Seasons 52 Fresh Grill

Seasons 52 finally opened two weeks ago at Arden Fair Mall in the space previously occupied by Fresh Choice. I was pretty excited about this because I knew Seasons 52 offered various alternative menus, including a vegan menu. So my son and I headed over there for a late lunch/early dinner last week.

The interior of Seasons 52 is beautiful and very sophisticated, with separate areas for the bar and the dining room. No trace of Fresh Choice remains, and it's hard to believe this gorgeous restaurant is located in a shopping mall. The staff was friendly, and our server was very knowledgeable and attentive.

We decided to start with the Double Hummus and Crisp Sea Salt Lavosh appetizer. The picture below doesn't do it justice, since I forgot to take out my camera until after we'd already dug into this appetizer. The two types of hummus were a minted edamame and a roasted red pepper. Both were very good, but I especially liked the flavor of the roasted red pepper hummus.

I had a tough time deciding which of the four vegan entrees to order, but I finally settled on the Cedar Plank Roasted Tofu, which consisted of little slabs of seasoned tofu, roasted and served on small cedar squares. I had a choice of vegetable and starch side dishes, so I chose roasted asparagus, cremini mushrooms, and roasted red potatoes. It was a delicious, healthy, and satisfying meal. The Seasons 52 menu changes seasonally, and the restaurant prides itself on its low-calorie menu selections.

All of the desserts at Seasons 52 are tiny, only as much as can fit into a shot glass. The only vegan dessert is fresh fruit, and it was just what I needed to top off my meal.

Seasons 52 is a national chain, but their only Northern California restaurant is the one in Sacramento, located within Arden Fair Mall at 1689 Arden Way, Suite 1065. Their telephone number is 916-922-5252, and their website address is http://www.seasons52.com/locations/?restaurantid=4534. The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.