California Fat's Steakhouse and Asian Grill
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
15 Reviews for California Fat's Steakhouse and Asian Grill
Pretty much a major disappointment. The decor was nice but the chairs were so low I felt like the waiter towered over us. The tables were so long I had to shout to talk to my girlfriend. And then there was the food! The steak I ordered medium rare came medium well to well done. It was dry, chewy, and the glaze was subpar. The side dish was a PILE OF WHITE RICE. Yes, this is what they charge $26 for. The coconut shrimp appetizer was a horrible deep fried concoction. The only highlight was the house special banana cream pie. All in all, a ridiculous waste of money and time.
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Let me first start by saying I believe this place closed in May 2008, but I could be wrong......
In comparison to Frank Fat's, one of the other Fat's restaurants, this place food wise does not compare. They have a pretty good selection of food on their menu but when it is delivered to your table it just isn't as exciting to your tastebuds as it was to your eyes when you read its description.
They do accommodate for large groups though which is a plus, and the decor itself is pretty nice, especially since it is in Old Sac, right near the cobblestone pathways and wooden boardwalks (which ALWAYS mess up my heels because they get caught in the cracks!!!!! ahhhhh!!!)
Food wise, if it is still open that is, stick with the more asian dishes over the steak dishes because they seem to be made and plated a little better than the heavier meat dishes. And if you are in a young group, I think they cater a bit to an older crowd here, so beware that you may have to wait for your food for a little while....
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I was completely unimpressed with this restaurant. Although the atmosphere and decor were nice and the location was good, but the food was nothing great and our server had the enthusiasm of a wet mop. For around $15, I'd think that they'd be able to produce a decent orange chicken entree, but the chicken used in my entree seemed to be cheap. For the price and quality of the food, I would not return to this restaurant and would certainly not recommend to anyone.
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This place used to be decent. At some point in the past, post-remodel, though, they turned into a "steakhouse." Big mistake.
The menu is 50% steaks. But the steak we ordered, after taking almost an hour to come to the table (a rare steak? arrive after the other 2 entrees? be serious!), was bad. Bad as in bad meat. Old meat. It was super grainy, and that's not the kind of texture that good, healthy meat has. This was bad stuff, and either very low quality to begin with or it had been sitting around for a few weeks too long.
Other problems that it'd be great if they could address:
a) ice-cold dinner rolls. wtf is up with that? that's just cheap and stupid.
b) kind servers who are kept waiting by a tremendously inefficient kitchen. or maybe they're just understaffed. WAY understaffed.
c) everything was oversauced. maybe that's because they know the meat is low-quality and the scallops, which i had, are still cold in the middle - they didn't quite defrost them all the way. everything was DROWNED in strong, oversalty and oversugared sauce.
If you're going to serve food like this, drop the prices a bit.
Personally, I'll stick with the other Fat's restaurants, which do their thing perfectly well.
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I actually enjoyed this place cause my meal was GREAT! I ordered the black pepper kobe beef stir fry with mushrooms and sweet onions, and I must say, it was delicious. Full of flavor and the more bites I took.... the more spicy it got. I loved it. Service (our waiter) was a tad bit slow; although, the bartender guy who served us drinks before we got seated....was really nice and hooked me up with a nice rum and coke.
For our appetizers we had the coconut shrimp and the pot stickers. Coconut shrimp was delightful. Very crunchy, light, and warm. Not so much for the pot stickers. Pot stickers tasted like they were the frozen kinds that you can get from Costco.
The ambiance was really nice. It had this really cool waterfall wall that was beautiful. Almost felt like I was at Tryst again in Las Vegas. Haha.. I'm just kidding. But it was very well decorated. I wouldn't be surprised if one day they decide to turn this restaurant into a really cool, slushy club.
Overpriced, underwhelming food. Greasy. Their attempts at dim sum were laughable, and the prices in relation to the quality and quantity of the food were insulting.
What can I say? Not much. I've heard that Frank Fat's is better, but this spinoff certainly did not give me a good first impression.
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California Fat is a nice Chinese Fusion restaurant. For me, growing up eating Chinese food every single day, the key to Chinese Fusion is for me to NOT think of it as Chinese food. And then I can appreciate it for what it is, delicious food!!
