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The River City Saloon opens doors to public and brings patrons back into time.
River City Saloon As Posted in The Sacramento Business Journal.
The River City Saloon is expected to open in Old Sacramento this month, blending into the historic district with an Old West theme.
The bar and restaurant will feature servers in period costume during the day — to cater to the family crowd — then switch to modern clothing for the evening shift.
The Saloon is in a historic building at 916 2nd St., with historic touches such as a 42-foot-long triple-arch Brunswick bar from 1905, brought in from Atlanta. Tin tiles that would be right at home in the Old West cover the ceiling and the walls showcase variations on period advertising.
Sawdust will cover the floor and peanuts in the shell will be offered, proprietor Sean Derfield said. He’s been in the restaurant, bar and nightclub business for two decades and was part of the team that opened America Live! in Downtown Plaza in the early 1990s, as well as McGee’s in Citrus Heights. Most recently, he was a partner in Shaker’s Pub, a local bar in Citrus Heights.
The food is going to be on the simpler side, featuring custom sandwiches and whatever can be made in a deep fryer. The long and narrow space doesn’t have room for a large kitchen.
During the day, the saloon will feature music played from an antique player piano. At night, things get more high-tech, with a recorded video system playing older Top 40 songs, classic rock and country rock. The bartenders can sing along.
“It is not karaoke. It will be people who know how to sing,” Derfield said.
Weekend evenings will feature small bands minus the drum kit — no room.
The retail space on 2nd Street most recently had been Earl Gray Manor, a high-end tea shop that closed about a year ago.
Mark Anderson
Cowtown Eats on our Happy Hour.