very good. Little flaws like a poached egg overcooked, truffle oil was used a lot-- but, we enjoyed it nevertheless. And each wine pairing were great choices. We were introduced to wine that we liked so much we sought it out later in the week to have at home.
Dining here was definitely a treat. If there isn't availability for reservations on Open Table, make sure you try by phone. That's what happened to us and we were able to make a reservation over the phone. -
Review from Andrew W.
4/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
Delicious and beautifully plated Chef's Tasting Menu for $75 per person was not what I expected pulling up into the parking lot of Ambience. The interior is a complete 360 from the exterior with plush seating and mood lighting.
First Course -- salmon/scallop mousse brioche
Second Course -- Chilean seabass and seared ahi tuna
Third Course -- spiced red & golden beets, baby arugula, truffle oil vinaigrette
Fourth Course -- deconstructed mignon wellington and lobster medallion agnolotti
Fifth Course -- beef tartar or quail stuffed with wild mushroom risotto
Palate Course -- meyer lemon and raspberry sorbet
Sixth Course -- venison tenderloin and wild boar tenderloin
Seventh Course -- chocolate mousse and baked Alaska
All seven courses appealed to more than my sense of taste -- they looked amazing and smelled delicious. Even though I wanted more of every course, I enjoyed dipping the warm bread into the leftover sauce. Our server explained every dish and even warned us that ordering the braised rabbit would mean waiting for hours. Best part was the pacing. At most restaurants, there is a long enough lag time that makes me wonder when is my food coming. But at Ambience, each course arrives 10 minutes after one another. This is a blessing to an impatient, hungry man. Yes this place is a huge splurge but I would come here again.
What I recommend:
-- Chef's 7 Course Tasting Menu
-- use the hot bread to soak up the delicious sauce -
Review from Carlyle B.
Sacramento, CA
5/14/2012
I read the reviews before visiting Ambience for the first time. I was a bit apprehensive in view of a couple of comments about the food. My concern was unjustified. The food and service was excellent. The only negative is the outrageous $25 corkage.
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Review from Ken K.
Carmichael, CA
1/6/2012
Small portions but the food is great. The service is fabulous and suggestions for dinner was great. My son said the food was good but he did not get enough to eat but he understood that in good places the amount is not as important than the taste.
I would be happy to tell friends this is a great place. -
Review from Tamara D.
Carmichael, CA
3/5/2012
This place really is amazing as far as food and ambiance. However, I will caution new comers that you must not rely on the website menu for pricing. We took another couple there, and between the four of us, it was $600. A little shocking to say the least. We had brought two bottles of wine ($25 corkage each) and bought one bottle the waiter recommend ($60)...we ordered the Chef's special ($75 each)...somehow that really added up, but again, the food, service and atmosphere was amazing and we will eat there again.....but I may have to sell an extra house first!
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Review from Ann S.
Sacramento, CA
11/6/2011
By far, the best food and value. It's a gem and I don't say this often. I have been many times and will continue to invest in this restaurant. The menu changes but you can expect a good selection and variety of choices.
I don't eat meat so they are happy to accommodate my diet.
I am so thrill Zagat recognized this well deserving restaurant. -
Review from Foodies R.
San Francisco, CA
12/14/2011
One of the best prix fixe menus in all of Sacramento. Price and value wise you will enjoy a diverse and changing entrees to choose from and an excellent selection of wine parings.
Our favorite has been the buffalo steak which was served over a light bed of greens. The meat was perfectly cooked and did not have the expected aftertaste that normally accompanies game meat.
Highly recommended. -
Review from Emily M.
Sacramento, CA
8/4/2011
I really wanted to looooove this place, but it fell a little short. While I loved aspects about some parts of the meal, I wasn't completely sold. My husband and I had the five course meal which included the following:
First course:
Spinach and gorgonzola cream with Oaxaca cheese - This was tasty, but nothing special. Just your typical, creamy dip.
Second course:
Ahi tuna sampler - It was okay, although we've had better
Day boat scallop
Third course:
Asparagus Puree with garnished with Lemon Creme Fraiche - very tasty. One of the highlights of my meal.
Fourth course:
Wild Alaskan Salmon, fresh corn kernel, potato gnocchi, dill butter - It was good, but nothing too memorable.
