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TJ's Roadhouse is the latest dining sensation in Nevada City, and in California's Gold Country, after opening their doors to a "soft opening" on Thursday, March 30, 2023. This fine restaurant features delicious "comfort food" and is quickly becoming a "go-to" dining spot for Nevada City locals, who appreciate fine cuisine, friendly service and stellar dining. As with all restaurant reviews I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's just past the 07:00 in the morning opening time of the restaurant, Friday, April 14, 2023, and I've arrived at TJ's Roadhouse, located in Nevada City, CA to enjoy an amazing breakfast. TJ's opened two weeks ago with little fuss or fanfare and absolutely no advertising. I found out about this fine restaurant thanks to friends on a Facebook group that I belong to. I simply HAD to check out this restaurant, so I could post a review on FB, as many members of the group were asking questions. So... call me a "pathfinder..." This fine restaurant is opened and operated by the folks who own TJ's Roadhouse, located in nearby Colfax, CA, which has been serving fine "comfort food" to Colfax locals, Placer County "foodies" and interstate travelers since 2010 or so. Click on the link... yes... I've enjoyed breakfast at the Colfax location.
Photo: As you enter the restaurant on Broad Street - when seems to be the "main entrance" - you enter to the dining room on the middle level of the restaurant. The decor is quite rustic, which works with the "rustic" Gold Country nature of Nevada City. This dining room seems to be used mostly as an overflow, as the main dining is in the bar area, which is slightly upstairs. This is the "middle level" of three dining rooms. Nevada City is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills at around the 2500-foot location, and the town is built around Deer Creek, which makes sometimes steep topography. TJ's Roadhouse is built near the creek - on a slope - so the building has three levels. When you combine the middle and lower dining rooms, and add in the main dining room - with the bar - the dining space is GIGANTIC!
Photo: Nevada County is "cowboy county" and "The Duke" is alive and well and lives on. At first I thought that was an "old school" double barrel shotgun until I noticed the rifle cartridges. .416 Rigby????
Photo: Behind the "middle" dining room, there is a meet/great station with menus, but since I "opened" up the restaurant, the station was vacant. I simply made my way to the main dining room, which showcases the bar, and I was greeted by my friendly hostess. Check out the sign that advertises the downstairs dining room isn't being seated, as I assume it's mostly enjoyed for dinner.
Photo: The main dining room, which is just around the corner from the "middle," or "entry" dining room features a GIGANTIC bar - the best equipped bar in Nevada City - and lots of tall bar table seating. The amazing bar offers beer on tap, wine and will mix any drink on the planet. The main dining room features lots of comfortable tables and looks out to the patio, which offers wonderful seating overlooking the creek, and the beautiful mountain scenery.
Photo: I like beer... correction... I LOVE beer, and the bar at TJ's Roadhouse offers a great assortment of beer on tap. The bar is simply amazing and offers a comfortable lounge to the side, which is a rare sight in the gold country.
Photo: Each table in the main dining room is set with all the condiments to enhance your great breakfast.
Photo: Courtney, who seemed to be the only hostess on duty - I opened up the restaurant - takes an order from a diner who has seated himself at one of the high tables in the main dining room, by the bar. By the time I'd finished my breakfast, the dining room was beginning to get quite busy. When I do restaurant reviews, I always attempt to arrive at a slack time, in order not to disturb other diners, and have more time to take photos, chat with the staff and enjoy the experience.
Photo: The menu at TJ's is three pages, and breakfast is listed on the first page of the menu, and offers a wide array of your breakfast favorites. As I was looking over the menu, my eyes fixated on the "Meat Lovers" section, and I never went back, as I ended up ordering "Tri-Tip" as my meat of choice. Click on the image of the menu to view all three pages of the menu at TJ's Roadhouse, which is current as of the publishing of this article, April 14, 2023.
Photo: After I placed my breakfast order, I took a trip down the stairs as I wanted to see what the "downstairs" dining room looked like. I passed by the kitchen and took a peek through the open door.
Photo: The "downstairs" dining room is very open, a bit more formal, and is the only room in the restaurant that offers booth seating, if you don't count the "lounge" in the bar. The room features a cheery gas fireplace, which adds warmth and ambience to this inviting dining room. On this early Friday morning, the "downstairs" dining room wasn't being seated, as I assume it's used mostly for dinner. There was a gentleman seated next to the fireplace, who was busy texting, and I assume he was a staff member relaxing, and enjoying quiet time before starting his shift.
