Wine Country Traveler: Fremont Diner

 Babe's Burgers and Franks, it was called when I first noticed this place. But it never did the kind of business or received the widespread recognition then as it does now as the Fremont Diner. And the crowds just seem to keep getting bigger.


Mac and Cheese

I photographed the old drive-in building not long after Babe's had closed and it was sitting vacant. When we moved to the area, I noticed it had reopened as the Fremont Diner, and made a mental note that I ought to stop there sometime. Then my mother asked me about some wine country eateries she had read about in Sunset Magazine that were supposedly where the locals eat, and Fremont Diner was one of them. That old drive-in in Sunset?


Babe's Burgers and Franks

 Once we first gave it a try, we were hooked. My wife and I go there frequently and have witnessed their increasing popularity expansion. They make use of a large outdoor area, covered in a big plastic tent in winter, to accommodate more guests. It's no longer order at the counter and seat yourself, but full table service. And just recently they started serving dinner 4 nights per week (Thursday-Sunday).

Long before it was Babe's Burgers and Franks, although I don't yet know exactly how long, this joint was Dave's Drive-In. There's an old sign in a private area in the back for Dave's that I caught glimpse of. When asked about it, the proprietor, Chad Harris, told me that Dave's widow still lives next door to the place, and rents out the restaurant and the adjoining 34 acres of land to him.



In addition to the old Dave's Drive-In sign, there's a spectacular old Broadway Hardware neon sign mounted on a shed in back of the restaurant, presumably from Sonoma (Highway 12 enters Sonoma on Broadway), and assorted other vintage and quirky pieces throughout the building and property, contributing to the folksy character of the place. The most prominent of these is the old truck always parked in front, which recently got a touch up faux paint job.


Ain't That America--this photo for sale at ImageKind and SmugMug.

But it's definitely the food that makes this place such a draw. You can get burgers, fries, and shakes at the diner, but the main appeal is the Southern comfort food, with a little bit of California thrown in now in then, like huevos rancheros to go with chicken fried steak and biscuits and gravy. Not everything is fantastic--the fried chicken "so spicy it will set a cheatin' man straight" did not bring any heat at all, and I find the mac and cheese too salty. But enough of it really is fantastic. I particularly relish the ham biscuit and the collard greens.


Catfish and Hush Puppies

Sacramento Area Barbecue Joints

Growing up in Montana, the word "barbecue" meant to me backyard grilling over open flames, charcoal embers, or just electric heating elements. My father was an electrician, so I cut grass with an electric mower on an extension cord, and we ate burgers cooked outside on an electric grill.

There was nothing about that sort of barbecue that appealed to me, since it just seemed to be regular cooking with more carcinogens. And all I knew of what I now recognize as real barbecue was that barbecued ribs were common, and I didn't like ribs--too much fat and bone and mess from the barbecue sauce for so little meat.

But then I saw a lot of television shows on barbecue on Food Network, the History Channel, and the Travel Channel. They still didn't persuade me that barbecue was delicious, but I was intrigued by the tradition related to this form of cooking and the passion many people had for it.

I set out to visit, taste, and photograph the barbecue joints in the Sacramento area. I know there are a lot of people who are very knowledgeable about barbecue, and passionate about it. I, on the other hand, am just getting to know it. So I won't try and offer any comprehensive culinary critiques of the food. Instead, I'll just give my general impressions of the places.


Ludy's Main Street BBQ
667 Main St.
Woodland



This is a restaurant I visited frequently when I lived in Davis, although I usually got something other than the traditional barbecue options on the menu. The restaurant is housed in a historic stone building, and is wonderfully decorated in an Old West theme. Adding to the ambiance is a large patio area in back, with a fountain and small stream and a large fireplace.

I always enjoyed the French fries at Ludy's, which are served with a barbecue dry rub sprinkled on them. You can also fill up a little metal pot with your choice of barbecue sauce and dip the fries in that.