Pork tenderloin medallions stuffed with combozola cheese on scalloped potatoes, burgundy poached pear, and black wild rice - Highlight of the meal! This dish was absolutely delicious and the poached pear perfectly balanced the pork medallions. The flavors were unique and spot on.
Fifth course:
Raspberry-Mango mousse cake with lady fingers - the texture was soft and fluffy.
Apricot creme brulee with apricot brandy and fresh berries - I've had better creme brulee before. It was a pretty standard dish, and I did not taste any of the apricot flavor. -
Review from NY K.
Sacramento, CA
4/5/2012
Yay!!! Fine dining in the Greater Sacramento Area. The price is a bargain for the quality of food! We celebrated our anniversary here, and we will definitely be back!
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Review from Sunny K.
Sacramento, CA
2/1/2012 1 photo
Wow, this was better than the Kitchen!!! There were four of us on a Friday evening -- it was our first time but definitely not our last. We chose the "tasting menu" with wine pairing. Every dish (with the exception of the fig souffle appetizer) was a masterpiece in taste and presentation. Loved the scallop and salmon mousse pastry, quail, boar, venison dishes and the beautiful dessert. Each dish was artfully presented and perfectly portioned! Can't wait to be back this month to celebrate a family birthday. Keep up the superb job!!!
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Review from Ann S.
Sacramento, CA
4/9/2011
Oh. My. God.
It exists. A foodie paradise in Carmichael. Near my house. Where I can go to eat. A lot!
Happy Birthday to me!
We had heard about this place, and to begin my birthday celebration week, my husband had made reservations at Ambiance. We were going with my oldest son and his girlfriend, as well as my youngest son, who is now 14.
Because it was a Tuesday night, there was only one other table in the restaurant, so we had an entire area to ourselves. The restaurant offers a five course Prix Fixe menu or a seven course wine tasting menu. We all selected the five course, it being a Tuesday night, and also the 14 year old wasn't into drinking wine that evening.
We were, we had a bottle of Stag's Leap Hand of Time blend that seemed appropriately named for a birthday celebration.
The first course was a tiny little pot of creamed spinach with cambozola and oaxaca cheese. So delicious, I could have eaten mine and everybody else's serving at the table and left happy. The pots were cute too, I just might have been tempted to slip them in my purse.
For the second course, I chose a tartar of Kobe beef topped with Quail egg and watercress and pear. I was apprehensive about it, because I don't like raw meat, but my only other choices were seafood, which I don't eat at all. Indeed, I didn't like the texture very much but the flavor was delicious and I finished it all. I couldn't taste the quail egg though, or even see it which was odd. The room is pretty dark. Several in our party, including my youngest son, chose a scallop, which they all said was amazing.
Next up was a butternut squash soup with cayenne, which was the perfect amount of sweet and spicy. Then I selected the pork tenderloin on scalloped potato with wine roasted pear and the most amazing black rice dish - one that I am still dreaming about. In fact, every molecule of food on that plate was dream-worthy - the pork was so tender you could make it cry by looking at it wrong. Who knew pork could taste that good coming from today's spoiled pigs?
My son's girlfriend shared a taste of her buffalo steak with me, which was rich and beefy. My youngest son and my husband enjoyed the Wild Alaskan Salmon with gnocci.
Dessert for me was an Apricot Creme Brulee, with a spoon of apricot brandy that you poured onto the creme to give it some kick. It was decorated with playful spun sugar spirals that were beautiful. Also delivered to our table were a Baked Alaska and a Chocolate Mousse Cake.
Everybody loved everything and left nothing for the dishwasher to do. My 14 year old even sopped up whatever was left on his plate, every course, with bread. Which, I allowed since we were alone and there was nobody to see his bad manners. The growing boy likes fine food (and bread) and I want to encourage it.
Eating at this restaurant is like watching Top Chef Masters, except you get to taste the food. Everything was artfully presented and unbelievably delicious. The food looked as pretty as it tasted. Service was also attentive without being intrusive. Sometimes, when the house is slow, waiters tend to forget about you or the timing is off, but that didn't happen.
Next time we go, we will try the wine tasting menu - and I'll call ahead and see if they can accommodate a non-seafood eater.