Photo: The patio is located off the "main" dining room - and the bar - and offers a delightful view of Deer Creek, which flows through the canyon where Nevada City is located. Not only is the view of the creek and the mountains gorgeous but you can enjoy the sounds the creek makes as it rushes over the rocks and downstream, through Nevada City, until it meets the Bear River, which is one of the last un-tamed rivers in California. I would have LOVED to enjoy my breakfast on the patio, but the temperature was in the upper 30's, so inside dining proved to be a better choice.
Photo: Meet Courtney, my amazing hostess, who treated me like a "rock star" and brought my breakfast to me with a smile.
Photo: I'm a happy guy, as Courtney took my photo as I'm ready to enjoy my delicious breakfast at TJ's Roadhouse, located in Nevada City, CA.
Photo: From the "Breakfast" section of the menu I went with "Meat Lovers" and for my selection of protein, how could I ever resist a trip-tip to highlight my breakfast? You get two eggs, cooked any style, potatoes and toast. I went with hash browns, sourdough toast, and I opted for my eggs to be fried sunnyside up, which always adds a cheer start to a chilly Friday morning. As an added bonus, my breakfast was served with a small cup of in-house made horseradish sauce - yummy! - along with a bottle of Tapatio Mexican-style hot sauce that friendly Courtney brought me, after she suggested it. Now, I was ready to enjoy! The tri-tip beef was around a quarter pound, which is about right for breakfast. I ordered my beef grilled medium rare and it arrived exactly as I'd ordered, lightly seasoned, juicy, and fork-tender. It was so tender that I cut it into pieces with my fork, as the steak knife that was set on my table was simply window dressing. It was a taste sensation to dip a small piece of meat into the horseradish, which was a great way to get the morning started. Too bad I was driving, as a beer would have been great to cap off this delicious breakfast! As an aside, the horseradish sauce was made in-house and it definitely wasn't the kind you buy in your local supermarket. The sauce was on the "chunky" side, more tan than cream colored, very tasty, quite mild and simply delicious! Like all horseradish sauce, it had a "kick" to it, but it "kicked" just enough to make it delicious, and a great dip for the tender tri-tip. The hash brown potatoes were crispy golden brown on the outside, and tender juicy-white inside. They were definitely different than many other hash browns that I've enjoyed as they were on the "dry" side, which was a change from the buttery hash browns served at many diners and restaurants. I totally enjoyed the hashbrowns, but that compliment is easy for me to make, as I don't think there is an order of hash brown potatoes that I don't love! I ordered my eggs fried sunnyside up - your eggs are cooked to your order - and they arrived perfectly fried, as ordered, with the edges of the whites slightly brown, and the yolk still on the soft side. Oh yes! Eggs fried this way mix well with hash brown potatoes and all they need is a little salt and pepper. My slice of sourdough toast was cut in half, toasted and buttered. It was basic and good. What more can you say about a great slice of toast? My "Meat Lovers" breakfast was delicious, cooked to order, and in every way, a quality breakfast. At $19.00 - plus state sales tax - this was not a bargain... welcome to 2023. But, you have to weigh many factors, including quality, quantity, service, taste and simply the "WOW!" factor together to make a realistic assessment of the breakfast. Yes, the "price of admission" was steep, but in my humble opinion as a stone-cold "foodie," the breakfast made sense, and it made my tummy happy.
Photo: My "Meat Lovers" breakfast with tri-tip, hash brown potatoes and two eggs, fried sunnyside up. If you love meat, you'll feel right at home at TJ's Roadhouse, as there is a section on the breakfast menu that caters to all "foodies" who crave meat with breakfast. TJ's Roadhouse offers one of the most spectacular dining options in Nevada County, considering there are three levels of dining, a HUGE bar, complete with a comfortable lounge, and a charming patio with a breathtaking view of Deer Creek, and historic downtown Nevada City across the creek. The "Americana" cuisine is delicious, the dining rooms are comfortable, the bar is the finest in Nevada City, and the staff is as friendly as it gets. Welcome to Nevada City, TJ's Roadhouse... you've brought fine dining home. TJ's Roadhouse Copyright(c) 2023 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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