SACRAMENTO: Gatsby's Diner

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As a fan of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, I have longwanted to visit Gatsby’s Diner in Sacramento. This Christmas visit, I playedthe “Dad” card and insisted the family gather there for dinner. No one wasdisappointed.
We descended on Gatsby’s, which is fairly close to our kids’homes, with three of our adult children and one grandchild in tow, and staffcould not have been more welcoming. We’d made a reservation – which theyrecommend because of the popularity the show has brought the place – so theyhad a table and high chair ready.
My wife and I had been particularly fascinated by a coupleof items prepared on the show: the beet sliders and the beef rouladen.
We ordered a side of sliders for the table and, although theothers were initially wary of tasting what looked like “beet sandwiches,”everyone immediately understood why they are one of Gatsby’s signature dishes.

Beet sliders

Three ½-inch thick beet medallions are par-boiled inGatsby's own pastrami seasoning, which gives the beets a flavor reminiscent ofpastrami while preserving their vegetarian qualities. The slices are thengrilled on flattops that used to be teppan yaki grills when the place was aJapanese steakhouse in a previous life, then served with shaved red onion andhouse-made Green Goddess dressing on toasted slider buns.
The restaurant’s web page says, “We love beets but those whodon’t probably wouldn’t even know what they were eating if they ate with theirmouths closed.” While I'm sure they meant "ate with their eyes closed," I could hardly have said it better myself.
After the appetizer, it was on to our main courses.
I had the German beef rouladen, which are rolls of thinlysliced beef, Dijon mustard, bacon, dill pickle and onion, served with savorygravy, German red cabbage and parsley potatoes. Being partly of German heritage,I’ve enjoyed rouladen since my childhood.

Beef rouladen

While Gatsby’s rouladen were very tasty, they should probablyhave been cooked a little longer, as they were still a bit tough. Rouladenoriginally evolved as a way to make cheaper cuts of meat edible by poundingthem thin, then cooking for a long time to ensure tenderness. The potatoescould also have used some additional cooking time, as my wife and I agreed theywere a bit underdone.
My wife, also of German heritage, opted for the porkschnitzel: a pork loin filet, breaded and fried, served with red cabbage andGerman potato salad, which is made without mayonnaise. While the schnitzel and cabbage were quite flavorful, the optionof a warm potato side dish would have been welcome on a cold pre-Christmasevening.
One of the kids tucked into a huge burger, which heimmediately pronounced delicious. Burgers, according to many of the reviews I've read elsewhere, are what Gatsby's is known for.
After dinner, we enjoyed a luscious, light crème brûléeflamed tableside, and a chocolate-peanut butter milkshake. The latter soundsheavy, even for chocolate and/or peanut butter lovers, but surprisingly, itwasn’t. It was very light and tasty.
Despite Gatsby’s decidedly casual “diner” atmosphere,service was helpful and attentive. As an extra, added attraction, the place hada good selection of beer and a pretty decent wine list, too. Coupled with itsexcellent selection of comfort food, Gatsby’s has everything you'll need for asuccessful evening out.
Photos by Carl Dombek
Click on photos to view larger sized images

 

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