The location is rather strange for a fine-dining restaurant but thank goodness there is something in this area like Ambience. Once you get inside, you'd never know you are in a strip mall. It's tiring always having to go downtown and fight parking for good food. I hope this restaurant has a long, happy life in this location. -
Review from picky e.
Sacramento, CA
11/8/2011
I am shocked at all of the other glowing reviews and even more shocked by the Zagat accolades. We had the seven course prixe fixe with wine pairings. The wines deserve three stars and everything else deserves one. Every course was cold (lobster bisque, chilean sea bass, lobster medallions). All meats and fishes were overcooked, rubbery, and cold. The vegetables in the salad tasted strongly of the plastic bags they likely were purchased in and the lobster medallions tasted and smelled like they had been sitting in the refrigerator for days absorbing the other flavors and smells.
I have had ten times better quality food, service, and wine for this price at a number of other outstanding Sacramento restaurants. I hesitated to write this until I heard back from the email I sent the restaurant, but I haven't heard anything. -
Review from Tiffany K.
Sacramento, CA
12/5/2010 Seated via OpenTable
Came here for our anniversary dinner and was excited to have a spot so close to home! Ambience sits in a strip mall that has a Beverly's crafts, of all things, so I wasn't too sure what to expect.
Arriving in the hushed, low-lit foyer, you have the option of checking in your coat. However being winter and the fact that the place seemed a bit on the chilly side, I kept my jacket on.
The restaurant is laid out in sections with aisles of cream-colored cushy booths on either side. There was one room for a large group and the kitchen is off to the right.
I really dig the concept of a prix fixe menu. You know ahead of time how much you are going to spend and instead focus on what choices you have to make! The only thing that varies in price is the wine list. I brought a bottle from Australia that I wanted to open so I didn't really look at the wine list. I did notice that they do serve quite a few wines by the glass with the lowest end being around $7 - 8. Corkage is now $25.
You get four courses + dessert for $45. For the first, I chose the salmon/scallop mousse brioche with tomato casino de Paris and smoked mozzarella gratin. A very light crispy rectangle came out that, while tasty, reminded me of pizza sauce on puff pasty. I know! I know! Terrible of me to say that.
The second course choice consisted of seared lobster medallions, diced cucumber, wasabi coulis and wasabi caviar hot sauce. An additional $6, three round segments of lobster accompanied by said wasabi sauces were presented beautifully. While the lobster was fresh, and not the least bit chewy i was thrilled to have real wasabi for once.
Husband got the scallops with cambozola and spinach agnolotti. Highly recommend! Soft pillows of scallops were perfectly cooked and melted in your mouth. I would have to say I've found my favorite scallops here.
Soup came next: asparagus puree with lemon creme fraiche. Very subtle and the creme fraiche gave it a tart balance.
Pan-seared Muscove duck breast was the fourth, accompanied with mixed greens and butternut squash timbale and foie gras mousse. I heart duck in a big way. Not too gamey, the meat was tender and not fatty in the least. Call me politically incorrect, but I love foie gras. This one, although it was a mousse, did not disappoint.
Dessert was the baked Alaska with fresh berries.Although good, it came in a tranche style, not the mini-dome I was expecting. I regretted not getting the chocolate mousse. The latter was created with Valrhona chocolate and came with a chocolate mousse cake too!
Kent, our server, was gracious, explained the courses in detail and enjoys his job. We had him join us in a glass of our 2001 Koltz Shiraz, but he waxed poetic over his Ojai Vineyards Syrah. Ha!
Subdued ambiance, perfect food and right in my 'hood! I'm coming back for sure.Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Anthony W.
Sacramento, CA
The ambience was amazing! OK, I had to get that groaner out of my system. Now I can review.
The food was fantastic, the server cheerful and enthusiastic, and the decor amazing considering it use to be a Lyon's realty office or Mountain Mike's or something.
We ordered the five course meal and my favorite dishes for the night included:
Spinach and gorgonzola creme gratin with oaxacan cheese: this little tiny bowl of a savory egg custard like dish with a mozzarella like mexican cheese on top. The texture was smooth as silk.
Steak tartar with quail egg: the sauces and garnishes of garlic and coriander, vinegar and oils made this dish so utterly delightful.
