Every so often, it's fun to be impulsive and indulgent...

As Virgos, we live to plan, and many of us have difficulties being flexible to changes in plans or acting spontaneously.  Thankfully my [Leo] husband has taught me over the past ten years the joys of 'changing it up.'  For example, while he was getting ready to work the night shift at his job tonight, I had just finished watching the movie Julie & Julia (love!), and was majorly craving some food that I didn't have the energy nor the creativity to whip up, so I decided I would shower, get cute, and treat myself to a nice dinner downtown.  I told him I was craving French food (thanks, Julia, for all your talk on beurre blanc) and fish, and that I planned on going out to dinner.  He asked, "with whom?"  I said, "myself."  He thought it was a great idea! 

Since my Internet was unresponsive while I was getting ready, I looked up restaurants in an old Sacramento Magazine, which has reviews of all the local restaurants, and found a pathetically low number of French cuisine options.  Please, if any of you know of a decent French restaurant in Sac, do share.  I settled on Waterboy, which has been around for years and has consistently received good reviews.  I liked its central location and had walked/drove by it many times in the past, so I was intrigued;  plus, Sac mag classified the food as "Northern Italian/Southern French" fare.  I called to see if a reservation would be recommended, which for one diner, wasn't necessary.  A plus, I think.

I sat at a cute little table for two next to two businessmen, one local, one visiting from Indiana.  They were good company.  I brought a book I recently started, in case I had some 'down time' in between ordering, titled The Beautiful Fall: Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris, by Alicia Drake, which I picked up for free when I worked at Borders Bookstore a few years ago on the promo shelf.  Not bad.  Not great either, so far.  I'll report back on that at a later date, if there's anything to report.  I always like to hear the restaurants' specials, especially if nothing on the menu immediately grabs me.  I chose the fish special, which, oh man!, was seared filet sturgeon with fregola, porcini mushrooms, lima beans, and sauteed spinach, topped with a buttery and mild chipotle sauce...and a glass of Barbera, nothing worth naming.  It arrived very quickly, and I de-vou-red it.  I felt like eating it all over again afterward--until I heard the dessert specials, then I shifted my focus to the house-made strawberry rhubarb pie with some kinda nut-crusted topping and vanilla ice cream that I would soon be enjoying with coffee.

If you plan on eating there, know that the menu is quite small, and the wine list is even smaller--and honestly, a bit lacking--but I think their food selection is satisfying, and judging from my experience with the special, you'll be very pleased with anything you order.  I'm thinking of going back for the bouillabaisse, although I have a huge bias, because my aunt Cheri makes a legendary bouillabaisse, so I don't know if it is worth the risk, or the $25 test.  I also plan on bringing my own bottle of wine and swallowing the corkage fee...Oh yeah, and next time I'll bring others along, now that I can give the place some personal credibility.  Not that I didn't enjoy dining solo, it just baffles people, especially when they see a wedding band on your finger, and I'd rather save the explanations...   I wish I had pictures to share, but I already felt like I looked to the servers like a food critic, so I refrained.  Bummer. 

When was the last time you did something indulgent?