|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Normally, members of The Sacramento Breakfast Club bypass chain owned and operated restaurants, as we prefer to dine at locally owned and operated restaurants that reflect the cuisine of the greater Sacramento, California metropolitan area, whatever that statement means. Yet, how could we pass on Rosie's Country Kitchen, although they technically area link in a chain of restaurants, the chain is composed of only four links, with links in Sacramento, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, and Rocklin, all co-located within the greater Sacramento metro area. Not to mention that the small chain of Rosie's are owned and operated by the same family, and the chain is named after one of the teenage daughters of the family, Rosie, not a bad guess? Rosie's Country Kitchen is the type of restaurant that The Sacramento Breakfast Club loves to visit.
Photo: Rosie's legacy is quite apparent, from the huge gold anchor planted in the rose bushes in front of the restaurant. Ten years or so ago, the Skipper's Seafood and Chowder House restaurant chain pulled out of the California market, yet they left their trademark gold anchor intact at the busy corner of Auburn Blvd. and Garfield Ave., in Sacramento, and Rosie's quickly moved in to occupy the void. Besides the huge gold anchor, placed in the front of the restaurant, the legacy of the former owner remains, as the restaurant features the trademark dining compartments, the wood waist coating adorning the dining compartments, with the kitchen and the cashier's station facing each other, in the middle of the restaurant, across a somewhat narrow aisle. I can't imagine what Skipper's had in mind to design a restaurant like this, but it makes photography quite difficult, yet how many people, besides me, actually photograph the interior of a restaurant? Yes, much of the legacy decor of Skipper's remains in Rosie's dining room, but it has been altered to reflect the local tastes, and the tastes of the owners, and it has been renovated to fit the restaurant's mission, so you can look for faux-hanging potted plants, teapots, and even a few hand saws, with murals decorating them. If you're comfortable being seated at wooden tables and chairs, you'll love Rosie's as that is the seating that they offer. Close your eyes, and picture yourself dining at a typical California Skipper's restaurant during the early 1990's, yet open your eyes, and... VIOLA! ... You're at Rosie's!
Photo: The cashier and waitress station in the middle of the restaurant. The compartments in the restaurant make photography challenging. Sure, the huge gold anchor from the Skipper days remains in front of the restaurant, and the interior of the restaurant still divided into compartments, Skipper's is just a legacy, as now the restaurant is definitely Rosie's, complete with a vastly-different menu, and a complete change of scenery. Gone are the characteristic fish and chips, as ushered in by biscuits and gravy, chicken-fried steaks, country scrambles, and almost every Southern-style breakfast dish that your mind can imagine. Rosie's is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and their dinner menu features many mouth-watering dishes of Indian cuisine, (the country of India) which is no surprise, as the owners and workers of the restaurant are of Indian descent. American Southern-style breakfasts, American Midwest-style lunches, and the country-of-India-style dinners? How's that for diversity? Most restaurants couldn't pull off a menu as diverse as that, but Rosie's Country Kitchen musters up to the challenge. As you walk into the restaurant, you're still somewhat confused by the divided dining compartments, and as Navy veteran, it reminds me of the mess deck of a ship, but unlike a Navy ship, the atmosphere of Rosie's is friendly, the staff are gracious, and the place radiates down-home, local Sacramento charm. You're greeted by a friendly waitress, and in our case, we seated a the table of our choosing, in our compartment, of the mess deck. Note I use the military term "mess deck," as the legacy, divided sections from the Skippers-era still remain.
Photo: Dan eagerly anticipates his breakfast, as its brought to our table. Coffee and menus followed, and then it was time to ponder the choices. Rosie's menu offers two pages of breakfast choices, plus numerous specials are painted on their windows, such as the $6.99 New York Steak and eggs special, or the $2.99 breakfast... delicious food, at rock-bottom prices. Their menu offers many of the de facto breakfast standards enjoyed in northern California, with a wide array of omelets, pancakes, skillet dishes, and southern-fried cuisine. The Sacramento Breakfast Club's main mission is breakfast, but we noted their menu for lunch and dinner includes all of the "comfort food" varsities, plus a couple of pages of Indian cuisine, oh boy! ... the Indian cuisine is another review in the making! The coffee freely flows, the restaurant staff is very friendly, and the menu choices are dazzling and amazing. Focus on the breakfast menu, get into the breakfast mind-set, and live the passé: Wide array of breakfast choices! I have to admit that I felt a little imagine, as I was hoping that the menu would feature an Indian-style breakfast, but alas, no... good, the breakfast menu features choices geared toward southern tastes, no not SoCal, but to the tastes of the southern states of the United States of America, and the tastes of Sacramento Valley locals.
Photo: My order of biscuits and gravy arrives, as the other guys are already digging in. Left to right: Breakfast buddies Bruce Coulter, Dan MacLeod and David DeMario. Not shown, Eric Rench, you friendly author. Friday, February 15, 2008's breakfast club session included charter members Dan MacLeod, David DeMario, your web master and author of this article, Eric Rench, and still-hanging-on-and-wannabee-member Bruce Coulter; all four of us are dedicated breakfast fanatics, who desire nothing more out of life, other than a decent breakfast. At Rosie's Country Kitchen, we were not rewarded with just a "decent" breakfast, but we were rewarded with an outstanding breakfast. Bruce and I were charmed by the advertised $6.99 New York steak and eggs special, Dan and David ordered southwestern-style omelets, both of somewhat different varieties. Anyway, our breakfasts arrived within a few minutes after placing our orders: Round 1: By a friendly guy, Round 2: By a friendly girl. Good food, little English spoken, friendly people, nice people, good food, delicious, hot coffee... did I mention delicious food? For $6.99, you can't beat the steak and eggs special, as the meal is cooked to order, the portions are ample, yet not overwhelming. It's a delicious, hearty breakfast, served by friendly people, at an honest price, and reflects the tastes of Sacramento. Although Bruce and I ordered the main entrée of steak and eggs, with the steak cooked medium, he and I differ somewhat, as he's a hash brown potatoes sort of guy, and I'm a home-style potatoes sort of guy, but he and I were both transported into breakfast heaven, as and I both agreed that the steak and eggs, and the potatoes couldn't be beat. Sure, the steak is sort of petite, at a weight of around 6 ounces, but that's probably the limit of red meat that a over-the-hill-guy like Bruce or I should consume in a day, and if the day's consumption in meat is taken in, at breakfast, in one swoop, it's ok with me. The omelet guys, Dan and David, also raved about their breakfasts, and enjoyed every bite... Rosie's seems to have achieved the right combination between an attractive dining room, friendly staff, a full-service menu, which offers Sacramento-style "comfort food," as well as authentic Indian cuisine.... which rates a "Wow!" in my book and the book of The Sacramento Breakfast Club.
Photo: My $6.99 steak and eggs special breakfast was not only delicious, but featured an attractive presentation. I requested extra peppers and onions in my homestyle potatoes, which the staff gladly offered. For me, this breakfast is just the right size, not too big, but it will keep me going for the rest of the day. The Sacramento Breakfast Club highly recommends Rosie's Country Kitchen, for delicious food, friendly people, attractive decor, and a true Sacramento dining experience. Digital
photos are courtesy of eRench
Productions, Inc., custom photography for any
occasion. Rosie's
Country Kitchen 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...
|