Texas West Bar-B-Que
1600 Fulton Ave.
Arden-Arcade
1950 Douglas Blvd.
Roseville
2776 E. Bidwell St.
Folsom



On their menu, Texas West claims to be continually voted "Best BBQ" in both Sacramento Magazine and the Sacramento News and Review. The first Texas West, and I'm not sure which of the three locations that would be, opened in 1991. I visited the one on Fulton Avenue, which has a tiny area in which to dine in, as well as an adjoining patio area that was closed off and was dark when I was there. I had the beef brisket platter for $10.99, which comes with two sides, Texas toast, and sauce on the side. The beans were the most notable element of this meal--served in a thin sauce with onions and tomatoes.


Mac-Que's Bar-B-Que
8101 Elder Creek Rd.



Tucked into a small storefront in a large building on the northwest corner of Power Inn Rd. and Elder Creek Rd. (on the Power Inn side, despite the address), this restaurant is not just one you stumble upon--you have to be looking for it. But it's also worth looking for. It's not much for a dine-in place--just a few tables, and the food is served up on paper plates. They mainly seem to do a big take-out business. The food is excellent and quite reasonable in comparison to other barbecue restaurants. My pork ribs dinner with green beans, macaroni and cheese, and a roll came to $8.95.

They were all very friendly there. I got caught taking a picture of my food and was asked about it, so I came clean and told them, and they wanted the URL for my blog and looked over the list of restaurants I was planning to visit and commented on a few.


Sandra Dee's Bar-B-Que & Seafod
601 15th Street
Downtown



I've long intended to eat at Sandra Dee's, mainly because of their advertised all-you-can-eat catfish nuggets special. Finally this barbecue overview gave me the impetus to finally go.

The atmosphere wasn't what I was expecting inside--everything was a little newer and more modern than I was expecting. I had the $9.99 all beef links entree, choosing the hot links with hot barbecue sauce. The sides were a bit disappointing, especially the dry cornbread muffin served without any butter or honey. But the links didn't disappoint. They had a rich flavor and packed quite a bit of heat in conjunction with the sauce. I had to wipe away quite a bit of sweat.


J.R.'s Texas Bar-B-Que
180 Otto Circle



When I mentioned my intention to visit as many barbecue restaurants in the Sacramento area as possible to friends at work, this is the restaurant they asked me about first. It was a challenge to find--really tucked away in an obscure location. But I guess that isn't hurting business any.

They have received the "Best Bar-B-Que" award from the California Restaurant Association for three years running and took first place in the September of 2006 Rhythm and Ribs national competition.

They only have a couple of parking spaces, although there is plenty of parking on the street. I wasn't even sure they had dine-in facilities, so I was surprised to find a cavernous interior with rows of picnic tables, a pool table (free play), a stage coach, and a big screen television. You could certainly have a great time here with a load of friends.

The barbecue is pretty much exactly what I would expect from a quality barbecue place. My $11 pork shoulder plate came with way more meat than a person should eat at a single setting. It was tender and had a pronounced smokiness (they cook over mesquite). There were three options for sauce: original, sweet, and spicy. I chose spicy, and found it had a mild kick. The beans were pretty standard--I didn't enjoy them as much as those at Texas West. The small corn on the cob was fine too. There was no bread served with the meal.


Pit Stop Bar-B-Que
3515 McClellan Dr.
North Highlands



I'm not sure if this place was connected with the Pit Stop on Folsom Blvd. in Rancho Cordova, but apparently that restaurant is now closed.

This Pit Stop offers a moderately sized interior, with additional tables out front. I had the $11.95 hot links dinner, with potato salad, coleslaw, and apparently two toasted and buttered rolls. The potato salad was very good--better than what I had at Sandra Dee's.

Unlike other places, I was not given a choice as to the barbecue sauce. The combination of hot links and sauce packed nowhere near the heat as what I ate at Sandra Dee's, and didn't match them for flavor either, although I still enjoyed them.

