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Since the late 1970's, I've been dabbling with computers and the transmission of data, both has a hobby and as a profession. If you're at all familiar with the transmission of binary data, you're probably heard of the term, jitter. To refresh your memory, PC Magazine defines jitter as "a flicker or fluctuation in a transmission signal or display image." Sort of like the 1920's dance, The Jitterbug, in that the computer data just sort of jumps and dances around... and some of it gets lost in the process. Not long ago, as we were enjoying breakfast at Lodge Coffee Shop, the waitress told us about Jitters Café; we felt if she recommended her competition to us to try, Jitters must be a good place to enjoy a fine breakfast. Not to mention the name, Jitters, piqued our interest. What's in a name? More on the name of the restaurant later... In the interest of science, on Friday, August 8, 2008, we paid a visit to Jitters Café to see for ourselves if it was as good as its supposed to be.
Photo: Jitters Café is located in an attractive strip mall, just off Antelope Road, a half mile west of Interstate 80. Jitters Café is a family affair, as its owned and operated by Terry, Kathy and Craig, who just happen to be brother and sisters. Jitters is open every day of the week, from 7:00 AM until 2:00 PM, serving breakfast and lunch only. If you're a regular reader of the adventures of The Sacramento Breakfast Club, you'll recall that we pay special attention to a restaurant that is only open for breakfast and lunch, as that indicates that the heart and soul of the restaurant is imbedded in breakfast. Its a fairly new operation, as they first opened their doors in September, 2006. The first thing that you notice about Jitters when you walk in, is how light and airy the restaurant is. The decor could best be described as "country," the colors are very much pastel, and the restaurant has wall-to-wall windows that start only a couple of feet above and extend to the ceiling. On a sunny day, no interior lighting is needed in the dining room, in fact during breakfast hours, the blinds are drawn on the widows facing east, to limit the sunshine. The pastel decor, the natural lighting, and the comfortable, family-friendly atmosphere make the dining room very attractive, and the perfect place to linger over a delicious cup of coffee.
Photo: Here's where you enter the restaurant; note the light, airy, "country" decor and the small breakfast counter. David and Kathy razz Dan, as he checks out the kitchen, to the right of the photo. Actually, the restaurant is quite compact, as when you enter the door, you're faced with a small breakfast counter, the cashier's station, and the spacious kitchen in the background. The dining room is to the right, and its compact as well, with seating for probably around 30 patrons. Despite the fact that the footprint is rather small, the room feels spacious, cozy and comfortable, due to the natural lighting and cleverly installed booths and tables. We were greeted by friendly Kathy, who wears the hats of both owner and waitress, seated us, brought menus, and bottomless cups of their delicious coffee. Their motto of the restaurant, "Now That's Good Coffee!" is printed on the over of the menu, along with the following, which pretty well sums up the attitude of the restaurant: "Welcome to Jitters Café! Our food is cooked to order. You might have to wait a little, for hot fresh food. We're betting that you'll find it worth waiting for."
Photo: Kathy hands David his plate of S.O.S., as the other guys dig in. The menu features a vast assortment of breakfast choices, which makes for pleasant conversation among breakfast lovers, as we discuss the pros and cons of each entrée. For David, Dan and I, being retired military, the choice was easy, as their menu offers S.O.S.! How many restaurants in the greater Sacramento, CA area offer S.O.S. on their breakfast menu? We enjoyed chatting with Kathy, as she's not only helpful and friendly, but she's an excellent conversationalist. We introduced ourselves, and explained to her our mission, and I as web master, asked her a few questions about the place, so I could actually write a truthful and somewhat coherent article about the restaurant. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to chat for very long, as the restaurant was filled with other customers.
Photo: I can't resist taking a peek into the kitchen. I couldn't help to notice how squeaky-clean and spacious their kitchen it. Craig does an excellent job preparing delicious meals, and keeping an efficient kitchen. Waiting for our food, according to the menu, "a little," is correct, as it seemed like only a few minutes, and a couple of cups of coffee later, that our orders were placed on the table in front of us. During the time of our visit, Kathy was the only waitress, and quite a busy lady, and it took her three trips to bring the food that we'd ordered for the six of us, but the food came, exactly as ordered, fresh and hot, from the spacious and spotlessly clean kitchen.
Photo: This is what a delicious breakfast of S.O.S. looks like. Actually, S.O.S. is spiced, creamed ground beef, served on toast, and it's a staple dish of all branches of the U.S. armed forces. As previously mentioned, despite the multitude of choices on the menu, Dan, David and I couldn't resist ordering the S.O.S. for breakfast. S.O.S. is a breakfast staple in all branches of the armed forces, as its fairly easy to make, utilizes leftovers, and is easily reheated for midnight chow. With S.O.S., you either love it hate it... we love it! My breakfast consisted of the following: Two eggs, cooked over easy, a huge order of homestyle potatoes, S.O.S. on toast, coffee, and a dish of biscuits and gravy on the side. The S.O.S. was cooked perfectly, with enough spices and seasoning to add enhance the flavor, but not enough to offend any taste. As much as I loved S.O.S. while I served in the Navy, Jitter's S.O.S. was much, much better. Dan and David's S.O.S. breakfasts were similar to mine, while the other guys ordered other choices from the extensive menu. All of us agreed that Jitters Café serves a fantastic breakfast. The food is fresh, hot, cooked exactly as ordered, featuring attractive presentation, ample quantities and reasonable prices. Service is friendly and attentive, but not intrusive. Do we plan a return visit? Yes! Would we recommend Jitters Café to a friend? Yes!
Photo: Members of The Sacramento Breakfast Club, from left to right: Eric Rench, the author and web master, David Demario, Brad Holther, Dan MacLeod, Mark McIntire and Bruce Coulter. Oh
yes, how did the restaurant acquire the name Jitters
Café?
When I asked Kathy how they came up with the name, she
simply shrugged her shoulders and told us that she and her siblings
just liked the sound of it. So much for computer jitter
and other high tech stuff... Jitters
Café 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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