Pork tenderloin medallions stuffed with combozola cheese on scalloped potato: the pork looked and tasted like a tender rare filet mignon. I don't know how they did it!
I actually ordered the lamb shank and was able to sample my wife's pork medallions. The lamb shank was huge, hearty, and tasty. However i think the intricate flavors of the pork medallions push it over the top.
I loved how they brought out each course almost immediately following the previous. We were never left waiting long for our food. The portions seem small for the first three courses, but the fourth is substantial and after dessert, you won't be left hungry, that's for sure.
The only irony here is the location. A high end gastronomical island in a wasteland of suburban stripmalls.We saw a homeless guy in the parking lot pushing his shopping cart around. Irony indeed. (but maybe the smartest place to dumpster dive in town?)
I'd really like to come back someday and try the seven course meal. Give this place a try for your special event, or for whenever, if you lucky enough to be a "balla"! -
Review from Marjorie B.
San Diego, CA
10/29/2010
This is possibly Sacramento's best deals for 5-course prix fixe fine, French dining for $45. My boyfriend and I were looking for a place to celebrate my 32nd birthday in Sacramento. We were first looking at the "Kitchen" and just when were about to make a reservation which was about 3 weeks before my birthday, they were already booked a month in advance. So then, we resorted to Ambience restaurant, which was our second choice and turned out to be the best decision ever. Make a reservation in advance and dress appropriately for a special occasion.
1st course: Spinach and Gorgonzola Cream Gratin with Oaxaca cheese - This to me tasted like a rich, gourmet spinach dip. Oaxaca cheese is probably the Mexican version of the gooey mozzarella cheese.
2nd course: Poached Day Boat Scallop with Cambozola and Spinach Agnolotti with creamy Saffron-Dill sauce - The scallops was cooked perfectly.
3rd course: Lobster Bisque with fresh seared lobster, garnished with creme Fraiche - It was an awesome lobster bisque because I can actually scoop some lobster chunks out. Creme Fraiche is just sour cream dressed in French.
4th course: Seared Buffalo, Hanger steak on Golden Yukon Potato Gratin, Asparagus finished with white Truffle oil - I've never had buffalo before and it was a tender, lean with a distinctive beefy flavor and the truffle oil is just finishes it.
5th course: Raspberry-Mango mousse cake with lady fingers - kind of like the fruity version of Tiramisu. It was yummy!
We went home with a happy tummy and we were quite satisfied with our meal and we did not think we can get full with five mini-meals. -
Review from Jaimie P.
Stockton, CA
10/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
GooD but you need to absolutely be a seafood lover for the prix fixe menu
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Review from noc f.
Sacramento, CA
3/7/2011
Don't be fooled by the location- when my boyfriend was driving there I thought to myself...uh oh.. But after entering the restaurant, I immediately changed my mind. It's so private and pretty inside. The servers were all awesome. Food is spectacular, it's Pre-fixed menu that constantly changes. Best of all-it's Chef owned!
You know what they say..."Don't judge a book by it's cover"..Proves to be the case here...Location is not my favorite...but the restaurant's ambience and everything else definitely lives up to it's name! What an awesome find! -
Review from Anh L.
Sacramento, CA
11/10/2010
What a great deal for a 5-course, quality meal! Went here for a work meeting.
Location: easy to find, plenty of parking
Ambience: Dark entrance, sort of contemporary decor. The windows are large and lowered, as well as the round archway, which makes you feel like you are in a small room even though the ceiiling is pretty high.
Service: impeccable, attentitive.
Food: Fresh food, delish, great seasonings on all the dishes. Can't remember all the names, but started out with salmon mousse. Then we had scallops (so yummy), asparagus soup, buffalo hanger steak, chocolate mouse cake.
One of the best food I've eaten in Sac. -
Review from Michael L.
Berkeley, CA
11/27/2010
The first three courses weren't all that impressive, the first one I had was a salmon brioche that tasted more like frozen pizza on a buttery pastry shell, but all of this didn't matter by the fourth course. I had a chilean sea bass special, and it was revelatory. Never before have I had fish so perfectly cooked. This is the new standard for me. I cannot imagine it being any better. The chocolate mouse was also great. The price is actually quite good for what you get, as the fourth and fifth courses were probably worth the price of the whole thing alone.
