LMM
Starter
It looks really good and the prices aren't bad, either.
http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/80756.html
First Impressions: Webber's fans eager to give his eatery a shot
By Mike Dunne - Bee Food Editor
Published 12:00 am PST Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Story appeared in TASTE section, Page F4
http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/80756.html#comments_here
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The first server insisted that the glass of pinot grigio she brought us was the pinot noir we ordered.
First personal foul.
The second server brought us a second order of "chicken tenders" though we'd ordered just one.
Second personal foul.
The third server said he was a Warriors fan. The scoreboard said the Warriors were leading the Kings 38-24.
Third personal foul.
Team Webber was in no danger of fouling out early, however. The fans understood that this was just the second night for the big and lumbering rookie on the Sacramento dining scene, the Natomas restaurant Center Court With C-Webb. Despite the staff's awkwardness, guests clearly were enjoying themselves.
What to expect: As theme restaurants go, Center Court With C-Webb is a glossy shrine that pays tribute to several of pro basketball's star players, especially former Sacramento King Chris Webber, who teamed with Dudum Sports & Entertainment of Walnut Creek to open the place a week ago.
Magazine covers, letters and photos testify to Webber's talents on the court and his interests off, and each server wears a shirt with his No. 4 on the back.
But he shares the arena with many of the game's other greats. We sat at the big round poker table called the Michael Jordan, the top of which was sealed with photos of Jordan's dramatic moves.
The main dining room replicates Arco Arena, with a hardwood floor, tiered seating, baskets at each end and a massive hexagon scoreboard suspended from the center of the ceiling, given over to a large plasma screen telecasting the game of the moment.
The basketball theme is pervasive and coherent. The punts of the water glasses are basketballs. The menus are wrapped with pebbly basketball material. The lights that rim the outside of the building are basketballs. The patio, spiffy with fire pits, TV sets inset into columns, and luxurious lounge chairs, is warmed by heaters whose orange glow suggests basketballs.
If there's one thing missing, it's the noise meter from Arco Arena, and for a surprising reason. While the large central dining area was jammed the other night, the acoustics were benevolent, allowing conversations to proceed without strain.
Menu: Center Court offers guests casual mainstream cooking, much of it regional and traditional American -- fried chicken, onion rings, meatloaf, steaks -- but some of it global and contemporary, such as Vietnamese summer rolls and Chinese lettuce wraps.
While much of the food is fried, the menu offers several salads, from the classic iceberg wedge to a modern version of the Cobb.
Potential signature dishes: Though the restaurant was just in its second day, the menu already was crowing of several signature dishes. Curiously, one of them wasn't the oddest item on the menu, "the tailgater," a $99 platter that includes three slabs of ribs and 12 pieces of fried chicken.
Dishes that look like they could develop enthusiastic followings include the "King steak," a 20-ounce grilled bone-in rib-eye, the "Southern style golden fried chicken" and "The Fab 5 Burger," 44 ounces of beef billed as "Sacramento's biggest burger."
Prices: Starters and salads, including the oily but nicely seasoned "salt and pepper calamari" ($9.95), are in the $7 to $12 range; sandwiches, including burgers, generally are around $9, except for the "Fab 5 Burger" ($29.50); entrees average around $15; and desserts go from $4 to $7.
And then there are the luxury-box entrees -- a tiny fillet of slightly overdone grilled mahimahi with an even smaller serving of mango salsa for $18.50, a veritable henhouse of "C-Webb's fried chicken" for $16.50, and the "Kings steak" for $29.50.
Beverages: Signature cocktails -- each $7 -- include the C-Webb (cognac on the rocks with pineapple juice), the Bibby (vodka and cranberry juice served ice cold and straight up) and the Vlade Divac (vodka in a frozen martini glass).
With a nod and a wink, the Brad Miller section is devoted to beers on draft, and it's a locker-room festival of all-stars, including Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Red Hook ESB, Guinness and Fat Tire. They're $4 and $5.
The wine list is strictly corporate and conventional, running most strongly to the Big Three -- cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and merlot. The lone local wine is the Ravenswood Old Vines Lodi Zinfandel, vintage unspecified ($7 the glass, $28 the bottle). More interesting is "the player's list," a catalog of high-end wines, many of them said to be Webber's favorites. We're left to wonder which ones; the Marcassin Vineyards 1997 Lorenzo Vineyard Napa Valley Chardonnay ($600)?
Service: The main dining area includes blown-up quotes of sage advice from several of the game's esteemed ambassadors, including Bobby Knight ("You don't play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball.")
The one that servers look to be heeding most diligently, however, is from Larry Bird: "First master the fundamentals." Servers were enthusiastic and engaging, and every single one seems to have mastered Chris Webber's winning smile.
Particulars: Center Court With C-Webb, 3600 N. Freeway Blvd. (the Village at Sacramento Gateway Shopping Center), opens daily at 11:30 a.m. and continues serving food as long as a crowd is on hand, sometimes as late as 1 a.m.; (916) 419-4667.
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Sounds good especially for special occasions and such. I like the name of the drinks and entrees. The prices are affordable. The place looks amazing. Plus you might be forced to give a big tip because as it says here, the servers seems to have mastered C-Webb's winning smile
If I ever go to Sac, I will definitely go eat there!
