Slocum House

I joined my friends for a Sunday night dinner on the patio at Slocum House on Sunday evening (9/12). I frequent midtown and downtown Sacramento upscale restaurants more often than hidden spots like the Slocum House. I ordered the pork chop which was phenomenal. The menu entices with many delicious options. The ambience is beautiful. However, the service was unappetizing, particularly our server. Although knowledgeable about cuisine, he was more interested in selling as much as possible than contributing to an enjoyable dining experience. His manner was arrogant beyond his age. I would love to return to Slocum House if I were to have a more sincere server. I would recommend many other fine restaurants in the Sacramento area before the Slocum House due to this experience. more

Lloyd: Excuse me, Flo?! What's the Soup d'Hier? Waitress: It's the soup of yesterday. Lloyd: Oh, that sounds gross. I won't have that... That's right, even Lloyd and Harry were wise not to order yesterday's soup. Heck, Slocum House'd probably be better off having them write the menu, too. ""Soup of Yesterday""? Seriously?! I couldn't believe my eyes after reading the menu! I imagine if you told a homeless person at a soup kitchen you were serving yesterday's soup, you might very well get it spat back in your face! I suppose if they're garnishing with ""fine"" herbs - fines herbs is correct - then it might make up for quality. They are, after all, ""fine herbs,"" right?! Who knows? Maybe it's an indication of the herbs' freshness (i.e. less than 24 hours old). I also saw ""Artic"" Char on the Valentine's menu. Problem is, I can't seem to find the ""Artic"" on my globe! Maybe it's the part of the globe where they make ""parmesan reggiano."" So there you have it, ladies and gents... it's safe to say that there's direct correlation between a bad menu and an overall bad experience. Pros: The soup of the day? Cons: Bread, Food, Parking more

Well, the service was wonderful but the bread and entress left much to be desired. We have going to Slocum House for years and have always LOVED the food...until last night. The bread was unbelievably stale-tasted several days old. The goat cheese and beet salad had a terribly tart and overpowering champagne vinagrette dressing and was served on a plate not sized properly for the plate beneath it, so it kept clanging against it every time we would take a bite.One of my friends and I each had the hanger steak frite. The meat was not cooked as ordered. I ordered medium-one piece was medium rare and the other was extremely well. The crispy shoestring potatoes were mediocre at best. We asked for mashed potatoes, but they could not serve them to us because they only had enough for the entrees that were meant to be served with them. Another friend had the New York-said it was just ok and the truffled mac and cheese was nothing special. The white chocolate creme brulee and banana cheesecake were just average-nothing special. As stated previously though, the service was amazing. We couldn't understand what was going on in the kithchen since we have always LOVED the food.The hostess told us they have a new chef in the kitchen, but we loved the last chef. Where is he now? Let's hope our next meal at Slocum House is a bit more of a success. more

They failed in trying to disable the alarm. I could tell cuz they popped the hood and disconnected the battery. It was parked on a poorly lit public street outside only because Slocum House has a small parking space and no security that I know of. I'm certain they do not have a valet otherwise I would have *angry* When I filed the police report I was told theft and vandalism is very common for that area. Was inside between 7:00pm and 8:45pm. Smashed front driver side window, took MP3 player, Stereo, Samsonite brief case. Damage to steering wheel and airbag, glove box and glass in every corner of the car. They somehow cracked the windshield... Insurance covered the glass with no deductable. Save yourself the risk of having to deal with parking here otherwise you will be scouring craigslist every fifteen minutes for your belongings. Pros: Upset to remember or care. Cons: Parking! more

