Stuffed hash browns. It doesn’t get any better than this, people. It was the one item that caught my attention on the Rivers Edge website when the SacFoodies review request came through. And it’s the dish that stands out as the best thing I tasted at this hidden gem.
Everything was great, actually, but perfectly crisp hash browns stuffed with bacon, sour cream and cheese is like breakfast nirvana. We also indulged in the popular Fair Oaks Benedict, a twist on the traditional, which includes ham, Italian ground sausage and grilled onions.
There isn’t much you can’t order for breakfast at Rivers Edge. Fluffy pancakes, a classic Denver omelet and the Country Scramble, homemade biscuits covered with country sausage, scrambled eggs and country sausage gravy, all graced our table. Oh, and mimosas too.
Just as impressive as the food was the hospitality. Owners Tony and Shannon Lam Park welcomed my family as if we were entering their home.
Shannon and Tony’s journey started several years ago when they bought the diner on La Rivera. They’ve made minor changes to the menu – adding signature dishes like the stuffed hash browns – and added a few touches to the décor like a full-service barista bar, a beer tap serving unique brews and several flat screen TVs for game watching.
Anyone ready for some football? Rivers Edge is the place to hang out on Sundays. Good food, fun staff, family-friendly atmosphere, and you can stay all day because Rivers Edge also serves lunch and dinner.
Leave a comment here or on our Facebook page telling us your favorite breakfast food for a chance to win a Rivers Edge t-shirt. Thanks Shannon!
Rivers Edge Café
8740 La Rivera Drive
Sacramento, CA 95826
916-362-2221
Archives for August 2011
Wordless Wednesday: Kupros Bistro Fried Pickles and House Tartar
Fried pickles – a pregnant girl’s dream come true!
Who am I kidding, I’ll order these any time.
A great starter to an even better meal at Kupros Bistro in Midtown.
Kupros Bistro
1217 21st Street
Sacramento, Ca 95811
(916) 440-0401
Homemade Pasta Feast
I have an approximately one-weekend-a-month tradition of heading down to visit my family in the Bay Area. Oftentimes, particularly during the summer, we’ll spend Saturday afternoon whipping up a delicious evening meal, inviting some friends over and enjoying dinner outside. This past weekend, the theme of the dinner was homemade pasta and we prepared two to-die-for pasta sauces: Pistachio Pesto (pistachios, arugula, garlic and olive oil pureed in the food processor) and a traditional chunky tomato sauce (diced tomatoes – ideally fresh, but canned is okay – olive oil, lots of garlic and basil sautéed together), both of which we served atop homemade noodles. Here’s how you can make homemade pasta (I recommend a pasta maker like this Imperia one, but you can hand-cut if you don’t have one):
Egg Pasta Dough
Ingredients:
1 cup flour (best if ¾ cup regular flour and ¼ cup semolina)
1 egg
2 tablespoons water (more if needed)
Directions:
Mix the flour and egg in a standing mixer with paddle attachment at the lowest level. Slowly add water until the dough comes together and starts to cling to the paddle. Do not add too much water. If you do, and the dough becomes sticky, add a bit more flour.
Take the dough out of the mixing bowl and briefly knead with your hands into a ball. Place in a clean plastic bag, twist the back closed and press the ball of dough into a disc with the ball of your hand.
Let rest for one hour (room temperature is fine).
Roll dough with hand-cranked pasta machine adding flour when necessary to prevent sticking. Roll to “6” on the machine and cut to desired shape. Cook in boiling, salted water 3-4 minutes or until preferred softness.
Barwest Burgers & Wings, Sacramento
How many times have you uttered that storied incantation: “I wish this speakeasy was more like a beach bar.”
Probably more than you can count.
Well, Prohibition-era Surfer, the wait is over.
Barwest Burgers & Wings is gearing up for a grand opening this Thursday, August 18. I had the chance to check out the venue’s hopping friends-and-family night last week and wanted to give you a taste of what to expect from the latest hotspot to throw its hat in the ring at 28th and J Streets.
The vision of co-owners Trevor Shults and Todd Zancaner, Barwest is carving out a decidedly “West-Coast” vibe in this spirited pocket of midtown. Think: high-top booths, a bamboo wood bar, exposed industro-chic brick and a singular eastern wall set ablaze in tufted red velvet.