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http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/80756.html
First Impressions: Webber's fans eager to give his eatery a shot
By Mike Dunne - Bee Food Editor
Published 12:00 am PST Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Story appeared in TASTE section, Page F4
http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/80756.html#comments_here
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The first server insisted that the glass of pinot grigio she brought us was the pinot noir we ordered.
First personal foul.
The second server brought us a second order of "chicken tenders" though we'd ordered just one.
Second personal foul.
The third server said he was a Warriors fan. The scoreboard said the Warriors were leading the Kings 38-24.
Third personal foul.
Team Webber was in no danger of fouling out early, however. The fans understood that this was just the second night for the big and lumbering rookie on the Sacramento dining scene, the Natomas restaurant Center Court With C-Webb. Despite the staff's awkwardness, guests clearly were enjoying themselves.
What to expect: As theme restaurants go, Center Court With C-Webb is a glossy shrine that pays tribute to several of pro basketball's star players, especially former Sacramento King Chris Webber, who teamed with Dudum Sports & Entertainment of Walnut Creek to open the place a week ago.
Magazine covers, letters and photos testify to Webber's talents on the court and his interests off, and each server wears a shirt with his No. 4 on the back.
But he shares the arena with many of the game's other greats. We sat at the big round poker table called the Michael Jordan, the top of which was sealed with photos of Jordan's dramatic moves.
The main dining room replicates Arco Arena, with a hardwood floor, tiered seating, baskets at each end and a massive hexagon scoreboard suspended from the center of the ceiling, given over to a large plasma screen telecasting the game of the moment.
The basketball theme is pervasive and coherent. The punts of the water glasses are basketballs. The menus are wrapped with pebbly basketball material. The lights that rim the outside of the building are basketballs. The patio, spiffy with fire pits, TV sets inset into columns, and luxurious lounge chairs, is warmed by heaters whose orange glow suggests basketballs.
If there's one thing missing, it's the noise meter from Arco Arena, and for a surprising reason. While the large central dining area was jammed the other night, the acoustics were benevolent, allowing conversations to proceed without strain.
Menu: Center Court offers guests casual mainstream cooking, much of it regional and traditional American -- fried chicken, onion rings, meatloaf, steaks -- but some of it global and contemporary, such as Vietnamese summer rolls and Chinese lettuce wraps.
While much of the food is fried, the menu offers several salads, from the classic iceberg wedge to a modern version of the Cobb.
Potential signature dishes: Though the restaurant was just in its second day, the menu already was crowing of several signature dishes. Curiously, one of them wasn't the oddest item on the menu, "the tailgater," a $99 platter that includes three slabs of ribs and 12 pieces of fried chicken.
Dishes that look like they could develop enthusiastic followings include the "King steak," a 20-ounce grilled bone-in rib-eye, the "Southern style golden fried chicken" and "The Fab 5 Burger," 44 ounces of beef billed as "Sacramento's biggest burger."
Prices: Starters and salads, including the oily but nicely seasoned "salt and pepper calamari" ($9.95), are in the $7 to $12 range; sandwiches, including burgers, generally are around $9, except for the "Fab 5 Burger" ($29.50); entrees average around $15; and desserts go from $4 to $7.
And then there are the luxury-box entrees -- a tiny fillet of slightly overdone grilled mahimahi with an even smaller serving of mango salsa for $18.50, a veritable henhouse of "C-Webb's fried chicken" for $16.50, and the "Kings steak" for $29.50.
Beverages: Signature cocktails -- each $7 -- include the C-Webb (cognac on the rocks with pineapple juice), the Bibby (vodka and cranberry juice served ice cold and straight up) and the Vlade Divac (vodka in a frozen martini glass).
With a nod and a wink, the Brad Miller section is devoted to beers on draft, and it's a locker-room festival of all-stars, including Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Red Hook ESB, Guinness and Fat Tire. They're $4 and $5.
The wine list is strictly corporate and conventional, running most strongly to the Big Three -- cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and merlot. The lone local wine is the Ravenswood Old Vines Lodi Zinfandel, vintage unspecified ($7 the glass, $28 the bottle). More interesting is "the player's list," a catalog of high-end wines, many of them said to be Webber's favorites. We're left to wonder which ones; the Marcassin Vineyards 1997 Lorenzo Vineyard Napa Valley Chardonnay ($600)?
Service: The main dining area includes blown-up quotes of sage advice from several of the game's esteemed ambassadors, including Bobby Knight ("You don't play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball.")
The one that servers look to be heeding most diligently, however, is from Larry Bird: "First master the fundamentals." Servers were enthusiastic and engaging, and every single one seems to have mastered Chris Webber's winning smile.
Particulars: Center Court With C-Webb, 3600 N. Freeway Blvd. (the Village at Sacramento Gateway Shopping Center), opens daily at 11:30 a.m. and continues serving food as long as a crowd is on hand, sometimes as late as 1 a.m.; (916) 419-4667.
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Sounds good especially for special occasions and such. I like the name of the drinks and entrees. The prices are affordable. The place looks amazing. Plus you might be forced to give a big tip because as it says here, the servers seems to have mastered C-Webb's winning smile
If I ever go to Sac, I will definitely go eat there!
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