But first, we sat next to this awesome indoor waterfall!! The decor was very nice and would make for a great romantic evening! Unlike traditional Chinese restaurants, it wasn't overwhelmingly loud. Instead, there was nice lighting, fake trees, nice music, etc. It definitely felt like we were sitting outside.
I had the Chow Mein, which was very good and tasty. The portion was huge though and I think it ended up being my "leftovers" lunch for two days! Still, it was very yummy. My friend has the steak, which he said was ok (but he's also got super standards for his meat). The boyfriend has some skewer kabob thing that was very very yummy, but he also had leftovers for the next day.
I think we would all go back there again. I'd be interested in exploring more of their menu.
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The Chinese Fusion cuisine that was way ahead of it's time but now in flow due to places like PF Chang's. I have my hole in the wall traditional Cantonese places and then there's Fat's for the fancy contemporary cuisine. One thing I love about this place is it's heavy on the carne like any respectable Cantonese influenced joint should be. Definitely not a lot of selection for a vegetarian. The decor is contemporary, the waterfall is quite beautiful, and the service I've had has been extreme;y friendly and attentive. Except for the fact that it's a bit touristy due to the Old Sac location, it's one of the area's better restaurants.
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California Fat's is a bit touristy, but being nestled in the heart of Old Town, it's hard to see how that could be avoided. The food is a bit fusion-y, and their "Dim Sum Bar" only has the standard mainstream items (Ha Gau / Siu Mai etc)- however the quality is acceptable. Decor is not bad, with a towering waterfall sculpture on the rear wall. However, I prefer Frank Fat's "original" restaurant to this one- the menu is better there and the rooms are more intimate.
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Recently, this place has been changed to California Fat's Steakhouse and Asian Grill. I don't know if they still serve dimsum, but the new steakhouse element is certainly well done....*waiting for applause*....*crickets chirping instead*
So this place was a nice surprise. I don't know how much the decor has changed, but the charming 2-story waterfall / fountain is still there illuminating the back of the restaurant. We ordered the coconut prawns which were gargantuan and delicious for $10. I ordered the Top Sirloin Steak (I'm a fan of top sirloin because I think the flavor trumps the fact that it's not as tender as ribeye or filet) which was lightly seasoned and grilled perfectly medium-rare for $19. Even though it was a top sirloin cut, the perfect grill kept it as tender as top sirloin gets. It came with some veggies and potatoes, but I ordered some additional garlic green beans for $7 which were slightly sweet and very tasty. Dinner was topped with a slice of excellent banana cream pie which was the perfect end to the meal. Service was attentive and friendly. The items that prevented this place from getting 5 yelps were the cobwebs above our booth and a kind of nasty restroom. Otherwise, the place was perfect and I'd gladly go again.
Food: 10 out of 10
Ambience / Decor: 7 out of 10
Value: 8 out of 10
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We went in at opening time. The waitstaff was plentiful but sadly lacked the common sense to serve their customers promptly. They just stood around.
Food quality was good, but pricey.
I wouldn't go back strictly because of bad service.
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I've been here a few times. It's a fancy chinese restaurant. You can get all the basics watered down for the whitey palate. PF Chang's is very similar in offerings, but at least Fat's is local.
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Great location in charming Old Sacramento! If you're in the area, this place is a sure bet to impress your date, and this Asian Fusion food is by far better than other large chains.
Nice interior with plenty of places for photo ops. There is a giant waterfall, and a private dining room that overlooks the waterfall and the entire restaurant. I enjoyed the professionalism of the wait staff, but the food took a while to prepare.
I had the Sake Salmon, marinated very well and cooked rare, just the way I like it. Also had the filet mignon, at $23, it's a nice price for an 8 oz. cut, tender and paired wonderfully with shitake mushrooms.
They served "Americanized" Chinese food, not my favorite. If you like anything in Panda Express, you'll like it; otherwise, stay away from it.
One thing though, this is the only Chinese restaurant where the serving crews would not harass you if you don't speak Chinese.
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This place really grew on me after my first couple of visits. The food is tasty and the service has improved with each subsequent visit. I like to get a table down by the 30 foot waterfall wall... it drowns out a little bit of the crowd's din and can be a good setting in a date atmosphere. Also, if you are just walking by and need a cocktail, their bar is pretty solid.
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