I am new to this whole online review thing and I love it! I can't wait to post more about my favs and not so favs. I am reviewing the slocum house because I had the displeasure of going there the other night. First off, let me say the service, from the hostess to the bussboy was top notch all the way. I've eaten at some of the best restaurants in the country and they are right there on top of their game. Now, the food!!! What the hell????? I remember when Crush 29 opened, everyone was talking about the food and after I went there, I was like meh; pretty good, and I have eaten there many times since. The Slocum House wasn't even...meh, it was like the ""chef"" watches the food network for inspiration! I mean black truffle mac'n'cheese???? It would have been ok had it tasted good but it didn't, it was wierd. I had the artichoke appetizer with a bleu cheese ""fondu"". It tasted like cream with hints of bleu cheese! At Crush 29 they have a really good artichoke with sesame seeds and an awsome dipping sauce. Also, the wine list sucked at slocum house compared to places like cush 29 or the firehouse or hell, even Raleys for that matter! But, with all that said they will make you and a date feel special....like a king really. If your into good food this isn't the place for you!! I would have given them one star but the service was so good....parking blooows by the way, wear hiking boots:) Pros: Service Cons: FOOD!!! more

... on other review sites. So consider me a born-again city searcher... Here's what was removed: Bad Wine List, Worse Service First off, the food was just okay, certainly not like I remember during my visit Fall of last year. The crab cakes were burned on one side and ice cold in the middle. The plates were cold with our entrees and our salad plates were warm. The meal could have been wonderful but that just ruined the overall experience from the start for me. What the hell is going on in the dish department anyways? Back to the service and wine list. I was hoping with the rumors of their new chef would come the desperately needed new service and revamping of the outdated decor. Guess not. Their wine list is still the same cookie-cutter list with nothing unique or otherwise hard to find. At least have something I can't get at my local BevMo. I want to be impressed and be able to impress others, maybe even try a new bottle and learn something new. If I want rare bottle with dinner and a nice Sauternes with dessert at least have some in the inventory. If you're confused write your wine list after going to Corti Bros and Berkley's, not your local grocer. Darrell is a nice enough guy... maybe he can give you some pointers? Another thing is the wine list is clearly not designed around the food. Sure, there are bottles that will accompany a dish safely but it's obvious that the Sommelier and chef have not talked, assuming they even have a Sommelier given their lackluster inventory. That might explain their not needing a true wine professional. Another lesson in wine service is to get the damn bottle to the customer asap! I realize inventory walking away can be a problem for most restaurants but it took forever to get our wine. And thanks for popping the cork with the bottle under your arm pit. I like hints of deodorant and antiperspirant with my wine. Look, if the bottle is a little stubborn then place it on the table. If you're looking to impress a date or friends from out of town go to the Fire House or Bibas instead. Pros: Restaurant Setting Cons: Wine List, Parking, Hostess. more

I usually don't take the time to do this sort of thing but........... the service was soooooo bad. The food was pretty good... BUT the service was unbelievable!!!! It's like they forgot about us three times so we complained. We actually heard the manager (Sam) say "" I'll just go sprinkle a little sam on them and it will be ok. What an arrogant @$#k!!!!! If your looking for a nice place this isn't it. What an @#^$%hole Pros: chickens are entertaining Cons: everything more

I tried to go there on Tuesday July 21 2009 and they were closed....the sign said sorry and blah blah blah. Cons: They are not there more

Let me just say if it weren't for the fact I had a great experience when I took my Mother and Grandmother for Mother's Day I would have given this review one star instead of two. Cons: Rushed Service, Dirty Chickens more

Slocum House my love, we need to talk... We've been seeing each other on and off since I moved here in 2005 and typically had great times together. Why did you ignore me last night? And when you finally acknowledge my presence you promised me a roller coaster of great new things and then rushed me through all of them! I always looked forward to the gifts of Calimari you'd bestow upon me accompanied with that wonderful orange dipping sauce! But last night you shocked me with that terrible lime mayonnaise. Why? Are you trying to tell me something, Slocum? You were more interested in MeganD last night, weren't you? From now on I think it would be best if you continue to see other people. -Andrea Pros: Clean restrooms Cons: Service, Ultra-unadventurous wine list more