Back Forty Texas BBQ
1201 Orlando Ave
Roseville



My grandmother has taken me to eat many times at the flagship restaurant of the regional Back Forty chain, in Pleasant Hill, although I think I got turkey most times, in an attempt to order something healthy. The location in Roseville, just off of Auburn Blvd, just south of where it crosses Interstate 80 and becomes Riverside ?? , is most notable for the exterior--it looks like an Old West town, and there's a stagecoach out front. There is rustic wood in the interior too, and an attentive staff.



It's much classier than the kinds of restaurants I usually eat at, and that is reflected in the prices. It was $14.49 for my sliced lean beef dinner, which came with two sides and an enormous piece of moist cornbread. I wish I had had the room to finish that cornbread.

D'Miller's Famous BBQ
7305 Fair Oaks Blvd
Carmichael



I had some trouble getting to eat at this place. First off, it's not that easy to find. It's a very small location tucked on the side of a strip mall, along the Sutter Avenue side (across the street from Big Lots), not the Fair Oaks side. When I found it, just after Memorial Day, I found a sign in the door saying "Happy holidays. See you June 3." I didn't know anyone took that long of a vacation for Memorial Day. I didn't check the hours, or else I wouldn't have returned there on a Monday, when they are closed.

But I finally found the place open one day. They have just enough room for a couple tables inside, in a mostly purple interior, and there are a couple of tables out front, but they are metal, and really heat up in the sun. I got the hot links dinner, which was a real bargain in comparison to other barbecue places, at only $6.79. It was okay. I think my favorite was the potato salad, which was reddish, probably from lots of paprika. At those prices, I'm sure I'll be back.


Armadillo Willy's Flying Pig BBQ on a Bun
3620 North Freeway Blvd
Natomas



Usually I avoid areas like Natomas: contemporary sprawl centering daily life around driving and filled with big box stores and national chains. But I liked the name of this restaurant.

The area it is in is even worse than I imagined, where developers saw fields filled with wildflowers, mice, and rabbits, with hawks circling overhead, and envisioned Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Target, Starbucks, TGI Friday's, and, of course, acres and acres of parking. But the restaurant itself is pleasant enough, and hopefully will take on some character when it is no longer so new. They have some outdoor seating near a fountain, and a nice neon sign.

I wasn't all that hungry, and since the name of the restaurant has "on a bun" in it, I went for the lunch special rather than a full dinner plate: chopped brisket sandwich, potato salad, and lemonade for $7.99. It was decent. I thought they skimped a bit on the meat, and there was no choice on the barbecue sauce, which was sweet and had no kick to it. But if I happened to be in the area, which is unlikely to be the case anytime soon, I wouldn't be averse to stopping in there again.

This is by no means a complete account, and I will keep adding on as I try more. Two that I found listed online I could not eat at, though. When I arrived at Rubs Ribs on Howe Avenue, I found a note indicating it had permanently closed two weeks earlier. And the address I had for Jeff's Mesquite Barbeque in Orangevale just took me to a house in a residential block.

Classic East Bay Eateries

I love to experience restaurants. New and different foods are a delight to sample, but I'm not just there for a meal--I go for the atmosphere too. I like unique restaurants that go all out to make the surroundings unique. I'm a sucker for revolving restaurants, and other gimmicks, but I also appreciate more mundane mom and pop restaurants that have a long history--the kind of places the same people have been going to all their lives, and couldn't imagine being without. These are places that strongly establish local identity, that anyone from that city or that neighborhood knows well, but are unfamiliar to most out-of-towners.

When I head down to my grandmother's, she often indulges me and we head off to visit restaurants I have read about. We've been doing this much longer than I have been taking photographs of restaurants and food, or researching the restaurants, so my memory is spotty on some of them. But I plan to continually revise this blog entry as I visit more places, or revisit ones I haven't been to in some time.

Here, then, are some classic eateries I have visited in the East Bay, particularly in Contra Costa County.

Ole's Waffle Shop
1507 Park Street
Alameda



When I posted the first version of this blog entry, I received an enthusiastic response from one of my long-time Flickr contacts, with one caveat--she couldn't believe that I didn't include Ole's Waffle Shop in Alameda. I had photographed the sign, but never eaten there. Now that omission has been redressed.

