A Note From Biba

Join us for Sacramento Dine Downtown Week!

Named the “Next Great American Food City” by Southwest Magazine, Sacramento is quickly becoming an industry leader in the fine dining scene. In the midst of our foodie fame, Dine Downtown 2018 returns to highlight the best fare on the grid. We can’t think of a better time for you to come out and experience the Farm-to-Fork Capital’s best fare than our 10-day restaurant week when local chefs create special 3-course dinner menus priced at $35.

That $35 also includes a one-dollar donation from every Dine Downtown meal to social services and food literacy programs.

Reserve your table by calling (916) 455-2422

Voting is starting today, May 22nd for the Sacramento A-List Best Italian and Best Romantic Restaurant.

Please vote and share with your friends!

We know you love Biba Restaurant, and you know we are the best Italian in our fine city. We count on you help us win year after year.

Fill out this ballot for a chance to win tickets to the Best of Sacramento Party taking place Saturday Nov. 18, 2017, at the Sacramento Convention Center.

Deadline to enter is June 15, 2017.

Results will be published in the October 2017 issue of Sacramento Magazine.

Excerpted from Sactown Magazine

The sheets of pasta in celebrity chEf-owner Biba Caggiano's lasagna are so thin you could read a copy of Il Mondo through them, yet for all that fragility, the pasta remains pleasantly firm and supple as you bite through the 10(!) layers of it in this vaunted dish. While the pork and veal Bolognese sauce made with imported San Mariano tomatoes grown in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius is meaty and tasty and the béchamel sauce rich, the epicurean experience here is all about those silky layers of pasta. The coveted entrée has been on the menu at the chef's eponymous midtown restaurant for 30 years, but you can only order it on Thursdays and Fridays, largely because making it is such a daunting process (pro tip: it often sells out on Friday nights, so make an early dinner reservation) - a staff of kitchen helpers labors for the better part of a week in the lasagna-industrial complex known as Biba's Kitchen, arriving at 4 a.m. to produce a precious five to seven pans. In fact, we're told that the pasta whisperers are none too pleased when the lasagna- which no less a gourmand than Darrell Corti himself has deemed the single best dish in Sacramento - gets a press mention like this one, as it means they have to up the output to meet the surge 2801 Capitol Ave. in demand. To this, we can only say, scuzi - and grazie.

Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate our 30th anniversary. Check out our photogallery below.

It has been a while since the last Doctor’s Corner, and it is entirely my fault. I have been slightly overwhelmed by my medical research work, and I haven’t visited any new wineries, eateries, or other places of interest. It has just been work, work, work. I hope you understand.

So this month I will briefly showcase some interesting cocktails and wines that I enjoyed...but rest assured it is by no means a complete or exhaustive list. Next month I promise to do better. Remember, these are my personal preferences.

• Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir 728 Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir 728
• Foxen 7200 Cabernet Sauvignon Foxen 7200 Cabernet Sauvignon
• Boeger Barbera Boeger Barbera
• Crawford Family Wines Crawford Family Wines
• Merry Edwards Russian River Valley Merry Edwards Russian River Valley
• Biba's Boulevardier Biba's Boulevardier
• Foxen Pinot Noir Foxen Pinot Noir
• Maker's Mark Manhattan Maker's Mark Manhattan
• Biba's Cheeseburger Biba's Cheeseburger
•  

Pre Dinner Cocktails
Manhattan - my favorite. A blend of Maker’s Mark Bourbon and Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth, with brandied cherries. With or without bitters, it always hits the spot.

Biba’s Boulevardier - A close second. This is basically a Negroni with rye whiskey replacing the gin. We use Pendleton 1910 Rye Whiskey, Campari, and Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth, and garnish with an orange slice. I love it.

Red Wines
Although I taste many excellent wines each week, I prefer red wines. No offense to white wine drinkers. And i have a preference for Pinot Noir.

Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir - Our Wine of the Month. An elegant wine with rich mouthfeel and a nice touch of acidity on the finish. From the Sta. Rita Hills appellation in Santa Barbara County.

Foxen Pinot Noir - Also from the Sta. Rita Hills appellation, this wine is always a crowd pleaser.

Crawford Family Wines Pinot Noir - A new wine for me. I found it to be remarkably delicious. Enough said. Also from Sta. Rita Hills.

Merry Edwards Pinot Noir - A Russian River Valley wine, distinctively different but very appealing and food friendly.

Foxen 7200 Cabernet Sauvignon - my choice of Cabernet Sauvignon may strike you as unusual. It is not a Napa Valley or Sonoma Cabernet as you expect. Rather it is from the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara appellation. Smooth, satisfying and not overpowering, with distinct Cabernet notes.

Boeger Barbera - Boeger wines from El Dorado are consistently top notch, reasonably priced, and never disappoints. This Barbera is a winner. As you may already know, I enjoy a hamburger once a week at lunch. And, a Biba Burger with a Boeger Barbera is a hard act to beat.

The few wines discussed today are by no means the only wines available at Biba Restaurant. I do believe they are representative of the wide spectrum of California wines we carry.

Remember: wine in moderation may be beneficial to your health. Wine in excess may be harmful to you and others. Drink responsibly