Dining Guide

Named for the pheasants that once roamed the area around it, little has changed at this West Sacramento institution since 1935. The historic century-old building—once a Prohibition-era speakeasy—serves up a menu of hearty Italian-American fare based on recipes from the restaurant’s Italian immigrant founders, including the popular steak sandwich with filet mignon served sliced on one of the garlic French rolls, and the chicken cacciatore with bell pepper, mushrooms, Parmesan-topped polenta and a tangy tomato-wine sauce. Alas, they no longer serve pheasant, but don’t miss the signature beef or spinach-and-ricotta ravioli: Pillow-soft and made in-house weekly, they also come fried with hot mustard dipping sauce as an appetizer, or on their own with tangy marinara sauce. You can even order them to go (available hot and ready to eat or packaged for preparation at home). And save room for dessert: The spumoni is a house favorite, but for some serious indulgence, try the luscious, deep-fried cheesecake morsels, served warm and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.