Owned by zany celebrity chef Guy Fieri, Johnny Garlic’s is a festive and entertaining restaurant venue with a menu that offers a little something for everyone. The space is smaller and less flamboyant that Fieri’s Sacramento establishment, Tex Wasabi’s, but still quite creative. Lowered, sinuous sections of the ceiling are painted a fiery red-orange; abstract paintings on the walls echo the fire theme; and wacky light fixtures that look like coppery, bunched-up ballet tutus dangle humorously above tables. A lively bar area dominates the left half of the restaurant; more comfortable dining can be found in the restaurant’s bouncy booths at the right. The playful menu runs the gamut from battered coconut prawns and an interesting selection of sandwiches and burgers to pizzas, meaty grilled items and pastas. If you like to nosh, you’ll enjoy the array of starters available—I really liked the kitchen’s greasy-but-good deep fried artichoke hearts, served atop crispy garlic potato chips; other popular small plates are the housemade chicken taquitos and the cream of roasted garlic soup. This is a good place to visit if you’re ravenous – portions are large and flavors are even larger. A grilled flank steak (marinated in Bloody Mary mix) we tried offered enough meat to satisfy two diners; and a “Lava Shrimp Sauté” (cooked in an earthy chipotle sauce with diced Roma tomatoes) I sampled was just spicy enough to leave a pleasing, hot tingle on the palate. Other tasty items included the BBQ chicken pizza, slathered with almost-too-sweet Bourbon barbecue sauce, mozzarella cheese, chopped chicken, and sliced red onions; and the restaurant’s lumpy, comforting mashed potatoes. — Kira O'Donnell

Insider tip: If you’re a dessert-eater, save room: Johnny Garlic’s menu includes a mint chip ice cream pie (with “hidden Junior Mints”) in an Oreo cookie crust; and a Tequila lime tart with a pine nut crust.

Reservations: Recommended

Payment methods: AmEx, MasterCard, Visa

Alcohol: Full bar

Corkage fee: $10

Hours: Monday–Thursday: Lunch 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Dinner 4–10 p.m.
Friday: Lunch 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Dinner 4–11 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.–11 p.m. (no lunch menu offered)
Sunday: 10 a.m.–10 p.m. (no lunch menu offered)