10 years ago my husband and I celebrated our 10th anniversary at Slokum House. My husband said I'll meet you here in another 10 years, so we did. It was a very memorable experience. They were premiering the new menu last night . What a treat! Everything we had was delicious. The atmosphere was delightful, the roosters were great entertainment. As the night went on the roosters went to bed and the beautiful patio lit up. The service was impeccable. Very proffesional. We decided waiting another 10 years would be to long to wait and go again, so we're going again next week and bring our daughter for her graduation dinner. The last great memorable meal like this one was a couple of years ago In London at Simpson on the Strand. Slokum House was right up there with that. Thankyou Brendon for taking such good care of us. See you next week. Pros: entire experience Cons: a bit of a drive for us more

Boyfriend took me here for our one year anniversary last Saturday and the service was absolutely terrible. It took what seemed like an eternity to get our food and it arrived cold! You would think the bussers or someone would give a hint to our server. Then once we got our food we were rushed! Thank you for ruining our evening. Cons: Cold Food, Cold Service more

I needed a upscale romantic fine dining restaurant to take my wife to celebrate our wedding and Siocum House did the job. more

The Slocum House at one time was a fine place to dine, but as times change, so did the Slocum House. I had called and spoke with Matt and requester a reservation at 7:30. I ask not to be placed on a traffic Isle, a table or booth out of the way would be ok, and that privacy was desired with a server that knew their job. I did let matt know of my background in the food industry and asked him to make sure that if he wasn't going to be there that someone knew what I desired.. He recommended a server called Heather. Upon our arrival the hostess confirmed the reservation and asked if a booth would be ok. He asked to check the ladies coat and we said yes, he them proceeded to remove her coat and then handed her the coat check tag...this is so wrong in fine dining. The hostess never touches the guest if there is a man in presence and should always ask if help is needed all other times... He sat us down on the main isle with the traffic going by us miles a minute, trays were going by us, and servers were passing within inches of us. Dirty dishes, etc...We moved into the back of the booth for safety. The rest of the evening was a show like no other. The servers were like HAWKS. You felt like you were in a fish bowl and eyes were upon you all the time. They were intrusive to the point I had to tell them to go away. Had to tell them stop clearing the table that I'm not done yet. They made so many minor mistakes that you wonder for the fine dining place this once was where they received their training...Denny?s? more

Let me begin by saying the food is exquisite. That being said, I'd like to add that it was probably one of the worst dining experiences we've ever had. Pros: food is good Cons: everything else is horrible - not worth it more

My boss decided to have her wedding at the Slocum House, who provides a banquet coorddinator. After the contracts were drawn, it was practically impossible to get ahold of her. As my co-workers and I were helping out with the wedding details, we needed table measurements for linen, the restaurant will provide black or white linen; however, they have all round tables outside, and all of their linen is for square tables. Ok, we will order linen the linen we want, but it took almost 2 weeks to contact the coordinator to get table measurements. During this time my boss asked about a cake stand, for a cake that she decided to get from the restaurant. Turns out that their idea of a cake stand is a piece of wood with foil wrapped around it. Really? Well, doesn't get more romantic than that. Not to mention that the cake tastes like it was made from the same piece of wood. more

I don't get to eat out at fine dining places very often, so when my mom asked me if I wanted to go somewhere nice for a change, I thought of the Slocum House right away. I had always heard wonderful things about the place. When we got there, I didn't know what to make of the chickens roaming around in the streets and the parking lot, but any concerns I had melted away when I saw how beautiful the setting was. From the parking lot, you go up a walkway into what feels like the woods and you see a gorgeous house amidst sparkling lights with the sound of trickling water coming from a lovely fountain. We were greeted by a smiling young man who led us to a great table with a view of the front courtyard (we had reservations and we were on time). I didn't get a chance to see the rest of the restaurant, but the room we were in was very cozy - though the lighting was a little dim. Being somewhat daring, we ordered something called ""poke cones"" for an appetizer. I thought the food was going to be old-fashioned (which is great, too, don't get me wrong), so I didn't expect what appeared in front of us - a very modern looking presentation of three ice-cream-type cones with chunks of tuna with an awesome sauce on a three-tiered metal dish. She and I will go back again just for that appetizer; it was amazing! For an entree, my mom ordered the seared ahi - YUM! - and I ordered the skirt steak - even more YUM! The New York steak came with green beans and mashed potatoes, but these weren't your average green beans and mashed potatoes. Better than Mom makes (sorry, Mom). We didn't order dessert, but what we saw at the other tables looked delicious! The service was great, too! I think that nowadays, as a young person, I feel like the old-fashioned and the modern juxtapose, and it's hard to find a balance. But I really had a great experience at the Slocum House, and it renewed my faith that there can be a harmony between the two. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up for the Slocum House! Pros: Setting; Wonderful, Calming, and Classy Ambience; Superb Service Cons: Somewhat Dim Lighting more

