Sofia

 

1

1

Cindi A.

Sacramento, CA

Great food.  Friendly service.  Great atmosphere.  The owners always come around and ask how dinner & service is.  They also have salsa dance lessons & music.

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0

10

Michie W.

Santa Rosa, CA

We usually go as a large party (6 or more). Service is slow with a big group. But my dining experience was so good today that I just can't see not giving this restaurant 5 stars.

Today I sat at the bar by myself. I ordered one of their specials, a shrimp poboy, and it was amazing. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, lightly seasoned, just delicious. The chef has been there about a month and a half now, relocated from New Orleans area. I hope when I go over the next time there will be more Cajun-inspired food on the menu.

They also started a $5.00 patio Fridays thing. It was going on during lunch where you could get items for $5.00 a piece. I think they are still working out the kinks, but it looks like a great idea. I don't know if this carries through to dinner time.

All in all, I am going to keep going back, mostly because I work across the street, the prices are great, the food was great, and the people who were there were... you guessed it... great.

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0

1

Mike F.

Sacramento, CA

Note that this is not the Thai place, which is "Sophia's." I know this because I searched and searched on the web and didn't find until I called and found I was spelling the name incorrectly.

My girlfriend Beverly and I were looking for a new place within striking distance of Marilyn's, since we had tickets for James Hunter last night. (He was amazing). The show was at nine, so we made reservations at Sofia for seven. When we showed up, the place was not busy at all.

But if they keep providing the level of service we got and keep the food quality as high, a slow night like this one will be rare.

They had a pretty comprehensive wine list, and the prices were reasonable with many in the $25-40 range. They were out of the imported Barbera we chose, but the wine guy brought out a Bray Sangiovese for us to try that was very nice. We got a glass each and the pour was very generous.

We shared a mouth-watering, wonderfully creamy polenta appetizer that was topped with a delicious reduced balsamic-tinged sauce and chopped tomatoes.

I ordered the Salmon, which was baked with a lovely cranberry relish and presented on a bed of buttery mashed potatoes of perfect consistency -- not too smooth, joined by several grilled just-right vegetables, including string beans and green peppers. It was superb.

Bev had a chicken tortellini which she said was heavenly.

Our server was attentive and enthusiastic and the tab was reasonable at around $65. We sat in a booth on a riser toward the back of the restaurant. I think I would have prefered the darker, more candlelit atmosphere of the main floor, but Bev liked it up there.

The place is well-designed and well-appointed and there appears to be plenty of parking. We noticed some people outside as we left having a drink on a small patio in front, enjoying the warm summer evening.

We plan to go back soon, as we enjoyed a really nice experience there.

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9

68

Mighty M.

East Watertown, MA

Restaurant: Fairly good Thai food.  But there's always a pretty ridiculous wait, and the tables are pretty cramped together.  Nothing super duper outstanding on the menu that I can recommend, either compared against other menu items, or against other Thai places.  The end.

Bar: cozy low lights, ethnicky plant-wicker-wood-mirror decor, bar and lounge seating...and drunk, drunk college students.  Damn college town.  It doesn't have the Sorority Life factor that the larger bars do, but it definitely gets loud and cramped.  If you're going in a group to make chitchat, start your drinking night early so you can claim enough seats together.  Or better yet, go on a weekday afternoon.  Haven't tried the bar food.

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16

phortitude u.

Sacramento, CA

I stumbled upon this place while looking for a restaurant that was open on a Sunday afternoon.  Alas, their dining room was closed; however, there was a bar menu that proved quite tasty.  The steak sandwich, stuffed mushrooms, and the garlic fries all proved to be adequate- nothing spectacularly good or bad, but fairly priced.  The fried ravioli had some sweet aftertaste I found to be disconcerting.  The staff was helfpul, lively, and personable.  Although I wasn't amazed at the food, it was tasty enough for me to contemplate going back and see if the value extends to its real menu.

Notes on the locale-  Awkward location next to the CalEPA building.  Parking is available, but shares a lot with a motel.  I cannot comment on the kind of clientele this will bring at night.

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13

25

Lina L.

Davis, CA

(from the October 2006 visit of our gourmet club)  From the review the place had promise. After actually experiencing Sofia's I am a little conflicted.

FOOD SCORE: 2
I started my eating experience with their bread and herbed butter. It was absolutely delicious. This was then followed by the fried calamari which was also tasty. The calamari was tender and the breading was very crispy. I also enjoyed the red pepper puree which was the sauce for the appetizer. It tasted very fresh and was an excellent compliment to the fried squid. After the appetizer I had the wedding soup. This was a very tasty dish. The fried croutons instead of the pasta was a delightful surprise. The broth was delicate and very tasty. The meatballs were nicely seasoned and not too big. My entree was the spaghetti and meatballs. This is where the eating experience went downhill. Supposedly the pasta was homemade. I did not think it tasted homemade but maybe it was because it was way overcooked. It tasted very starchy and was very mushy. The meatsauce was quite tasty by the meatballs were too big and too dry. The seasoning wasn't very good either.

SERVICE SCORE: 2
While the service was quite attentive and nice, I found the service to be extremely slow. I really hate slow service.

AMBIANCE SCORE: 4
Very nice ambiance. The look and feel was quite pleasant.

VALUE SCORE: 2
I think for the experience it was a little pricey. If my entree was better and if the service was quicker, I would have rated it a 3.

RESTROOM SCORE: 3
Restrooms were nice and clean. I also got a chuckle out of the anatomically correct restroom signs.

RETURN?: Yes
I would like to give the place another try. Kevin ordered a seafood pasta which looked delicious. Maybe I will try it next time.

I would hate to give up on such a nice place especially since the evening started off great. I would hope that they could improve their service. Considering that we were one of the only groups in the restaurant (there may have been 3 other tables occupied), I expected better service.

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