I'm giving this 5 stars normalized to Sacramento standards, as this place is probably as good as it gets in this area. -
Review from Kelly C.
Sacramento, CA
11/10/2011
My wife and I went here for a special occasion.
One of the few things worse than sitting through 7 uninspiring courses is sitting through a 7 course meal at Ambiance. Some of the low-lights included lukewarm and chewy duck, past due lobster meat and mealy textured figs. Yuk.
Hard for me to imagine this place was so well reviewed in the Zagat guide. I will never be back. -
Review from Karen M.
Sacramento, CA
1/23/2011
Tried this for the first time on Friday and we were very impressed! While it lacks the "entertainment" of the Kitchen, the pre-fixe menu food was every bit as good.
While the server was a bit geeky, he was very attentive and the courses were brought out in a very timely manner.
My partner is vegetarian, and they didn't have menu choices for her, but once we asked, it was accommodated, albeit with only one option. I had the ahi as a second course which was delicious and for the fourth course I choose the salmon which was perfectly cooked and so tasty!
Dessert was a hit for everyone, with all four at our table ordering something different. While I didn't care for the mint variety, my caramel trio was excellent and the spun sugar was also fun!
We had thought it was $45 per person but it turned out to be $55, so maybe they just raised their prices...there is also a 7-course option now but we're glad we just did 5 - plenty of food! -
Review from Alan B.
Folsom, CA
10/23/2011
When I read the less than 5 star reviews I am amazed. We had one of the best meals we have ever had last night, and we have been fortunate to dine in great restaurants around the world. For our first time we decided on the prix fixe as it's clear you should really allow much more time for the seven course meal. The service was great and we enjoyed the detailed descriptions of each dish. The meal began modestly with roasted figs in balsamic and built in flavor and intensity. For the main course my wife had the Atlantic salmon and I enjoyed the lamb shank. We usually box up dessert but when we saw what the next table was getting we had to have it! The wine list is relatively short but good choices. My only criticism would be the $25 corkage, a bit steep these days. My only regret is that we did not discover this place and the talents of Chef Song sooner.
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Review from Becca F.
Sacramento, CA
7/13/2009
In Jan 2008, Morgan Song opened his third Maritime Seafood restaurant in Carmichael. (The others are in Woodland & Redding.) The strip-mall location leaves much to be desired, and Maritime was soon renamed Ambiance... The decor isn't decadent, but it's still impressive upon entry. I adore the foyer, and the labyrinth of semi-private dining rooms. The scale of the rooms intrigues. The lighting somehow works considering the dark painted walls... which can seem pretentious (but aren't) when paired w/ black-clad waitstaff.
Not only is the four-course meal tres affordable at a fixed $45/person (wine is not included, $20 corkage) but also the variety of entree choices abound for a prix fixe menu: orange roughy, pork tenderloin, duck, even elk! Mucho selecion for appetizers. Desserts too from apricot creme brulee to chocolate mousse or lemon tart.
You're thinking 4-courses?! but portions are just right: more than one bite to truly experience the complex layers of taste. In fact, I had enough to share with three other diners. BTW even the bread was soft and moist, but I missed the traditional French crust.
Kudos to Arti for watching the Discovery Bay Area foodie programme on Fri when I visited; I imm chose the dungeness crab cake: nice texture outside with crisp breadcrumbs and flaky seafood inside... aside from the corn kernel that detracted from the experience. The butternut squash (BNS) soup was OK, but lacked nutmeg or other spices I've come to associate with other BNS soup variations; the creme fraiche was heavy handed and negatively affected presentation. If anything could be improved overall: plating which was 4 star, except for Kev's scallop hors d'oeuvres which were a 2.
Uncharacteristically I ordered the duck, and was very pleased: med-rare flesh was exquisite in color, full of savory & fatty flavour, and complemented nicely with a slightly sweet sauce. Atypically I chose the (valrhona) chocolate marscapone b/c I love this cheese; it was the closest thing I could get to a GENUINE tiramisu.