Ole's opened in 1927, although not originally at its present location, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, and the waffles served today are still made according to Ole Swanson's recipe. It moved to Park Street in the 1930s. After Ole's death, the restaurant languished until Bob Adams bought it in 1972 with a down payment of $100 (all this information from the Chronicle, 2/5/1999).



Today, there is still a counter, thankfully, as there was a line outside on the Sunday morning I visited. There are photos on the wall showing the history of the restaurant. About the only design element that looks vintage are the orange and yellowish wall panels, which probably date from the 1960s.


Bip's Broiler
3211 Encinal Ave.
Alameda, CA



I read about this place in the East Bay Express, and headed off with my girlfriend at the time to find it. It's well worth seeking out. On Encinal next to the Encinal Shopping Center, it is wealth off of Park Street with its antique stores and crowds of pedestrians. While people wait in line for breakfast on the weekend at Ole's on Park Street, it's easy to find a table at Bip's Broiler, despite the fact that it is very small, and despite the fact that the food is both better and cheaper than at Ole's. The hashbrowns are particularly outstanding.

It hasn't been Bip's Broiler long, but the place is vintage, as it was the Burger Orchard for at least 25 years. The stools at the small horseshoe counter look to be at least that old.


Fondue Fred
2556 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley

What could be more delicious or sociable than sharing fondue? It has always been a treat for special occasions in my family. This specialty fondue restaurant, tucked inside the Village Mall, has been around since 1958. It's a dark and cozy restaurant with dark wood tables. Fondue is the one dish I specialize in making at home, and I've eaten it at restaurants in Lucerne, Paris, and Quebec, so it's hard to impress me with fondue, and, well, I wasn't impressed. But still, mediocre fondue is better than no fondue at all, and the taste, price, and ambiance were all better than at The Melting Pot. I'd like to go back, only hopefully I won't have to drive next time, as parking is a problem.




Spenger's Fish Grotto
1919 4th Street
Berkeley



In 1890, Bavarian fisherman Johan Spenger opened this Berkeley institution. Johan's grandson Buddy Spenger was the last of the family to run the restaurant. It was Buddy who made it into so much more than a place to eat fresh fish. He used the salvaged remains of two shipwrecks to cover the walls and floors, installed 500 antique guns, and acquired a 34-carat diamond ring formerly owned by a Hawaiian queen to display in one of the bars.

In the late 1990s, Buddy suffered a stroke, and retired. None of his progeny was interested in carrying on the family legacy, so the restaurant was set to close. But an executive from the McCormick & Schmick chain of high-end seafood restaurants who had grown up in Berkeley urged the company to purchase the restaurant. On her urging, Doug Schmick flew out to dine there, and subsequently, the chain bought the restaurant.



And that's how I came to hear of the place. I was given a $20 gift certificate to McCormick & Schmick restaurants by Alaska Airlines for having flown with them on Christmas day. Spenger's Fish Grotto was the only restaurant listed on the back anywhere near me (although they recently opened a restaurant in the Elks Building in downtown Sacramento). So my grandmother and I had dinner there.



It is an enormous, and magnificent place to behold. I highly approve of Buddy's decorating. They have many dining rooms, and more than one bar. As for the food . . . the seafood is very fresh. You can't go wrong with simply prepared fresh seafood. If you are looking for artistry and delicious sauces and the like, head off to some chef-driven restaurant, rather than a corporate notion of high class dining. For that kind of money, you can definitely eat something more interesting and delicious. I enjoyed my fish (though not so much the sauce with it), but the clam chowder was pretty lame--I would think a high-end seafood chain would have had to master that before expanding.

But even if the food there is not to your liking, it's well worth going for a visit--at least to have a couple of drinks in the bar and see the 34-carat diamond.


Hotel Mac Restaurant & Bar
50 Washington Avenue
Point Richmond

This is one of those places I have vague memories, and no pictures, of. I dined there with a host of relatives when I first moved to Northern California. I wasn't fully settled in my apartment yet, and I certainly didn't know my way around that well. I just remember driving through a lot of ugly neighborhoods, and then getting to a lovely old town center.

