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Besides enjoying a wonderful breakfast, there are a few other things in life that we like to do, and one of them is reading the paper, and keeping informed on everything that is going on in the Sacramento area. We have a tendency to read the paper from cover-to-cover, and then stand around the water cooler and play Monday morning quarterback with the daily news. Several weeks ago, one of our favorite columnists, Rick Kushman asked readers to submit their five favorite restaurants that serve breakfast, as he was going to write an article about reader's favorite breakfast restaurants in the greater Sacramento area. As members of the Sacramento Breakfast Club, we submitted our top five, and we got mentioned in his column, which was nice. But the most significant gift we received was knowledge of reader's favorite breakfast restaurants, many of them we'd never even heard of. One of the restaurants that caught my eye was Aviator's Restaurant, located at Sacramento Executive Airport, so on Friday, October 17, 2008, we paid Aviator's a visit, to see if the place was really as good as reported. Naturally, it was all in the interest of science... err... aviation?
Photo: The main terminal building of Sacramento Executive Airport. Aviator's Restaurant is located on the second floor. Note the control tower, and Brian, David and Dan walking towards the restaurant. We always judge the quality and ambiance of a restaurant by the folks who patronize the place, and to get a good snapshot of the patrons, you need look no further than the parking lot. We shun restaurants where we see limousines, late model luxury sedans, or too many Bentley's, instead we look for 18-wheelers, 5th wheelers, U-Haul trucks, motorcycles, hot rods and the like. In the case of Aviator's Restaurant, it caters to locals and private pilots, so if private pilots patronize the restaurant, you know you have a winner of a place before you even walk in the door. Such is the case with Aviator's Restaurant.
Photo: The main dining room. Note the aviation decor, especially the model tri-plane hung from the ceiling, and the jet fighter canopy that now has morphed into a splash guard over the salad bar. Aviator's Restaurant is located in the terminal building of Sacramento Executive Airport, near the pilot's lounge, and the dining room feature's a bird's eye of the field, so as you enjoy a delicious breakfast, you can watch airplanes take off, land, taxi, refuel, and do the things that airplanes do. If you're an affectionado of general aviation, this factor alone will draw you to the restaurant, as you have an outstanding vantage point which allows the diner to view a busy general aviation airport in action. The decor is quite pleasant and cheery, and naturally features an aviation theme. We were especially impressed with the splash guard topping the soup and salad bar, as its a canopy from a defunct fighter jet, which is a nice touch.
Photo: You're never far from the action when you're dining at Aviator's Restaurant. We seated ourselves at a large table near the center of the dining room, and were immediately greeted by Mary, our friendly waitress, who then proceeded to bring menus and ice water. The menu is pretty basic, but they have every breakfast item a private pilot could hope for, at very attractive prices. I had already decided that I was going to order chicken fried steak, as I'd spent a bit of time surfing their menu, that's posted on their web site, and I was, as always, in the mood for chicken fried steak. You can't go wrong with their menu, as it features something for every taste.
Photo: Mary smiles as she brings plates of chicken fried steak to our table. Note the fighter canopy splash guard protecting the salad bar in the background. Members of the Sacramento Breakfast Club really appreciate fast, friendly service, and we definitely received the royal treatment from Mary, our friendly waitress. Besides private pilots, we noted that most of the other customers were locals, and regular patrons, as Mary greeted many of them by first name, and she seemed to know many of the customers. So add "catering to the tastes of the locals" to the impressive list of credentials owned by Aviator's Restaurant.
Photo: Dan can't wait to get his hands on his breakfast of chicken fried steak. Fine service, interesting decor, impressive scenery are important, but the bottom line is... the food. My chicken fried steak arrived perfectly cooked, the eggs were cooked over easy, just the way I like 'em, the home fried potatoes were golden brown on the outside and chewy on the inside, and the biscuits and gravy were a slice of heaven. Dan, Brad and I ordered biscuits and gravy, and the three of remarked how delicious the gravy was, as it is made fresh, in-house, and doesn't come from a can, the way many other restaurants serve gravy. All of us were very satisfied with our meals, from a quality and quality standpoint, and the presentation was a huge plus as well. In my case, how can you beat the price of $6.95 for a complete breakfast of chicken fried steak, with biscuits and gravy on the side?
Photo: My breakfast of chicken fried steak, home fired potatoes, eggs over easy, and a side of biscuits and gravy. In keeping with our established protocol, we asked Mary to take our photo; she was a little intimidated by my digital camera, and quite unsure of herself as a photographer, but she took an outstanding photo. Thanks Mary! Dan noted that the menu didn't feature S.O.S., and Mary replied that if we wanted S.O.S., all we'd have to do is call before we came in, and they would be happy prepare it for us, as they have off of the necessary ingredients on hand. Now how is that for service? We shall keep S.O.S. in mind for future visits when we need a fix of S.O.S.
Photo: Today's Sacramento Breakfast Club members, from left to right, Brad Holther, David Demario, Eric Rench, your author, photographer and web master, first-time member Brian Gardiner, and Dan MacLeod. Aviator's Restaurant is definitely our kind of restaurant, as it features everything we love, plus a view as good as it gets of general aviation in action. For delicious food at very reasonable prices, friendly, efficient service, and fascinating surroundings, you owe it to yourself to visit Aviator's Restaurant. Highly recommended by members of the Sacramento Breakfast Club! Aviator's Restaurant Copyright(c) 2008 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., custom photography for any occasion...
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