Eight years ago, Allora was a new thing. Deneb Williams and Elizabeth-Rose Mandalou put together a fine-dining concept in a town where fine dining was thin. In the years since, Allora stayed true to its roots and found a restrained and beautiful approach to everything it does.
At Allora, every element feels special and curated. Every glass, every plate, every ingredient, every bottle of wine, every interaction. A night at Allora is a special thing not to be missed.
Like many fine-dining restaurants, Allora has a tasting menu where diners select three, four or five courses. I love the four-course option with appetizer, pasta, main and dessert paired with a novel European wine.
What hasn’t changed since 2018 is Allora’s focus on service and spectacle. Each dish is composed with the eye and tongue in mind.
A gorgeous charred octopus over gnocchi is framed by zigzags of squid ink in a bed of Calabrian chili aioli. The beet salad uses every hue of the beet rainbow, like a color theorist’s palette. It’s a work of art.
Cod is a delight at Allora. Served over a gratin of squash with pearl onions, pomegranate, rainbow chard and pine nut, it’s beautifully restrained. Most everything on the menu can be described as restrained.
Chef Williams speaks about the importance of restraint in the kitchen. It’s evident in the plates and the subtly decorated, high-ceiling dining room. In Sacramento’s agricultural wonderland, restraint is an impressive skill.
The service at Allora has always been a highlight. The number of hands that cheerfully and elegantly reach out seem innumerable. Care is relentless from behind the bar, at the host station and in table service.
Allora is a place where the wine program is as excellent as the kitchen. Mandalou and sommeliers Li Chong and Eric Dickinson-Hinojosa are some of the most ingenious wine slingers you’ll find. Their open-mindedness and expertise make for adventurous explorations of Mediterranean wines.
Not content with locating products from well-known wine regions in Italy, Mandalou developed a unique nose for palate pleasing, wallet-friendly wines from unexpected locales. Whether it be Amador County or a Greek village famed for bouzouki music, the best wines make their way to Allora’s cellars.
By the time you read this, Allora’s new restaurant may be open Downtown, adding to the options at the mothership on Folsom Boulevard at Rodeo Way. Aiona will be Mediterranean focused with “live-fire” cooking and Spanish, Italian and Greek preparations. I can’t wait.
With Michelin praise and Wine Spectator awards, it’s easy to see how Allora is hungry for more. It’s a regional standout. Drawing in and using every seasonal bit, from late fall mandarins and apples to early spring asparagus and the summer’s bounty, Allora more than justifies its fine-dining prices.
Allora is at 5215 Folsom Blvd.; allorasacramento.com; (916) 538-6434.
Greg Sabin can be reached at saceats@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