Service from hostess to server was excellent as our party received ample attention without suffocation. Plates were bussed; wine glasses refilled often and reflected superb training ... timing was orchestrated beautifully. After the meal, we felt welcomed to linger and converse as our server could better focus on other parties with later reservations. I can't wait to return!Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Melissa L.
Elk Grove, CA
9/6/2011
Don't be fooled by the strip mall this restaurant is in. This is a first class establishment. It is probably good that I live too far away in Elk Grove to visit this place as often as I would like. It is pricey, but well worth it.
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Review from Karine M.
Carmichael, CA
5/3/2010
Multiple course dinner with balanced portions. The price is set for each person unless you order alcohol.
I have eaten at Ambience several times and have always been happy with the food. I prefer eating in the boothed room. I find the service faster. -
Review from steve l.
West Sacramento, CA
10/12/2011
Been here twice. Both times were outstanding. Chef Morgan Song is possibly the best chef in the area. He is creative and the food presentation and flavors will amaze you. All this for a restaurant in a strip mall. Each time we had the prix fixe dinner and from the apps to the desert were a bargain. Service was well paced without feeling hurried. The decore is elegant and warm. The seating areas give a sense of privacy. You can tell Chef takes great pride in his quality of food and his delivery. Do yourself a favor and try this place in your lifetime.
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Review from Linda C.
Sacramento, CA
1/3/2010
You must be out of your mind if you don't like this place, the food, the service, the owner.. Top notch!! If I'm not too busy running my cafe, I will
be there every month! -
Review from Ryan M.
San Jose, CA
6/14/2009
While visiting family in Fair Oaks I was looking for a nice place for dinner. There are so few quality places to eat in this area that I was surprised to find this gem.
The meal is prie fixe but the choices are suitable for most palettes. I started with the oysters, very delicate and paired well with the sauvignon blanc. Next I went with the asparagus soup, but never tried it since they ran out of it. It was only 8pm and I thought it strange that the would have not made enough to not even make it to early evening. So they sub'd the dish for the other choice. For the 3rd I had the duck. Crispy skin and med-rare! Cooked perfectly with a great sweet sauce to match. To finish I had the chocolate mousse' with a glass of Porto. Very rich and full of all the goodness I was looking for.
All in all it was a great experience. I would have given 4 stars but since they ran out of the soup I gave them 3. Worth the money. -
Review from Michelle I.
Napa, CA
3/6/2012
If you want a memorable night with someone special, choose this restaurant! The food here is as good as it gets, and the ambiance is wonderful. Low lights, deep purple walls, and beautiful artwork. The location is surprising; I would never know there was a hidden gem located there, had it not been for the recommendation of a coworker. Now I have been to Ambience twice, and have been completely and utterly impressed both times. On the most recent trip, my fiance and I had many small courses paired with delicious wines. I had sliced vension, so tender and flavorful that I'm still thinking about it days later! My fiance had his favorite, filet mignon with asparagus, and he was so delighted that I hardly heard a word from him throughout the meal. Our small plates included beet salad, duck thigh prepared sous vide, stuffed quail, ahi tuna tartare, oysters, lobster medallions (also prepared sous vide)... and it was delicious, every bite. The proprietor has impressive skills and I understand that he prepares much of the food himself. For dessert we had creme brulee and baked alaskas, both topped with hand spun sugar spirals so beautiful they looked like blown glass. I will go back as often as I can!
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Review from Wayne K.
10/10/2010
Five Course Prix Fixe for $45 makes it a great gourmet dinner at a very reasonable price. The first three courses were a combination of hors d' oeuves, salad and soup. Our group of seven enjoyed a number of the offerings for the first three courses. The favorites included: the salmon/scallop mousse; heirloom tomatoes with fresh mozzarella; poached peach in apricot nappage with figs and truffle oil; Hawaiian ahi sampler; poached scallop with baby arugula and saffron-dill sauce. I'm reading all this from the menu because there's no way I can keep track of the different offerings. The lightness of each dish and the petite serving sizes were perfect as the preliminaries leading up to the main course. We loved the grilled orange roughy; Alaskan salmon and New Zealand ribeye of lamb. They were excellently prepared and seasoned to perfection. The only item which was not quite up the the others was the Pan Roasted rack of wild boar. The balsalmic sauce was very good but the pork was just a little tough. The lamb was best. The desserts were great. Mine was the raspberry and mango mousse.