The restaurant is in a historic hotel, built in 1911, and on the National Register of Historic Places. We ate in a private dining room, which was also being used as a wine cellar. The waiter couldn't remember one of the desserts, and hemmed and hawed about it, before it finally came to him: tiramisu. Other than that, most of what I remember is our conversation and the clothing I wore--I have no recollection of what I ate.


Casa Orinda
20 Bryant Way
Orinda

When I read about Casa Orinda, I was excited. Jack and Tommy Snow, from Montana (where I am from), opened a bar that became this Orinda institution in 1932. It was a den of vice in the early going, with gambling and prostitutes and bootleg liquor, but a deal with the sheriff insured they were always clean when there was a raid.

I guess I figured a place with that kind of legacy would be pretty casual, because I was terribly under dressed when my grandmother and I visited. I was, as is often the case when visiting these old restaurants, surprised by the high prices, but they corresponded to the elegant atmosphere and valet parking . . . and the fact that it was Orinda.

The place is an upscale western restaurant, dimly lit with large western paintings on the wall. The menu touted their famous fried chicken, which has been served there since the beginning, so that's what I had. I'm sure I enjoyed it, although I don't recall anything unique about it.


Petar's
32 Lafayette Circle
Lafayette

This classic steak and seafood house with a neo-Tudor interior opened in 1959. It was a favorite of my grandparents, and when my cousin came out to visit a few years ago, this is the place my grandmother and I chose to take her. Some time I've got to check out the piano lounge.


The Squirrel's Coffee Shop
998 Moraga Road
Lafayette



Finding an affordable vintage diner in upscale Lafayette was certainly a delightful surprise for me. There's nothing fancy about this place. It has a short menu of breakfast and lunch items, and an old counter with stools. This is the sort of place I would make a habit out of eating at, if it were at all handy to me. I believe the breakfast featured in the photo is fluffy eggs with ham.


Nantucket Restaurant
501 Port Street
Crockett


Crab Cake Sandwich

My grandparents took my mother and me here sometime in the 1980s, and when I moved in 1996 it was my choice for my first birthday dinner as a resident of Northern California. You have to drive down below Interstate 80 as it approaches the bridges to cross from Crockett to Valejo, and then park in a dirt and gravel lot, but the reward is waterfront dining, with several outdoor tables.


Al Fresco Dining

The restaurant has operated under different ownership and slightly differing names over the years, but still maintains a venerable character.


Warehouse Cafe
5 Canyon Lake Drive
Port Costa


One-Pound Prime Rib

Tucked in a narrow valley up against the bay and railroad tracks between Crockett and Martinez, Port Costa is only accessible via narrow and winding roads. In this small town is a lovely old schoolhouse, church, hotel, and a big old warehouse building. In this building is a funky bar that serves 460 different types of beer, and is decorated with salvaged historic pieces and lots of kitschy decorations. I'm not sure what classification the enormous stuffed polar bear falls under.



There's a dining area there, and on Friday and Saturday nights it is open for business as the Warehouse Cafe. It's a very limited menu, with a minimum charge of $12.95 for the all-you-can-eat soup and salad bar, a baked potato, and mushrooms. I had the $20.95 1-lb prime rib, cooked medium rare, which came with all of the above.



I've only had prime rib a handful of time in my life, but I would have been ordering it a lot more often if I had ever had prime rib like they serve at the Warehouse Cafe before. It was fabulous--so tender and juicy, and with a delicious and crunchy coating around the outside. I had half of it for dinner, and half for breakfast the next day. Lobster is also quite popular there, and they have a tank in the dining room with the live lobsters on display.


Pinky's Pizza Parlor
1379 South California Boulevard
Walnut Creek



Pinky's is an old hole-in-the-wall pizza place that opened in 1962, and is still cranking out the pies.


