THE WORD IS OUT

April 22, 2011 in About Us by admin | No comments

We would like to thank all of our fans for recommending us to your friends, and to strangers alike.  It has been exciting to welcome so many new customers this winter, and spring is setting some new records for our little burger & beer house!  Most of our customers are coming in based on the word-of-mouth referrals however we have had some nice press lately spreading the word like wildfire.

In January The SC Times gave us the spotlight photo on their cover of “The People’s Choice Awards  2010”. http://www.sanclementetimes.com/view/full_story/11150326/article-5th-Annual-Best-of-San-Clemente? We took the gold for best burger-thank you for voting!

Two weeks ago the OC Register published a very nice review of The Riders Club and the phone was off the hook!  http://foodfrenzy.ocregister.com/2011/03/14/near-perfect-burgers-at-coastal-cafe/35449/#more-35449

Wondering who else may be writing about our place, we did some web searching and found an article from CBS LA. http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/top-lists/the-best-burgers-in-los-angeles/

Now beer drinkers can also find us listed on www.taphunter.com where will be updating our beer selection as it changes (I hope we can keep up, that’s a weekly task!).

This Sunday, April 24th, The Riders Club Cafe will be closed for Easter.  We are closed Mondays as usual but open again Tuesday April 26th and are looking forward to seeing you again soon.

Cheers,

The Riders Club Cafe

1701 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente CA 92672

‘Tis the season for Belgian beer

December 14, 2010 in Beer by admin | No comments

Belgian beers are always delicious (in our opinion) but especially during the winter months.  The heartiness and complexity of the malts, fruits and spices offer a tremendous range of options to select from.  We will be sampling several Belgian beers this month and hope you will too.  They are fantastic when paired with strong, buttery cheeses and grilled meats.

Delirium Nocturnum-Belgian Strong Dark Ale 8.5%

Beautiful dark cherry brown ale.  Smell and taste of dark fruits. roasted malt and caramel.

Chimay Triple (white)-Triple 8.0%

The style “Triple” is named for the brewing process in which brewers use up to 3 times the malt than standard Trappist Belgian brews.  The color is golden orange and follows with smell and taste of citrus, pear and spice.  Nicely carbonated with a dry finish.

Kasteel Rouge-Cherry Fruit Beer 8.0%

Dark red color, smells of cherries.  The taste maintains the sweet and tartness of the fruit and is dry in the finish.  Drink with a meal or just have some for dessert.

Maredsous 8 (brown)-Dubble 8.0%

Rich malty beer with active carbonation.  Slightly chocolate malted flavor and very drinkable especially with buttery and pungent cheeses.

Houblon Choffe-Belgian IPA 9.0%

This beer offers a golden cloudy color with strong hops flavor.  The fluffy head is fantastic and lasts until the last few sips.  Cleaner bitterness vs. American styles, and a pronounced dry edge.

Woody Gold-German Style Pilsener 4.6%

This San Diego brew from Karl Strauss is golden in color, crisp and refreshing on the palate.  A great balance to pair with spicy peppery foods.

Dales Pale Ale-American Pale Ale 6.5%

Oskar Blues brewery in Colorado is making amazing craft brews.  This pale ale is copper in color with lots of carbonation.  The hops stands out but fades with it’s finish.  Versatile and delicious.

Old Rasputin Imperial Stout-Russian Imperial Stout 9.0%

Brewed by North Coast Brewery, CA, this is an amazingly black beer with a creamy thick head.  Chocolate maltiness coat the mouth and leave you wanting another slug.

If you want more info about the beers, or to read reviews from other beer drinkers, go to:  www.beeradvocate.com; www.ratebeer.com

What Will Month 2 Bring?

July 7, 2010 in About Us, Uncategorized by admin | 2 comments

To whom it may concern, interest, or even to those reading by chance-

We are now in the first week of our second month.  It has been a lot of work but overall we are surviving the daily grind (pun intended).  To give some background on our restaurant, it was formerly Dave’s Mexican Food.  ”Dave’s”, was a local spot for over 30 years.  My brother-in-law JP worked his first job here as a dishwasher.  I understand change is not always welcome, but some reluctant patrons, loyal to Dave’s, have been giving us a try.  We do not have dollar taco’s.  We do however have dollar dogs for happy hour!  On the whole, friends of “Dave’s”, are happy that he (Dan) is free to sail away to Catalina, and they can stop in to the shop and still get a bite to eat.

This month will set the pace for our summer season.  Word of mouth has been bringing new faces in each day.  What is really great is how many keep coming back!  

Jack & Pasilla

Thumb’s up

June 5, 2010 in Beer, Uncategorized by admin | 2 comments

Delicious!  The best burger I’ve ever had!  These are some of the things customers are saying–Josh agrees

Game On!

June 5, 2010 in Beer by admin | 2 comments

We are open! Tuesday was our first day and the feedback has been great. I am feeling so fortunate to have hired a crew with energy and excitement about our concept. Everyone is doing an amazing job to work together and work out the kinks. The lights installed Thursday on the sign brought in more customers and anything I can do to get the word out that we are open is my top priority! That being said, let’s talk about beer.

The 8 beers we have on tap are delicious. The stout and one of two IPA’s we have, come from Green Flash Brewing Company in San Diego county.  The other IPA is the Bear Republic Racer 5, a bit hoppier than the Green Flash.  The Bruery, from here in Orange County, has a rye beer we love called Rugbrod–at 8% look out, it’s strong.  We also have two beers from North Coast Brew Co, Pranqster-a Belgium style golden ale, and Scrimshaw pilsner.  All of the brews mentioned so far are from California, but we did add Old Chub, a Colorado brown ale, and Hennepin Farmhouse Saison from Ommegang brewery in NY.  The Hennepin is my personal favorite.  

On Tap @ TRC

May Day

May 14, 2010 in In Progress by admin | No comments

 

The Miramar Theater (1937) is across the street from TRC

J. McGraw took this picture months ago–3+ months later I have more to smile about, and write about.  After a list of fixes required by the health department, we were approved last Friday!  So to answer the big question, when is the opening date?  The answer is, as soon as possible…we are hoping to be serving food and beer by the end of the month.  I have a stack of resumes and an endless list of things to do.  My house is an embarrassment and the kids are watching lots of great movies.  Thank goodness we have Mimi (grandma), they are bonding.  A May opening date might be impossible, however a few extra days seems trivial after all of these months in the making.  

*p.s. It would be so great if something could be done with this historical building.  The Miramar Theater was built in 1937 and has been sitting vacant for 15 years or so.

upon reflection

March 26, 2010 in In Progress by admin | No comments

It was October 19th when I took this picture of Brian after we had posted the change of ownership on the ‘Dave’s Mexican’ doorway.  Knowing that the beer and wine transfer would take 90 days (longer factoring the short gov. work week) we had a good idea that The Riders Club was not opening before the new year.  90 days quickly turned into 120+ days and restless nights waiting for word from the ABC.  We finally received approval in January!  Here it is already March and we still have one more review with the health department. Hopefully by late April the doors will be open for business.

Hello world!

February 15, 2010 in In Progress by admin | No comments

A View of the Ocean

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