My husband and I recently chose the Slocum House to celebrate our first anniversary. We made reservations, and showed up on time. When we entered the restaurant, we weren't greeted by the hostess, even though no one else was in the foyer. She still didn't greet us or even smile, but rather, just grabbed two menus and started walking. We followed, and even through the restaurant was almost entirely empty (it was early in the evening on a thursday) she seated us in the tiny little maids room corner with a view of the kitchen and the servers walking in and out every few seconds. I knew that I wasn't going to be able to have a romantic evening in this spot, and even though I hate to do it, I asked her if we could please be seated somewhere else. She said she'd have to set a table for us, and left. Several minutes later she returned, and we followed her into the bar. I was too embarrased to ask to be moved again, after she had obviously set a bare table, but it was just awful. It was loud, it was cold, gnats kept landing in my food, we were surrounded by drunks in shorts and t-shirts, and all the servers kept coming in to trade gossip. It was obviously not a dining area as no other tables were set and the server gave us a confused look when he showed up. I ordered special, which was a filet, and it was drenched in a heavy, old fashioned tasting sauce, which was totally unneccesary and it made me wonder if they were trying to disguise something. We waited for nearly an hour before we were brought our entrees and we split a creme brulee, which was burnt. Pros: Beautiful Location Cons: Poor service, less that exceptional food-especially for the price more

I read all the comments here and concluded that the negatives were just off days and that it couldn't be so bad. Well, I was wrong. First and foremost, the most romantic place in Sacramento?? Are you kidding me? I thought sitting outside would be nice. We saw people wearing shorts- which normally is fine, but at the most romantic place in Sac? The chickens didn't bother me much, but the flies and mosquitos did. There was one server and one buser for the entire outside. So suffice to say we got pretty impersonal service. The food was average. Totally not worth the price. I told the server it was my friend's birthday, and she semi-reluctantly brought a tiny dish of ice cream with a candle stuck in it. When you are paying $100 + for 2 people for dinner, that's the best you can do? All in all I was very disappointed with Slocum House and will not be returning. Pros: It did have parking Cons: Just about everything more

As I ascended the graceful steps up to the ""majestic"" Slocum House i was anxious. I had heard so many good things about the restaurant online, so my wife and I decided to give it a try. After we were sat at a table, next to a stair case that smelled like old people, we were greeted a good 15 minutes later. We were approached by a younger server, who was extremely uninformed about the menu. My wife and I concluded he looked a lot like Harry Potter, if you know your fiction, that is. I ordered the lobster bisque for starters, which was burned badly. I didn't know that was even possible. My wife went for the caesar, which was mediocre at best. 45 minutes later, yes 45 minutes, our entrees arrived. I had the salmon, my wife had the mixed sautee. The salmon was a bland, tastless piece of meat. The sauce was ok, I wish i knew the name of it. We asked our server but he didnt seem to know either. The mixed sautee was better, but its hard to enjoy a meal when your upset with the feeling of neglection and the stale scent of old women in your nose. I wouldn't recommend eating at this restaurant to anyone, and if you insist on going don't sit inside. This is such a waste of money, and a waste of time. I have no idea how they stay in business. Pros: I honestly couldn't tell you. Cons: Everything. more