Also: sports! The space touts 15 massive flat-screen TVs broadcasting all manner of athletic entertainment. Couple that with 15 draft beers (including Ommegang Belgian Pale Ale and Speak Easy Big Daddy)and nearly 30 bottled brews (Moylan’s Kilt Lifter, Stone Cali-Belgique), and it’s easy to see Barwest going for the gold as midtown’s next great sports bar.
Though Shults is confident the location will ultimately appeal to a wide swath of patrons: “I think the whole beauty of Barwest is that it appeals to everyone. Whether you want to come and enjoy a great burger and watch the game, a casual business lunch, dinner with the family or a fun night out with friends.”
A former events and promotions manager with the Paragary Restaurant Group, and, most recently, the well-regarded GM of Social Nightclub, Shults certainly knows how to draw a crowd.
Case in point: When I breezed into the spacious digs for a preview last week, I was impressed with the turnout—especially for a soft opening. Bubbly and tanned twentysomethings mingled with an energetic mix of young professionals, families, Jäger-toasting brosephs and quite a few of Sacramento’s more adventurous entrepreneurial set.
As for the food, the menu’s California roots run deep.
Six different burgers beckon with 100% natural Angus beef, locally sourced ingredients, and buns baked daily in the Paragary’s Bakery, just blocks away. The burgers definitely exuded a grab-n-go SoCal feel (like In-N-Out, but bigger), while other fare gave a nostalgic nod to midway classics by way of corn dogs and even the surprisingly popular hot dog sliders.
Though from what I hear, you’d be well-advised to simply wing it.
Barwest has its sights set on having the best wings in town, with eight—yes, eight—different flavors, ranging from Barwest Original and Sweet BBQ, to Lemon Pepper, Garlic Parmesan and Sweet & Sour.
Heat levels range from mild to “inferno” to the skull-and-crossbones detailed “death sauce.” Let me know how that last one goes.
Which leads me of course to the drinks.
When life gives you lemons (or death sauce), opt for the eatery’s other homage to beach-inspired beverages with a tempting lineup of frozen lemonades. On hot August nights, a mixture of Finlandia vodka, Chambord, Bols Peach Schnapps, club soda and frozen lemonade has my name written all over it. And it’s spelled: Southern Berry Lemonade.
All in all, I’m feeling what Shults and Zancaner have got cooking. There’s definitely something refreshing about a no-frills, back-to-basics concept with charisma, character and West Coast charm.
At the very least, you’ve got to give it up for any place that touts deep-fried Oreos, Twinkies and Ding Dongs without an ounce of irony. Toss in a retractable glass garage door, large patio, TouchTunes jukebox and the upcoming NFL season (yay, no lockout!), and Barwest stands poised to score big in the coming months.
Did I mention the soon-to-debut weekend brunch with—yes, I’ll go there—breakfast burgers?
Game on!
Barwest Burgers & Wings
2724 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 476-4550
Midtown Cocktail Week
I’ve always been a Cosmopolitan girl, myself.
There’s something incredibly classy and chic about a pink drink rimmed with sugar and garnished with a lime. It screams super sassy and lover of summer.
This week is Midtown Cocktail Week in Sacramento, an entire seven days dedicated to your favorite gin and tonic. Sponsored and hosted by a variety of Midtown restaurants and bars, this series of events and classes is dedicated to celebrating the diverse mixology that Sacramento offers, as well as educating bartenders about the best way to shake their martinis.
Midtown Cocktail Week kicks off with a Punch Bowl Bunco Party, a special event devoted to making the quintessential party punch bowl concoction – both with and without alcohol. Some special events (including this one) require pre-registration, so be sure and get your name on the list early.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday include workshops and events such as a Bartender Mixology Competition, a gin-making class titled “Hello Gin! Where Have You Been?” and a Cuban-themed cocktail celebration at Zocalo.
Friday night jump starts the weekend with The Greatest Cocktail on Earth event that will turn the Citizen Hotel Ballroom into a circus. Saturday and Sunday wrap up the week of festivities with The Science of Food and Drink mixology lesson, followed by a tropical luau.
So, whether you’re a Cosmo girl like me or a guy that likes his martini extra dry and shaken not stirred, there’s something for everyone at Midtown Cocktail Week.
Photo courtesy of Flikr user Ralph and Jenny.