We'll be back. Go with a group, share and sample the different dishes just to taste and enjoy the great food. -
Review from Talia D.
Sacramento, CA
1/27/2011
An amazing price fix menu that changes with the seasons as it should - each dish was delicious: thoughtful and well executed. Wonderful service and a very nice wine list. They only seat 10 tables at a time so that Chef Song can pay attention to each dish, and it shows. We will be back for special occasions.
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Review from Janet W.
Emeryville, CA
4/18/2011 8 photos
I loved this place! I went to Ambience Friday evening with 2 friends and tried the 7 course with the wine pairing. From the outside, it is blends in a little with the surrounding plaza stores. But once you enter, it's a different world. It's a beautiful restaurant, with dark walls, arched ceilings, and dim lights, creating a lovely ambiance. The menu is pre-fixed with options for some of the courses. Since we wanted to try everything, we made sure that we each ordered something different for those courses.
Every course was soooo goood and beautiful too! Each plate is like a work of art, with each piece carefully placed. It was so pretty I almost didn't want to destroy it by eating it, but then once I started, I wanted to clean my plate to spotlessness. Even our bread was good! My super favorites included the salmon/scallop mousse broiche, the beet salad, the seared venison, and the chocolate mousse and souffle. The chocolate mousse dish was also very pretty, with edible sugar spun and chocolate decorations, which were also fun to eat.
In the very beginning, the waiter told us that it would take around 3 hours for the 7 course meal, but offered the option to have a shorter meal (I think 2 hrs?) if we didn't want to stay that long. But since we weren't in a rush and had time to enjoy the experience to the fullest extent, we said the usual time was fine. In the end, we didn't even realize that we were in there for that long until we checked. The pacing of the courses wasn't even too slow or anything. It was a really pleasant dining experience and we definitely will be returning many, many times! -
Review from Magda V.
Carmichael, CA
8/13/2010
Delicious, beautifully decorated small portion dishes. So good that the taste will linger on your tongue for many hours.
Listed in: Dining
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Review from Mike F.
Sacramento, CA
1/9/2010
No question - Ambience belongs in the top tier of Sacramento area restaurants. The food is stunning. It was $45 for a prix fixe menu, but it included five courses and a wide variety of choices for the second, fourth, and fifth courses. I had a lobster "creme brulee" for my second course that was incredible. Okay, it was a little deceiving as the lobster custard didn't have a crispy "bruleed" top on it but that didn't take away from how much I enjoyed what amounted to lobster pudding. And that came with a second plate of cold, seared lobster that was also wonderful. For the fourth course, I had "rabbit three ways". There was seared rabbit tenderloin, braised rabbit legs, and a rabbit mousse. The legs and tenderloin were incredibly tender; whoever cooked those has a real touch with such delicate meat that can so easily be overcooked. The tenderloin came with a black currant reduction that was wonderful with an otherwise overly oaky Rombauer cabernet. The rabbit mousse was the show-stopper, though. Very rich and very smooth, with a little organ-meat flavor that was really nice. Dessert was a light chocolate mousse with a rich sabayon and a dark chocolate truffle to accompany it.
Service was very good, maybe a little over-attentive if anything. Only knock is the wine list. It's way too Californicentric. My wife and I prefer earthy, low-alcohol wines of the kind you can still get from France and Italy. There were only a few token European wines on the regular list and that was a fairly significant disappointment for us. The Rombauer we ended up with was acceptable but much more oaky and one-dimensional than we like. Next time, we'll bring our own bottle.
Other than the wine list, though, this place is great. -
Review from Brenda B.
Sacramento, CA
6/18/2010
I just loved this place! Presentation of the food was wonderful. I had wild boar, and it was SOOOO tender and juicy. It did not taste at all like pork. Had I not known what it was, I would have guessed beef. I let the waiter pick the dessert for me. I told him I wanted the dessert that had the most beautiful presentation. It was gorgeous and very unusual for a chocolate mousse. I never would have picked a mousse for dessert, but this was DIVINE and drop dead beautiful! I would definitely go here again!
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Review from Dale S.
