I leave for a couple of weeks and a new restaurant comes out of nowhere! How did that happen? The building formerly occupied by the Cliff House has transformed in to a new Sudwerk, serving up the same suds as the Davis brewery. Same owners, they just decided to mix it up a bit and change directions with the restaurant.
I have to admit, I never went to Cliff House. It was a little too “white tableclothy” for my tastes. I’m a California kid, as casual as they come. So the only time I ever went to Cliff House was the occasional Mother’s Day brunch or something, and even then I never thought much of the place. It was too bad, because the location was excellent.
Sudwerk has a pretty good formula in its favor: the best views in town of Folsom (views of both the Rainbow Bridge, Lake Natoma, and Lake Natoma Bridge), totally redecorated interior (wood floors, plasma TV’s, etc), and good food. It’s got a much more modern, trendy look to it, than its predecessor, which unfortunately used to scream “Grandma”. With the change, I would already put this at the top of my short list of places to take a Folsom newcomer. It’s local, hip, and shows off our natural beauty.
When we came in, we honestly weren’t sure what to expect. We were a bit early for lunch (11:20), but it really seemed like there was a bit of confusion going on in the lobby. Nobody really sure who’s in charge, took a long time just to get anyone to notice us to get a seat. I will definitely chalk that up to being so new. We ended up sitting out on the patio, overlooking the lake. Great view.
I ordered an avocado bacon burger, while my wife had the Sudwerk chicken salad. I took my camera and I really should have taken a picture of my burger… It was one of those 2-fisted burgers, with a soft, toasted bun on top. A beauty of a plate. I don’t know why, but the bun made the difference – it was huge, but also soft and yummy. You could tell they didn’t order the buns from Costco. The burger itself was thick and juicy. Suffice to say, it was one of the best burgers I ever had, and I eat a lot of burgers. My wife also really enjoyed her chicken salad. She was impressed with the place as well.
We’ll be back, and next time, we’ll be bringing some friends, A place like this deserves a good crowd.
Rating (out of 5): 5
2-person lunch: $23
Ambiance:5
Service: 3
Food: 5
Sudwerk
9900 Greenback Lane