Dad's Kitchen is a popular Curtis Park/Land Park restaurant that's been featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. While the main attraction for the television show was the Dad's Burger, the restaurant also offers a few items that can easily be made vegan.
I stopped in over the weekend for lunch with my husband Phil. As it turned out, brunch was being served and the only item I could eat on the brunch menu was the Veggie Burger, which was different from most of the veggie burgers I've eaten. This one is a grilled quinoa patty, served with lettuce, tomato, and bell pepper. I asked that the cheese and jalapeno aioli be omitted, and I also had them leave off the crispy onions, which are fried in some type of batter that I assumed would include milk or egg. Even without those ingredients, the burger was a very filling meal. As an added bonus, Dad's Kitchen serves kombucha on tap, so I had a cold glass of Kombucha Kulture's lavendar kombucha with my brunch.
If you're there for a weekday lunch, other menu options might include the Veggie Bean Taco appetizer without the cheese, Spicy Veggie Bean Chili, the Portabella Sandwich without cheese or aioli, or the Green Machine sandwich without cream cheese. The dinner menu includes Dad's Spaghetti with marinara sauce and quinoa balls, or the Veggie Delight (grilled quinoa on pita bread with red pepper hummus). Whatever you order, be sure to let the server know you're vegan so they can ask the chef to make the necessary adjustments.
The Dad's Kitchen location I visited is at 2968 Freeport Boulevard, and their phone number is 916-447-3237. Their website address is http://ilovedadskitchen.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/pages/dadskitchen/110592835638480?rf=186561064721349. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. There is a second Dad's Kitchen at 8928 Sunset Avenue in Fair Oaks, and their phone number is 916-241-9365.
Thanks, Pam! I haven't been to Dad's for ages. This will give me some incentive.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pam! I haven't been to Dad's for ages. This will give me some incentive.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Anne. We should get together for lunch again sometime soon!
ReplyDeleteAt @ DAD'S RESTAURANT in Fair Oaks, CA. on Christmas Eve (12-24-15) for lunch.
ReplyDeleteLet me start out by quoting their menu statement:
"We also want your experience to be the best it can possibly be so if it is let us know & if it’s not let us do our best to make it better!"
I will tell you honestly @ any experience I have anywhere, good or bad. What HORRIBLE service at this establishment. There were 3 tables at 2:30 pm, including ours. Server, Liz, asked how everything after we rec'd our lunch & since she asked, I said I was disappointed in the meat open-face meatloaf sand. When I mentioned this she walked off, did not say a word. I waited @ 10 minutes while she wandered around the place, I thought she told the supervisor, mgr or owner. She came back later & asked again how things were. I asked her why she just wandered off w/o saying anything to me. Did she tell someone @ my comment? NO. She said she was actually called away by the mgr @ another customer. Well, that was a bunch of BULL. The mgr was actually on the other side of the restaurant - I saw him standing there; She LIED.
I told her I wanted to speak to the mgr. She left, told him something & he, John, then came over & I asked him if he was a mgr or owner, He started out telling me he was the owner but quickly corrected himself telling me he was the mgr.
After he told me who he was he started off by being rude - I was polite but direct. He asked what I wanted. I told him @ my comment to the server & that she just wandered off after I made my comment. He apologize for her actions & told me she was one of the best servers there, really? I said I had been in cust service for over 30 yrs & I would never have walked off or lied to a customer. I stated all I was doing was making a comment.
I let the asst. mgr know I was disapt'd w/ the amt of meat in my sand & showed him the 1/4" x 3 1/2 " x 5" slice - open faced. He told me that is the way it comes but if I had ordered the meatloaf dinner it would be a larger slice. I said I am speaking of this sand, not the dinner. He then told me that because I ord'd this sand w/ sourdough instead of focaccia bread - the meat to bread ratio would make a diff in the taste. "WHAT???." I told him flat out, the bread should make no diff in regards to my comment @ the minimal slice of meat in this alleged sand. What a bunch of crap, seriously? What a brush off of my comment, & I told him so. He then grabbed my plate (extremely rude ) & told me he'd take it off the check. I was @ 1/2 done w/ my meal. I did not say it was bad. He didn't ask if he could remove it. This is not the reaction from a professional asst mgr I would have ever expected. I now understood why the server was so disoriented by my original comment - Both - lack of training @ customer comment. It was not like I was yelling, complaining, being rude, I was just making a comment.
So, after this happened Liz never came back to the table & we were there for another 15 minutes while my lunch partner finished his meal. We finally asked for the check but we rec'd NO OTHER SERVICE. But, the customer 2 tables over, was able to get service & rec'd beers while we sat there w/ empty glasses of water. I had to get up get it myself. When she printed the check, the water pitchers (2) were right there next to her & she saw we needed more water.
When the server, or shall I say, Confuser, brought the check I asked her for the owners contact info. I was lucky enough to have asst mgr, John, bring it to me, saying he does not give out the owners info so here is a card for the restaurant. REALLY? This is not going to go well for the asst mgr, the server, the restaurant. We will most likely NEVER go back here & we will be sure others know @ the service & treatment we rec'd. I will share my experience w/ everyone. As of this morning (01-05-16), I have yet to receive a reply.