Last-Minute Father’s Day Eats
They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach (and if you can line that path with bacon and beef, even better)—so we’ve rounded up some of the meatiest ways to give back to Dad this Father’s Day.
Cafeteria 15L downtown offers some manly ways to take back the brunch with its grilled tri-tip sandwich (slow-smoked in-house and thinly sliced) with caramelized onions, arugula and horseradish cream served on a French roll, or barbecue baby back ribs with a house spice rub, house barbecue sauce and red bliss potato salad. 492-1960. cafeteria15l.com
Another meaty brunch is at Hawks in Granite Bay. They’re featuring a scrumptious twist on biscuits and gravy—a buttermilk biscuit and scrambled eggs with smoked bacon and aged cheddar—and a hearty grilled breakfast sausage dish with sunny side up eggs and country potatoes. Craving the ultimate gourmet bar experience? Try exotic pretzel gelato with Hawks ale caramel. 791-6200. hawksrestaurant.com
At 18th and K, The Porch, serving up “slow-country” Southern-style food, will be dishing up a soft-shell crab Benedict on an English muffin with applewood bacon, baby spinach, sliced tomato and Porch hollandaise, as well as a BBQ pork hash with fresh jalapenos, gouda cheese, potatoes, creamy BBQ hollandaise, fresh avocado and two poached eggs. 444-2423. theporchsacramento.com
La Provence in Roseville features an inventive twist on barbecue pork ribs that are braised in root beer and dry rubbed, smoked and served with a chocolate chipotle barbecue sauce. 789-2002. laprovenceroseville.com
Executive chef Pedro Depina of Ettore’s is offering his take on the classic steak and eggs as a special addition to the brunch menu with a New York Strip steak, two eggs (any style) and potatoes with a béarnaise sauce. Celebrating Father’s Day at home? Pick up a one-of-a-kind Tie Cake for Dad. Choose from any of the base cake flavors (including chocolate mousse, red velvet and peanut butter) and let Ettore do the rest. Cakes can be ordered up to 48 hours before Father’s Day (final orders taken Friday at 10 p.m.), but if you can’t get your order in you can try to snag one in the store (some will be available for purchase on Saturday and Sunday). 482-0708. ettores.com
All three locations of Scott’s Seafood Grill & Bar are serving up a rare brunch buffet with a special menu. Standouts include the apple-smoked sturgeon (cured for a day or two in fresh apple juice from Apple Hill, brown sugar, white sugar and salt before being smoked in-house over applewood chips), and the house barbecue ribs (St. Louis-style spare ribs with a chili-espresso rub that get slow-roasted in the oven) at the Folsom location. Loehmann’s Plaza: 489-1822. Folsom: 989-6711. On the River: 379-5959. scottsseafood.net
The Firehouse in Old Sacramento also only serves brunch a few days a year, and for this special Father’s Day edition, look for specials like Duck Tataki (flash-seared then marinated in soy sauce and plum wine, cucumber parchment and pickled plum umeboshi) or the Black & White (char-grilled filet mignon with Maine lobster tail, garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed veggies) and top it all off with a decadent Guinness Malted Ice Cream Sandwich (layers of chocolate cookie and malted milk ice cream cocoa foam, Guinness sauce and crushed malt balls.) 442-4772. firehouseoldsac.com
If the buttoned-up affair doesn’t sound like his thing, try Crawdad’s River Cantina in Sacramento. The brunch menu boasts a carving station with marinated smoked tri-tip as well as spicy chicken and sausage jambalaya. 929-2268. crawdadsrivercantina.com
Ten 22 in Old Sacramento is a good way for dad to get some barbecue without having to pick up the tongs. The ribs and brisket (both organic, grass-fed beef) with sweet potato corn bread, and the barbecued oysters with a Tabasco-citrus butter are sure to keep Dad full. And the beer tasting special (four 3 ounce tastes of any beer on tap for $9) will certainly keep him happy. 441-2211. ten22oldsac.com
In El Dorado Hills check out the expanded brunch menu at Sienna featuring more lunch-style items including a carving station with slow-cooked, hand-carved prime rib with a 10-spice rub or the roasted tenderloin dinner special. 941-9694. siennarestaurants.com
Channel your dad’s inner John Wayne with a steak worth wrangling—a special 14-ounce Cowboy Rib Eye (blackened rib eye with chipotle butter and topped with crispy tobacco onions) served with au gratin potatoes at Land Ocean in Folsom. 983-7000. landoceanrestaurants.com
Any oenophile father is sure to appreciate Folsom’s Back Wine Bar & Bistro and its Surf and Turf special (6-ounce grilled filet mignon with cherry red wine sauce and pan-roasted, wild king salmon with tomato-basil butter) accompanied by fingerling potatoes. With 30 wines by the taste, glass or bottle and another 50-plus by bottle only, you’re sure to find the perfect pairing for the perfect dad. 986-9100. backwinebar.com
On the off chance that your progenitor isn’t a carnivore, take him to try the The Greene Boheme's Manly Man Quiche, which makes its debut (with an extra 25 percent off for fathers) on Sunday. The dish at this Sacramento restaurant is an organic, raw, vegan, gluten-free and soy-free concoction whose ingredients include fresh zucchini, spinach and mushrooms; sunflower and flax seeds; cashews and macadamia nuts; and chickpea-miso paste (among other things), which are all intended to optimize the strength of a man’s body. Even the vegan dads get their bacon fix, though—the quiche is wrapped in zucchini bacon. 920-4278. thegreenboheme2.blogspot.com
Or looking for something completely different? Check out the Father’s Day Beer Brunch Cruise by Hornblower Cruises in Old Sacramento. It’s a two-hour cruise featuring live entertainment, picturesque scenic views and a great selection of beer, soda and juice. Menu offerings include smoked bacon and breakfast sausage or a taste of Thanksgiving—roasted turkey with cranberry aioli. 446-1185. hornblower.com/hce/home/sac