The Original Hick'ry Pit
1259 South Main Street
Walnut Creek


Grandma's Reuben

This restaurant opened as Emil Villa's Hick'ry Pit in 1958. They are still serving up pie and smoked meats to large crowds--we had to wait for a table. Being that it's in Walnut Creek, it is a bit higher priced that what you would find for a similar restaurant in Sacramento, but it has a lot more character than most of Walnut Creek.


Skipolini's Pizza
2001 Salvio Street
Concord



This is one of the youngest restaurants on this list, and I haven't even visited their oldest location, the one listed above in Concord, which opened in 1974. My grandmother suggested Skipolini's when I told her what kind of restaurant I was looking for, as it used to be a favorite of my uncle's. I found they had a closer location in Walnut Creek.



The Walnut Creek location has a beautiful mural of Mt. Diablo on the walls, and sawdust acovering the floors. There's a lovely closed-in, outdoor dining area as well. The veggie pizza we had the first time we were there didn't impress me, but the fully-loaded pepperoni and black olive pizza we had the second time was fully satisfying.


Sugar Plum Coffee Shop
1815 Colfax Street
Concord


Sugar Plum Skillet

According to the Contra Costa Times, this vintage diner opened in 1959. It's a cozy little place, lined with historic photos of Concord, from when it was a much more interesting place. I'm sure they do fine breakfast standards there, but I made the mistake of ordering huevos rancheros. Really, I should have known better than to order Mexican food at any place other than a Mexican restaurant when in California, where there are so many great Mexican restaurants.



Barney's Hickory Pit
3446 Clayton Road
Concord

Inconspicuously tucked away in a strip mall--what originally was probably touted as a "modern drive-in shopping center"--across the street from a Goodwill in a 1940s era building lies this unexpected gem. Barney's interior looks straight out of 1957, when the place opened. The exterior has changed, though, as a piece in the window put together for their 50th anniversary shows that they used to have a great neon sign out front.

The barbecue sauce was . . . well, certainly different than any barbecue sauce I've had before. My open-faced turkey sandwich was served on soft white bread, and my grandmother found out that they don't serve ranch dressing on their iceberg lettuce salad--all very 1957.


Bella Roma Pizza
101 Main Street
formerly 4040 Alhambra Avenue
Martinez

I haven't been to the new location on Main Street in Martinez, but have visited the Alhambra location several times. This place was a favorite with my grandparents when my uncle and aunt were young. It was a favorite with kids, and with me too, for the Wurlitzer organ, driving many instruments and a bubble machines, and the miniature railroad that ran above everyone's heads. I presume these features are all at the new location to, but haven't had the chance to check yet.






JT La Beau's
436 Ferry Street
Martinez

I don't recall much about our visit to this restaurant in downtown Martinez, except that they served Louisiana style cuisine, and had an energy surcharge, as we were there during the California energy crisis. I'll have to try and make it back soon so I can make a fuller report.


Wink's Restaurant
3835 Alhambra Avenue
Martinez


Biscuits and Gravy

This old diner has been around since at least 1961, and photos inside show that it was an old drive-in restaurant before that.


Riverview Lodge
I Street Wharf
Antioch

On a fishing pier on the edge of historic downtown Antioch, this time warp of a restaurant was built in 1948. It burnt down and was rebuilt in 1961, but apparently they tried to recreate the look of the original, as the old wood floors, ceiling, and paneling all look more 1940s than 1960s.

The menu hasn't changed much over the years it seems--you can still get pan-fried frog legs. If you go, you are best off getting one of the most expensive dishes, like cioppino or lobster, which are fairly priced in comparison to other restaurants. The least expensive dishes, like a ground beef, onion, and pepper omelet for $15, are grossly overpriced.


Mac's Old House
3100 East 18th Street
Antioch



While it's last on my list, Mac's Old House is probably my favorite of all these restaurants. According to the Contra Costa Times, Floyd "Mac" McKinney opened it as a bar in his own home in the mid 1950s. They have a beautiful vintage neon sign, a nice and cozy dining area, and quality food. Best of all, all of the food and drinks are inexpensive. So why have I only been there once? It's the location. But it is worth making a special trip for, even at today's high gas prices. I'm sure I'll be back sometime in the next few months.