Jamie's Bar and Grill - Sacramento, CA

Jamie's was a little too much of a dive for me.  It was a little intimidating as I walked up to the front door.  There was graffiti on awning outside of a not particularly nice building.  I was a little weary about leaving my car parked outside.  If it was later at night then I probably would have not stopped here.

It was very dark inside in stark contrast to the bright outside California sun.  It felt kind of dirty.  There were deer and buffalo heads on wall and a picture of Guy hung behind the bar.  I got the sense that even though this was a bar and grill that it was much more bar than restaurant.  It is more of a beer and a shot kind of bar rather than a martini kind of bar at that.

Despite my reservations, I ordered the chicken gumbo with a half-BLT sandwich on sourdough bread.  The gumbo was spicy but pretty good.  The BLT was ordinary.  It was definitely not DDD quality.

I rated Jamie's a 4.0.  I can not say that I recommend it.  Oh well, they can't all be winners.

Jamies Bar and Grill
427 Broadway
Sacramento, CA 95818

Dressel's Public House - St.Louise, MO

It was  an exceptionally nice summer evening when I visited Dressel's Public House in St. Louis.  I got a table outside to fully enjoy the weather.  I was there in the early evening in the summertime when the sun was warm and hung in the sky relatively late in the evening.   It was very quiet and peaceful.  Somebody on the block was getting jazz piano lessons which echoed nicely off of the brick buildings.


Dressel's Public House is however on a street in St. Louis that they share with at least a dozen other eateries and bars. I'm guessing that this street is probably a lot of fun after the sun goes down.  I could easily imagine doing a pub-crawl here.  I wouldn't get a chance to find out first hand.


The waitress was very friendly.  She had a trainee in tow.  She was very knowledgeable about their menu and beer selection which was considerable.  I guess that should not have come as any surprise as this is a big beer-town.

I tried the Southside Ale.  This was a locally brewed light and yeasty beverage.  It was the perfect compliment for such a nice evening.

The food was also pretty good.  I got the spring onion and goat cheese tart which was kind of like a quiche except that the cheese was more gooey than fluffy.  It came with a mixed greens salad with bits of chicken.  The contrast in textures was really well done.    

Dessert was strong chocolate coffee flavored parfait.  I think the name was potacreme, but I'm not sure. Waitress said they had to whip up fresh cream.  It was extremely rich and filling. A few bites and I was done.

I gave Dressel's a 9.7.  It was all very good.  I kind of gave them the benefit of the doubt on the atmosphere because of the time that I showed up.  The inside was a really cool old pub.

Dressel's Public House
419 N Euclid Ave
St. Louis, MO 63108
(314) 361-1060
dresselspublichouse.com

Hildebrandts - Williston Park, NY

Hildebrandts is an old-time diner. There was lots of stainless steel, an old soda bar, the waiters wore black aprons and the drinking glasses had those old-time metal holders.

It was very much a family restaurant.  There was a young mom explaining to her kids how long their family had been coming here. This was a long-time generational thing for them.

The thing that makes them really special is that they make their own ice cream in the back. Watch the DDD video before you go. Having seen them make the ice cream made the shake experience all the better.  I tried the cappuccino chip shake. Wow! You don't realize the extra junk that they put in ice cream until it's gone. They obviously use high quality ingredients. Even the little bits of chocolate were really enjoyable.

I ordered the lobster ravioli in vodka sauce. For a diner, their Italian food was as good as any Italian restaurant in New York.  So, the bar is pretty high.

Service was good but, a little short because they were busy at the time.

I rated them 9.5 because the food was really good and it was a genuine diner. They missed the mark a little on the service side and the atmosphere was kind of ordinary; still well worth checking out.

Hildebrandt's
84 Hillside Avenue
Williston Park, NY 11596
(516) 741-0608
www.hildebrandtsrestaurant.com