Sacramento, CA
7/28/2010
Sacramento's diamond in the rough. Where else can you get a 5-course prix fixe menu for only $45 that rivals Fleur de Lys, French Laundry, Bouchon, Cyrus or MiIchael Mina's? No one in Sacramento or in Northern CA should miss an opportunity to indulge in a menu with so many choices and wonderful portions. Unattentive diners will miss this place because its buried in a shopping center in the suburbs. But don't be deceived, this place is the real deal.
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Review from Andy S.
Rocklin, CA
2/1/2010
Three stars is as high as I could possibly go for what turned out to be a tremendous disappointment. This is the best restaurant that I've been to in Sacramento. My rating should indicate just how low my opinion of the fine dining in our town is. The $45 prix-fixe menu is a tremendous value. Unfortunately value isn't what I was looking for at Ambience. I expected an experience and am sad to say that I got one. Our server hadn't tasted anything on the menu. This left her unable to give recommendations any stronger than "I've been told" or "my customers have all raved". No product knowledge is rarely something that I note as a plus.
The space is beautiful, for Sacramento. There are several distinct dining rooms allowing customers to feel as though there are only a very few other people in restaurant. That is, until the evening gets going. By the third course my wife and I found ourselves shouting at one another in order to make ourselves heard.
The food should have been a bright spot. It was, unfortunately, a dull spot at best.
The lobster custard is deceptively called a brulee. It is a spoonful of custard, albeit delicious, in spite of the skin that it had developed between the kitchen and our table. The boar was succulent and well prepared. My Duck in black currant reduction was good if uninspired. The desserts were beautiful but forgettable.
We will be returning because as I said, this is the best restaurant in town, bar none. But we'll continue to take guests to the Bay Area when we're looking for a fine dining experience. -
Review from Jo-Ann L.
Sacramento, CA
11/11/2011
I really wanted to love this place but I was disappointed. Went with a party of 7 (6 adults and a 10 yo) last night. Part of the problem may be because my husband and I starved ourselves all day, knowing we were going to have a 5 or 7 course meal. Each plate that we ate was delicious but the portions extremely small... more like a teaser which meant we ate lots of bread with butter in-between each dish. I don't consider myself a real big eater either. I also didn't like it that the entire party had to decide if they were going for the 5 or 7 course fix prix dinner. I didn't like any of the entrees in the 5 course menu (salmon, pork tenderloin, lamb shank or buffalo) but some of the others didn't like any of the offering in the 7course menu. Although it's not as expensive as the Kitchen or the Supper Club, you may come out hungry, unless you fill up with lots of bread! I'm glad that I got to try Ambience but I will not be back.
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Review from Linsey M.
Blacksburg, VA
2/18/2010
This restaurant has a faint hint of the French Laundry, but it's in Sacramento and runs $45 for a five-course dinner instead of $250 for the FL's nine-course gut buster. Of course, there really is no comparison to the FL, but I rank Ambience as the best restaurant in Sacramento, although I was also very impressed by Cosmo recently.
The starter, a salmon mousse brioche, was probably the most disappointing part of the dinner. It was intensely smoky, reminiscent of ham, but seemed a little soggy. Next, we had the poached scallop and lobster creme brulee + seared lobster. The scallop dish was mild and nicely cooked, and the lobster creme brulee was boring but the seared lobster slices were amazingly tender and garnished with a piquant combination of sauces. Our third courses were the crabcake and asparagus cream. The crabcake was the standout of the night. It was lightly crisp and uniquely spiced with green onions and other delectable hints of flavors I can't identify. The asparagus cream was just that and very plain. Our fourth courses were the sea bass, which was outstanding as others have noted, and potato gnocchi with oyster and shiitake mushrooms. The gnocchi themselves were a little boring, but the mushrooms...the mushrooms were the most delicious I have ever tasted, nearly erotic in their texture and earthy flavors. Our fifth courses were the chocolate mousse cake and raspberry/mango mousse cake. They were gorgeous and rich.
Each dish was like artwork. The four seared lobster slices, laid out side-by-side and topped with colorful sauces, and the 8-inch long sugar spikes sticking out of the desserts were especially striking. Service was impeccable. When we first entered the restaurant, the thick partition walls and dark purple paint were a little intimidating, but our booth was comfortable and intimate.
The meal was a tremendous value.
