#69: Formaggio Taverna and Patio

Today I visited the Marriott of Rancho Cordova (Folsom and Sunrise) for lunch. Well, not really the Marriott, but the restaurant is located inside. It is the Formaggio Taverna and Patio, a slightly nice Italian joint.

When I arrived a minute or so after 11 I was the only customer, and a Marriott employee that spotted me near the entrance went and fetched the hostess. She got me seated at a table of my choice and let the server know I was there. I was in the dining room, but they also have patio seating available. I peeked outside while I was waiting for the hostess and it kind of looked nice but you’re also right next to the pool, where people were lounging around, and I thought that would be a little weird.

My server was prompt and come over to get my drink order. I went ahead and ordered my salad at the time since I had already decided on it. They have 4 available:

Little Gems Caesar (parmesan / garlic pain de mie croutons)[$7/10]
Formaggio Baby Spinach Salad (berries / blue cheese / almonds / strawberry vinaigrette)[$6/10]
Shaved Apple Salad (celery / cranberries / walnuts / frisee / lemon cider vinaigrette)[$10]
Fresh Market Salad (butter lettuce, kale, red onion, cherry tomato, crispy leek, honey lemon vinaigrette)[$12; w/chicken $14; w/salmon $16; w/steak $17]

I was not in the mood for a Caesar or anything fruity, so that pretty much eliminated the first three instantly. I was left with, arguably, their most boring salad. I ordered it with the chicken and got a Dr Pepper [$3.25]. My soda arrived within a minute or so and another minute later I had a basket of fresh, hot bread. It smelled amazing and tasted amazing. As usual at this time I was famished so I inhaled one of the rolls with the soft butter right away. After my salad I went back for #2 and used the olive oil and vinegar at the table, which was just as delicious.

My salad took just over 10 minutes to prepare and be brought out. It looked nice at first glance. The chicken was freshly grilled and had nice charring. Unfortunately that’s kind of where it ended. It was exactly what I thought, but hoped it wouldn’t be. Pretty boring. The chicken, while nice, hot and grilled up to order, was very bland, save for the little bits blackened from the grill. There was either very little or no seasoning at all. The salad itself was equally flavorful. The honey lemon vinaigrette just didn’t have much presence at all, and the kale ended up being the strongest thing in there. Admittedly the Fresh Market Salad is certainly not Formaggio’s shining star, so I won’t hold it against them. But I would not order this particular item again. The service was good (as it should have been since I was literally the only customer the entire time I was there).