Brunch at Canon East Sacramento Rarely Misses a Beat

Elizabeth Weintraub at south wall mural at Canon East Sacramento.

When a Sunday listing appointment rescheduled for later in the week, seemed a perfect excuse to visit Canon East Sacramento for brunch. Neither of us could recall what was on the menu, apart from bacon, but the review in the Sacramento Bee a few weeks back stuck in my husband’s mind. And really, what can go wrong with bacon? Nothing, actually. Well, there is a heart attack, but spittoey, it beats being hit by the Hawaii Ballistic Missile Threat last month.

The restaurant gets its name, I imagine, from a quest to be recognized as the type of place others like it may aspire to be. From the moment you walk in the door, you know it’s different. Clean design lines, marble, wood and steel, comfy chairs at the bar. We arrived around 1:30 on a Sunday for brunch, and the place was packed. The only spot to sit at that time was at the bar.

Which turned out to be OK. I ordered a Green Living cocktail. Made from celery, cucumber, mint, gin, sugar and lime. Not too sweet, and not too darn healthy, either, LOL. But delicious! Because they were so packed, it took a while to get our orders, so we spent much time staring at the extreme liquor bottles. The right half of the bar featured brown alcohol and the left side is white. We looked up the labels on our cellphones.

My husband, Adam, ordered a Shandy. Normally, he says, it’s made with beer, but this was a hard cider with a kombucha. Canon East Sacramento called it an East Meets West Shandy. Much as I don’t care for cider or pucker-y things, it tasted almost like a craft beer to me.

While waiting for our brunch to arrive, we discovered a Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whiskey and a Compass Box: The Circus Scotch on the shelf intriguing enough to inquire. The owner, Clay Nutting, was kind enough to pull out a step stool, climb up and remove The Circus Scotch, which was encased in its own clear plastic container, like a shrine. About $125 an ounce. We could split it, I suggested. The voice of reason, known as Adam said, well, we still had to go home and work on our taxes. Which was true.

My husband’s dish, Frank’s Special, arrived first. It arrived a good 20 minutes ahead of my dish, that’s how swamped they were. The bartender said it’s the busiest he has ever seen the restaurant. Honestly, every dish on the brunch menu sounded fabulous. My only regret was we couldn’t order a sampler to taste them all.

This dish has a drum stick, a fried egg, fried grain, sausage, shrimp and peppers which gave it a kick. Perfect for our chilly weather in Sacramento. You won’t be disappointed if you try it. Chef and partner Brad Cecchi last worked at Solbar in Calistoga and got his start at Mulvaney’s. So go figure, the excellence is apparent.

This smoked trout hash features a dollop of dill créme fraîche. Spinach and egg crêpes over tater tots. Everything goes better with tater tots, doesn’t it? There were some onions stuck in there, too. However, my favorite trout dish is still at Jenny Lake in the Tetons. Because they were so late delivering my meal, Clay comped it.

We left the restaurant about 2:30 and realized they basically closed at 2:00 PM. This is the view of the outdoor dining area with hanging plastic to keep out the cold. Canon East Sacramento is located at 1719 34th Avenue, an area undergoing a lot of revitalization. We couldn’t find the name, but you can see the address. And the beautiful wall mural above.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention that as a Sacramento Realtor, I don’t really call this part of town East Sacramento. It seems more the Alhambra Corridor, but when neighborhoods touch each other, sometimes the lines begin to blur. Which is what is happening here in this area. This is why it’s often smart to buy on the edge of established neighborhoods, though. And 34th Street is beginning to turn around.

You can bet we’ll be back for dinner. This might make a perfect place to celebrate spring with the Elizabeth Weintraub Team. The menu sports vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian options.