By Gloria Glyer • Photography by michael powers

A Sacramento landmark is infused with new life.

imes change. That thought occurred to me when the Dining Divas ate at Hereford House—whoops; I knew I would do that. The name now is Riverside Clubhouse. And the good old boys who bellied up to the bar in the Hereford House’s heyday might not recognize the place, except for the fiberglass cow out front.

When  Matt and Fred Haines of 33rd Street Bistro fame bought this Land Park restaurant a few years ago, they promised to keep the namesake Hereford on the roof—and they have. But everything else is different. The interior is chic and attractive, with a cowhide bar and paintings of Land Park scenes. The openings leading to the patio are wide and ceiling-high—they’re actually roll-up garage doors. The beautiful patio has a triple-tiered fireplace, a waterfall wall and banquette seating. “We should all come back at night because the fireplace is spectacular,” said guest Lenore Aizenberg.

The Dining Divas came on a day when the restaurant had three other large groups with lunch reservations, which was a good test for the kitchen and staff.

First, the Wine

Diva Peg Tomlinson-Poswall and guest Jeanne Reaves consulted the wine list, choosing interesting names: Toasted Head Reserve Chardonnay Giguiere Ranch 2000 and Rock Rabbit Syrah Central Coast 2003.

“You can tell the Chardonnay is the reserve,” said Reaves, “by the bear on the bottle.” Guest Dodie Regelin called the white “very impressive—light in flavor and great with fish.”

Guest Debbie Hughes was not impressed with the Syrah, but she liked the Chardonnay. We all shared her opinion; in fact, we ordered a second bottle.

About the Menu

In addition to traditional starters and entrées, Riverside’s menu includes “club plates”—a cross between a starter and a main dish—and “fork-and-knife sandwiches.” Our picks included the zucchini haystack; spinach and artichoke dip; tuna tartare; salt-and-pepper calamari with fresh marinara and lemon aioli sauces; iceberg lettuce wedge with Maytag cheese dressing; baby back ribs in espresso barbecue sauce; shrimp and feta tacos; crab cakes with Thai sweet chile sauce; spit-roasted sirloin dip sandwich with Manchego cheese and housemade au jus; cheddar cheeseburger with Kennebec fries (made from Kennebec potatoes, which are grown in Washington state); wild mushroom risotto with truffle oil; and lobster ravioli in scampi butter cream (pictured above).

Top Picks

The baby back ribs scored high with most lunchers, although we would have appreciated it if moist towelettes had been included. Very tender and almost falling off the bones, the ribs were laced liberally with intense, very dark espresso sauce.

The warm spinach and artichoke dip was served with crisp tortilla chips, which arrived in a clever paper-lined metal spiral cone. The french fries that accompanied the sandwiches also came in the cones, which Diva Gayla Mace called “cool.”

Nearly every luncher loved the lobster ravioli for its rich, buttery sauce (and lots of it) and the large chunks of lobster encased in the tender pasta. This was one dish that was not bland or lacking in flavor.

Mixed Feelings

Zucchini appetizers are becoming ubiquitous in the restaurant world. Riverside’s version features strips of zucchini, breaded, deep-fried and stacked high. The dish looked, said guest Karen Dunmore, like the Eiffel Tower. It’s best to devour the zucchini quickly while the strips are still hot, because they tend to go limp when they cool. We had to add salt.

On the other hand, the tuna tartare, served with crisp baguette slices, was well-salted. Some liked it; others did not. Regelin thought it was delicious, but Tomlinson-Poswall could only taste the salt.

Hughes, Mace and Tomlinson-Poswall enjoyed the creamy, flavorful risotto. But Paulette Bruce-Miller, the risotto queen, opined: “Risotto should only be made at home on Sunday for those you love.”

Hughes thought the cheeseburger and sirloin dip were “predictable.” But both had potential, and the dip’s housemade au jus added just the right touch. The menu features a steak sandwich, too.

For vegetarians, several starters would be appropriate, along with the Clubhouse salad of greens, dried cherries, roasted red onion, pistachios and goat cheese with cherry balsamic vinaigrette. From the entrées, a vegetarian could order the risotto or request the classic French ham-and-cheese hot sandwich known as croque monsieur without the ham.

Help Needed

The crab cakes had too much breading and not enough of the main ingredient. The taco was OK, but it was difficult to find the shrimp encased in the soft tortilla. “How about a Miele espresso machine?” suggested Dunmore when we talked about areas in which the restaurant could improve.

On to Dessert

When desserts are housemade, we order them all. The crème brûlée cheesecake, fluffy in texture, divine in taste, was the best—no dissenters. “Fabulous! Light!” enthused Hughes, who is generally not a cheesecake fan.

Another favorite was the butterscotch pudding, just like your mother used to make—maybe better. No lumps. Good fla-vor. Old-fashioned. Said Tomlinson-Poswall: “Yum. Is my mom in the kitchen?”

Other sweet treats included cranberry sorbet, very refreshing (but Regelin said hers is better); peanut butter gelato made with crunchy PB; apple galette, which lacked cinnamon and nutmeg; and an ice cream sundae called a Brown Cow, served in a Pilsener glass and made with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, crème de cacao and Kahlua—impressive to look at, but not very enjoyable. It was very sweet, and the Kahlua was a tad overdone. Where was the Key lime pie we ordered? It never showed.

Conversation

Whenever charity organizers see Reaves in the audience for a live auction, they celebrate. Reaves claims her bidding is just a nervous reaction—her arm keeps flipping the auction paddle up. At one local auction, she was the top bidder for a cooking class with Bruce-Miller. She learned to make risotto, but the most important thing she learned was “never, ever put your good knives in the dishwasher.”

Bruce-Miller, a Land Park resident, commented: “We waited a long, long time for this corner to be resurrected. I want the place to succeed, but I don’t understand what they want it to be. I think I will come back for breakfast on a Saturday or Sunday.” She really likes the flowerbeds out front and the cow on the roof.

This was another enjoyable Diva lunch. Food, frivolity, friends. It makes you want to have everybody back for a second go-around. And maybe more.

Riverside Clubhouse, 2633 Riverside Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 448-9988; Open 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Monday–Wednesday; 11 a.m.–midnight Thursday–Friday; 8a.m.–midnightSaturday.