Sonoma County: Dierk's Parkside Cafe

In August, my family had ourselves a little staycation and spent a few days up in the Russian River area.  We started our trip with brunch at Dierk's Parkside Cafe in Santa Rosa:


The restaurant was charming both inside and out:


Even though there were a lot of people, we were seated fairly quickly.

The menu claimed that Grandma Dierk's pull-apart ($3.25) was better than donuts, so of course we had to give it a try:


I wasn't mad at it, but I wasn't exactly blown away either.  It was exactly as it looked, fried dough dusted with cinnamon sugar.  Can't really go wrong with that.

The Gompa's sandwich ($10.95) was made with bacon, turkey, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, lettuce, fried egg, and pesto mayonnaise:


It came with a side salad that I could've gone without.  The sandwich, however?  Delicious.  Just goes to show that you don't need fancy ingredients to make something delicious.

It's not everyday you find duck confit ($13.95) on a brunch menu:


It came with hash browns, scrambled eggs, apples, and toast.  Good, but interestingly enough, not as memorable as the sandwich.

Our last selection was the Parkside omelet ($13.95):


We got to pick three items from a list of meats, cheese, and veggies.  I don't remember what we ended up choosing, but I do remember that when my sister tried to ask if there was any pepper jack (it wasn't listed), our server said, "Sorry, just jack."  To which my sister responded by bringing her hands up to her face and repeating, "Just Jack!"

For those of you who didn't get it, that was a "Will and Grace" reference.  Our server was so tickled.  She said she'd been waiting for someone to get it, but before my sister, nobody had. 

TV.  Bringing people together.

After brunch, we made my mother's dreams come true by taking her to the Charles M. Schulz Museum.  As I'm typing this, fires are still burning across Northern California.  Santa Rosa was hit and while Charles Schulz's house is unfortunately no more, the museum is safe, though closed until further notice.

I didn't want to end this post on such a depressing note, but it didn't seem right to write about Santa Rosa without acknowledging the devastation that started over a week ago, that is still ongoing, and that will continue to impact families for months and even years to come.

Click here for ways to help.


Dierk's Parkside Cafe
404 Santa Rosa Ave
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 573-5955
http://www.dierksparkside.com/

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