My first visit to Mulvaney's was with a group of Russian journalists who were in the country to learn more about almonds (CA grows 85% of the world's supply, in case you didn't know). I called ahead and reserved a table on the patio and had the chef create a special menu showcasing almonds in a variety of dishes. He also matched each course with wine and spoke to the journalists about how he uses almonds and other local ingredients. Our menu was:

• House-Smoked Salmon on Homemade Potato Chips with Crème Fraiche and Chives
• Roasted Figs with Bleu Cheese and Caramelized Chopped Almonds
• Del Rio Botanical Salad with Toasted Almonds and Red Wine Vinaigrette
• Almond Smoked Pork Chop with Slough House Corn
• Courtland Pear Tart topped with Almond Ice Cream

The pork was a double-thick chop smoked over almond wood and coated with almonds, accompanied by a fresh corn saute, but also Mulvaney's version of scrapple, which is practically unheard-of on the west coast. See, I grew up in Delaware, where we like our scrapple fried and full of pork pieces and other things you don't want to know about. This scrapple was a California revelation, with a bit of pork for flavor, but mostly fresh, buttery local corn ground together and cooked into a flavorful mash. The chop was delicious, but so big I had to bring home leftovers, which the husband sucked off the bone like barbecue.

Just a week later, my in-laws were in town and, fueled by his memory of that leftover but killer pork, my husband lobbied for a visit to Mulvaney's. I didn't need much convincing, so we settled in at a table inside this time--in a high-ceilinged space carved out of the original 1920s fire station (that used to be the New Helvetia Coffee Co.). The open kitchen was visible but not the prime focus, while the room held an eye-catching array of old books, antique furniture, and mirrors.

The waitstaff at Mulvaney's seems to be very well trained and I was happy to see several staff members surreptitiously scanning the tables for any guest need. The chef was present and came out to greet several tables. Our menu that night included:

• an amuse bouche (free hors d'oeuvre) of endive with blue cheese and toasted walnut
• a garlicky cool Del Rio Cucumber Soup with cilantro, mint, and drops of golden olive oil ($6)
• a small portion of the Housemade Tortelli stuffed with fresh Mozzarella and tossed with early lady beans and heirloom tomatoes ($8)
• Butter Pear Salad with Del Rio Arugula, nasturtium petals, candied walnuts, blue cheese, and sliced pears ($7.50)
• Pan-Seared Line-Caught Salmon with fennel latkes (oniony, not oily) and paper-thin beets with micro greens ($20)
• Bacon-wrapped Bledsoe Pork Loin with that fresh corn scrapple (see above menu) and black bean salsa ($20)
• Grilled Squab with Fig Risotto, prosciutto slices, a fig sauce, and early lady beans ($22)
• a cheese plate with 3 California cheeses, a chunk of oozy honeycomb, candied walnuts, spicy cashews, red grapes, and crackers ($8)
• Housemade pluot sorbet ($4)
• Housemade cinnamon ice cream ($4)
• AND milk caramels handmade by local pastry chef Ginger Elizabeth ($2/each)

Can you believe we walked out of the place? The high points were definitely the perfectly ripe pears complemented by the salty cheese and sweet walnuts; the moist, pink smoked pork; the luxurious fig sauce with the squab; and all of the desserts. The sorbet was pure fruit, while the ice cream was dense with spicy, incredibly fresh cinnamon. And the milk caramels are some of the best I've ever eaten, with a slight bitterness and a buttery, pourable caramel filling. Heaven!

Now just so you don't think I've lost all perspective, there were some small faults with the dinner: the beans with the squab were too subtle for the other flavors and the tortelli were tender but not exciting. But overall, I can hardly argue. Besides, they had copies of Edible Sacramento magazine in the men's room (I'm an equal-opportunity bathroom user) and the bill came in an old copy of a book called A Meal to Die For, in which past patrons had left comments and greetings.

So pick up the phone RIGHT NOW and call them for a reservation, and then fantasize about some of the things I ate when I was there, because they change the menu daily. The relevant info is:
Mulvaney’s Building & Loan
1215 19th Street
916-441-6022