Ella Dining Room and Bar

Ella Happy Hour Menu
No Dedicated Happy Hour Menu
*****Updated 8/19/2010-******

I'm happy to relay the information that Ella is now offering a Happy hour menu as well as 1/2 off signature drinks!!!

DRINKS Real Gin and Tonic - $12
Assorted Specialty Cocktails - $8-$14
Draft Beer - Lagunitas $5, Stella and Allagash $6, Ayinger $7, Duvel and Hitachino Nest $8

FOOD

Occasional free appetizers

1131 K Street

Sacramento, CA 95814-3904
(916) 443-3772

ELLA Hours of Happiness – No Dedicated Happy Hour - UPDATED FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST!

3-6PM Mon-Fri

My Happy Hour experience:

To celebrate my friends new job, we thought we’d go somewhere fancy after work….Ella is by far the fanciest happy hour I’ve been to, and could very well be the nicest restaurant in Sacramento. We sat down at the beautiful bar and ordered a “real” gin and tonic ($12), as well as a grey goose and tonic ($13). Hands down the best gin and tonic I’ve ever had!!! The only similarity between the gin and tonics I’m used to and Ella’s was the use of the base ingredient…gin. Most places pour gin on the rocks, top it off with Canada Dry tonic water, and garnish with a lime…Not bad, except for the fact that bottled tonic water is usually made of carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium benzonate and quinine. Ella on the other hand, takes carbonated water and combines simple syrup and citrus juices along with quinine bark powder (also known as Cinchona). What a difference! Now although I try to stay away from HFCS whenever possible, my opinion here is entirely based on taste.

The “real” gin and tonic was able to balance sweetness, tartness, and bitterness all while allowing the flowery aromatic characteristics of the gin to shine through, which can easily be masked by overpowering bottled tonic. This was the first time I’ve had Distillery 209 gin and must say – it was as smooth as the Grey Goose and tonic even with the higher alcohol content (92 proof). In fact, I liked the drink so much, I ordered some cinchona for home.

The bill came and turned out to be $30 (with tip)…Although it was expected, I was still taken aback. Were two drinks worth $30? In a weird way…..YES.

Recommendation

Ella is definitely not the type of place that I could visit for happy hour on a regular basis, not only because of the economic impact to my wallet, but also because the atmosphere doesn’t really allow me to loosen up my tie and unwind. For special occasions though, it is perfect. It will definitely leave a lasting impression on whoever you take with you….especially out-of-towners. I’ve heard that they are now offering smaller versions of their “real” gin and tonic for $8. If you try one though, beware, you may never go back to pedestrian gin and tonics again.

This will be the last restaurant without a dedicated happy hour menu for a while....I swear!

*Updated Drink Recommendation - Old Cuban (pictured in the martini glass above) very much resembled a concentrated mojito made w/ prosecco instead of club soda. It was delicious, and only $5 during the August happy hour!