Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co.

Two of my girlfriends and I decided to each make lists of restaurants we’ve been wanting to try and we’ve been meeting up every now and again to have dinner together. My turn was up and I chose Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co. located at 1630 S. Street in Sacramento, CA.

I immediately fell in love with the industrial vibe. From the moment I stepped foot through the front door, I wanted to incorporate some of the ideas into my own home – this is always a good sign. In fact, I’ve already headed in this direction with my own style of decorating and this was a reminder of why I chose to go that route. Love, love, love.

From the sign lettering on the outside of the building, to the front reservation desk’s wood burned shipping crates, to the bar stool and lighting choices… I loved everything, especially their use of reclaimed wood teamed with industrial metals.

Old typewriter, check! Vintage phone, check! Random tools… yep, have those too. I’m telling you… this was everything I have and hunt for vintage wise in one place. O.k., enough of me geeking out on the decor… onto the rest of the restaurant scene.

Straight from their website “We aim to rejuvenate the historic space at 17th & S streets by celebrating this time of industry and growth. Our goal is to build upon our city commerce and contribute to Sacramento’s future. We embrace local farms, ranches, breweries and wineries in both our kitchen and our bar. We’ve also brought in the finest chefs, bartenders and serving staff to provide an exceptional customer experience that demonstrates our hometown pride.”

I had already checked out the website to scope out possible menu wants and desires… I stumbled upon one dish that caught my eye and I knew that was what I was going to order. House-made Roasted Beet Linguine with asparagus, cauliflower, baby spinach, garlic cream sauce and goat cheese.

The menu was housed on a wooden clipboard… another detail that sort of melted my vintage heart. While my particular page had seen better days – and others at my table could have used darker ink – I still really liked the simplicity and overall feel, including the typewriter font. Very important things for a designer. 🙂

I started off splitting the Pancetta & Poached Egg Salad with one of my girlfriends – besides the pancetta and egg, the salad also had frisse, raddiccio & almonds and was dressed in a mustard vinaigrette. Not my usual type of salad – a bit out of my comfort zone of mixed greens, but well worth the adventure. Next up… top right – that was my House-made Roasted Beet Linguine. Hands down the best dish of the evening – we all shared bites of our dishes. As most of you know that have been reading for a while, I am a huge mac-n-cheese fan and the beet linguine dish mirrored that for me. The vegetables added a punch of flavor and texture to each bite. I kind of can’t stop thinking about it and that’s pretty rare for me to find something like that dining out.

The bottom left dish is the House-made Basil Cavatelli with Brussels sprouts, pancetta, caramelized shallot, and clamshell mushrooms. The combination was good, I just found it to be on the salty side. Not so much that I didn’t enjoy it, just not as good as my beloved linguine. The last dish on the bottom right was the Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin and gnocchi with smoked tomato & braised mustard greens. I’m not a huge pork fan, but this tenderloin was fabulous and I could have easily eaten more of the gnocchi.

We were all thrilled with our dishes and our dining experience as a whole. We went in without reservations because it was mid-week and we knew we were going to be meeting before the dinner rush. Our plan was perfect… we got a table upon arrival and within an hour the place was hopping. I only had my iPhone, but wanted to mention that my girlfriends used their iPhones to light up our meals – best friends ever! The restaurant is dimly lit, which I feel adds to the whole relaxed vibe of the place. I’m looking forward to my next visit and possibly sitting outside on the patio and enjoying one of their fun house cocktails.

I’m excited to add a new restaurant into the rotation – only bummed I waited so long to give it a try.